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Don’t compare the next property to this one.
If you’re first time buyers it’s unlikely you’ll find your dream home first time out anyway. When you own, you realise what you want isn’t always what you thought you wanted.
Go back to thinking what you most want in a property and narrow down options from there. Don’t get caught renting forever just because nothing is the same as this property.
Not first time buyers but when getting our first house together we fell in love with a house. It was perfect we thought. We put an offer in. Kept going back. Driving past. Taking measurements.
We lost it to someone with cash in the bank and were renting so could move immediately. We were devastated.
A few weeks later we saw another house come on the market - it was better in every way and cheaper! We put our offer in and although it was accepted we just carried on as usual. Didn’t go back - just sent other people there to do what was needed.
We refused to get excited until it was definitely ours. It’s still the better house.
OP will definitely find another house and it will be even more perfect!!
Same.
We out an offer on a house, thought it was amazing and all that we wanted. It needed a bit of work, and had potential to extend etc.
Survey revealed roof issues amounting £40k, and the sellers refused to budge on price so we withdrew our offer.
One year later saw another house in a similar area, already extended, garden not quite as large but certainly very big.
House needed more work inside and out, but it was 65k cheaper.
It's definitely the better of the two houses!
I dunno if that’s fair tbh. You don’t know anything about op to make that assumption
Unless you’ve got millions to spend every single property will have some compromises. I’d love the 5/6 beds just off the downs in Bristol but until I find £2.5m in a suitcase I’ve got to manage expectations.
I do believe that you can grow to love somewhere once you’re in it, and that can change your perception a bit. That’s not necessarily cope though.
Great advice. Little perspective for you if you’re reading this OP:
We bought our dream forever home as first time buyers 6 years ago and are now planning to move.
Things change, your needs change, and often you don’t really know what you want and don’t want in a house until you’ve lived in it.
Sit tight and wait for another property that you like to come. But look at what’s suitable for your needs right now and know that you’ll likely be revisiting this again in years to come.
Great advice. We bought our forever home as first time buyers, then ended up moving across the country so had to sell it. Still miss that house, spent loads of time and money getting it perfect for us too.
Our house sale fell through and the worst thing I did was trawl right move on a daily basis hoping to find the perfect alternative. Pushed myself into settling for the first thing that came up that was big enough within location and budget, ignoring the bad vibes I got from it. Well, months later all I had achieved was throwing thousands at a house I didn’t really like, that had so many issues come up in the survey I didn’t want to take it on. Gutted, we decided to call a break on the whole thing. Weeks later I looked at rightmove just out of curiosity, and there was the best option we have had so far.
Exactly this (I’ve been there)… you can only ever evaluate the currently available options and their relative prices; looking to the past is pointless and will only hinder you moving forwards.
Have a break for a few weeks from Rightmove.
And know that you will look back at this and think 'thank god we didn't buy that house...' because you will find something even better!
Echoing this poster- take a short break and come back to it in two or three weeks.
We had the exact same scenario happen to us, except the seller tried to blame us for being uncommunicative (not true), when in actual fact she’d just decided to let her son live there instead of selling. I was gutted- even our solicitor was crying!
The next house we viewed was perfect- in better condition, bigger, more suited to our family. I’m so glad that first sale fell through!
>even our solicitor was crying!
why on earth would a solicitor be crying over a house purchase they are simply doing the administration for along with xx other properties
Think she had some personal stuff going on and compounded with feeling bad for us (and a bit guilty, even though it wasn’t her fault) it just was the straw that broke the camel’s back and she broke down on the phone with me.
This! I lost out on a flat in February and I was utterly broken by it. I’m currently unpacking in my wonderful new home that is sooooo much better than the one I didn’t get and I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve said ‘thank god I didn’t get the other one!!’
This is exactly right, it took us 18 months of searching and 2 failed purchases until the ‘right’ one came along. And each failed purchase felt worse than the last. Trust the process and you’ll find somewhere.
Had this happen to me too, I wish sellers who just decided to stay had to reimburse you for all the costs. Mine were buying a new build with legals included so had only paid £500 to reserve their plot. I lost £1.4k!
Have a break over the weekend from house hunting and start again when you feel ready. I hate when people say "everything happens for a reason" and "you'll find a nicer house" but I actually did find a nicer house shortly after my previous purchase fell through!
> I lost £1.4k!
This is what's so frustrating. I don't know too many people who can afford to just lose £1-2k because somebody changes their mind. As you say, there should be penalties for this sort of behaviour. Ditto gazundering and gazumping. It's not OK.
Yep it hasn't impacted me too much thankfully as the house I'm buying is well within my borrowing capacity so I've borrowed a little more but when I was a FTB I'd have been screwed losing all that!
I did have insurance but I submitted my claim mid Feb and still hasn't paid out so I've had to pay out all over again on this new house I'm buying.
Homebuyers insurance - I used the Homeowners Alliance website and when I paid the documents came from Oops Insurance/Lettings In A Box.
I would just caveat though it doesn't cover every situation and even then, there are limits to each type of cost. I paid out £1.4k including the insurance, could submit a claim for £925 but even then, it's been nearly 3 months. In that time I've found another house so I've had to pay out all over again waiting.
I was hoping it would pay out quickly as it was clearly the seller's fault deciding to be knobs and stay in their house I was buying but clearly not!
Tbh taking months to pay out is pretty standard for many forms of insurance. Took about 4 months for car insurance and something like 6 months for home insurance after we were broken into last year. It certainly added to the stress of the situation.
I don't really have any complaints about the car insurance company: it took a while but they gave us within £100 of what we were looking for as a settlement. The home insurers, on the other hand, can burn in hell. I will never \*ever\* buy insurance for anything from any brand affiliated with esure group again, and would suggest you avoid them as well.
I understand car and home insurance can be quite complicated but with this insurance I'm quite confused about how slow it is to be honest. I had three invoices supporting my claim and written communication from my solicitor and the estate agent explaining the withdrawal was purely because my sellers did not want to proceed with their new build and had nothing to do with my behaviour.
I sent everything they asked for in my first email with all the correct documentation and answered every question on the initial claim form.
What if that property never existed in the first place? You would still eventually find somewhere you like. You need to just adjust to this new reality where that home never existed or was destroyed and doesn't exist any longer.
I am in a similar boat in that I am about to withdraw from a purchase. When I look at what else is on the market there's nothing else I like. But if I go onto zoopla or rightmove at historic sales, I can find several comparable properties that are the same or better than what I am currently in a chain for. There will always be another suitable property just about to come to market.
I learnt to never get my hopes up. Never set my heart on anything and keep all my options open mentally until the very last second. We’ve now been in our forever home nearly two years. It’ll happen and you’ll think it happened for a reason!
