First time buyer, my salary varies from month to month due to commission.
Earlier this year in April I had an extraordinary 3 months prior so decided to take advantage of those payslips for maximum affordability, searched for a little while and put down an offer on an end of terraced house which got accepted.
Fast forward since April and the sellers + Purplebricks have been nothing short of a nightmare, incompetence plus lack of communication has been killer. I was being told the sellers had not found an onwards purchase and are looking for a specific bungalow. I have everything in place, both my mortgage lenders and solicitors are friends of friends and are ready to rock. My mortgage offer expires in December.
I had recently given up and have been looking at other properties this month, my affordability being some £50k less than April but fortunately I am getting help from parents to allow the same budget as April (lucky).
I then get a response from Purplebricks to advise the sellers have found somewhere and are looking to complete ASAP. Their sellers are moving to a new build so the chain ends there. There is still a chance we may be able to complete before December, my mortgage lender says we can extend up to 15 days if needed.
Since April I have been looking at more properties and gained a bit more understanding as to what I want, after some thought I would prefer to live in another location but can only afford leasehold flats there.
I could hold out for the property I already have in motion as there is a chance it may still complete, but its not in the location I prefer now, which is only 10 mins drive out but importantly its in an area I have lived for the past 15 years so I'm worried it won't feel like I have moved (same old roads to commute etc).
The house has:
- A garden
- No maintenance costs unlike a flat
- Parking right outside the property
- Not my first choice in location anymore
The flat has
- Great location, conveniently in the middle of everything I need (Gym, work, train station, supermarkets)
- £1,000 maintenance a year
- Is a flat so people live above me and communal entrance (fairly new build)
- Parking in a car park
- Ensuite bathroom
Its really messing my brains up, it basically comes down to either choosing a house in the same location I have always lived and commuted from, or choosing a flat in a better location but living in a flat.