House buying today.

Hello all!

I am currently completing an MA degree at Cardiff University and am writing my final dissertation on downsizing in the UK. If you have a spare 5 minutes and haven't done do already, please can you take the time to answer my survey below.

There was some confusion the first time I posted the survey. There is one question specifically about living in a narrow boat, which was inspired by my boyfriend's dad downsizing into one. However, if this question doesn't apply to you, you can just leave it blank. The same goes with other questions. It is my first time doing a major survey, so if there isn't an answer that applies to you, please just select the closest option.

My aim is to get a sense about what people think about downsizing, how much information is already out there, and their housing preferences.

If any of you have kids/grandchildren who have been to uni, you may know the struggle of trying to collect data therefore, any answers you can give me would be extremely helpful.

Thank you

docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf2VMYi2_etSEeqhWWRgK2F0UBFFZUUcq0rW9-kADHbTtLW1Q/viewform?usp=dialog

I feel it too M0nica - even selling my mother-in-law's house.

Cossy

I have to say, and it’s only my opinion, I only wanted a buyer who could pay close to the asking price and who could complete in a reasonable time.

I will do the same when we sell our current home and downsize. In my view, once a property is sold and owned by someone else it’s entirely their business what they choose to do.

Yes, but not everyone feels as you do. Many people become very attached to the house that was their home, especially if they have had to leave it involuntarily to go into care or sheltered housing and want to feel that the new owners will love it as they did, or that another young couple or family, like they were when they bought it, will buy it and live there as long as the previous owners do.

Sentiment and emotions play a large part in buying and selling property. even if you do not feel it.

Fwiw on the subject of sentimentality. When we had to sell my late in laws home, my husband and siblings family home, they were very much swayed by the young family that wanted to buy and eventually bought it. We are a soft lot though

Ivanhandthemback he found somewhere but had to change from the trendy town he wanted to a much less desirable one…still the same rent 🙅‍♀️

I have to say, and it’s only my opinion, I only wanted a buyer who could pay close to the asking price and who could complete in a reasonable time.

I will do the same when we sell our current home and downsize. In my view, once a property is sold and owned by someone else it’s entirely their business what they choose to do.

fancythat

But when?

Why has it not been done already?

And the biggest issue of all, and especially in light of the request of a reason to buy as well, does the daughter really want to sell. In her heart of hearts.

4th I suppose - why has she dragged her heels thus far in emptying the house/getting it ready for sale. Properly ready.
Though there may be excellent reasons for doing that,

I didn’t move the things out of my DM house until we sold it, two years after she died.
MIT was quite good as it turned out as the buyers asked us if we could leave certain furniture items, which we did, the rest was cleared two days before completion, house thoroughly cleaned and the day before completion the buyers paid for all the carpets to be cleaned. All that was left was what they requested and several tubs of flowers in the back garden.

fancythat

But when?

Why has it not been done already?

And the biggest issue of all, and especially in light of the request of a reason to buy as well, does the daughter really want to sell. In her heart of hearts.

4th I suppose - why has she dragged her heels thus far in emptying the house/getting it ready for sale. Properly ready.
Though there may be excellent reasons for doing that,

Our family have had to sell two houses in the last six months, one following a death and the other because the owner had to go into a care home.
Based on this experience, I can tell you that in one of those cases the house was left fully furnished until the last possible minute on the advice of the insurer - as long as it was not 'empty', the existing insurance could continue. In the event, it wasn't cleared of furniture etc. until the week before the sale was due to be completed.

In the other case, at the stage of deciding which offer to accept, it was put to what seemed like the best candidate - whose offer was lower than the others, but had been living with parents for 12 months and had no chain- that we would accept their lower offer on condition that they took it still furnished. They accepted, so all that was removed prior to the sale were personal things such as clothing and bedding.
We were really lucky. That wouldn't work for most people, but it was a Godsend for us, and possibly for the new owner who can now use / clear/ replace things as and when they want to or can afford to.
It also shows a couple of reasons why a house might not have been cleared when it is on the market.

JaneJudge

my older son has just started renting and i honestly couldn't believe how much he had to go through, including most landlords requiring guarantors despite being above earning threshold . It's really difficult for young people

Once you are a tenant now, he should have some protection. My son went through the same when he left Uni and was just about to move when the Landlord, having agreed everything and signed a contract, just changed their mind to rent to a friend who would pay more. Whilst my son was devastated at the time, he found a much better place with a better landlord. Hopefully your son will have the same luck.