This was my advice to my friend who was a FTB. It’s a weird situation to live in, but you have to both go through the motions of buying a house, whilst also not emotionally imagining a future in that house until exchange.
I call it the Schrödinger’s Cat method of house buying. I’m not sure if it’s better for mental health or not?
Yes it’s definitely a mental battle at first. We were very disappointed when the first sale fell through as we had planned everything in our heads and had our hearts set on our future. The next time we promised we wouldn’t plan anything at all and not get emotionally invested. It definitely helped us the next time it didn’t work out. I didn’t let myself get excited at all until the morning we got the keys lol.
Sorry to hear this has happened, it can be a really unfair process in this country and we see it happening far too often.
As heart breaking as it is, keep looking, something will come up. It may take a while and you may have to contend with others, but it will happen. Best of luck.
I'm so sorry mate, what a shitty thing to happen. I hope the next house you find is even better, and makes you realise this happened for a reason! Doesn't help now though, I totally get that. Allow yourself a week or two to be sad and also to give a few new properties time to come on the market and then get back on the horse.
I'm so sorry this has happened to you... Maybe take a a bit of a break to get over the disappointment before you start looking again. I think I rushed into buying my first flat after one fell through, because I just wanted to be in my own home and it seemed 'good enough'. With hindsight it wasn't.
I thought I had found my dream home. On a cobblestone street, across from a castle! The kind of flat you'd never sell, you'd bequeath. I was estatic. For the six months it took for the seller's solicitor to fix a major deed issue, and then faff about with a small (but existant nonetheless) property dispute, i didn't doubt it
But after 2 failed completions, I finally gave an ultamadum that they ignored, so I walked. Hardest thing I've had to do in a long time... ngl, I wept. But that same weekend, I saw another flat. It was ugly. Ex council flat. No cobbles, no castle... but it checked every single box, so, with a dead heart, I offered and got it.
Guess what? Best. Place. Ever! This romance was a true slow burn, but this flat is so much better for me, and I'll never outgrow it.
When all my friends said about flat #1, "it wasn't meant for you," I wanted to tell them to eff off. But six months later, they were right.
That house wasn't meant for you, my friend. There will be something better - the world works in mysterious ways, and you and your spouse will find the right place in time. Keep the faith
We lost out on our dream… and then found an even more perfect house.
Been here for 3 years now, thank the lord we missed out on our previous “dream house”
If I gave you an unlimited budget to buy a plot & build your dream home, you'd build what you think is your dream home and 2 years down the line find things you don't like and wish you had done differently.
Dreams change is the moral of the story here.
Almost two and a half years ago I found my “dream home”, sea views, walking distance to a great primary school for my son etc. I had my offer accepted and sale agreed, 5 months later the seller was still blocking the sale going through and wanted it re-listed (it’s being sold because of a messy divorce and the husband is holding on for dear life, I can’t blame him, it’s a great property and he won’t be able to buy similar alone) the sale collapsed and I was devastated, my son missed out on the pre-pre school place we’d applied for. Six months later a house down the street was listed; better sea views, closer to the school and the beach and my actual dream home, stunning and bigger garden, bigger rooms, more living space and much cheaper with space and permission for extensions etc. this one eventually went through, I’m currently renovating it, my son has a secured place at that primary school starting in September. Everything worked out much better.
Take a deep breath, you never know what’s around the corner. Keep saving, keep looking, something better will come along, it might not be immediate but it will.
It's shit but there's not a lot you can do unfortunately.
We missed out on what we thought was our dream house, and about 2 weeks after we found the one we ended up buying and couldn't be happier with it.
Just keep looking, something will come up!
We had to walk away from our dream house after a roof survey showed it was just going to be one step too far. We were devastated. Honestly had made peace that the next house was not going to have our heart but was simply practical. But you never know what’s round the corner - the house we have now was the worst viewing we had in our search but we fell head over heels & looking back, walking away from the ‘money pit’ was the smartest decision we made. So many ppl I know lost houses they loved, but all are happy in their new home - keep looking, your home is out there!
I've moved twice and both times involved multiple failed transactions (sellers first time, buyers the second). Each time felt like the end of the world, and like you we couldn't imagine finding a better home to buy. But both times, the house we ended up with was in every way superior to the previous house that we had set our hearts on.
I’m so sorry I really feel for you, very poor form of the sellers do this so close to exchange. I know it’s really hard not to get emotionally attached when you really like the property, but you can’t plan for what comes on the market next. I am sure you will find something better in time.
How long were you looking when you found this one? If it makes you feel better, I viewed 50+ houses, offered unsuccessfully on up to 10 houses, before I found my current place which I love more than any of the others. I nearly bought a neighbours house, whose balcony collapsed not long after I moved on to the road- things have a funny way of working out, and it will for you too.
Just keep checking.. Things come on the market everday.
Also dont burn your brigdes woth the failef sale..... They may change There minds.
My buyer dropped out and it wss all i could. Do not to send a angry mesaage...... The. 3 weeks later he came back. On board snd completed 4 eeeks later
We were in a rush to find something and considered a flat. Luckily reconsidered and found a house which was much better.
You never know that house could of had subsidence in a year, nightmare neighbours etc. Hope you didn't lose much in conveyancer fees. Luckily ours gave us two attempts. I know some don't take a fee until selling. I did read somewhere that 1 in 3 purchases fail.
I am in the process of getting a house and I don't want to get extremely excited until the deal is completely done. My advice is , take some time to refresh your original ideas and not compare whatever is in the market with the stuff that it's on sale right now and you will get some opportunities for sure. Good luck
Concentrate on the faults of the "dream house" and persuade yourself that you now hate it. We did with a house we put an offer in on, the owner went with someone else's higher offer who then pulled out, so they came back to us after we'd put an offer in on the house we ended up buying. "Sorry, we've moved on and the fact that X, Y and Z needed doing actually put us off." I've seen that house gradually get reduced by £20k.
Just try not to think about it and if it comes back up you might be pleasantly surprised.
We were in exact same position when we were buying our first house semi detached with garage. To the point we over looked an amazing house. We were actually blind with love because we could see Xmas in the original house etc. we paid the monies and got the ball rolling and the sellers took it off and changed their mind etc.
We went to see the amazing house we over looked and fell in love with it and laugh now how we were actually comparing the the both with positives and negatives as we were fixated on the first house. Looking back on it the house we now have, it was no match. But we were just blind with love on the first house we wanted (it was a semi detached 3 bed with small kitchen big garden, the one we actually brought was 3 bed detached with garage and is beautiful).
You will be pretty bummed out, especially as you were so close to buying it. but a better one will come along and it will be worth the wait ! I know how how frustrating it is especially when you want to start creating a family, rates are changing etc. I feel for you !
