If selling up was hard, buying a new home's even tougher

In the last blog, I talked about the pain of selling our house, complete with long delays, false dawns and nightmare neighbours. Part two deals with the next bit – buying a new house.

Despite the prolonged period of time it took to sell the house and exchange, we were unable to find a house to move to. So we’re back in with my parents, and the search goes on.

It doesn’t help that we’re looking in one of the most competitive areas in the country - just outside the M25 in Kent and Surrey – where demand appears to be spectacularly outstripping supply. Figures have shown that in Britain, around ten buyers are competing for every home, and house asking prices are hitting record highs. It’s definitely a seller’s market, particularly in the most popular areas, and we’re on the receiving end.

Up to now, we’ve viewed dozens of houses, and put offers in on five of them. Only on one of them have we gone in under the asking price.

On one, the house came up on the Thursday, we were one of 12 viewings on the Saturday, we were one of 7 offers on the Monday, and we didn’t get it. On this modestly priced house, we provided proof of our mortgage agreement in principle, impressed our chain-free status and offered £15,000 over the asking price. What can you do?

On another - which went to tender - we went in £16,000 over the asking price and enclosed every possible piece of evidence as to why we were in the best position of all. We had to wait an agonising three weeks for a decision, which was a no. The estate agent did, however, say that we were very close. Thanks for that; that makes me feel a whole lot better.

On two more, we went a good five grand over, but nothing doing.

When we were looking at properties while we were still in our old house, it seemed that there was always someone in a better position to buy straight away, without a chain. Now we’re chain-free, it seems that there’s always someone else with deeper pockets than us. It makes you wonder just how much longer it will all take.

With every house lost, I’m investing less emotion in the next one we make an offer on. That’s got to be a good thing. I was absolutely gutted when we lost houses one, two and three. By houses four and five, there’s disappointment but a sense of inevitability about it. I never thought we’d get them, so if we had won through, that would have been a bonus.

This weekend, we’re due to view another five houses. Such is the competition at the moment that I wouldn’t be surprised if, despite having only just come on the market, two or three had been viewed and sold by the weekend (do these people not go to work?). Maybe we’ll like one enough to put another offer in. If we do, how about it being our time this time?