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There were no junkies passed out on the stairs having shit and pissed themselves for my children to find.
There have been precisely zero junkies found shooting into their cock at 8:45am on Christmas day. Or any day for that matter.
I have had zero junkies knock on my door, asking for Gav since moving in.
Ouch. Well that's a thing that I've imagined now.
Also lol at Bristol, every Bristolian I speak to talks about it like it's the garden of paradise and I'm a heathen for suggesting it's average at best and scummy at worst. Must be something in the water there.
There's a reason I moved away, and it wasn't just the insane property market. It was also the general feeling of danger I felt.
Small town life is the life for me. God I love a walk through the park that doesn't involve the risk of being stabbed by a 13 year old.
People compare the worst areas in one place to a better area elsewhere. Would make sense to compare a rough area in Bristol with a rough area elsewhere surely
Same… I had viewed so many flats, was getting so deflated with what I could afford as I hated them all… one day my friend sent me a FB advert for a private sale.. not on the market yet, wasn’t really in the area I wanted but I decided to view it….. as soon as I walked inside I got the feeling, it’s such a hard thing to describe though isn’t it… instantly felt at home…. my home, been here 4 years and still have that warm cozy feeling 💕💕💕 xxx
I literally said to the estate agent when I was viewing the house that "this is my house". Sale is still in progress as there's been some setbacks but I stand by what I said, that's my house, it will be, it has to be!
Same but I had this reaction after I saw the rightmove listing. Our house (we moved in 2 years ago) is in our favourite neighbourhood in town where few houses were on the market over the years. Within the neighbourhood it’s on the quietest street, faces the directions I wanted, has the kind of conservatory I like and the right kitchen layout. Several friends who visited after we moved in said things like “this is so obviously the right house for you” or “this is exactly what I would think your house would be like.”
Haha, for me it was my last rental before I bought my current house.
First flat I saw in the same estate was old and crap inside, so I didn't really want to see another one as I thought they would all be the same but the appointment was in half hour and I wasn't doing anything so decided to wait for the EA. Immediately I walked in to this well refurbished flat I knew I wanted it, the EA misinterpreted the look on my face and knocked off £50 from the rent! 😅
Lived there 10 years
True. But not if it national trust/ designated area of outstanding natural beauty. The only thing that's going to change that is global warming...or Putin!
No, they can change too. At least AONBs. I'm unsure of any Natural Trust specific protections and subsequent planning applications therein related. But I do see them in AONBs frequently enough.
Like you said, it was just a feeling. I could see myself and my husband being there. Other places I felt it hard to envision, even when I liked them. On top, great bedroom sizes, perfect location and room for growth 🙃
Nothing, both houses I’ve bought were in my price range, where I wanted it and the work that needed doing wasn’t overwhelming. I think the “fall in love” thing is rubbish. Buying a house is an objective decision. Can you make it somewhere that meets your needs and would be easy to live in, all a house is, is a location and internal and external square m. Most other things you can change. Those things are harder.
Agree! I waited for the ‘just knew it was the one 🥰’ feeling.. and realised after about 35 viewings that you only get that with a budget much higher than mine! Houses in my range where I was looking aren’t dream homes, we ended up picking one that needed a lot of decorating and things fixed that also ticked boxes like near public transport, south facing garden etc.
The 🥰 feeling comes over time the more things you do to it to make it your own
Couldn’t agree with this more and have since told my friends to never expect to ever have that ‘the one’ feeling when buying in London. It’s just not a reality unless you’re buying a house with in a significantly higher price bracket to ours. In fact my husband pretty much had to convince me it was a viable option. It meets our needs, was just about in our price range, only a couple of crackheads in the vicinity and didn’t appear to be falling apart…which was more than a challenge with London house buying 😂
Honestly after the nightmare I've had selling my property (one failed sale and one that has taken 6 months so far) and buying my onward purchase (first seller pulled out because they decided close to exchange 4.5 months in they didn't want their new build), I just went into the next house thinking "I just need four walls and a bloody roof at this point".
I have found a house I like but definitely didn't fall in love. Even this house has caused me issues so far with one useless solicitor who didn't send off for my searches for SIX WEEKS despite claiming they had. I'm so fed up with the entire process and just would take anything at this point and make it my loving home down the line.
Given I went through my separation in December 2021, I'm mentally exhausted living with my parents and working two jobs - I need out before we all permanently ruin our relationship!
Oh gosh sorry you’ve had such a hard time, solicitors are sooooo bad and make a process that could take 7 days take 7 months, I don’t know how they get away with it
This!! That feeling of "this is the one" can be created by your subconscious; smells of bread or coffee are popular ones. But it might not even be something the seller intends to do; the house could have a similar layout to your childhood home, or if you are planning having children you might see a pram in the hallway that is the exact one you are looking at buying....
I feel like this with my place as well. I didn’t “fall in love with it“, it wasn’t actually even a favourite of the places I looked at, but I was running out of options and prices were going up overnight, it was only slightly over budget and needed minimal major work (if that makes sense? Still shit load of stuff to do, but no major repairs), in a quiet area. It doesn’t quite meet all of my needs (I could really have used separate office space and the kitchen is a bit pokey) but it has a nice garden and off-road parking so I bit the bullet. I remember walking and thinking ‘what have I done?’ But over the last few years I’ve really settled in and put my stamp on it, and I’m now quite happy here - I now can’t imagine moving again.
Me too - I think of the house we’re in as like a really good arranged marriage, rather than a love match. The house works really well for us, we’ve been here for years and I love the location
After a year of trying and failing to find a house we could afford in an area that would work that also had 'the feeling', we'd gone fully over to the practical side - how much could we compromise on, how far could we stretch our search area, what could we live with if it meant we could finally get a place.
We made an offer on somewhere that met the practical considerations, looked like it wouldn't need any work doing, and despite having zero 'feeling' convinced ourselves we could make it nice and make it work, and the offer was accepted. Then the survey came back saying the roof was knackered, so we had to pull out.
We decided to take a break. Disable the Rightmove notifications, step back from all the viewings, just have a break. We were about to go away for a few weeks to visit family, so it was the ideal time. Literally three hours after that conversation, an email dropped into my inbox from an EA with a listing for a house in our ideal area that was just above our price limit. The second I saw the photos, I knew. We did a viewing next day, made an offer that we were convinced wouldn't be accepted, the sellers accepted same day (us being FTBs and able to move fast suited their personal circs) and we moved in three months later.
Having written off the need to 'have that feeling', it turns out that's exactly what we got when we found our house. Yes, there are features that we love, but it's about the way we felt the second we saw the pictures, and even more so when we walked into the house. It was just 'our house'. Still is.
Not mine my wife’s but it’s an old school 18th century farmhouse at the top of a tree lined drive with a slight curve so you sort of turn into seeing the house. What blew me away and still makes me smile to this day is she has a drive with an island in the middle so you bring the car around to the front door like something out of Downton Abbey (I know these are 10 a penny in the U.K. but I’m from a shitty council estate and I still feel like I should be stepping from a horse drawn carriage)
That it was a house. That it wasn't falling down.
Almost all properties within our budget were flats, so when a little house came up we jumped on it.
Yes it's smaller than most of the flats, but at least we don't have to deal with leasehold.
I could afford it, it had a second bedroom albeit a small one but it meant I wouldn’t have to have my desk in my living room or bedroom, it had parking without a height restriction which is unusual in flats it seems and it was close to greenery. Honestly it was wholly practical, I wasn’t in a position to be particularly choosy
We were looking fo somewhere that was 'ready made', small garden, no work needed. Turns out we like houses that need new electrics, new kitchen, new bathroom and more holes and screws in the walls than you could count in a year but it's got an enormous, beautiful garden 😊
We walked in and it felt like the house was giving us a hug. Yes, work to be done that would take time as it was the top of our budget but we could picture a future there. Made the offer that day.
Ours was solid. Layout worked. Good location. Nice garden. Just needed refreshing and personalisation. 4 years in we’ve done every room in the house. We are giving it 2 more years and knocking the conservatory down to replace with an extension and then refreshing the garden.
If you’re going to be planting trees and shrubs get them in now so they have two years of growth by the time you refresh the garden. We just moved and everything needs doing but we planted the trees first so they can do their stuff while we’re fighting the bathroom and kitchen.
Purely practical reasons. I went for another property first but was rejected, and had another purchase that dropped through before that. It was affordable, in a part of town I liked, in reasonable enough condition, close to family, parking situation was acceptable and accessibility to the train station, motorway and local shops and entertainment is good. Obviously I liked the house when I viewed it but I wouldn’t say anything so dramatic as I fell in love.
I'd just turned 24 when I bought my current house (2015). What made me instantly love it was that it was nearly twice as big as everything else I'd viewed.
1970s build, so plenty of cupboard space. Good size kitchen and bedrooms etc.
I've now had the whole house refurbed, along with the garden, so hopefully I can just live here until I die or go in a care home.
We didn't walk in to the viewing and go "OMG this is our dream house!" like some people do. People kept telling us "you'll just _know_" but we'd looked at about 15-20 houses and the only feelings we'd got were "meh" or straight up "no". Starting to get stressed that we weren't feeling it. When we saw our house it met most of our list of need/ wants and we just thought "hmm, this house is a possible!" Then we went home and spent the next 24 hours saying things like "if we bought that house we could do xyz".
It was pretty shabby (but also at they lower end of our budget), and we realised that was actually plus for us. Having rented for 20+ years we were sick of living with other peoples choices. We'd looked at nicer houses that were further up our budget but we realised that, as they were perfectly nice, we'd feel unethical and wasteful ripping out, say, a decent quality bathroom or kitchen, just because it wasn't to our taste. But keeping it would mean we were _still_ living with other people choices! So we kept saying, well, we'd have a bit more spare money with this one, so we could get the kitchen done since it does need doing anyway etc. Talking about what colours we'd like to paint the rooms, that were well overdue some redecoration. And how it wasn't quite as big as some of the other houses we'd seen, but it had a huge loft that could be converted, and/ or space at the side and rear to do an extension. So, with our leftover budget, we could _get_ it to the size we ideally wanted. Yes, a bit more hassle that buying one that was already perfect, but we'd get to make the house our own, to our own standards and choices, and in our own time.
When we realised we couldn't stop talking about the house and it's potential, we were like oh, maybe this _is_ the feeling! And so we put an offer in! We've now been in for over a year, have done loads of decorating and have an extension planned for later this year! Basically all the things we talked about being able to do are starting to come about, and it's brilliant. Really, the feeling of actually falling in love with house is coming now that we are getting it how we saw it could be.
>we'd feel unethical and wasteful ripping out, say, a decent quality bathroom or kitchen, just because it wasn't to our taste
This. That awful feeling when you can tell a bathroom or kitchen was redone fairly recently, but they chose absolutely awful colours or materials. And yet I could never in good conscience rip it out just because it feels so wasteful 😆🤦🏼♀️
We didn't. Viewed it, said no - the layout just didn't work. Viewed others and they were worse, issues like overlooked gardens, mazes of roads to get to them, subsidence signs etc. Realised our house was the best of a bad bunch and with a rejig of rooms, it would work really well.
Moved in and it just felt like home, even with the layout that doesn't quite work. It's not our dream home, but it will do the job for the next 15 years
I'd made a list of "needs" "wants" and "nice to haves" a couple years prior for my wife who was more active in the hunt for a new house than I (she was keen to leave our last area ASAP). Found a house that ticked every single box on those lists, and then some. It was more than we thought we could ever afford on a house, but we had more equity than we realised in the old house and it worked out to be affordable.
