While I'm absolutely delighted to have moved into my first flat, my tale of woe should act as warning to other first time buyers, all is often not what it seems. When I decided to move back home to my parents house due to a new job and a desire to start saving for a house, I had only intended to stay for two months. Four years later and I was still residing with my parents and my plan for quick get away had disappeared. The original idea had been to save money for a deposit while I stayed at home. My parents were very understanding and helped me by charging low rent.
However, it soon became depressing to realise that while I was saving money at a good rate, the price increases in housing were far greater. The feeling of being trapped in my childhood bedroom became apparent and I just wanted to break free. Deposit
I had a healthy deposit after four years and one afternoon decided now was the time. I rang two Estate Agents and had viewing organised almost immediately, I was ready for action. The first flat I visited was actually the one I ended up buying, but not wanting to rush in I viewed a multitude of other properties, much to my horror.
It was quite amazing how low the standard of properties were in my price range. I viewed a variety of damp, smelly, squalid properties which needed so much work to even make them habitable. With the help of my dad I trawled the Bedford area, but my mind kept taking me back to that first flat. I arranged a second viewing and this time realised that it really was the most suitable choice and placed an offer straight away. The current home owner was recently bereaved and wanted a clean break and as I was a first time buyer I assumed we would have a quick sale.
But weeks turned into months and even though we had agreed the price in October 2003 I didn't get the keys until February 2004. Once the price was agreed I went ahead with organising the survey and other legal matters. The flat was part of a development that was only six years old, and with the thought of being shackled to a large mortgage I decide to purchase the cheapest survey possible. The results were positive and everything appeared to be in good working order. Rotten
When I walked through the door of my flat I immediately decided changes were needed, the carpets in the kitchen and bathroom just had to go. As my dad peeled back the kitchen carpet the horror of what lay beneath became instantly apparent. The entire floor was completely rotten, panic set in and a builder was called in to survey the damage.
The previous tenant had installed a specialist disabled bathroom, the pipe work was faulty and as a result both floors in the kitchen and bathroom were rotten and needed replacing. My cheap survey had not included peeling back carpets and the previous tenant was unaware of the problem, so the burden of expensive bills rested solely with me. What made it worse was that while the work was undertaken I still couldn't move in and was still stuck in my old bedroom. The work took far longer than I thought and I eventually moved in properly at the end of June. When the final bill was paid I was out of pocket by £6,000, but I now owned a perfect flat. If I have learned anything from the whole experience it is that it is better to buy the best survey you can afford. The extra cost of a more in depth survey was a just few hundred pounds but that could have identified the problems and saved me a huge amount of my time and money. Read other case studies >>
Have you had problems getting on the property ladder? Have you just got on it? If so, how did you manage it? Do you want to upgrade but will have to move away from the area to do so? Tell us your experiences using the form below. | 
