But it’s my dream house!
This is something I frequently read when people are asking questions. They’re usually really important questions like:
What does this mean in the surveyor’s report: subsidence is ongoing…
Or
The surveyor has undervalued my house – I think it’s worth more, but how can I convince the mortgage company?
When you’ve decided something is your dream house you often fall into the trap of wanting to buy it no matter what.
It’s worth taking some time out and deciding exactly why the property is your dream house. Sometimes it’ll be location – it’ll be in the right place for you to enjoy your life as you want. Sometimes it’ll be because the style has blown you away. Sometimes it might be because the furniture portrays a lifestyle you really want.
Before you make any serious decisions about buying your “dream house” you should take a step back.
Analyse why it’s your dream house. Write down everything you like about it.
Then go and view some other houses. Write down what you like about them. And then do some more scientific stuff like measuring the floor space area, calculating how far it is from the places you need in your life (school, shops, work etc),
Score them all and then compare. Is the dream house good value or have you been seduced by fluffy rugs and a shiny bathroom?
Bear in mind if it’s just some interior decoration you like, you can apply that to any other house. Things you can’t change are more important. Even floor space might be able to be increased but an extension or loft conversion costs money and you’d need to do your sums carefully.
Weigh everything up and you might discover the dream house isn’t!