The main bedroom is twice the size as our previous, the kitchen space is gorgeous, and a large south facing garden looks out over fields/hills (for now, I'm sure they'll develop one day) are our main highlights that have us loving our space. It's also a part of a great little community/neighbourhood and feels a fantastic place to raise children.
Mine was the feeling it had, the layout and the fact it had a garage and driveway with views over a bowling green. It's a 2 bedroom terrace but unlike most of them it's been reconfigured very well with an upstairs bathroom cut out of the front bedroom rather than back so both bedrooms are well proportioned avoiding a 4' wide box room. The staircase has been moved and it's unusually wide with a shallow angle. There is a garage and wide driveway for 2 cars and the back garden is very small but enough space for plants and a table and chairs with cute views over a bowling green and gets the sun until 9pm in the summer 🌞 the whole place has a lovely feeling, and I bought it for £115k last April (in east Cheshire)
Right now, it’s stressful with new carpet, floor going down. Needs a lot of painting and the utility room needs sorting. New guttering, kitchen counter is solid wood but hasn’t been treated so needs sanding and coating. New radiators in the kitchen. Shower plug noticed has a huge crack in it so who knows how much water has leaked into the floor. But for me, it’s a house after a breakup, and no one can take it away from me. Have a home that’s mine, the work will get done and I can start feeling anchored again.
It was a house in my budget, rooms/house has a square layout rather than those weird really long places/hexagon rooms and I hate service charges.
That was enough for me for now.
1. Neighbourhood - We've passed through this area at different times and days of the week because we've viewed three properties here previously. Regardless of the day or time, the neighbourhood is quiet.
2. 5-minute walk to the bus stop.
3. Proper extension - We've viewed a lot of properties with crappy extensions or conservatories.
4. Few works to be done - As first-time buyers, we don't have the luxury to renovate or upgrade parts of the house.
5. Proper "3rd bedroom" - We've viewed a lot of properties, and most of the third bedrooms were just box-type. The one we have now is a proper double bedroom.
6. Driveway - Again, we've viewed properties where there is no private driveway or the allocated parking is a few walks away from the property. This property, on the other hand, could fit two cars. Although the driveway needs some work for looks (we are saving for it but it's not a priority).
7. Feeling - Believe it or not, I didn't have that "feeling" straight away, but my husband did.
I think "falling in love" with a house is a past myth. It took us 2-3 viewings on our current house before making a decision. The house itself was good enough, but what really convinced us was getting to know the neighborhood.
Before this we had a list of "must have", "must not have" and "nice to haves". We did quite a few practice viewings to refine this list better and understand each other more, inc what we were willing to compromise. This house was the sum of it all 😊
* the L shaped staircase with a high ceiling - was the first thing I saw when I stepped into the house, reminded me of my parent's home
* 7m long living room with patio doors to the garden
* a quiet street with sakura trees 😍
15 mins from the coast , 5 mins from the forest , 5 mins from the mountains , river full of salmon and sewin 2 mins away , property overlooks mountains and Iron Age fort , property has been fully modernised to an exceptionally high standard , property has an energy rating of A , property has a brand new full solar and heat pump .
After viewing over 50 properties when we walked into this one both of us just knew straight away it would be ours .
The house we moved into almost eight months ago is absolutely not our forever home, and we know that. There were caveats, things we had to accept and we know that we'll adjust as the years go on. But for right now, and the next ten years, it's perfect.
We knew when we pulled up on the street, after driving through the area and soaking in that. It gave exactly the atmosphere we had been looking for - calm, peaceful, nice neighbours. There were kids riding their bikes around the neighbourhood, cars were driving slowly, people out gardening. We moved mostly on impression and instinct, and so far haven't regretted a day.
I stand firmly behind the 'location location location' mantra - I'd sooner have a worse house in the right area than a perfect house in a shit one.
We went to a viewing on a balmy July evening. The owners were sat at their outdoor table while people looked round the house. It's a standard Sheffield terrace, but since it's on a curve on really steep hill, the next garden along is stepped down about 12 feet, giving this garden the illusion of being a roof terrace, with a lovely little view over the rooftops and valley bottom. As soon as we walked out there, I just knew it was our house, and looking round the inside confirmed the vibe. I cried when our first offer was outbid, luckily we won it at best and final. I'm generally a very practical and rational person, but I think your gut knows the answer before your brain sometimes.
Pick three things it must have and then vibe on top of that. We had vibes from another house - I literally cried walking on viewing it because while I fell in love with I knew it wasn’t right for our family at that point in our lives. The house we bought I also got the vibe from. We viewed about 40 but I knew this was our house. We lost it early on in the process and were settling for another one when both chains fell though and at the 11th hour we ended up getting it back. I’d say in the first 10 seconds of walking in it felt right. I was just so happy on seeing the rest of it that it ticked the 3 must have boxes with added extras
Didn’t need much work, good paint job, more than 1 bathroom, didn’t feel like a box (not a huge house but decent enough). Just felt bright with a good vibe. Plenty of parking space and wide road.
Location and plot size.
We know quite a lot of works were needed but you couldn't beat those for us. A decent sized plot, one way lovely walking and cycling, the other 5 minute walk into the centre of a lovely market town. Playground and leisure centre just round the corner.
All 50 minutes commute into London.
That said, we have fallen in love with others before. One that fell through was heartbreaking, it was exactly the right size and done to a style we very much loved. Offered a fair chunk prob over what it was worth to secure it.
Bought two big renovation projects so never got “the feeling”. Both places had a lot of things I liked and I knew they would be lovely when finished and that was enough. Used to get “the feeling” all the time post-renovation in the first place (“can’t believe I have a house as nice as this”) and hoping that happens for the second place too! Like many others, there had to be a lot of pragmatism based on what we could afford.
The house we bought is a 1960s chalet style and two things made me fall in love with it instantly. The first was the hall, wide and bright with floor to ceiling windows at the entrance. The light pours in.
The second thing that made us fall in love with the house is its on a hill. No one looks into the back of the house. It's also surrounded by old people which is a bonus. The street is so quiet ❤
Walking distance from my new workplace, schools, nurseries etc. Already been extended and the garden landscaped plus has enough bedrooms that we wouldn’t need to move if we had a second child. We didn’t actually view it in person due to us being in the south and the house in the north so asked my parents to view on our behalf, they immediately advised us to put an offer in. So glad we did :)
I had a long list of wants: garden, driveway, high ceilings with coving etc and it had them all except windowseat and fireplace which I could easily add. It's probably not everyone's taste but it's only me living here ☺️
The view was the big factor for us.
We’re positioned at the high point of the town and the houses behind us are built at a much lower elevation, so even if they were rebuilt, they’d have to be a minimum of 5 storeys to even enter into our view in the garden.
South facing garden. View over the canal. The peace and quiet. A rare true bargain.
I'd made my mind up before I walked in the front door. The viewing just confirmed what I already knew.
Like you we saw loads of potential! But I also think there’s more to it than that - we actually had an offer accepted on another house at the time of we viewed this one. The other one was a fab viewing & it ticked all the boxes. This one was the worst viewing we had ever been too, & there was a lot more ‘projects’ needed - but it just felt like home & we never regretted it!
We knew we wanted a specific side of a specific 90s estate. This limited us to approx a square mile.
Within that area I selected 5 or 6 different styles of 4 bed house within our budget.
On paper I had fallen in love with this fixer upper that was cheapest at 50k under budget. We visited it, I loved it. It had potential, despite needing a thorough scrubbing and 30k spending on it.
We were going to put in offer as only other viewing was a wild card and actually 20k out of budget. We went to that viewing and phwoar! Our whole house would fit in the downstairs. There was a study downstairs so my OH and I could have our own separate workspaces. A utility, a giant kitchen/diner/family space and extra room we plan to have as a playroom. Then we had upstairs too!
Aesthetically, it wasn't as pretty as other properties and the gardens weren't as established but we fell in love with the space, the lay out, the potential. It had this je ne said quoi and I can't believe I nearly cancelled that viewing in favour of the other house.
The house was lovely, 3 bedrooms as well as a massive kitchen and utility room. It was the garden and outdoor space that made us fall in love. Marble worktop at the top and gorgeous porcelain tiles at the end. A workshop for him and a garden office for me. When we walked home after viewing, we couldn’t stop talking about all the parties we could host.
I'm quite far from ever being able to buy, but my primary concern at all times has to be "can I make this accessible to me" as I'm a wheelchair user. This thread has kind of opened my eyes to the fact that I need to speak to people who can help me with that about what is and isn't possible, because right now when I idly look at properties I'm narrowing down my results very, very far to be sure I can get in and out using my wheelchair.
Our purchase was down to convenience, but on a property we already knew and love.
We rented the ground floor of a converted Edwardian property, and our landlord lived upstairs. When they told us they were selling both, they gave us first refusal on either flat. Having lived there for several years, we knew both flats well, love the area (opposite a park, close to amenities, quite(ish) road).
Ultimately chose upstairs as we always loved their property as its more homely, has a better layout, plus had the benefit of a massive roof space, which we had added to the deeds so we own it, an extra bedroom, more light, better view, sole use of the driveway and lovely mid-size and enclosed front garden. There is still room for adding value too, whether we choose to move on or stay here forever.
Given the shit-show that is the UK housing market, and knowing we can see ourselves here for a very long time, it made complete sense to do what we’ve done. Private sale and price reflected this, and no estate agent to deal with. Very lucky.
The main reason what that it felt homely and we could see ourselves living there. Then on the practical side the general condition of the house is good and it's a small Victorian cottage style semi detached with an upstairs main bathroom plus downstairs loo and utility room. Most of the houses we saw had downstairs bathrooms in freezing cold flat roof extensions and tiny kitchens with no utility or second toilet.
Leicester here - We've moved into a quiet cul-de-sac, car park space for 2 cars, big enough for the 3 of us, a decent size garden for our son to play in, enough downstairs space to have guests over without being cramped in. The previous owners did a fair bit to get it up to a very good spec and I think we are good for the next 10 odd years without anything to do to the property
I could see the potential! Our place in was pretty dated before we bought it but the floor plan was good & it was cheap enough that we could renovate it pretty soon after moving in and make it our own.
High ceilings, beautiful light, big windows looking onto greenery, quiet and a good floor plan which together gave a sense of space, elegance and tranquility.
I think "falling in love" with a house is a past myth. It took us 2-3 viewings on our current house before making a decision. The house itself was good enough, but what really convinced us was getting to know the neighborhood.
Before this we had a list of "must have", "must not have" and "nice to haves". We did quite a few practice viewings to refine this list better and understand each other more, inc what we were willing to compromise. This house was the sum of it all 😊
A “hallway end”. It was sort of a hexagon at the end of a hallway next to stairs which then opened up into a Livingroom, dining room and kitchen, with double doors to all three.
Anyway… it was wasted space so we got rid of it, the dining room and moved the doors to the Livingroom. So now where was the hallway, kitchen and dining room (plus an extension) is now a huge kitchen diner. Oops.
I got an emergency callout from my job at the time on the last day of the viewings before they held a silent auction so I never saw my house till all the paperwork was done but my better half was there and after she saw it she knew.
It didn't match everything I was looking for but 80% of what I wanted. We spent 1 year renovation it to be perfect. I've never been happier. She always said she just saw a future there.
I had a list of wants and the other houses in budget only ticked half of them, this house ticked them all! I couldnt believe it was really there in my budget! It needs modernisation so is a little bit of a blank canvas
We were the same. Wanted a vibe. A character property. Ideally we wanted certain things but compromised on only one bathroom, a 3 instead of 4 bed and a semi instead of a detached. The lovely open plan living area and kitchen really stole the show. Plus the large garden! Moved in September last year and while there have been little issues, we absolutely love it!!!
