Bad Luck

[dm6045]

Did anybody else have really bad luck when trying to buy there first boat?

 

We've been looking now for 2 years and put many offers in but its been one thing after the other...

 

About 18 months ago we found 'our' boat it felt like home the second we both stepped onboard had everything we wanted and just felt natural to do it so as we viewed it just before closing time we decided to sort things out overnight and make an offer first thing in the morning after establishing that the one other person who had viewed it was interested in making an offer. Anyway spent a very late night sorting everything out and as a result slept through alarm and didn't get to call the broker until 11 to be told someone had emailed and offered full price without seeing it which had obviously been accepted very disappointing but oh well.

 

Over the next 18 months of hard searching none of them felt right and those that came close something always went wrong with either personal circumstances, family bereavement or the offer falling through...

 

Until Thursday when we saw that the boat from 18 months ago was back for up for sale albeit at a higher price. (YAY!!! second chance) so zoomed off there yesterday for a viewing to be told there was 2 offers on the table already but that as we had booked a viewing before they came in they would put ours through as well, anyway we viewed and it was just the same same feeling everything so we talk and then talk some more and put an offer in of £2000 more than the asking price (thinking it was worth it to us and pretty much guaranteeing that we wouldn't miss out again) only to be told this morning it was unsuccessful even though we had the highest offer because someone went in with a low offer but didn't want a survey. (grrrr!)

 

Did anyone else have this sort of bad luck when trying to buy or is the universe just telling us that we're not meant to be boaters. Its been 2 years and the disappointment is getting very wearing...

[zenataomm]

Sounds to me like you've had a lucky escape.

Lower offer accepted on condition of no survey sets every alarm ringing.

 

Count your blessings and don't do anything rash.

[dm6045]

Sounds to me like you've had a lucky escape.

Lower offer accepted on condition of no survey sets every alarm ringing.

 

Count your blessings and don't do anything rash.

 

Yes i know I should have said though that we were told they wanted it gone ASAP as there visas had run out and they unexpectedly hadn't been able to renew them so they were no longer in the country (the good thing about that was they were leaving everything including 2 brand new bikes. honda gen, tools etc) and the survey from 18 months ago that we looked at was excellent ( I know that counts for nothing now). Just gutted because I'm one that believes that the house or boat chooses you not the other way around and if we haven't found anything comparable in the last 2 years whats the chances of finding it in the next?

 

Maybe we shouldn't be looking for a boat that feels right just one that ticks the boxes on a practicality level that maybe we can learn to love... just don't want to still be sitting here in another 18 months...

[Sea Dog]

Its been 2 years and the disappointment is getting very wearing...

I sympathise DM. Two years is a long time to be searching, but I guess that's indicative of the market. Assuming it has dawned on you that every Narrowboat is a compromise, and unless you're being slow, ridiculously picky or unrealistic (which it doesn't sound as though you are) you'll get there.

 

Finding the wrong boat is loads easier, and buying a dog is a doddle, but I wouldn't recommend either of those as shortcuts to boating bliss.

 

Good luck!

 

 

 

Edited to remove the bulk of the quoted message

Edited November 19, 2016 by Sea Dog

[Neil2]

 

 

Did anyone else have this sort of bad luck when trying to buy or is the universe just telling us that we're not meant to be boaters. Its been 2 years and the disappointment is getting very wearing...

 

Ha ha that made me chuckle. If you think the universe has it in for you now, wait until you actually acquire your first boat...

 

 

Actually it's a test to see what you're made of. Owning a boat is one of the most heartbreaking, frustrating, exasperating, experiences. If you can't cope with a few setbacks in the purchase process you won't last very long when the boat starts demanding every bit of spare cash you have and more.

 

For a good insight into the "delights" of new boat occupancy I recommend MissMax's "blog" elsewhere in this section.

 

But we do this boating lark because when things are going right, there's nothing much in the modern world compares with life on the cut.

Edited November 19, 2016 by Neil2

[Sea Dog]

For a good insight into the "delights" of new boat occupancy I recommend MissMax's "blog" elsewhere in this section.

 

 

I would rather hope that's not even close to typical, even for those buying at very the bottom of the market. The OP does appear to be rather more considered in his approach, although we don't know his budget or the standard of boats he's looking at. However, since he said he put in a bid at 2k over asking price, I doubt he's fishing in the same pond as the one in which Miss Max caught her prize bloater.

[Neil2]

I would rather hope that's not even close to typical, even for those buying at very the bottom of the market. The OP does appear to be rather more considered in his approach, although we don't know his budget or the standard of boats he's looking at. However, since he said he put in a bid at 2k over asking price, I doubt he's fishing in the same pond as the one in which Miss Max caught her prize bloater.

 

MissMax may not be typical, but everything is relative isn't it. I had very low expectations with our first boat so was more sanguine about the lights going out halfway through the evening... OTOH if you have paid a lot of money for a boat your tolerance levels are likely to be a lot lower.

[rubblequeen]

Several bells ringing here, resale after only two years, no survey, accepting lower offer with full asking on the table but most of all "visa running out" I think you are well out of it or are they setting you up?

I feel purchasing a narrow boat all the angles need to be right.

Good luck

[Greylady2]

Buying any boat is a £££ gamble.

 

Even a new boat needs a 10k p'ss bucket.

 

Yerr truth.

[dm6045]

Thanks all for your responses to be fair to the people who were selling it i do feel that the'yre quite genuine and we happend to have run in to them 3 times since they brought it and spent 4 very pleasent evenings with them in the summer whilst we were hiring so got to know them somewhat and some of the things they had done to the boat as we always remarked it looked better each time we saw them. I do think it was an unexpected situation that made them sell as only in september we saw them whilst making an offer on another boat and they were telling us about there plans for the next year and a half as they were planning on spending 3years over here then going back to look after the grandkids.

 

I really do think some of it is bad luck on our part as one of the brokers that we have become very chatty with as we sometimes see her 2-3 times a month calls us the bad luck boys as aparently several times she has put our offers forward for them to be refused and then the next day or a few later someone comes along with a lower one and they get accepted. She even says shes glad when we put an offer in because she knows she'll have someone elses deposit by the end of the week. Lol

 

Yes have been reading miss maxs blog and have to say its one of the best things i have read in ages. Although i must admit that as we have a max budget of 60-65k i would hope we wont have to resort to painting the cabin with bitumen. But at the same time i have no expectations for it to be amazing with nothing that will go wrong or need doing. i just want one that is remotely practical to us and feels right...(and preferably one where if the offer is accepted we experience a very unexpected close family bereavent as that has happend twice now... Never thought that would be on my list of requirements lol)

[Neil2]

I've always said it's harder to buy an expensive boat than a cheap one, for all sorts of reasons, one of which is that for example the £50-60k bracket is a hotly contested area these days. Seemingly there are droves of people desperate to unload their life savings/pension lump sums on a narrowboat, and most of these people have no idea what they are doing so decisions are often ill considered.

[Sea Dog]

I've always said it's harder to buy an expensive boat than a cheap one, for all sorts of reasons, one of which is that for example the £50-60k bracket is a hotly contested area these days. Seemingly there are droves of people desperate to unload their life savings/pension lump sums on a narrowboat, and most of these people have no idea what they are doing so decisions are often ill considered.

 

Whereas most of those spending (insert price bracket here) know exactly what they're doing and their decisions are always well considered?

[Jak]

You will get there I'm sure. We have been very lucky. Started off with 40k in mind and fallen over a local boat with a genuine seller for half that. The full buyers survey giving confidence to go ahead. The right boat will find you

Edited November 21, 2016 by Jak