Am I strange in not giving a jot as to who purchases my house when I a selling it - only caring if they are going to proceed with the purchase as swiftly as possible. What they then do with their property is their business and absolutely nothing to do with me.
I have no sentiments around bricks and mortar, my memories good and bad of time in a house come with me = in my head.

my older son has just started renting and i honestly couldn't believe how much he had to go through, including most landlords requiring guarantors despite being above earning threshold . It's really difficult for young people

M0nica, just for once , I think you are right!

I think people are overthinking and overcomplicating a very simple reuest by those who are acting for the elderly lady who has presumably spent most of her married life in this house, loved and looked after it and who wants it to go to a young couple who will love it and care for it as much as she did, even if it means accepting a lower offer.

The reuest for a letter is because the elderly owner, in her care home, probably is not computerate, so the best way to let her know about the potential new owners is to ask for it in print on paper.

NotSpaghetti

knspol

Very unusual and I just would not to it!

Well you won't be getting the house then, I suppose!

Strange outlook.

When I want to buy a house, I really really want that house and do whatever it takes to get it.

knspol

Very unusual and I just would not to it!

Well you won't be getting the house then, I suppose!

No,never heard of that,very weird.

petra

Alison333

I don't think there is anything sinister in this. There could have been a lot of offers but the owner wants it to go to people who will love it even if the offer is lower.

And if the young couple decide to move out in a couple of years, what happens then 🤷‍♀️

The previous owner may well have died and time will have passed since she moved out.

But, as I said up thread, even a moving letter and convincing information can still be other than the truth.

Doodledog

I've never heard of that, but there are houses around me that are advertised as being for sale only to people who are going to live in them (ie not Air B&Bs or holiday homes). Maybe it's something on those lines?

Good point
Lots of rackets and scams around buying and selling houses. Especially from Overseas Buyers

Besides Air B&B etc. Worse still
.Think houses that are turned into Houses of Multiple Occupancy and Student Accomodation.

I think these Summary things could
be a kegal thing for the future really..Maybe a good idea?

Alison333

I don't think there is anything sinister in this. There could have been a lot of offers but the owner wants it to go to people who will love it even if the offer is lower.

And if the young couple decide to move out in a couple of years, what happens then 🤷‍♀️

Alison333

I don't think there is anything sinister in this. There could have been a lot of offers but the owner wants it to go to people who will love it even if the offer is lower.

I absolutely agree with you. The family members selling the hous would prefer a letter so that they can show it to the elderly owner, now in a care home.

Very unusual and I just would not to it!

The elderly couple from whom we bought our family house in 1979 certainly wanted us to have it because we fitted their idea of the family who would live in their house. Also, we were the energetic young(ish) couple who could bring it up to a then-modern standard. We lived there for 30 years until it was time for the house to have a new family.

I don't think there is anything sinister in this. There could have been a lot of offers but the owner wants it to go to people who will love it even if the offer is lower.

I agree with Nannan2's advice. Maybe the relative is hoping the next owner will love the house just as much. After our offer had been accepted (owner passed away) we'd arranged to go back to take some measurement, the estate agent said the daughter would be at the bungalow rather than them as she wanted to meet us to see who would be living in her mum's home. Clearly on meeting her she still had emotional ties to her mum's old place

Doodledog

It is perfectly normal not to be able to view without a mortgage in principle. Some EEs won't show people around until their house is sold, or under offer.

There are a lot of time wasters out there. My sister's house was for sale a while ago, and she had a lot of people looking around as part of a day out, as she lives in an area of natural beauty. some even knocked on the door without an appointment and asked to look around 'while we're in the area'.

We first viewed the house I live in without an appointment. We had travelled 50 miles to this area and found that estate agents didn't open on Sundays, unlike where we lived at the time so couldn't make an appointment. We knocked on the door and appologised for not having made an appointment but asked if we could see round. The owners agreed and kept appologising for things being untidy! We did view again with an appointment once we decided to make an offer and I still have contact with the wife of the couple over 20 years later as she plays trumpet in the local orchestra and I sing in the chorus!