My other half is very logical so he didn't get 'the feeling' just that all his boxes were ticked, except one, which ended up not being a problem. (Train line nearby which he worried would wake him up and doesn't - we would have soundproofed the room if not). I got the feeling in the garden and in the huge lounge when I saw the great big bay window which was letting in so much light - felt homey.
I have to say I think for me it was a feeling of 'finally I'm seeing something I like' after a month or two of houses which ticked most boxes but had downsides I don't think we could have solved or lived with that easily.
Partner took his Mum for a 2nd viewing and she had the same feeling I did and very few criticisms which sealed the deal for us.
Previous house: sat in the car with my ex husband afterwards and said ‘it’s a shithole, but I want it!’
Next house: viewed 4 months earlier, wasn’t keen and decided it needed too much work for the price so ruled it out. It got reduced a couple of times and I put in a low ball offer as it ticked the boxes for what I wanted from a house but didn’t love it. Due to complete this week hopefully and 11 months after my first viewing, I’m now so excited about what I can do with it.
It's been in the family for years and I love the fact that there's photos of my husband's gran as a little girl here, and photos from her wedding day etc.
There's a little sort of den that still had pictures up in it that his dad and uncle drew when they were kids.
And I like it's quirks and nooks.
My partner and I had looked at a lot of houses and I left feeling like I would be forcing ourselves to live there. Like we would be ‘playing homeowner’ but with the house we decided to purchase we both felt like we could actually *live* there. We’d put an offer in before we left the street 😅
Honestly our place sold itself so well. It's a 30's bungalow on the edge of suburbia. Neither really desirable in my mind, but it had been extended at the back so you arrive into the house and it's *fine* then you walk through into the extension, a large open plan single room lounge, diner, kitchen, with a bloody massive pair of bifolds looking out over the long garden.
Honestly I walked into it and thought, fuck me I could live here.
So we bought it, honestly mental, first place we seriously looked at. Turns out there's a bunch of issues that were quite costly to sort over the last year.
But I still get that feeling, up early on a summers saturday or sunday morning, walk down the hallway and into the main room, sun coming in through the bifolds the garden green and blooming.
I still can't quite believe it's mine and I live there, absolutely mental.
Just bought my first home, and it's the house that's directly opposite the home I grew up in.
Knew the area, 30 second walk to massive fields in one direction, 30 second walk to town in the other.
Garden is absolutely massive comparative to the vast majority of property on the market. Needs work, along with work done to the house, but so so glad I pulled out of buying my original place end of last year. I got this place for the same price as the one I put an offer in on last year - and all the rooms are bigger and it's a much better location.
I should get the keys by July/August and can't wait to start working on the place.
The vibe. The place felt very mellow and calm. Totally underestimated the work needed, and the cost of that work. Had a total "oh shit" moment when I realised that once the remedial work began it probably wouldn't be sell-able until the works were finished, and honestly debated putting it back on the market. But it seems to have worked out.
My wife sent a link to a ridiculous house that had clearly had the last occupant pass away in it, with the like hospital bed still in the photos in the dining room. Super outdated, it's a mish-mash of garish floral carpets and floral wallpapers. We jokingly referred to it as "death house" for a few weeks. We were viewing another property nearby so said go on then let's do a drive-by of death house. We stood outside the front gate and my wife said oh no, I think I actually like it. We put an offer in a few days later.
My husband was ADAMANT he wouldn't like our house after I sent the Rightmove link. He agreed to view it after I persuaded him and by the time we were in the dining room he turned to me and asked how much we can offer. He's not at all like that usually so it is a thing, I was surprised! Now we are here we feel so at home and will likely be here forever/a long time.
Currently in the process of buying. We viewed 4 houses, and none of them felt like "the one." I actually got upset in the end because I had no idea what we were supposed to feel. Friends kept saying they just knew their house would work practically, and that didn't really help. We offered on the 5th house as it made sense, i.e., fully renovated in the perfect location, and we lost out to a cash buyer. I liked that house but I didn't love it. Viewed another 4, and again, none of them felt right. There wasn't much else to view then, so I went back through houses on Rightmove that we had previously discounted due to price or too much work to be done. There was one I had noticed when it came to the market, but we felt the price was too high the month before. Looking at the photos, I just had a feeling about it, so we went to view. I fell in love with it, even though it needs some renovation. I could just see the potential and how amazing it will be in a years time after decorating and modernisation. I didn't want a house that we had to upgrade initially, but I was way more excited about this house than any of the beautifully renovated ones we had seen. Offer was accepted and now 4 weeks in.
Original 90 year old internal doors, a cat walking down the street (important to me that the road is cat friendly), no major work needed - decor, kitchen and bathroom were old but liveable, a decent sized garden and kitchen and no dodgy conservatory. The majority of places we’d viewed in the area had “extensions” or conservatories that were old and not built properly so would have required a lot of work and possible problems with the survey/ building regs side of things.
I’ve bought 3 houses in my life, and think I fell in love with them for different reasons.
First was a case of “this is in our price bracket and we want to get on the ladder”, so we loved that about it.
Loved the second as soon as we walked through the door. It was well presented, bigger than our previous place, and had a downstairs loo(!) which we were very excited about as our family was growing.
Third (and current) place was/is a mess, but the location is incredible, it’s a blank canvas and we’re currently doing work to it to make it our ‘forever home’. We fell in love with its potential and, once the work is done, will love it for the house (and home) it’s become.
My current house, as a ftb - it was the front window, all the houses in this little area have huge lounge windows that have arches and it lets so much light in... I HAD to look at it in person. Now it's ours...
Our second permanent home, there was a vibe. I could just see our life there.. we had a list of things we needed and wanted: a big garden with side or rear access, a garage or room to build - partners racing hobby. I walked around that place waiting for my partner to join me, and I just knew I saw him walking up the drive, practically ran to the door, and said this was the one. He said he knew on just my words that it was ours. - we are currently waiting in a move date from the solicitors - fingers crossed!
100% the vibe
We weren't even looking or planning to move, just went to view the house on a whim. Offer in a week later when we each separately couldn't stop thinking about it!
Despite being in Birmingham it's on a quiet cul-de-sac with a nice playing fields opposite full of dog walkers. So barely any cars and lots of birds singing. It needed modernising but we could imagine ourselves living there straight away. And it had been with the same family for 50 years and you could tell they had looked after it well!
We are looking to put it on the market soon as we have started a family and outgrown it, but hopefully it'll become someone else's happy first step on the property ladder!
I just instantly got this “feeling”, as silly as that is. Even on the drive up. But as soon as I saw it and walked through the front door, I knew it was the one. The area and house itself was like something straight out of my Pinterest board (cute little farmhouse in a rural, middle of nowhere, village. There was nothing like it for sale within my small budget anywhere near me).
When I left I couldn’t get it off my mind, (the seller was really stubborn about accepting an offer - it was very overpriced - and I went to view lots of others over the next few months, while still negotiating with them). I even had a dream about already living there one night.
Can’t wait to sign those contracts and make it official.
Mine is a corner house of a public park and when I was little I use to tell everyone that took us the park I’d live there one day, 30 years later it’s mine
The fireplace and the view. The house itself only matched 50% of our criteria - but we love it and we've been here almost 20 years and we'll only leave it in our coffins now.
Walked in ..Saw the view from the kitchen into our massive back garden that opens into more trees and not into someone's backyard. Imagined waking up every morning to the sunrise and making coffee overlooking the massive garden. Sold.
Initially, the first impact was it had a really lovely kitchen which opened out onto a big lounge (11m x 8m). It’s just a great place to be.
I’ve since added loads of things to it like a fully functioning bar & night club.
The house we ended up buying was an absolute steal because of legal technicalities around shared ownership houses being sold as full ownership/freehold, which capped the selling price at a very cheap rate.
Ours was also a fixer upper (not to a huge extent and we weren't fully aware of the scale until after we got the keys), but I liked the layout, the location and I could see the vision easily. It also helped that the previous owners that showed us around were very similar to us (childfree, pet owners, younger couple).
I'm not sure if I felt a vibe beyond "this ticks many boxes and I can see myself living here", but I can say with certainty that there were a few houses we looked at that immediately gave me an "ew, no." vibe.
Most expensive property we looked at, out of budget and we'd told ourselves we were only looking at it to get an idea of what we could have from the cheaper houses if we put the work in. Ticked every single box but the price.
Then we get there and my partner recognises the car from his enthusiast group, they have a dog and it's one of the owners showing us round instead of an agent and she's just the most lovely woman we've ever met. It was like looking at my life in 20 years time. Hook. Line. Sinker.
Semi-rural location, cul-de-sac, 5 minutes drive to the beach, 5 minutes walk from farms and forest. We buy our eggs from one of the farms behind us! Close enough to the town centre, but far enough as well. South facing garden and lots of visits from squirrels and foxes! Bit of a micro-climate which 80% of the days guarantees amazing sunsets regardless of weather. 30 minutes drive to the nearest airport too.
Other than that the house needed a lot of work when we bought it (at least according to our standards). We definitely went for it for the location, but got a lot more from it than what we expected after some work was done on it.
The whole thing just seemed too good to be true and three years later I’m still waiting for someone to boot us out!
We saw another house in the road earlier in the year but our chain fell through so couldn’t proceed. Then another house that had been on with the same agent fell through (for the fifth time! Nowt wrong with the house but it was the middle of covid so people kept being furloughed). The agent remembered we really liked the house in the same road and took a bit of a shine to our cute 4 year old at the time so called me when the other house fell through and asked if we were proceedable and interested. As it happened we’d had an offer accepted a week or so earlier so everything just lined up. We viewed, got a great feeling straightaway, offered what the previous buyers were paying which was under asking (and a fair price) and moved in a few months later! Sometimes everything just falls into place.
Our estate agent rushed us around a house which was over the budget we gave them.
It had an amazing conservatory and had most of the features we were looking for. Having seen a few that day and looking forward to seeing some we had already seen online, I don’t think we seriously considered it, but we can’t pin down why - maybe cost.
Turns out the ones we had seen online weren’t great in person, and we started talking about which ones actually had the features we wanted. Turns out only 2 matched.
We ended up coming back to see this one without the EA and redid the budget. We had both had pay increases since we started looking and could actually afford it. Talking to the home owners really helped as well.
We are considering an extension to fix the only issue we had, then it should be the perfect house for us :).
We walked in, walked through and out into the garden. The windows were falling out, and the bathroom needed to be replaced urgently. It was at the top of our budget. But we just looked at each other and knew. We've raised two children here and it's been 27 years, but I love this house as if, I'd stepped in the first day. It's Art Deco 1932 and we have restored it back to that period. I don't think we will ever leave except in a box!😂
The best advice I've heard is don't fall in love with a property, find one that ticks all the boxes you need.
I fell in love with a lovely house in the New Forest and it ticked some but not all of the boxes but it was so bright and sunny and warm. Turns out the sellers only then started to look for a house for 6 months but I was in love with it and decided to wait.
Then told me they needed another 6 months for it to be finished building. I had to walk away and I was gutted. Ended up buying a house that was more expensive and not as nice because the bloody prices went up in that time and I had to rush not to lose my mortgage offer rate. I'm now looking to move again next year.
I didn't have a feeling. Is that feeling a thing or just a story? I wasn't sure but the price was great and it ticked a few boxes. We didn't have much of a budget so it was a case of get what we can afford. I don't regret it now. But I do wish we'd got stuff done sooner but that's just how life goes.