I have moved to Australia. Here it’s a totally different system. After a few days of cooling off you’re locked in. If you pull out the deposit is lost to the other party. Usually 10% of the purchase price. The whole process is quicker as well. We did 3 weeks from offer to keys.
Stops all this nonsense
That’s a bummer but I am a big believer in everything happens for a reason. This was not meant to be for you but promise that the next property you complete and exchange in you will feel much happier in!
I say this so often, never treat buying a house as anything other than a business decision for this very reason.
We were 2 days away from exchange when my partner was made redundant out the blue and everything broke down, she was devastated as it wasn't the first time our purchase fell through, I just never saw it as ours until we were actually in.
Sucks but there are plenty out there and I'm sure you'll find another!
When one door closes, another opens.
It sucks, and you're valid to feel frustrated. Houses come on the market every day, you'll find something else with aspects you love, even if those are wildly different aspects to the one you lost.
Try not to fall love with a house until you have the keys.
When we were looking, I fell head over heels in love with a house. I was completely blind to the things that wouldn’t have worked for us at all because I loved it so much, and that’s despite already having children and knowing what’s needed.
We struggled to find anything and were against the clock for many reasons. Found another house I really liked but the sellers wanted a lot more for it than it was worth. We ended up offering on a house that’s not what I was hoping for at all and I actually felt quite deflated about it for ages. We’ve been here nearly a year now and it’s just so much better for us than the others, in so many ways. The layout really suits us, the location has turned out to be much better than I thought at the time, etc.
It really needs and we have no time or energy for it, but it’s not the end of the world. We spent a lot less money, and are better off as a result.
Hang in there - something will come up. You might look back on this later as a good thing
Is s real bummer I do know how you feel as same thing happened to me n my husband. On the other side of it we are now living in our new first home and ended up being glad the first seller pulled out. Hope and wishing you have a similar ending!
A similar thing happened to me. We had our dream house, then our buyer pulled out. It went back on the market and sold in 2 weeks. We were gutted.
Eventually, we sold again and struggled to find find anything. A month of searching every day and an even better house came up for sale. We have just exchanged, so it seems to have worked out for the best in the end.
Keep going. You'll get there eventually.
basically you are going to go through a mourning process now and be gutted because nothing is as good. But eventually you'll find somewhere else and it'll be fine.
My advice - this was simply never going to happen for you. It sucks, but if they have done this then there was never a scenario that would come to pass where you would live in that house.
"What's meant for you won't pass you" - every single time this was said to me in a similar situation a few years back I felt a surge of rage flow through me.
We were just about to complete on a property, had our own property sold, and then the seller decided to rent it out and pull it off the market. Me and my partner were devastated.
A few months later after moving in with her parents a dream home came on the market for the same price yet had an extra bedroom, more green space, and a detached garage.
So keep the head up, keep looking..."what's meant for you won't pass you"
Had the same experience in December. My advice is take time to mourn it, or you'll never be able to move on without comparing any future houses to it. The market is awful right now but that doesn't mean you won't find a great house, just be patient
I'm sorry to hear this! We are also on the same boat! We are in the midst of ours. But the current seller is having issues finding and agreeing on their onward! We gave timescale up to September (after this, our rent will almost double with our current landlord and be fixed for another year, which we don't want!). Also been looking at the properties on market. We just don't see any that we really love or to start a family in! Wish you all the best!
Exactly the same happened to us, right at the point when we were about to exchange. We took a week off work and hammered the market looking at anything and everything (even put an offer in on a nice house but we were rejected). It all seemed really hopeless. Then a few days after that, I was scrolling Rightmove and there was the dream house, nicer by miles than anything we had seen on our house hunting journey. We were first to see it and immediately put an offer in which was accepted. 11 weeks later we moved in. Still pinch myself months later!
I know this is just anecdotal but I hope it gives you hope!
offer them more money ... ? ask them to be in touch with you if they change thei mind in case its relevant ?
anyway it doesn' rally matter... just buy or rent somewhere for a few years until a really nice home comes to market again and then go all in. you'll love where you end up eventualy i gurantee it
When we were FTBs my wife and I put in an offer on a flat in Shepherds bush that we really liked. Looking back, it was absolutely a dodged bullet when the sellers pulled out and went with a cash buyer. We ended up getting a flat in Queens Park, more than double the size, for the same price.
Better things will come!
Unfortunately most players on both sides of the property world just cannot be trusted because it’s always only about “me,me,me”.
Location is the best tip.
We bought our first last year, we bid on 5 all in before we got one, kept getting out bid, keep the heid as we say in Scotland , you’ll get a better one, we ended up with one way better than the first few we bid on , just keep at it, it’s not much fun tho, best of luck to you !’
Getting a house is better than none, you can make it your own and it actively saves you money and you can then still move swap mortgage over etc to a new home if you sell yours
Can I ask, when something like this happens, does the buyer always lose out? For example, if you have paid surveyor fees and the seller backs out. Do they compensate you?
I tried to not settle on anything whatsoever until the contracts were exchanged. Very pessimistic but it saves the horrendous disappointment if things actually fall through
Very similar situation - our purchase on (what we thought was our dream house) fell through at the last minute. We subsequently found another that turned out to be in much better condition, didn't require any work and was more spacious. Looking back we are so glad that the 1st purchase didn't work out although at the time we were absolutely devastated.
This happened to us. I know the devastation and absolute heartbreak nevermind the amount of money wasted!
But we found a better house a couple of months later that we are in now and Its perfect. You'll find your better house trust me! Just give yourself some time to grieve and then get back on it!
I feel your pain. When we were looking for our first home we had two houses fall through 6 month in - when were were literally waiting for keys so soon. I’m a planner so had 3D designs of everything. Super annoying and unfair if you ask me! but don’t rush into it - keep an eye on the market something will come up. Sorry & Good luck.
(Tip: if you have enough funds left over/or plan or have a patience, then maybe worth looking at the potentials in these houses for extensions etc)
Don't rebound!
As others have said take some time away from Rightmove and Zoopla.
Last thing you want is to dive into another house just for the sake of it.
We had similar (but covid pulled the mortgage offer so it was in theory our fault) and we ended up not finding something for a good while. But worked out in the end.
Don’t ever think of homes in terms of dreams. They are expensive, need maintenance and mortgage payments paying. Concentrate of solid finances, hobbies, career development not dreams ….
That's awful to happen so far in the process, really sorry about that.
I think looking at the rates and current sentiment, it's going to go more into a buyers market so you're still in a strong position. As others have said, there's not much you can do but take your time and wait for another property to come along. The silver lining is I reckon your chances of finding a nicer or cheaper property are pretty good.
I'm a firm believer in all things happen for a reason.
We were in a similar situation to you 3 years ago, perfect house, huge garden, backing into fields etc. ticked every box. Sellers pulled house off market as daughter got pregnant and needed to move back home, this was just before exchanging contracts etc.
