Friday 11 February 2011

Unreal estate

Is there anything more depressing than looking for a new home? Oh, at first you're excited about looking at all these wonderful new properties. Picking and choosing from a vast array, narrowing down your choices to unearth your dream home. Then you realise everything is just a little bit too expensive, actually it's Sydney, so it's a lot too expensive. Your top pick of areas turns into 'Well I suppose I could live there, if I have to'.

Then you spot the perfect place online. This is it! You're so excited and ready to lockdown the deal. Then you go to the Open House. The spacious lounge is actually quite pokey and you didn't see the train line in any of the online shots. There's also a strange smell coming from a nearby factory.

Then you're back on www.domain.com.au. I've been looking for us and also for my mum. The whole process really sucks.

Endless Saturdays traipsing around 'Open for Inspections'. Seeing the same people at every house. Each week the desperation gets so thick it's suffocating.

Once you find a home that makes you smile, somewhere where you can imagine building a life, the tango with the real estate agent begins. The calls, the negotiating. The "Well, you better get your money on the table cause I've got another couple desperate to buy it," line. Or "You won't find a better house in this area for this kind of money".

Or else the house is going to auction. You go and get your building report done, get your finances in order and dream about your new home. Then at the auction, you're blown away in the first bid and the house goes for $150,000 more than the agent suggested it would.

Sigh. Maybe I can live in this tiny house just a bit longer.

9 comments:

  1. I feel your pain. I house hunted for nearly 12 months. Every weekend. The same agents, the same locals.

    Sometimes I would come home and cry.

    I always look at the satellite view before I even went to a house. If it was near a train line, power tower, main road etc, I would scrap the house immediately. It saved me alot of time.

    The pictures never do the house justice, do they!

    Imagine a blank canvas, imagine your stuff in there, that's what I did.

    xx

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  2. Oh yes, it sucks. I hate all the BS real estate agents spin too. Hope you find something appropriate soon.

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  3. Good luck.
    This is why buying a home and moving is up there with life traumas in the stress stakes.
    It's exhausting.
    Cheesy - but it does usually work out in the end. I think we lose out on those houses that weren't the right fit anyway. I hope you find your 'fit' soon. :-)

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  4. I loved it, then I hated it, then I loved it. You will love it again. x

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  5. I hope you find something soon! The right house will pop up when you least expect it. Can't wait to read all about it x

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  6. We had our annual inspection today and are dreading what our landlord may or may not say. Hopefully he just fixes our termite problem and leaves it at that. I don't wanna move.

    Hoping you find somewhere that ticks all your boxes soon. Would be nice if we had squillions of dollars and could just take our pick!

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  7. Oh it's so hard, especially for a large family with a puppy. We gave us, while we continue hiding in Army Housing . . . for when my husband discharges & we lose the housing benefits, we're buying a farm & building the homestead we want/ need/ can afford. We will have a drive to city schools, but so worth it. Love Posie

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  8. Oh Corinne, I can relate to this. I also remember that sinking feeling when the hopes you held so high for a place are completely dashed the minute you get to the front gate. Sometimes if you give the searching a break for a couple of weeks, then start afresh, the perfect place may just appear. Good luck with your continued search though :o)

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  9. yep! We are now in our 3rd property as we've moved up from 2 bed apartment to little 3 bed house to 4 bed and a pool and now I want 5 bed, pool and grass but I have to keep dreaming of that for a while. It's crazy but it's worth it and each time we nudge up a bit further up the ladder towards our dream house:) don't give up, your house is up there but yes there is some compromise in sydney

    my favourite houses are the ones you think wow then you go there and the driveway is almost perpendicular to the road, it's very hilly up here and those are my favourites because you just know you're never going to do the driveway! there was one near us and the ad said near level land - um once you've gotten up the steep driveway!!!! hilarious!
    corrie:)

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