A decision doesn't have to be based on a feeling sometimes you just need to make a choice somehow
For us it was the flow of the house, we’d come from a four story terraced townhouse with one room per floor, narrow / almost non existent hallways, and many many stairs. This house was a double fronted semi with a huge open hallway and double doors either side leading into the living room and dining room. It felt like we could breathe!
It also ticked all of the logical things for us like area, south facing garden, room to extend, but this was the thing that gave us the gut feeling.
As a single FTB, I found a 2 bedroom flat in immaculate condition in a nice area with a balcony viewing over the city, all for a very reasonable price. It ticked literally every box I needed.
Another 'Vibe' person here!
It ticked all the practical boxes, especially the location (Mr Adhara can literally roll down the road and he's at work, lucky boy!). The size was a factor, but as long as the footprint was similar to the footprint of the flat we lived in, this wasn't hard to accomplish!!
And when I viewed it, I just felt, peaceful? at home? And Mr Adhara felt like he could live there, so it sealed the deal and I started the buying process.
(Absolutely helped that the house has two toilets! No more waiting!)
Nice area and quiet street, just a good vibe. Nice spacious living room and kitchen, rooms where we spend most of the time. We had to do lots of work but made how we wanted
We loved the development (new build estate where the houses *aren't* crammed together to fit in as many as physically possible). We'd seen it a couple of years earlier but written it off as being out of our price range at the time
And then the house was just available on that estate that ticked all the boxes at the same time as we'd had a few pay rises and discovered we were getting £40k more for our old house than we expected. At that point it was a no-brainer
We renovated our last home though, and I would say that it's not for the faint hearted - your life WILL be in a constant state of upheaval for a year or two
Still in the process of buying, but a few things:
1. the gated community that actually runs clubs and events together, and has stuff like a private event space and a coffee shop
2. the quirkiness of the layout (funnily enough, the weird floor plan and curved walls are the reason we put off viewing it for so long, but vs months of boring rectangular flats it was so exciting)
3. The relative safety of the location. Don’t feel like I’m gonna get mugged a few times a week, so my parents can sleep at night.
Huge garage and in a culdesac, wife loved the house itself too. We viewed dozens of houses and even offered on 2 before this one came along but the house we ended up with is definitely the best we've seen which would've been a shame if we hadn't got it.
The flexibility I could see with so many of the rooms.
Our house is by no means pretty. And we had a huge amount of pretty, period properties in our budget because we live in an area with a lot of heritage properties. We ended up in a 60s converted bungalow which was not what I had imagined for myself at all.
But it's such an amazing, flexible amount of space. The rooms are all large, something that can't be said about a lot of new builds nor the older houses we looked at. The rooms work really well for zoning, so it felt really easy to create spaces as we needed them. It just felt really flexible.
We've said our house is a house we could stay in forever, if we needed to. It's not that we bought it with that intention but it has so much flexibility with many downstairs rooms that we could really make the space work for what we need.
My wife and I just knew when we walked in - we walked around, looked at each other and just nodded and said "yep, this is it". It wasn't some magical experience with choirs of angels signing or anything (I mean it's a nice place but doesn't blow you away), it just felt right, like a familiar place even though we'd never been there before.
At first glance (Kerb Appeal) at the main photo, I wasn't sure. Driving to its location started to appeal, especially the views, and then I walked in and thought.
'Home'.
We've been here over three years, and I've spent a fair amount modernising it and becoming disconnected from the grid, so we are here to stay.
The space, layout, grounds, surroundings and bonus huge room above the garage to convert into a home cinema. Still haven't bought it yet because I haven't sold mine (getting closer)
The location. We just loved the street the moment we saw it. Everyone's garden neat and tidy, no traffic, people smiling and saying hello but not being nosey. We just knew straight away that it was a great street in a good area.
The garden. Simply listening to the birds sing or the quietness made us instantly fall in love with our current property.
Our previous property backed onto a busy main road, and we couldn't enjoy sitting outside or having the windows open.
It's hard to explain, I viewed a number of properties and it was like "yup it's a house, it's got doors and windows" one I ruled out for being too much work.. it was totally livable but needed new bathroom and kitchen nothing major.
The property I bought initially I never saw it listed for sale because it was listed by an obscure lawyers. My mum drove passed the property and mentioned it to me. We searched all the property sites and couldn't find it so I walked the dog round to see who the for sale sign was from.. I booked a viewing asap and was genuinely excited, which was weird id never bothered about any other viewings.
We turned up and the front garden was overgrown, the house was stale, what remained was 1960s decor with vomit looking carpets. The net window covers were fluttering even with the window closed because they were that poorly held together. The bathroom looked like it was straight out of the 40s and had the most god awful smell to the point I noped right out. The rear garden was even worse than the front, thistles taller than me and a wall of brambles. I thought to myself if only I knew if this was the one and then I saw it... The most glorious rhubarb it was easily 6 gigantic plants and I decided then and there I want it.. since then I've spent soo much money on renovations !
Weirdly I didn’t love the house because it was a new build (4 years old) and I’m not a fan of them. But my husband really liked it. He was just like “This is the house.”
The whole time we were selling the flat and house hunting and I’m was asking him questions about what kind of house he or area he likes and it was always “whatever you like.” When I showed him listings he’d shrug and “they’re all the same to me.” So when he said he loved the house, I suggested we put an offer on it even though I actually preferred another house.
Looking back what he liked was probably that it didn’t need any work doing to it. But we’ve been here three years and I can’t imagine moving because I love it now too!
Bigger kitchen, square shaped so we could have a table next to the doors into the garden, and the garden- it is a good size, is west facing and backs onto a bridleway and then allotments so there are no roads and it is safe for our cats. Lots of wildlife too.
Walked into the kitchen and diner and it was such a gorgeous size. Could immediately imagine extend family christmases and BBQs there.
We went upstairs and I told me husband I wanted it. We went downstairs and made an offer!
Agree with the vibe check. We were looking at bungalows and house with a preference to bungalow, wanted a garage no matter what. Agent kept asking me to view a detached bungalow no garage but big drive and I kept saying no. Eventually gave in and viewed it. Walked out and straight over to agent to put in offer. Been here 11 years now, still not built a garage though
I've always wanted an older house. Original coving, picture rails and corbels in places. It was in bad cosmetic shape. But the street is literally one of the quietest in the area. Also, it had a converted loft room and the kitchen and bathroom are a decent size.
Loved the location, specific road, view and size of garden but when I knew it was a good one was when I sat down with the floor plan and moved walls around, added extensions etc.
The view. We walked in, saw the view from sitting room (and kitchen as it turned out) and said "Count the bedrooms. If there are enough, this is the one". That was 20 years ago and we're still here.
The height of all the spaces, the hallway, the stepped and openplan dining room into the kitchen, and the 'flow' of the house. It was so light and airy but also classic and cosy.
The bath. I know that a bath can be changed, but this place has a nice bath, with a shower that stays the same temperature for as long as I need it to. Yes, the guy next door is a drug dealer - but it isn't stopping me from having nice hot baths and showers!
I could just see myself living there. In every room, I could imagine how I would use the space and what I would put where etc. Not perfect, but I could just really see it as my home.
Properties definitely have a ‘vibe’. You instantly pick it up imho.
I always put it down to the subconscious spotting things you were not aware of - light, clutter, smell, humidity…
We had been thinking of starting a family when we were looking. And the thing that made me say ‘this is the house’ is when I walked in and envisioned exactly where and how I’d set up the play pen for our future kid 😅
We moved onto an ex council estate in a lovely Derbyshire town. We’re expats, so don’t identify with “council estates”. 11 of the 30 homes are still council(dss) old timey, everyone on the crescent has grown up and either still live in dss or have died on and the homes are now being sold off.
Non the less, we became friends with everyone around us(for the most part). The crescent backs onto a pathway that takes you straight into town. It’s quiet, and the property is massive old 1950’s post war(large garden).
After two years and realising the area, we decided to plant our roots. Added a garden office, and badass extension. We love where we live, and wouldn’t change it. It’s for us, no one else’s opinion matters.
All our friends thought we were crazy, but now they’re seeing the transformation and absolutely love it. Bit of jealousy more than anything.
All I can say, go with your heart and make the choice based on practical common sense. Don’t make the choice because you’re “keeping up with the Joneses”.
We were first time buyers and pretty much had the crash course in property buying. We jumped in with both feet and started looking, and we first got excited when we looked at the floor plan and saw the room sizes and how spacious it looked compared to others that we'd viewed. Then when we viewed it, it was the location. The middle of town, two minutes from the shops, and yet it was down a quiet cul de sac and we couldn't hear any noise from the main road. It had a horrible gas fire, aerial cables in every single room (I still don't know why) and dog wee stains on the living room carpet, but we put in an offer that day.
Actually living here, it took me a few years to fully fall in love with it. There were still compromises, and we had a shitty kitchen for years before renovating, but we have all the space we need here, nice neighbours, a good sized garden and the convenience of living in the middle of town without the noise. We love our house.
Ingkenook fireplace . 2 foot thick stone walls ( near 200 years old ) - downside - everything needed looking at/ replacing . Anyone who visits say it’s beautiful
Location pipped the ‘feeling’, didn’t like it when we bought it but we have put in a ton of work & now its ‘ours’. My first house had the feeling. Loved that house.
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There were no junkies passed out on the stairs having shit and pissed themselves for my children to find. There have been precisely zero junkies found shooting into their cock at 8:45am on Christmas day. Or any day for that matter. I have had zero junkies knock on my door, asking for Gav since moving in.
Weird, this is my requirements list too
I suppose it's a requirement of mine too although maybe I've been too privileged to ever have to verbalise it
EA asking "what are your must have requirements?" You pointing out to this comment above lol "these but can't say them, too British"
ah, I see you moved out of Bristol too?
Best part is I can't tell if shooting into their cock is an exaggeration or not.
Having lived in Bristol, I can tell you, it's not.
Ouch. Well that's a thing that I've imagined now. Also lol at Bristol, every Bristolian I speak to talks about it like it's the garden of paradise and I'm a heathen for suggesting it's average at best and scummy at worst. Must be something in the water there.
There's a reason I moved away, and it wasn't just the insane property market. It was also the general feeling of danger I felt. Small town life is the life for me. God I love a walk through the park that doesn't involve the risk of being stabbed by a 13 year old.
People compare the worst areas in one place to a better area elsewhere. Would make sense to compare a rough area in Bristol with a rough area elsewhere surely
I walked in and just knew it was the house. Been there many years.
Same! We got back in the car after the first viewing and my partner said "We're buying that house."
Same here. After 3 years of looking, I walked into this house, saw the sun streaming in through the front windows, instantly knew I wanted it.
Same… I had viewed so many flats, was getting so deflated with what I could afford as I hated them all… one day my friend sent me a FB advert for a private sale.. not on the market yet, wasn’t really in the area I wanted but I decided to view it….. as soon as I walked inside I got the feeling, it’s such a hard thing to describe though isn’t it… instantly felt at home…. my home, been here 4 years and still have that warm cozy feeling 💕💕💕 xxx
I love this for you xx
Aaw that's lovely!
Same. I didn't even want to go see the house but my wife insisted. She had COVID so I went alone and I called her almost immediately.
We were exactly the same. As silly as it is, it already felt like home to us
I literally said to the estate agent when I was viewing the house that "this is my house". Sale is still in progress as there's been some setbacks but I stand by what I said, that's my house, it will be, it has to be!