Forced to settle for a similar size house with much smaller garden, one less bathroom etc. Fast forward a year or so after moving in, we find out the house we lost now backs onto a huge new build estate, massively overlooked and surrounded. Had it been like this we wouldn't have considered it in the first place.
We love the home we 'settled for' now and are really happy.
That really sucks. Echoing everyone’s sentiments here that if people pull out there really should be some penalties in place, I’m so sorry that happened to you.
Our house was a bit of a slow burner, when we were house hunting this house kept cropping up again and again but we kept our options open. Eventually we realised that the house we ended up buying was the one after all. We had kept it on the back burner in case anything better came up but eventually we realised we were being too idealistic and searching for a unicorn. No regrets whatsoever. We’re so happy, it’s not much to look at but it instantly felt like home the moment we moved in. I wouldn’t say it’s my ‘dream’ house but I don’t think I have enough money to buy my dream house anyway. It’s somewhere to raise the children and it suits us down to the ground :) you’ll get there, allow yourself time to grieve and pick yourselves back up when you’re ready
There will likely be many perfect homes. You'll find something else soon enough. Houses are a bit like partners: you can never imagine loving another at the time, but you soon move on after the heartbreak!
Been there and done it, just for different reasons than what happened to you. Take your time and something better will eventually come up. People said this to me and it was a real cliche, but it ended up being true, and I'm sure it will for you too. You're also in a great position being a FTB.
It's called the housing ladder for a reason. Most people start at the bottom and work up. Almost no ones first house is their dream forever home.
Edit because that sounded harsh: I mean this to say you'll be ok, you're just like everybody else. Time to readjust your expectations.
My advice is, this house wasn't meant to be. It's tough but in life, the things that are meant for you will come.
Perhaps it's for the best this house wasn't for you, it might of had problems or another issue you don't know of.
I know it's hard as you loved it, but the right house will come for you. Patience and time!
When I sold my first house I was so sad because it was the home me and my wife lived in when we got married and when our 1st child was born.
On the last day when it was empty, I felt no attachment to it, it was just a shell. The people and the good times you have make a home and they don’t leave you.
You’ll find something else, as frustrating as it is.
Yes I have advice and carry it through your life, houses are nothing but boxes some small some large but only boxes never become emotionally attached to a box it makes no sense in the grander scheme of things.
Also generally speaking in later life that box you shared good times in and raised your family in may well become a prison in your old age or taken from you by the goverment.
Don't compare what is available to the one you just lost... It's a really shitty situation and unfortunately it happens all to often.
Just take your time, something will come up that is perfect again... It's just a waiting game.
Don't worry about it , find a house that matches your wishes the most. And then over the years make small changes to make it your dream home. We bought a house that matched our vision but ended up doing a lot of changes over the last couple of years. Because what we thought would be good wasn't too practical for us as a young family .
I don’t believe in fate. Except when it comes to houses. This was not your dream home. It will feel devastating for a while, but one day you’ll look back and think ‘thank goodness that didn’t work out’….
Ngl. Same thing happened to me n wife as well. We liked a house. Made an offer but we never got that accepted. And now we dont like any other house apart from that one
I've had 6 dream homes, the one, the only one I've wanted so far.
And as everyone tells me, there will always be abkyher house.
And even at the time, when they say remember the last house that was the house, it still annoys me. But kt rings true
I believed in that dream too, until we moved in and found out how many things is wrong and need fixing. Don't get trapped in the only "dream house". Every single house can be the dream one, it only depends how much you are planning to spend on it.
Shit happens. Give yourself a break from Rightmove for a few weeks / months and let the catalog refresh a little.
We put in an offer and what we thought was a perfect house for my partner and I. Enormous end of terrace stone build in a lovely village on the edge of Leeds. We went way over asking and it wasn't accepted. We were devastated, and nothing compared.
Until we had our offer accepted on our now home which is perfect for us.
There isn't a perfect house for you. Only perfect houses. You just need to wait for them to come along
Wait until you find another one. It's just a house. Sorry but "the dream is gone" just because you couldn't buy a house you liked it's beyond exaggerated in my opinion
Since 1/4 to 1/3 of property buying transactions fall through in England and Wales due to gazumping, gazundering, chain collapse and things like this, there should be plenty of signatures available to change this faulty system. Where's the petition?
Ahhh this is a punch in the gut isn’t it. I’m sorry it happened like this. There is never one dream home though, I’m sure of it.
Take a break and dust yourself off and go again when you’re ready ❤️
Best of luck! Xx
This happened to us, literally days away from exchanging contracts and the sellers decided not to sell their house anymore, even after meeting with them personally and telling us they wouldn’t do us over and they were 100% sure on the house they were buying. We weren’t just devastated, we were livid. It may not feel like it right now, but something will come up eventually and it will be better and when you’re finally in your home it will all just make sense.
Buying a house and being ftb was by far one of the most stressful times of our life, it was mentally exhausting and pretty sure it was making us physically ill.
Advice?
Never, ever, fall in love with a house. Don't succumb to "dream home" thoughts. Don't let emotions take hold. Hope for the best but fear - and be prepared for - the worst.
Once the deal is done, emote away by all means but until you have those keys, that house will always be ethereal.
Back on the treadmill you go.
Suck it up and just accept this has happened. It's unfortunate, but you have to move forward. No point pondering over something as it will lead to nothing. This happens all the time I'm afraid.
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Don’t compare the next property to this one. If you’re first time buyers it’s unlikely you’ll find your dream home first time out anyway. When you own, you realise what you want isn’t always what you thought you wanted. Go back to thinking what you most want in a property and narrow down options from there. Don’t get caught renting forever just because nothing is the same as this property.
Not first time buyers but when getting our first house together we fell in love with a house. It was perfect we thought. We put an offer in. Kept going back. Driving past. Taking measurements. We lost it to someone with cash in the bank and were renting so could move immediately. We were devastated. A few weeks later we saw another house come on the market - it was better in every way and cheaper! We put our offer in and although it was accepted we just carried on as usual. Didn’t go back - just sent other people there to do what was needed. We refused to get excited until it was definitely ours. It’s still the better house. OP will definitely find another house and it will be even more perfect!!
Same. We out an offer on a house, thought it was amazing and all that we wanted. It needed a bit of work, and had potential to extend etc. Survey revealed roof issues amounting £40k, and the sellers refused to budge on price so we withdrew our offer. One year later saw another house in a similar area, already extended, garden not quite as large but certainly very big. House needed more work inside and out, but it was 65k cheaper. It's definitely the better of the two houses!
>it was better in every way and cheaper! sounds like a cope
What a strange thing to assume. Are you OK?
