Would you buy a bungalow that you didn't like?

If you are on a low budget how will you afford an extension
Do think of the future and your ten minute walk My Dad in his very old age said to me we didn’t think it through at the time… there was a 5+ minute walk to the bus stop and there were 2 steep steps to the front door they just couldn’t manage them in their very old age and had to spend a good bit of money getting the path levelled to accommodate the steps then didn’t live very long after so paid out for the next buyers
If you don’t take to a place don’t buy it I don’t think you ll learn to like it
Do you have to leave your present one ?

I don't really look at the interiors much, just the square footage, orientation and outside space. Insides can just be cleared out and changed.
Not much I can do about squashed up to neighbours, North facing or twenty minutes walk out of town.
The last one I looked at backed up against the nursing home. My daughter had a good laugh, 'you can let yourself in when you're ready mum', so depressing.

Yes I have and I hated it. Stayed for 2 years. Temp renting is difficult at the moment because house prices are going up so quickly, apart from the cost of moving twice you could find yourself priced out.. Having said that if you have to move then you need to get the best that you can afford. It means contacting all the agents so they let you know first if something comes up. Being realistic and imagining what you can do to a property. One thing you can't change is the location so that has to be key and your starting point. Not for the faint hearted.

Have you kept a scrapbook of how you would like each room to look? What style, wallpaper, paint colours, plants, textiles etc

I wonder whether it would help you imagine it all?

Just think how much less money you will spend on bills, how less time you will spend on weeding and cleaning. How much freed up cash you'll have to enjoy the town you want to live in?

I felt like that about my first little flat.
I loved it as soon as I walked in, and it was certainly nothing special.

I hated the next one (although it was by far the best) and feel ambivalent at best about this one.

Well, if possible, I think a house should 'speak' to you.

I live in a flat I don't like.
Been here about 32 years now.

Nope I would not buy a home I didn’t like, it’s pointless! If you don’t like any then why pay out thousands! I would rent until I found one that had redeeming qualities

My goal is to walk more and drive less, hence the ten minute walk into town. It's a market town so not much there in flats except the odd one for retirement with charges I can't afford.

Thanks Pamela, I think I'll make some cards up this afternoon as I'm going to the area tomorrow.

PerserverencePays

That worries me too. Being priced out if I wait too long.

When I first started looking for a bungalow a year ago there were quite a few in my desired area that were within my price range. I was lucky to find just what I wanted.

I still look in RightMove out of curiosity and there is nothing available. Any that are put on the market are at least £20K more than I paid just six months ago and are snapped up very quickly.

Have you thought of looking further afield, or a ground floor flat rather than a bungalow?

I didn't think this was going to be so hard, aware this is problem comes from a position of privilege. I don't love any of them, would settle for a like.

A 10 minute walk into town may be too much in a few years time. I would be looking for shops closer or decent public transport. Think also of where the GP, dentist and hospital are situated because in later years that could mean minicabs.

I usually have to "love" a place before I would consider moving in.

That worries me too. Being priced out if I wait too long.

If you have a low budget bear in mind price increases. In our neck of the woods it could be costly. I’m not saying that renting isn’t a good idea, just think about everything.
Are there nicer properties in the area that may come onto the market?
I have heard about buyers posting wanted cards through letterboxes.
Moving and buying at the same time is so stressful. Good luck.

I don't mind if it's a family home as long as there's room for an extension to make the downstairs independent.

The buyer has said there's wiggle room so I won't rush into the expense of a rental. I am worrying that I will accept a house I don't like and then six months later there will be something much nicer. How long would you wait?
I don't have a particularly picky list:
within a ten minute walk of town
garden more than a slug fest courtyard
room at the side to build an extension
garage would be a bonus.

I think that you would come to regret moving into a place you did not like. It’s a lot of expense, as you’ll know, so it needs to feel right even if not quite perfect. I agree with Urmstongran, that if you have to move out of your existing house, then a short term rent would give you some breathing space and take the pressure off a bit. However, have you got to move out of yours soon, or is there a bit of wriggle room? A friends daughter has a buyer for her place, but hasn’t found anything she likes yet, so is not moving out of her present home until she has. Fortunately, the person wanting to buy her existing home is prepared to wait, so perhaps isn’t in a chain.

Does it have to be a bungalow? Might another form of housing be worth a look?

I did wonder if renting would be better than feeling so pressurised.

No. Definitely not. I’d rather rent in the short term & keep looking.

They seem to sell fairly quickly as they are within ten minute's walk into town. I guess that would be its redeeming feature. Going to look at another one tomorrow and not summoning up much enthusiasm.

If you do not like it, and it does not have one redeeming feature, would you not have mega problems selling it when the time came?

No, I'd go with my gut feeling.

No, I wouldn't be able to settle in a house I didn't like.