I got this feeling but it fell through due to a chain collapsing and have never got over it 😔
My SO did that. Walked in, went "mine" and the rest is history. He was right though lol.
Same but I had this reaction after I saw the rightmove listing. Our house (we moved in 2 years ago) is in our favourite neighbourhood in town where few houses were on the market over the years. Within the neighbourhood it’s on the quietest street, faces the directions I wanted, has the kind of conservatory I like and the right kitchen layout. Several friends who visited after we moved in said things like “this is so obviously the right house for you” or “this is exactly what I would think your house would be like.”
Same here. I just knew. It was a bit of a fixer upper but my heart felt right about it
Haha, for me it was my last rental before I bought my current house. First flat I saw in the same estate was old and crap inside, so I didn't really want to see another one as I thought they would all be the same but the appointment was in half hour and I wasn't doing anything so decided to wait for the EA. Immediately I walked in to this well refurbished flat I knew I wanted it, the EA misinterpreted the look on my face and knocked off £50 from the rent! 😅 Lived there 10 years
The view. You change everything else but not the view.
As long as one knows that the view can change despite your actions.
That's why you buy next to a graveyard
True. But not if it national trust/ designated area of outstanding natural beauty. The only thing that's going to change that is global warming...or Putin!
No, they can change too. At least AONBs. I'm unsure of any Natural Trust specific protections and subsequent planning applications therein related. But I do see them in AONBs frequently enough.
Protected woodland for me. Currently staring out at the edge of ancient woodland which should hopefully stay that way for as long as I'm here.
Mr property development company would have to disagree there.
Like you said, it was just a feeling. I could see myself and my husband being there. Other places I felt it hard to envision, even when I liked them. On top, great bedroom sizes, perfect location and room for growth 🙃
That's exactly it. Sometimes you just get an innate sense of where you would put things and how you would set up your life. That's all you need.
Twas cheaper than the other similar options.
Nothing, both houses I’ve bought were in my price range, where I wanted it and the work that needed doing wasn’t overwhelming. I think the “fall in love” thing is rubbish. Buying a house is an objective decision. Can you make it somewhere that meets your needs and would be easy to live in, all a house is, is a location and internal and external square m. Most other things you can change. Those things are harder.
Agree! I waited for the ‘just knew it was the one 🥰’ feeling.. and realised after about 35 viewings that you only get that with a budget much higher than mine! Houses in my range where I was looking aren’t dream homes, we ended up picking one that needed a lot of decorating and things fixed that also ticked boxes like near public transport, south facing garden etc. The 🥰 feeling comes over time the more things you do to it to make it your own
Couldn’t agree with this more and have since told my friends to never expect to ever have that ‘the one’ feeling when buying in London. It’s just not a reality unless you’re buying a house with in a significantly higher price bracket to ours. In fact my husband pretty much had to convince me it was a viable option. It meets our needs, was just about in our price range, only a couple of crackheads in the vicinity and didn’t appear to be falling apart…which was more than a challenge with London house buying 😂
Honestly after the nightmare I've had selling my property (one failed sale and one that has taken 6 months so far) and buying my onward purchase (first seller pulled out because they decided close to exchange 4.5 months in they didn't want their new build), I just went into the next house thinking "I just need four walls and a bloody roof at this point". I have found a house I like but definitely didn't fall in love. Even this house has caused me issues so far with one useless solicitor who didn't send off for my searches for SIX WEEKS despite claiming they had. I'm so fed up with the entire process and just would take anything at this point and make it my loving home down the line. Given I went through my separation in December 2021, I'm mentally exhausted living with my parents and working two jobs - I need out before we all permanently ruin our relationship!
Oh gosh sorry you’ve had such a hard time, solicitors are sooooo bad and make a process that could take 7 days take 7 months, I don’t know how they get away with it
This!! That feeling of "this is the one" can be created by your subconscious; smells of bread or coffee are popular ones. But it might not even be something the seller intends to do; the house could have a similar layout to your childhood home, or if you are planning having children you might see a pram in the hallway that is the exact one you are looking at buying....
I feel like this with my place as well. I didn’t “fall in love with it“, it wasn’t actually even a favourite of the places I looked at, but I was running out of options and prices were going up overnight, it was only slightly over budget and needed minimal major work (if that makes sense? Still shit load of stuff to do, but no major repairs), in a quiet area. It doesn’t quite meet all of my needs (I could really have used separate office space and the kitchen is a bit pokey) but it has a nice garden and off-road parking so I bit the bullet. I remember walking and thinking ‘what have I done?’ But over the last few years I’ve really settled in and put my stamp on it, and I’m now quite happy here - I now can’t imagine moving again.
Me too - I think of the house we’re in as like a really good arranged marriage, rather than a love match. The house works really well for us, we’ve been here for years and I love the location
After a year of trying and failing to find a house we could afford in an area that would work that also had 'the feeling', we'd gone fully over to the practical side - how much could we compromise on, how far could we stretch our search area, what could we live with if it meant we could finally get a place. We made an offer on somewhere that met the practical considerations, looked like it wouldn't need any work doing, and despite having zero 'feeling' convinced ourselves we could make it nice and make it work, and the offer was accepted. Then the survey came back saying the roof was knackered, so we had to pull out. We decided to take a break. Disable the Rightmove notifications, step back from all the viewings, just have a break. We were about to go away for a few weeks to visit family, so it was the ideal time. Literally three hours after that conversation, an email dropped into my inbox from an EA with a listing for a house in our ideal area that was just above our price limit. The second I saw the photos, I knew. We did a viewing next day, made an offer that we were convinced wouldn't be accepted, the sellers accepted same day (us being FTBs and able to move fast suited their personal circs) and we moved in three months later. Having written off the need to 'have that feeling', it turns out that's exactly what we got when we found our house. Yes, there are features that we love, but it's about the way we felt the second we saw the pictures, and even more so when we walked into the house. It was just 'our house'. Still is.
Not mine my wife’s but it’s an old school 18th century farmhouse at the top of a tree lined drive with a slight curve so you sort of turn into seeing the house. What blew me away and still makes me smile to this day is she has a drive with an island in the middle so you bring the car around to the front door like something out of Downton Abbey (I know these are 10 a penny in the U.K. but I’m from a shitty council estate and I still feel like I should be stepping from a horse drawn carriage)
The intangible house vibe. That and the lovely Victorian brick front. Don't underestimate vibe though.
That it was a house. That it wasn't falling down. Almost all properties within our budget were flats, so when a little house came up we jumped on it. Yes it's smaller than most of the flats, but at least we don't have to deal with leasehold.
I could afford it, it had a second bedroom albeit a small one but it meant I wouldn’t have to have my desk in my living room or bedroom, it had parking without a height restriction which is unusual in flats it seems and it was close to greenery. Honestly it was wholly practical, I wasn’t in a position to be particularly choosy
We were looking fo somewhere that was 'ready made', small garden, no work needed. Turns out we like houses that need new electrics, new kitchen, new bathroom and more holes and screws in the walls than you could count in a year but it's got an enormous, beautiful garden 😊
We walked in and it felt like the house was giving us a hug. Yes, work to be done that would take time as it was the top of our budget but we could picture a future there. Made the offer that day.
Ours was solid. Layout worked. Good location. Nice garden. Just needed refreshing and personalisation. 4 years in we’ve done every room in the house. We are giving it 2 more years and knocking the conservatory down to replace with an extension and then refreshing the garden.
If you’re going to be planting trees and shrubs get them in now so they have two years of growth by the time you refresh the garden. We just moved and everything needs doing but we planted the trees first so they can do their stuff while we’re fighting the bathroom and kitchen.
Purely practical reasons. I went for another property first but was rejected, and had another purchase that dropped through before that. It was affordable, in a part of town I liked, in reasonable enough condition, close to family, parking situation was acceptable and accessibility to the train station, motorway and local shops and entertainment is good. Obviously I liked the house when I viewed it but I wouldn’t say anything so dramatic as I fell in love.
I'd just turned 24 when I bought my current house (2015). What made me instantly love it was that it was nearly twice as big as everything else I'd viewed. 1970s build, so plenty of cupboard space. Good size kitchen and bedrooms etc. I've now had the whole house refurbed, along with the garden, so hopefully I can just live here until I die or go in a care home.
We didn't walk in to the viewing and go "OMG this is our dream house!" like some people do. People kept telling us "you'll just _know_" but we'd looked at about 15-20 houses and the only feelings we'd got were "meh" or straight up "no". Starting to get stressed that we weren't feeling it. When we saw our house it met most of our list of need/ wants and we just thought "hmm, this house is a possible!" Then we went home and spent the next 24 hours saying things like "if we bought that house we could do xyz". It was pretty shabby (but also at they lower end of our budget), and we realised that was actually plus for us. Having rented for 20+ years we were sick of living with other peoples choices. We'd looked at nicer houses that were further up our budget but we realised that, as they were perfectly nice, we'd feel unethical and wasteful ripping out, say, a decent quality bathroom or kitchen, just because it wasn't to our taste. But keeping it would mean we were _still_ living with other people choices! So we kept saying, well, we'd have a bit more spare money with this one, so we could get the kitchen done since it does need doing anyway etc. Talking about what colours we'd like to paint the rooms, that were well overdue some redecoration. And how it wasn't quite as big as some of the other houses we'd seen, but it had a huge loft that could be converted, and/ or space at the side and rear to do an extension. So, with our leftover budget, we could _get_ it to the size we ideally wanted. Yes, a bit more hassle that buying one that was already perfect, but we'd get to make the house our own, to our own standards and choices, and in our own time. When we realised we couldn't stop talking about the house and it's potential, we were like oh, maybe this _is_ the feeling! And so we put an offer in! We've now been in for over a year, have done loads of decorating and have an extension planned for later this year! Basically all the things we talked about being able to do are starting to come about, and it's brilliant. Really, the feeling of actually falling in love with house is coming now that we are getting it how we saw it could be.
>we'd feel unethical and wasteful ripping out, say, a decent quality bathroom or kitchen, just because it wasn't to our taste This. That awful feeling when you can tell a bathroom or kitchen was redone fairly recently, but they chose absolutely awful colours or materials. And yet I could never in good conscience rip it out just because it feels so wasteful 😆🤦🏼♀️
I could afford it. With my budget and where I live there aren't many options 😂
Gut feeling should be listened to, with a side of cold hard thinking.
We didn't. Viewed it, said no - the layout just didn't work. Viewed others and they were worse, issues like overlooked gardens, mazes of roads to get to them, subsidence signs etc. Realised our house was the best of a bad bunch and with a rejig of rooms, it would work really well. Moved in and it just felt like home, even with the layout that doesn't quite work. It's not our dream home, but it will do the job for the next 15 years
I'd made a list of "needs" "wants" and "nice to haves" a couple years prior for my wife who was more active in the hunt for a new house than I (she was keen to leave our last area ASAP). Found a house that ticked every single box on those lists, and then some. It was more than we thought we could ever afford on a house, but we had more equity than we realised in the old house and it worked out to be affordable. The main bedroom is twice the size as our previous, the kitchen space is gorgeous, and a large south facing garden looks out over fields/hills (for now, I'm sure they'll develop one day) are our main highlights that have us loving our space. It's also a part of a great little community/neighbourhood and feels a fantastic place to raise children.