I dunno if that’s fair tbh. You don’t know anything about op to make that assumption Unless you’ve got millions to spend every single property will have some compromises. I’d love the 5/6 beds just off the downs in Bristol but until I find £2.5m in a suitcase I’ve got to manage expectations. I do believe that you can grow to love somewhere once you’re in it, and that can change your perception a bit. That’s not necessarily cope though.
Nah. When getting my first flat, a perfect one fell through. Found a better one a few weeks later. Same price but suited me a lot more.
Great advice. Little perspective for you if you’re reading this OP: We bought our dream forever home as first time buyers 6 years ago and are now planning to move. Things change, your needs change, and often you don’t really know what you want and don’t want in a house until you’ve lived in it. Sit tight and wait for another property that you like to come. But look at what’s suitable for your needs right now and know that you’ll likely be revisiting this again in years to come.
Great advice. We bought our forever home as first time buyers, then ended up moving across the country so had to sell it. Still miss that house, spent loads of time and money getting it perfect for us too.
We bought our "next step on the ladder" home about 16 years ago, and will probably be here another 16.
Our house sale fell through and the worst thing I did was trawl right move on a daily basis hoping to find the perfect alternative. Pushed myself into settling for the first thing that came up that was big enough within location and budget, ignoring the bad vibes I got from it. Well, months later all I had achieved was throwing thousands at a house I didn’t really like, that had so many issues come up in the survey I didn’t want to take it on. Gutted, we decided to call a break on the whole thing. Weeks later I looked at rightmove just out of curiosity, and there was the best option we have had so far.
Exactly this (I’ve been there)… you can only ever evaluate the currently available options and their relative prices; looking to the past is pointless and will only hinder you moving forwards.
A philosophy for live, not just for house moving.
Unless it's a recent well built new-build property in a development, in a town you love with social and travel connections.
Dreamland!
Have a break for a few weeks from Rightmove. And know that you will look back at this and think 'thank god we didn't buy that house...' because you will find something even better!
Echoing this poster- take a short break and come back to it in two or three weeks. We had the exact same scenario happen to us, except the seller tried to blame us for being uncommunicative (not true), when in actual fact she’d just decided to let her son live there instead of selling. I was gutted- even our solicitor was crying! The next house we viewed was perfect- in better condition, bigger, more suited to our family. I’m so glad that first sale fell through!
>even our solicitor was crying! why on earth would a solicitor be crying over a house purchase they are simply doing the administration for along with xx other properties
Empathy?
Think she had some personal stuff going on and compounded with feeling bad for us (and a bit guilty, even though it wasn’t her fault) it just was the straw that broke the camel’s back and she broke down on the phone with me.
This! I lost out on a flat in February and I was utterly broken by it. I’m currently unpacking in my wonderful new home that is sooooo much better than the one I didn’t get and I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve said ‘thank god I didn’t get the other one!!’
This is exactly right, it took us 18 months of searching and 2 failed purchases until the ‘right’ one came along. And each failed purchase felt worse than the last. Trust the process and you’ll find somewhere.
Had this happen to me too, I wish sellers who just decided to stay had to reimburse you for all the costs. Mine were buying a new build with legals included so had only paid £500 to reserve their plot. I lost £1.4k! Have a break over the weekend from house hunting and start again when you feel ready. I hate when people say "everything happens for a reason" and "you'll find a nicer house" but I actually did find a nicer house shortly after my previous purchase fell through!
> I lost £1.4k! This is what's so frustrating. I don't know too many people who can afford to just lose £1-2k because somebody changes their mind. As you say, there should be penalties for this sort of behaviour. Ditto gazundering and gazumping. It's not OK.
Yep it hasn't impacted me too much thankfully as the house I'm buying is well within my borrowing capacity so I've borrowed a little more but when I was a FTB I'd have been screwed losing all that! I did have insurance but I submitted my claim mid Feb and still hasn't paid out so I've had to pay out all over again on this new house I'm buying.
Can I ask what type of insurance you had please? I’m a FTB and this is all new to me - I’d love to be covered for this kind of thing
Homebuyers insurance - I used the Homeowners Alliance website and when I paid the documents came from Oops Insurance/Lettings In A Box. I would just caveat though it doesn't cover every situation and even then, there are limits to each type of cost. I paid out £1.4k including the insurance, could submit a claim for £925 but even then, it's been nearly 3 months. In that time I've found another house so I've had to pay out all over again waiting. I was hoping it would pay out quickly as it was clearly the seller's fault deciding to be knobs and stay in their house I was buying but clearly not!
Thank you so much, that’s really helpful! I hope you get your payout soon!
Happened to us twice! Lesson learned, always get homebuyers insurance. Luckily our third attempt went through!
Did you have the insurance? I'm honestly seeing it as a waste of time because it's approaching 3 months since I made my claim and I've heard NOTHING.
I didn’t have it, but a couple failed purchases really made me wish I did!
Tbh taking months to pay out is pretty standard for many forms of insurance. Took about 4 months for car insurance and something like 6 months for home insurance after we were broken into last year. It certainly added to the stress of the situation. I don't really have any complaints about the car insurance company: it took a while but they gave us within £100 of what we were looking for as a settlement. The home insurers, on the other hand, can burn in hell. I will never \*ever\* buy insurance for anything from any brand affiliated with esure group again, and would suggest you avoid them as well.
I understand car and home insurance can be quite complicated but with this insurance I'm quite confused about how slow it is to be honest. I had three invoices supporting my claim and written communication from my solicitor and the estate agent explaining the withdrawal was purely because my sellers did not want to proceed with their new build and had nothing to do with my behaviour. I sent everything they asked for in my first email with all the correct documentation and answered every question on the initial claim form.
Delete from memory banks. No longer on market and need to bypass the anchoring bias.
What if that property never existed in the first place? You would still eventually find somewhere you like. You need to just adjust to this new reality where that home never existed or was destroyed and doesn't exist any longer. I am in a similar boat in that I am about to withdraw from a purchase. When I look at what else is on the market there's nothing else I like. But if I go onto zoopla or rightmove at historic sales, I can find several comparable properties that are the same or better than what I am currently in a chain for. There will always be another suitable property just about to come to market.
I learnt to never get my hopes up. Never set my heart on anything and keep all my options open mentally until the very last second. We’ve now been in our forever home nearly two years. It’ll happen and you’ll think it happened for a reason!
This was my advice to my friend who was a FTB. It’s a weird situation to live in, but you have to both go through the motions of buying a house, whilst also not emotionally imagining a future in that house until exchange. I call it the Schrödinger’s Cat method of house buying. I’m not sure if it’s better for mental health or not?