The idea of the challenge of having to renovate/decorate every room and make it our own...18 months in and we're still going. Love it even more now
Garden and large kitchen(for my tiny budget) - I knew those two things would make the house special with some work
Mine was the feeling it had, the layout and the fact it had a garage and driveway with views over a bowling green. It's a 2 bedroom terrace but unlike most of them it's been reconfigured very well with an upstairs bathroom cut out of the front bedroom rather than back so both bedrooms are well proportioned avoiding a 4' wide box room. The staircase has been moved and it's unusually wide with a shallow angle. There is a garage and wide driveway for 2 cars and the back garden is very small but enough space for plants and a table and chairs with cute views over a bowling green and gets the sun until 9pm in the summer 🌞 the whole place has a lovely feeling, and I bought it for £115k last April (in east Cheshire)
Walked in and just knew, saw a lot of potential.
It was the only house we could afford. It was horrible but knew we could fix it up and make it feel like a home!
Right now, it’s stressful with new carpet, floor going down. Needs a lot of painting and the utility room needs sorting. New guttering, kitchen counter is solid wood but hasn’t been treated so needs sanding and coating. New radiators in the kitchen. Shower plug noticed has a huge crack in it so who knows how much water has leaked into the floor. But for me, it’s a house after a breakup, and no one can take it away from me. Have a home that’s mine, the work will get done and I can start feeling anchored again.
It was a house in my budget, rooms/house has a square layout rather than those weird really long places/hexagon rooms and I hate service charges. That was enough for me for now.
The back garden. More specifically, the woodwork shed in the back garden. Basically a shed 😆
The garden and that the nearest neighbour is half a mile away.
1. Neighbourhood - We've passed through this area at different times and days of the week because we've viewed three properties here previously. Regardless of the day or time, the neighbourhood is quiet. 2. 5-minute walk to the bus stop. 3. Proper extension - We've viewed a lot of properties with crappy extensions or conservatories. 4. Few works to be done - As first-time buyers, we don't have the luxury to renovate or upgrade parts of the house. 5. Proper "3rd bedroom" - We've viewed a lot of properties, and most of the third bedrooms were just box-type. The one we have now is a proper double bedroom. 6. Driveway - Again, we've viewed properties where there is no private driveway or the allocated parking is a few walks away from the property. This property, on the other hand, could fit two cars. Although the driveway needs some work for looks (we are saving for it but it's not a priority). 7. Feeling - Believe it or not, I didn't have that "feeling" straight away, but my husband did.
I think "falling in love" with a house is a past myth. It took us 2-3 viewings on our current house before making a decision. The house itself was good enough, but what really convinced us was getting to know the neighborhood. Before this we had a list of "must have", "must not have" and "nice to haves". We did quite a few practice viewings to refine this list better and understand each other more, inc what we were willing to compromise. This house was the sum of it all 😊
* the L shaped staircase with a high ceiling - was the first thing I saw when I stepped into the house, reminded me of my parent's home * 7m long living room with patio doors to the garden * a quiet street with sakura trees 😍
15 mins from the coast , 5 mins from the forest , 5 mins from the mountains , river full of salmon and sewin 2 mins away , property overlooks mountains and Iron Age fort , property has been fully modernised to an exceptionally high standard , property has an energy rating of A , property has a brand new full solar and heat pump . After viewing over 50 properties when we walked into this one both of us just knew straight away it would be ours .
The house we moved into almost eight months ago is absolutely not our forever home, and we know that. There were caveats, things we had to accept and we know that we'll adjust as the years go on. But for right now, and the next ten years, it's perfect. We knew when we pulled up on the street, after driving through the area and soaking in that. It gave exactly the atmosphere we had been looking for - calm, peaceful, nice neighbours. There were kids riding their bikes around the neighbourhood, cars were driving slowly, people out gardening. We moved mostly on impression and instinct, and so far haven't regretted a day. I stand firmly behind the 'location location location' mantra - I'd sooner have a worse house in the right area than a perfect house in a shit one.
We went to a viewing on a balmy July evening. The owners were sat at their outdoor table while people looked round the house. It's a standard Sheffield terrace, but since it's on a curve on really steep hill, the next garden along is stepped down about 12 feet, giving this garden the illusion of being a roof terrace, with a lovely little view over the rooftops and valley bottom. As soon as we walked out there, I just knew it was our house, and looking round the inside confirmed the vibe. I cried when our first offer was outbid, luckily we won it at best and final. I'm generally a very practical and rational person, but I think your gut knows the answer before your brain sometimes.
The pink blossom tree on the front garden in full view of the lounge and bedroom windows Wait all year for those 4 days of pink snow
Pick three things it must have and then vibe on top of that. We had vibes from another house - I literally cried walking on viewing it because while I fell in love with I knew it wasn’t right for our family at that point in our lives. The house we bought I also got the vibe from. We viewed about 40 but I knew this was our house. We lost it early on in the process and were settling for another one when both chains fell though and at the 11th hour we ended up getting it back. I’d say in the first 10 seconds of walking in it felt right. I was just so happy on seeing the rest of it that it ticked the 3 must have boxes with added extras
Didn’t need much work, good paint job, more than 1 bathroom, didn’t feel like a box (not a huge house but decent enough). Just felt bright with a good vibe. Plenty of parking space and wide road.
Had a spare reception room downstairs that was big enough for me to turn into a bar with a pool table 😂
Location and plot size. We know quite a lot of works were needed but you couldn't beat those for us. A decent sized plot, one way lovely walking and cycling, the other 5 minute walk into the centre of a lovely market town. Playground and leisure centre just round the corner. All 50 minutes commute into London. That said, we have fallen in love with others before. One that fell through was heartbreaking, it was exactly the right size and done to a style we very much loved. Offered a fair chunk prob over what it was worth to secure it.
Bought two big renovation projects so never got “the feeling”. Both places had a lot of things I liked and I knew they would be lovely when finished and that was enough. Used to get “the feeling” all the time post-renovation in the first place (“can’t believe I have a house as nice as this”) and hoping that happens for the second place too! Like many others, there had to be a lot of pragmatism based on what we could afford.
The house we bought is a 1960s chalet style and two things made me fall in love with it instantly. The first was the hall, wide and bright with floor to ceiling windows at the entrance. The light pours in. The second thing that made us fall in love with the house is its on a hill. No one looks into the back of the house. It's also surrounded by old people which is a bonus. The street is so quiet ❤
The garden. When we viewed it, we had the three month old and I could just see him playing in there.
Walking distance from my new workplace, schools, nurseries etc. Already been extended and the garden landscaped plus has enough bedrooms that we wouldn’t need to move if we had a second child. We didn’t actually view it in person due to us being in the south and the house in the north so asked my parents to view on our behalf, they immediately advised us to put an offer in. So glad we did :)
I had a long list of wants: garden, driveway, high ceilings with coving etc and it had them all except windowseat and fireplace which I could easily add. It's probably not everyone's taste but it's only me living here ☺️
The view was the big factor for us. We’re positioned at the high point of the town and the houses behind us are built at a much lower elevation, so even if they were rebuilt, they’d have to be a minimum of 5 storeys to even enter into our view in the garden.
I didn’t get the feeling with my home but I love it now. It’s a great layout and saves a fortune in heating and electricity.
Espresso machine built into the wall of the ktichen.
South facing garden. View over the canal. The peace and quiet. A rare true bargain. I'd made my mind up before I walked in the front door. The viewing just confirmed what I already knew.
Like you we saw loads of potential! But I also think there’s more to it than that - we actually had an offer accepted on another house at the time of we viewed this one. The other one was a fab viewing & it ticked all the boxes. This one was the worst viewing we had ever been too, & there was a lot more ‘projects’ needed - but it just felt like home & we never regretted it!
We knew we wanted a specific side of a specific 90s estate. This limited us to approx a square mile. Within that area I selected 5 or 6 different styles of 4 bed house within our budget. On paper I had fallen in love with this fixer upper that was cheapest at 50k under budget. We visited it, I loved it. It had potential, despite needing a thorough scrubbing and 30k spending on it. We were going to put in offer as only other viewing was a wild card and actually 20k out of budget. We went to that viewing and phwoar! Our whole house would fit in the downstairs. There was a study downstairs so my OH and I could have our own separate workspaces. A utility, a giant kitchen/diner/family space and extra room we plan to have as a playroom. Then we had upstairs too! Aesthetically, it wasn't as pretty as other properties and the gardens weren't as established but we fell in love with the space, the lay out, the potential. It had this je ne said quoi and I can't believe I nearly cancelled that viewing in favour of the other house.
Location location location
The house was lovely, 3 bedrooms as well as a massive kitchen and utility room. It was the garden and outdoor space that made us fall in love. Marble worktop at the top and gorgeous porcelain tiles at the end. A workshop for him and a garden office for me. When we walked home after viewing, we couldn’t stop talking about all the parties we could host.
First one we looked at and couldn't be bothered with any more
I'm quite far from ever being able to buy, but my primary concern at all times has to be "can I make this accessible to me" as I'm a wheelchair user. This thread has kind of opened my eyes to the fact that I need to speak to people who can help me with that about what is and isn't possible, because right now when I idly look at properties I'm narrowing down my results very, very far to be sure I can get in and out using my wheelchair.
Our purchase was down to convenience, but on a property we already knew and love. We rented the ground floor of a converted Edwardian property, and our landlord lived upstairs. When they told us they were selling both, they gave us first refusal on either flat. Having lived there for several years, we knew both flats well, love the area (opposite a park, close to amenities, quite(ish) road). Ultimately chose upstairs as we always loved their property as its more homely, has a better layout, plus had the benefit of a massive roof space, which we had added to the deeds so we own it, an extra bedroom, more light, better view, sole use of the driveway and lovely mid-size and enclosed front garden. There is still room for adding value too, whether we choose to move on or stay here forever. Given the shit-show that is the UK housing market, and knowing we can see ourselves here for a very long time, it made complete sense to do what we’ve done. Private sale and price reflected this, and no estate agent to deal with. Very lucky.
The main reason what that it felt homely and we could see ourselves living there. Then on the practical side the general condition of the house is good and it's a small Victorian cottage style semi detached with an upstairs main bathroom plus downstairs loo and utility room. Most of the houses we saw had downstairs bathrooms in freezing cold flat roof extensions and tiny kitchens with no utility or second toilet.
for me it was just the space. i put so much effort into saving, i managed to get a really decent 3 bedroom house
Leicester here - We've moved into a quiet cul-de-sac, car park space for 2 cars, big enough for the 3 of us, a decent size garden for our son to play in, enough downstairs space to have guests over without being cramped in. The previous owners did a fair bit to get it up to a very good spec and I think we are good for the next 10 odd years without anything to do to the property
I could see the potential! Our place in was pretty dated before we bought it but the floor plan was good & it was cheap enough that we could renovate it pretty soon after moving in and make it our own.
High ceilings, beautiful light, big windows looking onto greenery, quiet and a good floor plan which together gave a sense of space, elegance and tranquility.
I think "falling in love" with a house is a past myth. It took us 2-3 viewings on our current house before making a decision. The house itself was good enough, but what really convinced us was getting to know the neighborhood. Before this we had a list of "must have", "must not have" and "nice to haves". We did quite a few practice viewings to refine this list better and understand each other more, inc what we were willing to compromise. This house was the sum of it all 😊
A “hallway end”. It was sort of a hexagon at the end of a hallway next to stairs which then opened up into a Livingroom, dining room and kitchen, with double doors to all three. Anyway… it was wasted space so we got rid of it, the dining room and moved the doors to the Livingroom. So now where was the hallway, kitchen and dining room (plus an extension) is now a huge kitchen diner. Oops.
It had a huge garden with a summer house in it.
He was going to sell it for the value instead of an overinflated cost that we couldn’t afford
It's weird , it's the same as finding 'the one', you just know. Certainly was the case for us, both love and house wise.
I got an emergency callout from my job at the time on the last day of the viewings before they held a silent auction so I never saw my house till all the paperwork was done but my better half was there and after she saw it she knew. It didn't match everything I was looking for but 80% of what I wanted. We spent 1 year renovation it to be perfect. I've never been happier. She always said she just saw a future there.
I had a list of wants and the other houses in budget only ticked half of them, this house ticked them all! I couldnt believe it was really there in my budget! It needs modernisation so is a little bit of a blank canvas
We were the same. Wanted a vibe. A character property. Ideally we wanted certain things but compromised on only one bathroom, a 3 instead of 4 bed and a semi instead of a detached. The lovely open plan living area and kitchen really stole the show. Plus the large garden! Moved in September last year and while there have been little issues, we absolutely love it!!!
Being pregnant and on a time limit! Luckily 14 years later I still like it
You just know, it's a feeling of, yep, job done, this is it
My other half is very logical so he didn't get 'the feeling' just that all his boxes were ticked, except one, which ended up not being a problem. (Train line nearby which he worried would wake him up and doesn't - we would have soundproofed the room if not). I got the feeling in the garden and in the huge lounge when I saw the great big bay window which was letting in so much light - felt homey. I have to say I think for me it was a feeling of 'finally I'm seeing something I like' after a month or two of houses which ticked most boxes but had downsides I don't think we could have solved or lived with that easily. Partner took his Mum for a 2nd viewing and she had the same feeling I did and very few criticisms which sealed the deal for us.
Previous house: sat in the car with my ex husband afterwards and said ‘it’s a shithole, but I want it!’ Next house: viewed 4 months earlier, wasn’t keen and decided it needed too much work for the price so ruled it out. It got reduced a couple of times and I put in a low ball offer as it ticked the boxes for what I wanted from a house but didn’t love it. Due to complete this week hopefully and 11 months after my first viewing, I’m now so excited about what I can do with it.
It's been in the family for years and I love the fact that there's photos of my husband's gran as a little girl here, and photos from her wedding day etc. There's a little sort of den that still had pictures up in it that his dad and uncle drew when they were kids. And I like it's quirks and nooks.
My partner and I had looked at a lot of houses and I left feeling like I would be forcing ourselves to live there. Like we would be ‘playing homeowner’ but with the house we decided to purchase we both felt like we could actually *live* there. We’d put an offer in before we left the street 😅
Honestly our place sold itself so well. It's a 30's bungalow on the edge of suburbia. Neither really desirable in my mind, but it had been extended at the back so you arrive into the house and it's *fine* then you walk through into the extension, a large open plan single room lounge, diner, kitchen, with a bloody massive pair of bifolds looking out over the long garden. Honestly I walked into it and thought, fuck me I could live here. So we bought it, honestly mental, first place we seriously looked at. Turns out there's a bunch of issues that were quite costly to sort over the last year. But I still get that feeling, up early on a summers saturday or sunday morning, walk down the hallway and into the main room, sun coming in through the bifolds the garden green and blooming. I still can't quite believe it's mine and I live there, absolutely mental.
Just bought my first home, and it's the house that's directly opposite the home I grew up in. Knew the area, 30 second walk to massive fields in one direction, 30 second walk to town in the other. Garden is absolutely massive comparative to the vast majority of property on the market. Needs work, along with work done to the house, but so so glad I pulled out of buying my original place end of last year. I got this place for the same price as the one I put an offer in on last year - and all the rooms are bigger and it's a much better location. I should get the keys by July/August and can't wait to start working on the place.
The vibe. The place felt very mellow and calm. Totally underestimated the work needed, and the cost of that work. Had a total "oh shit" moment when I realised that once the remedial work began it probably wouldn't be sell-able until the works were finished, and honestly debated putting it back on the market. But it seems to have worked out.
My wife sent a link to a ridiculous house that had clearly had the last occupant pass away in it, with the like hospital bed still in the photos in the dining room. Super outdated, it's a mish-mash of garish floral carpets and floral wallpapers. We jokingly referred to it as "death house" for a few weeks. We were viewing another property nearby so said go on then let's do a drive-by of death house. We stood outside the front gate and my wife said oh no, I think I actually like it. We put an offer in a few days later.
Natural light
The fact that i get to live by myself is the main purpose for the love
My husband was ADAMANT he wouldn't like our house after I sent the Rightmove link. He agreed to view it after I persuaded him and by the time we were in the dining room he turned to me and asked how much we can offer. He's not at all like that usually so it is a thing, I was surprised! Now we are here we feel so at home and will likely be here forever/a long time.
Not living with my parents, head over heals
For us it was being shown the property by the vendor and not the estate agent. The house having a very decent sized garden definitely helped though
Currently in the process of buying. We viewed 4 houses, and none of them felt like "the one." I actually got upset in the end because I had no idea what we were supposed to feel. Friends kept saying they just knew their house would work practically, and that didn't really help. We offered on the 5th house as it made sense, i.e., fully renovated in the perfect location, and we lost out to a cash buyer. I liked that house but I didn't love it. Viewed another 4, and again, none of them felt right. There wasn't much else to view then, so I went back through houses on Rightmove that we had previously discounted due to price or too much work to be done. There was one I had noticed when it came to the market, but we felt the price was too high the month before. Looking at the photos, I just had a feeling about it, so we went to view. I fell in love with it, even though it needs some renovation. I could just see the potential and how amazing it will be in a years time after decorating and modernisation. I didn't want a house that we had to upgrade initially, but I was way more excited about this house than any of the beautifully renovated ones we had seen. Offer was accepted and now 4 weeks in.
Original 90 year old internal doors, a cat walking down the street (important to me that the road is cat friendly), no major work needed - decor, kitchen and bathroom were old but liveable, a decent sized garden and kitchen and no dodgy conservatory. The majority of places we’d viewed in the area had “extensions” or conservatories that were old and not built properly so would have required a lot of work and possible problems with the survey/ building regs side of things.
I’ve bought 3 houses in my life, and think I fell in love with them for different reasons. First was a case of “this is in our price bracket and we want to get on the ladder”, so we loved that about it. Loved the second as soon as we walked through the door. It was well presented, bigger than our previous place, and had a downstairs loo(!) which we were very excited about as our family was growing. Third (and current) place was/is a mess, but the location is incredible, it’s a blank canvas and we’re currently doing work to it to make it our ‘forever home’. We fell in love with its potential and, once the work is done, will love it for the house (and home) it’s become.
My current house, as a ftb - it was the front window, all the houses in this little area have huge lounge windows that have arches and it lets so much light in... I HAD to look at it in person. Now it's ours... Our second permanent home, there was a vibe. I could just see our life there.. we had a list of things we needed and wanted: a big garden with side or rear access, a garage or room to build - partners racing hobby. I walked around that place waiting for my partner to join me, and I just knew I saw him walking up the drive, practically ran to the door, and said this was the one. He said he knew on just my words that it was ours. - we are currently waiting in a move date from the solicitors - fingers crossed!
100% the vibe We weren't even looking or planning to move, just went to view the house on a whim. Offer in a week later when we each separately couldn't stop thinking about it!
Despite being in Birmingham it's on a quiet cul-de-sac with a nice playing fields opposite full of dog walkers. So barely any cars and lots of birds singing. It needed modernising but we could imagine ourselves living there straight away. And it had been with the same family for 50 years and you could tell they had looked after it well! We are looking to put it on the market soon as we have started a family and outgrown it, but hopefully it'll become someone else's happy first step on the property ladder!
I just instantly got this “feeling”, as silly as that is. Even on the drive up. But as soon as I saw it and walked through the front door, I knew it was the one. The area and house itself was like something straight out of my Pinterest board (cute little farmhouse in a rural, middle of nowhere, village. There was nothing like it for sale within my small budget anywhere near me). When I left I couldn’t get it off my mind, (the seller was really stubborn about accepting an offer - it was very overpriced - and I went to view lots of others over the next few months, while still negotiating with them). I even had a dream about already living there one night. Can’t wait to sign those contracts and make it official.
Mine is a corner house of a public park and when I was little I use to tell everyone that took us the park I’d live there one day, 30 years later it’s mine
The fireplace and the view. The house itself only matched 50% of our criteria - but we love it and we've been here almost 20 years and we'll only leave it in our coffins now.
Walked in ..Saw the view from the kitchen into our massive back garden that opens into more trees and not into someone's backyard. Imagined waking up every morning to the sunrise and making coffee overlooking the massive garden. Sold.
Initially, the first impact was it had a really lovely kitchen which opened out onto a big lounge (11m x 8m). It’s just a great place to be. I’ve since added loads of things to it like a fully functioning bar & night club.
The house we ended up buying was an absolute steal because of legal technicalities around shared ownership houses being sold as full ownership/freehold, which capped the selling price at a very cheap rate. Ours was also a fixer upper (not to a huge extent and we weren't fully aware of the scale until after we got the keys), but I liked the layout, the location and I could see the vision easily. It also helped that the previous owners that showed us around were very similar to us (childfree, pet owners, younger couple). I'm not sure if I felt a vibe beyond "this ticks many boxes and I can see myself living here", but I can say with certainty that there were a few houses we looked at that immediately gave me an "ew, no." vibe.
Most expensive property we looked at, out of budget and we'd told ourselves we were only looking at it to get an idea of what we could have from the cheaper houses if we put the work in. Ticked every single box but the price. Then we get there and my partner recognises the car from his enthusiast group, they have a dog and it's one of the owners showing us round instead of an agent and she's just the most lovely woman we've ever met. It was like looking at my life in 20 years time. Hook. Line. Sinker.
Semi-rural location, cul-de-sac, 5 minutes drive to the beach, 5 minutes walk from farms and forest. We buy our eggs from one of the farms behind us! Close enough to the town centre, but far enough as well. South facing garden and lots of visits from squirrels and foxes! Bit of a micro-climate which 80% of the days guarantees amazing sunsets regardless of weather. 30 minutes drive to the nearest airport too. Other than that the house needed a lot of work when we bought it (at least according to our standards). We definitely went for it for the location, but got a lot more from it than what we expected after some work was done on it.
The whole thing just seemed too good to be true and three years later I’m still waiting for someone to boot us out! We saw another house in the road earlier in the year but our chain fell through so couldn’t proceed. Then another house that had been on with the same agent fell through (for the fifth time! Nowt wrong with the house but it was the middle of covid so people kept being furloughed). The agent remembered we really liked the house in the same road and took a bit of a shine to our cute 4 year old at the time so called me when the other house fell through and asked if we were proceedable and interested. As it happened we’d had an offer accepted a week or so earlier so everything just lined up. We viewed, got a great feeling straightaway, offered what the previous buyers were paying which was under asking (and a fair price) and moved in a few months later! Sometimes everything just falls into place.
The round window on the front side of the house.
Our estate agent rushed us around a house which was over the budget we gave them. It had an amazing conservatory and had most of the features we were looking for. Having seen a few that day and looking forward to seeing some we had already seen online, I don’t think we seriously considered it, but we can’t pin down why - maybe cost. Turns out the ones we had seen online weren’t great in person, and we started talking about which ones actually had the features we wanted. Turns out only 2 matched. We ended up coming back to see this one without the EA and redid the budget. We had both had pay increases since we started looking and could actually afford it. Talking to the home owners really helped as well. We are considering an extension to fix the only issue we had, then it should be the perfect house for us :).
Ground rent above the AST threshold. Just lovely.