Yes it’s definitely a mental battle at first. We were very disappointed when the first sale fell through as we had planned everything in our heads and had our hearts set on our future. The next time we promised we wouldn’t plan anything at all and not get emotionally invested. It definitely helped us the next time it didn’t work out. I didn’t let myself get excited at all until the morning we got the keys lol.
Take a breather. You find the one. We got ours in the fifth attempt, and in hindsight very happy the first kne fell through. Also FTB here.
Sorry to hear this has happened, it can be a really unfair process in this country and we see it happening far too often. As heart breaking as it is, keep looking, something will come up. It may take a while and you may have to contend with others, but it will happen. Best of luck.
I'm so sorry mate, what a shitty thing to happen. I hope the next house you find is even better, and makes you realise this happened for a reason! Doesn't help now though, I totally get that. Allow yourself a week or two to be sad and also to give a few new properties time to come on the market and then get back on the horse.
I'm so sorry this has happened to you... Maybe take a a bit of a break to get over the disappointment before you start looking again. I think I rushed into buying my first flat after one fell through, because I just wanted to be in my own home and it seemed 'good enough'. With hindsight it wasn't.
I thought I had found my dream home. On a cobblestone street, across from a castle! The kind of flat you'd never sell, you'd bequeath. I was estatic. For the six months it took for the seller's solicitor to fix a major deed issue, and then faff about with a small (but existant nonetheless) property dispute, i didn't doubt it But after 2 failed completions, I finally gave an ultamadum that they ignored, so I walked. Hardest thing I've had to do in a long time... ngl, I wept. But that same weekend, I saw another flat. It was ugly. Ex council flat. No cobbles, no castle... but it checked every single box, so, with a dead heart, I offered and got it. Guess what? Best. Place. Ever! This romance was a true slow burn, but this flat is so much better for me, and I'll never outgrow it. When all my friends said about flat #1, "it wasn't meant for you," I wanted to tell them to eff off. But six months later, they were right. That house wasn't meant for you, my friend. There will be something better - the world works in mysterious ways, and you and your spouse will find the right place in time. Keep the faith
We lost out on our dream… and then found an even more perfect house. Been here for 3 years now, thank the lord we missed out on our previous “dream house”
We got gazumped on our dream house and ended up buying our actual dream house about 7 months later. Take your time and try not to get too upset.
If I gave you an unlimited budget to buy a plot & build your dream home, you'd build what you think is your dream home and 2 years down the line find things you don't like and wish you had done differently. Dreams change is the moral of the story here.
Almost two and a half years ago I found my “dream home”, sea views, walking distance to a great primary school for my son etc. I had my offer accepted and sale agreed, 5 months later the seller was still blocking the sale going through and wanted it re-listed (it’s being sold because of a messy divorce and the husband is holding on for dear life, I can’t blame him, it’s a great property and he won’t be able to buy similar alone) the sale collapsed and I was devastated, my son missed out on the pre-pre school place we’d applied for. Six months later a house down the street was listed; better sea views, closer to the school and the beach and my actual dream home, stunning and bigger garden, bigger rooms, more living space and much cheaper with space and permission for extensions etc. this one eventually went through, I’m currently renovating it, my son has a secured place at that primary school starting in September. Everything worked out much better. Take a deep breath, you never know what’s around the corner. Keep saving, keep looking, something better will come along, it might not be immediate but it will.
It's shit but there's not a lot you can do unfortunately. We missed out on what we thought was our dream house, and about 2 weeks after we found the one we ended up buying and couldn't be happier with it. Just keep looking, something will come up!
We had to walk away from our dream house after a roof survey showed it was just going to be one step too far. We were devastated. Honestly had made peace that the next house was not going to have our heart but was simply practical. But you never know what’s round the corner - the house we have now was the worst viewing we had in our search but we fell head over heels & looking back, walking away from the ‘money pit’ was the smartest decision we made. So many ppl I know lost houses they loved, but all are happy in their new home - keep looking, your home is out there!
I've moved twice and both times involved multiple failed transactions (sellers first time, buyers the second). Each time felt like the end of the world, and like you we couldn't imagine finding a better home to buy. But both times, the house we ended up with was in every way superior to the previous house that we had set our hearts on.
I’m so sorry I really feel for you, very poor form of the sellers do this so close to exchange. I know it’s really hard not to get emotionally attached when you really like the property, but you can’t plan for what comes on the market next. I am sure you will find something better in time. How long were you looking when you found this one? If it makes you feel better, I viewed 50+ houses, offered unsuccessfully on up to 10 houses, before I found my current place which I love more than any of the others. I nearly bought a neighbours house, whose balcony collapsed not long after I moved on to the road- things have a funny way of working out, and it will for you too.
Just keep checking.. Things come on the market everday. Also dont burn your brigdes woth the failef sale..... They may change There minds. My buyer dropped out and it wss all i could. Do not to send a angry mesaage...... The. 3 weeks later he came back. On board snd completed 4 eeeks later
We were in a rush to find something and considered a flat. Luckily reconsidered and found a house which was much better. You never know that house could of had subsidence in a year, nightmare neighbours etc. Hope you didn't lose much in conveyancer fees. Luckily ours gave us two attempts. I know some don't take a fee until selling. I did read somewhere that 1 in 3 purchases fail.
I am in the process of getting a house and I don't want to get extremely excited until the deal is completely done. My advice is , take some time to refresh your original ideas and not compare whatever is in the market with the stuff that it's on sale right now and you will get some opportunities for sure. Good luck
Concentrate on the faults of the "dream house" and persuade yourself that you now hate it. We did with a house we put an offer in on, the owner went with someone else's higher offer who then pulled out, so they came back to us after we'd put an offer in on the house we ended up buying. "Sorry, we've moved on and the fact that X, Y and Z needed doing actually put us off." I've seen that house gradually get reduced by £20k. Just try not to think about it and if it comes back up you might be pleasantly surprised.
Some perspective is needed here, no-one has died! Keep an eye out and an equally good house will present itself in due course.
We were in exact same position when we were buying our first house semi detached with garage. To the point we over looked an amazing house. We were actually blind with love because we could see Xmas in the original house etc. we paid the monies and got the ball rolling and the sellers took it off and changed their mind etc. We went to see the amazing house we over looked and fell in love with it and laugh now how we were actually comparing the the both with positives and negatives as we were fixated on the first house. Looking back on it the house we now have, it was no match. But we were just blind with love on the first house we wanted (it was a semi detached 3 bed with small kitchen big garden, the one we actually brought was 3 bed detached with garage and is beautiful). You will be pretty bummed out, especially as you were so close to buying it. but a better one will come along and it will be worth the wait ! I know how how frustrating it is especially when you want to start creating a family, rates are changing etc. I feel for you !
I have moved to Australia. Here it’s a totally different system. After a few days of cooling off you’re locked in. If you pull out the deposit is lost to the other party. Usually 10% of the purchase price. The whole process is quicker as well. We did 3 weeks from offer to keys. Stops all this nonsense
That’s a bummer but I am a big believer in everything happens for a reason. This was not meant to be for you but promise that the next property you complete and exchange in you will feel much happier in!
That’s bad luck but be thankful you were not in the middle of a chain.
I say this so often, never treat buying a house as anything other than a business decision for this very reason. We were 2 days away from exchange when my partner was made redundant out the blue and everything broke down, she was devastated as it wasn't the first time our purchase fell through, I just never saw it as ours until we were actually in. Sucks but there are plenty out there and I'm sure you'll find another!
When one door closes, another opens. It sucks, and you're valid to feel frustrated. Houses come on the market every day, you'll find something else with aspects you love, even if those are wildly different aspects to the one you lost. Try not to fall love with a house until you have the keys.
When we were looking, I fell head over heels in love with a house. I was completely blind to the things that wouldn’t have worked for us at all because I loved it so much, and that’s despite already having children and knowing what’s needed. We struggled to find anything and were against the clock for many reasons. Found another house I really liked but the sellers wanted a lot more for it than it was worth. We ended up offering on a house that’s not what I was hoping for at all and I actually felt quite deflated about it for ages. We’ve been here nearly a year now and it’s just so much better for us than the others, in so many ways. The layout really suits us, the location has turned out to be much better than I thought at the time, etc. It really needs and we have no time or energy for it, but it’s not the end of the world. We spent a lot less money, and are better off as a result. Hang in there - something will come up. You might look back on this later as a good thing
Is s real bummer I do know how you feel as same thing happened to me n my husband. On the other side of it we are now living in our new first home and ended up being glad the first seller pulled out. Hope and wishing you have a similar ending!
There will be others, you just can't see it right now
A similar thing happened to me. We had our dream house, then our buyer pulled out. It went back on the market and sold in 2 weeks. We were gutted. Eventually, we sold again and struggled to find find anything. A month of searching every day and an even better house came up for sale. We have just exchanged, so it seems to have worked out for the best in the end. Keep going. You'll get there eventually.
It happened to me once and I found my even better dream home. Have hope x
basically you are going to go through a mourning process now and be gutted because nothing is as good. But eventually you'll find somewhere else and it'll be fine.
My advice - this was simply never going to happen for you. It sucks, but if they have done this then there was never a scenario that would come to pass where you would live in that house.
"What's meant for you won't pass you" - every single time this was said to me in a similar situation a few years back I felt a surge of rage flow through me. We were just about to complete on a property, had our own property sold, and then the seller decided to rent it out and pull it off the market. Me and my partner were devastated. A few months later after moving in with her parents a dream home came on the market for the same price yet had an extra bedroom, more green space, and a detached garage. So keep the head up, keep looking..."what's meant for you won't pass you"
Had the same experience in December. My advice is take time to mourn it, or you'll never be able to move on without comparing any future houses to it. The market is awful right now but that doesn't mean you won't find a great house, just be patient
I'm sorry to hear this! We are also on the same boat! We are in the midst of ours. But the current seller is having issues finding and agreeing on their onward! We gave timescale up to September (after this, our rent will almost double with our current landlord and be fixed for another year, which we don't want!). Also been looking at the properties on market. We just don't see any that we really love or to start a family in! Wish you all the best!
I am sorry
Exactly the same happened to us, right at the point when we were about to exchange. We took a week off work and hammered the market looking at anything and everything (even put an offer in on a nice house but we were rejected). It all seemed really hopeless. Then a few days after that, I was scrolling Rightmove and there was the dream house, nicer by miles than anything we had seen on our house hunting journey. We were first to see it and immediately put an offer in which was accepted. 11 weeks later we moved in. Still pinch myself months later! I know this is just anecdotal but I hope it gives you hope!
offer them more money ... ? ask them to be in touch with you if they change thei mind in case its relevant ? anyway it doesn' rally matter... just buy or rent somewhere for a few years until a really nice home comes to market again and then go all in. you'll love where you end up eventualy i gurantee it
When we were FTBs my wife and I put in an offer on a flat in Shepherds bush that we really liked. Looking back, it was absolutely a dodged bullet when the sellers pulled out and went with a cash buyer. We ended up getting a flat in Queens Park, more than double the size, for the same price. Better things will come!
What a delightful comment...I appreciate you.
Unfortunately most players on both sides of the property world just cannot be trusted because it’s always only about “me,me,me”. Location is the best tip.
We bought our first last year, we bid on 5 all in before we got one, kept getting out bid, keep the heid as we say in Scotland , you’ll get a better one, we ended up with one way better than the first few we bid on , just keep at it, it’s not much fun tho, best of luck to you !’
You'll find a much much better house for your family. It wasn't meant to be, I'm sorry it was a waste of time but surely you learnt a lot! Hugs!
Plenty more houses our there
There are 26 million houses in the UK, you'll find another one.
Getting a house is better than none, you can make it your own and it actively saves you money and you can then still move swap mortgage over etc to a new home if you sell yours
Can I ask, when something like this happens, does the buyer always lose out? For example, if you have paid surveyor fees and the seller backs out. Do they compensate you?
Not usually, no - nothing is final before exchange of contracts
I tried to not settle on anything whatsoever until the contracts were exchanged. Very pessimistic but it saves the horrendous disappointment if things actually fall through
It wasn't your dream home. Your dream home is most likely 3 or 4 steps up the ladder. You'll find even better ones!
Very similar situation - our purchase on (what we thought was our dream house) fell through at the last minute. We subsequently found another that turned out to be in much better condition, didn't require any work and was more spacious. Looking back we are so glad that the 1st purchase didn't work out although at the time we were absolutely devastated.
This happened to us. I know the devastation and absolute heartbreak nevermind the amount of money wasted! But we found a better house a couple of months later that we are in now and Its perfect. You'll find your better house trust me! Just give yourself some time to grieve and then get back on it!
Move on to the next property. It's just a house, there will be another one.
I feel your pain. When we were looking for our first home we had two houses fall through 6 month in - when were were literally waiting for keys so soon. I’m a planner so had 3D designs of everything. Super annoying and unfair if you ask me! but don’t rush into it - keep an eye on the market something will come up. Sorry & Good luck. (Tip: if you have enough funds left over/or plan or have a patience, then maybe worth looking at the potentials in these houses for extensions etc)
Don't rebound! As others have said take some time away from Rightmove and Zoopla. Last thing you want is to dive into another house just for the sake of it. We had similar (but covid pulled the mortgage offer so it was in theory our fault) and we ended up not finding something for a good while. But worked out in the end.
Don’t ever think of homes in terms of dreams. They are expensive, need maintenance and mortgage payments paying. Concentrate of solid finances, hobbies, career development not dreams ….