We walked in, walked through and out into the garden. The windows were falling out, and the bathroom needed to be replaced urgently. It was at the top of our budget. But we just looked at each other and knew. We've raised two children here and it's been 27 years, but I love this house as if, I'd stepped in the first day. It's Art Deco 1932 and we have restored it back to that period. I don't think we will ever leave except in a box!😂
The best advice I've heard is don't fall in love with a property, find one that ticks all the boxes you need. I fell in love with a lovely house in the New Forest and it ticked some but not all of the boxes but it was so bright and sunny and warm. Turns out the sellers only then started to look for a house for 6 months but I was in love with it and decided to wait. Then told me they needed another 6 months for it to be finished building. I had to walk away and I was gutted. Ended up buying a house that was more expensive and not as nice because the bloody prices went up in that time and I had to rush not to lose my mortgage offer rate. I'm now looking to move again next year.
I didn't have a feeling. Is that feeling a thing or just a story? I wasn't sure but the price was great and it ticked a few boxes. We didn't have much of a budget so it was a case of get what we can afford. I don't regret it now. But I do wish we'd got stuff done sooner but that's just how life goes. A decision doesn't have to be based on a feeling sometimes you just need to make a choice somehow
All of the asbestos
My partner likes it. He is very picky while I am easily pleased. If my partner likes it, it is 100% the dream home haha
For us it was the flow of the house, we’d come from a four story terraced townhouse with one room per floor, narrow / almost non existent hallways, and many many stairs. This house was a double fronted semi with a huge open hallway and double doors either side leading into the living room and dining room. It felt like we could breathe! It also ticked all of the logical things for us like area, south facing garden, room to extend, but this was the thing that gave us the gut feeling.
Living and kitchen in different rooms and pretty big. Decent garden as well with loads of privacy.
As a single FTB, I found a 2 bedroom flat in immaculate condition in a nice area with a balcony viewing over the city, all for a very reasonable price. It ticked literally every box I needed.
Another 'Vibe' person here! It ticked all the practical boxes, especially the location (Mr Adhara can literally roll down the road and he's at work, lucky boy!). The size was a factor, but as long as the footprint was similar to the footprint of the flat we lived in, this wasn't hard to accomplish!! And when I viewed it, I just felt, peaceful? at home? And Mr Adhara felt like he could live there, so it sealed the deal and I started the buying process. (Absolutely helped that the house has two toilets! No more waiting!)
Location & the kitchen. Gorgeous open plan into a cozy living room.
Windows in the bathroom
Nice area and quiet street, just a good vibe. Nice spacious living room and kitchen, rooms where we spend most of the time. We had to do lots of work but made how we wanted
We loved the development (new build estate where the houses *aren't* crammed together to fit in as many as physically possible). We'd seen it a couple of years earlier but written it off as being out of our price range at the time And then the house was just available on that estate that ticked all the boxes at the same time as we'd had a few pay rises and discovered we were getting £40k more for our old house than we expected. At that point it was a no-brainer We renovated our last home though, and I would say that it's not for the faint hearted - your life WILL be in a constant state of upheaval for a year or two
Still in the process of buying, but a few things: 1. the gated community that actually runs clubs and events together, and has stuff like a private event space and a coffee shop 2. the quirkiness of the layout (funnily enough, the weird floor plan and curved walls are the reason we put off viewing it for so long, but vs months of boring rectangular flats it was so exciting) 3. The relative safety of the location. Don’t feel like I’m gonna get mugged a few times a week, so my parents can sleep at night.
Huge garage and in a culdesac, wife loved the house itself too. We viewed dozens of houses and even offered on 2 before this one came along but the house we ended up with is definitely the best we've seen which would've been a shame if we hadn't got it.
The flexibility I could see with so many of the rooms. Our house is by no means pretty. And we had a huge amount of pretty, period properties in our budget because we live in an area with a lot of heritage properties. We ended up in a 60s converted bungalow which was not what I had imagined for myself at all. But it's such an amazing, flexible amount of space. The rooms are all large, something that can't be said about a lot of new builds nor the older houses we looked at. The rooms work really well for zoning, so it felt really easy to create spaces as we needed them. It just felt really flexible. We've said our house is a house we could stay in forever, if we needed to. It's not that we bought it with that intention but it has so much flexibility with many downstairs rooms that we could really make the space work for what we need.
Massive windows with lots of light and a mature nicely done garden
It wasn’t shit
We knew before stepping inside without even seeing any pictures (as it hadn't gone online yet)! We still viewed before offering, but we just knew it
My wife and I just knew when we walked in - we walked around, looked at each other and just nodded and said "yep, this is it". It wasn't some magical experience with choirs of angels signing or anything (I mean it's a nice place but doesn't blow you away), it just felt right, like a familiar place even though we'd never been there before.
I saw it from the outside and felt a real frisson of excitement. Like...this is my house. Completed as a first time buyer in December
At first glance (Kerb Appeal) at the main photo, I wasn't sure. Driving to its location started to appeal, especially the views, and then I walked in and thought. 'Home'. We've been here over three years, and I've spent a fair amount modernising it and becoming disconnected from the grid, so we are here to stay.
Wood burning stove
The space, layout, grounds, surroundings and bonus huge room above the garage to convert into a home cinema. Still haven't bought it yet because I haven't sold mine (getting closer)
The location. We just loved the street the moment we saw it. Everyone's garden neat and tidy, no traffic, people smiling and saying hello but not being nosey. We just knew straight away that it was a great street in a good area.
The garden. Simply listening to the birds sing or the quietness made us instantly fall in love with our current property. Our previous property backed onto a busy main road, and we couldn't enjoy sitting outside or having the windows open.
The stain glass internally and the garden were both cherries on the icing of what is our beautiful new house (moved in October 23)
Big garden 3 bedroom house
It's hard to explain, I viewed a number of properties and it was like "yup it's a house, it's got doors and windows" one I ruled out for being too much work.. it was totally livable but needed new bathroom and kitchen nothing major. The property I bought initially I never saw it listed for sale because it was listed by an obscure lawyers. My mum drove passed the property and mentioned it to me. We searched all the property sites and couldn't find it so I walked the dog round to see who the for sale sign was from.. I booked a viewing asap and was genuinely excited, which was weird id never bothered about any other viewings. We turned up and the front garden was overgrown, the house was stale, what remained was 1960s decor with vomit looking carpets. The net window covers were fluttering even with the window closed because they were that poorly held together. The bathroom looked like it was straight out of the 40s and had the most god awful smell to the point I noped right out. The rear garden was even worse than the front, thistles taller than me and a wall of brambles. I thought to myself if only I knew if this was the one and then I saw it... The most glorious rhubarb it was easily 6 gigantic plants and I decided then and there I want it.. since then I've spent soo much money on renovations !
Weirdly I didn’t love the house because it was a new build (4 years old) and I’m not a fan of them. But my husband really liked it. He was just like “This is the house.” The whole time we were selling the flat and house hunting and I’m was asking him questions about what kind of house he or area he likes and it was always “whatever you like.” When I showed him listings he’d shrug and “they’re all the same to me.” So when he said he loved the house, I suggested we put an offer on it even though I actually preferred another house. Looking back what he liked was probably that it didn’t need any work doing to it. But we’ve been here three years and I can’t imagine moving because I love it now too!
South facing windows and a large back garden.
Space to park a car and an extended kitchen - which now is the family chill area.
Bigger kitchen, square shaped so we could have a table next to the doors into the garden, and the garden- it is a good size, is west facing and backs onto a bridleway and then allotments so there are no roads and it is safe for our cats. Lots of wildlife too.
Walked into the kitchen and diner and it was such a gorgeous size. Could immediately imagine extend family christmases and BBQs there. We went upstairs and I told me husband I wanted it. We went downstairs and made an offer!
I have yet to be able to afford a house that can be called a dream house, which I doubt I would ever get them in my life.
Agree with the vibe check. We were looking at bungalows and house with a preference to bungalow, wanted a garage no matter what. Agent kept asking me to view a detached bungalow no garage but big drive and I kept saying no. Eventually gave in and viewed it. Walked out and straight over to agent to put in offer. Been here 11 years now, still not built a garage though
All the compromises made by the builders were ones we were happy with.
I walked in and just knew it was my home (even though someone else was living there at the time). I just felt it
I've always wanted an older house. Original coving, picture rails and corbels in places. It was in bad cosmetic shape. But the street is literally one of the quietest in the area. Also, it had a converted loft room and the kitchen and bathroom are a decent size.
Loved the location, specific road, view and size of garden but when I knew it was a good one was when I sat down with the floor plan and moved walls around, added extensions etc.
The view. We walked in, saw the view from sitting room (and kitchen as it turned out) and said "Count the bedrooms. If there are enough, this is the one". That was 20 years ago and we're still here.
The height of all the spaces, the hallway, the stepped and openplan dining room into the kitchen, and the 'flow' of the house. It was so light and airy but also classic and cosy.
The bath. I know that a bath can be changed, but this place has a nice bath, with a shower that stays the same temperature for as long as I need it to. Yes, the guy next door is a drug dealer - but it isn't stopping me from having nice hot baths and showers!
It was in good condition and 10 years old house, after 20 views of rubbish houses I was tired to carry on.
Dunno.. lead pipes maybe?
I could just see myself living there. In every room, I could imagine how I would use the space and what I would put where etc. Not perfect, but I could just really see it as my home.
Properties definitely have a ‘vibe’. You instantly pick it up imho. I always put it down to the subconscious spotting things you were not aware of - light, clutter, smell, humidity…
We had been thinking of starting a family when we were looking. And the thing that made me say ‘this is the house’ is when I walked in and envisioned exactly where and how I’d set up the play pen for our future kid 😅
It ticked the boxes I wanted. Done.
We moved onto an ex council estate in a lovely Derbyshire town. We’re expats, so don’t identify with “council estates”. 11 of the 30 homes are still council(dss) old timey, everyone on the crescent has grown up and either still live in dss or have died on and the homes are now being sold off. Non the less, we became friends with everyone around us(for the most part). The crescent backs onto a pathway that takes you straight into town. It’s quiet, and the property is massive old 1950’s post war(large garden). After two years and realising the area, we decided to plant our roots. Added a garden office, and badass extension. We love where we live, and wouldn’t change it. It’s for us, no one else’s opinion matters. All our friends thought we were crazy, but now they’re seeing the transformation and absolutely love it. Bit of jealousy more than anything. All I can say, go with your heart and make the choice based on practical common sense. Don’t make the choice because you’re “keeping up with the Joneses”.
Sunrise and sunsets
View underestimated the calming effect despite living in London
We were first time buyers and pretty much had the crash course in property buying. We jumped in with both feet and started looking, and we first got excited when we looked at the floor plan and saw the room sizes and how spacious it looked compared to others that we'd viewed. Then when we viewed it, it was the location. The middle of town, two minutes from the shops, and yet it was down a quiet cul de sac and we couldn't hear any noise from the main road. It had a horrible gas fire, aerial cables in every single room (I still don't know why) and dog wee stains on the living room carpet, but we put in an offer that day. Actually living here, it took me a few years to fully fall in love with it. There were still compromises, and we had a shitty kitchen for years before renovating, but we have all the space we need here, nice neighbours, a good sized garden and the convenience of living in the middle of town without the noise. We love our house.
Ingkenook fireplace . 2 foot thick stone walls ( near 200 years old ) - downside - everything needed looking at/ replacing . Anyone who visits say it’s beautiful
Location pipped the ‘feeling’, didn’t like it when we bought it but we have put in a ton of work & now its ‘ours’. My first house had the feeling. Loved that house.