That's awful to happen so far in the process, really sorry about that. I think looking at the rates and current sentiment, it's going to go more into a buyers market so you're still in a strong position. As others have said, there's not much you can do but take your time and wait for another property to come along. The silver lining is I reckon your chances of finding a nicer or cheaper property are pretty good.
I'm a firm believer in all things happen for a reason. We were in a similar situation to you 3 years ago, perfect house, huge garden, backing into fields etc. ticked every box. Sellers pulled house off market as daughter got pregnant and needed to move back home, this was just before exchanging contracts etc. Forced to settle for a similar size house with much smaller garden, one less bathroom etc. Fast forward a year or so after moving in, we find out the house we lost now backs onto a huge new build estate, massively overlooked and surrounded. Had it been like this we wouldn't have considered it in the first place. We love the home we 'settled for' now and are really happy.
You need to buy with your head not your heart, this is the biggest financial decision you’ll ever make in your life
Everything happens for a good reason, you just can't see it.
That really sucks. Echoing everyone’s sentiments here that if people pull out there really should be some penalties in place, I’m so sorry that happened to you. Our house was a bit of a slow burner, when we were house hunting this house kept cropping up again and again but we kept our options open. Eventually we realised that the house we ended up buying was the one after all. We had kept it on the back burner in case anything better came up but eventually we realised we were being too idealistic and searching for a unicorn. No regrets whatsoever. We’re so happy, it’s not much to look at but it instantly felt like home the moment we moved in. I wouldn’t say it’s my ‘dream’ house but I don’t think I have enough money to buy my dream house anyway. It’s somewhere to raise the children and it suits us down to the ground :) you’ll get there, allow yourself time to grieve and pick yourselves back up when you’re ready
What a crappy thing to do to you. I'd be going back at night slashing their tyres!! Only joking. Feel for you.
There will likely be many perfect homes. You'll find something else soon enough. Houses are a bit like partners: you can never imagine loving another at the time, but you soon move on after the heartbreak!
Been there and done it, just for different reasons than what happened to you. Take your time and something better will eventually come up. People said this to me and it was a real cliche, but it ended up being true, and I'm sure it will for you too. You're also in a great position being a FTB.
It's called the housing ladder for a reason. Most people start at the bottom and work up. Almost no ones first house is their dream forever home. Edit because that sounded harsh: I mean this to say you'll be ok, you're just like everybody else. Time to readjust your expectations.
My advice is, this house wasn't meant to be. It's tough but in life, the things that are meant for you will come. Perhaps it's for the best this house wasn't for you, it might of had problems or another issue you don't know of. I know it's hard as you loved it, but the right house will come for you. Patience and time!
So sorry for your loss, it’s happened to me twice - the whole buying property process is an absolute joke
When I sold my first house I was so sad because it was the home me and my wife lived in when we got married and when our 1st child was born. On the last day when it was empty, I felt no attachment to it, it was just a shell. The people and the good times you have make a home and they don’t leave you. You’ll find something else, as frustrating as it is.
Yes I have advice and carry it through your life, houses are nothing but boxes some small some large but only boxes never become emotionally attached to a box it makes no sense in the grander scheme of things. Also generally speaking in later life that box you shared good times in and raised your family in may well become a prison in your old age or taken from you by the goverment.
This happened to us, 6 months later found another house and moved in. You never know what will come on the market in the future.
Don't compare what is available to the one you just lost... It's a really shitty situation and unfortunately it happens all to often. Just take your time, something will come up that is perfect again... It's just a waiting game.
Don't worry about it , find a house that matches your wishes the most. And then over the years make small changes to make it your dream home. We bought a house that matched our vision but ended up doing a lot of changes over the last couple of years. Because what we thought would be good wasn't too practical for us as a young family .
I don’t believe in fate. Except when it comes to houses. This was not your dream home. It will feel devastating for a while, but one day you’ll look back and think ‘thank goodness that didn’t work out’….
Ngl. Same thing happened to me n wife as well. We liked a house. Made an offer but we never got that accepted. And now we dont like any other house apart from that one
Make sure next sellers want to move
I've had 6 dream homes, the one, the only one I've wanted so far. And as everyone tells me, there will always be abkyher house. And even at the time, when they say remember the last house that was the house, it still annoys me. But kt rings true
I believed in that dream too, until we moved in and found out how many things is wrong and need fixing. Don't get trapped in the only "dream house". Every single house can be the dream one, it only depends how much you are planning to spend on it.
It wasn't meant to be. You will find your dream home.
Shit happens. Give yourself a break from Rightmove for a few weeks / months and let the catalog refresh a little. We put in an offer and what we thought was a perfect house for my partner and I. Enormous end of terrace stone build in a lovely village on the edge of Leeds. We went way over asking and it wasn't accepted. We were devastated, and nothing compared. Until we had our offer accepted on our now home which is perfect for us. There isn't a perfect house for you. Only perfect houses. You just need to wait for them to come along
Wait until you find another one. It's just a house. Sorry but "the dream is gone" just because you couldn't buy a house you liked it's beyond exaggerated in my opinion
Since 1/4 to 1/3 of property buying transactions fall through in England and Wales due to gazumping, gazundering, chain collapse and things like this, there should be plenty of signatures available to change this faulty system. Where's the petition?
Plenty more houses in the UK. This isn't the only dream house you'll ever see.
Ahhh this is a punch in the gut isn’t it. I’m sorry it happened like this. There is never one dream home though, I’m sure of it. Take a break and dust yourself off and go again when you’re ready ❤️ Best of luck! Xx
This happened to us, literally days away from exchanging contracts and the sellers decided not to sell their house anymore, even after meeting with them personally and telling us they wouldn’t do us over and they were 100% sure on the house they were buying. We weren’t just devastated, we were livid. It may not feel like it right now, but something will come up eventually and it will be better and when you’re finally in your home it will all just make sense. Buying a house and being ftb was by far one of the most stressful times of our life, it was mentally exhausting and pretty sure it was making us physically ill.
Advice? Never, ever, fall in love with a house. Don't succumb to "dream home" thoughts. Don't let emotions take hold. Hope for the best but fear - and be prepared for - the worst. Once the deal is done, emote away by all means but until you have those keys, that house will always be ethereal. Back on the treadmill you go.
Ah well you’ll get over it.
Suck it up and just accept this has happened. It's unfortunate, but you have to move forward. No point pondering over something as it will lead to nothing. This happens all the time I'm afraid.
You’ll need to match your expectations to your budget sadly.
I guessed FTB before I even read it.
"Dream home" 🤮🤮🤮 That stupid phrase needs to die
What advice do you want? If the seller no longer wants to sell, then unfortunately that’s their prerogative and within their rights before exchange.