For the past six months or so I’ve been seriously looking for a place to buy. Although there are no major problems with where I live now—the rent is reasonable and my landlord doesn’t give me any trouble—I’m starting to outgrow the space, especially as I work from home. There’s also the financial implications, if I bought a flat roughly the size as the one I’m in now, my monthly mortgage (repayments, not interest-only) would only be a bit higher than my current rent, and probably lower than the market rate.
So far my success has been mixed. I’ve more or less given up on buying a house in Didsbury, as the prices are outside what the banks will lend me, even if I can comfortably afford the repayments. I’ve looked at a few flats, one of which was a grotty student place with damp throughout, one was in reasonable condition but in a huge block mostly inhabited by students, and the other was similar to what I’m currently renting—albeit in Fallowfield. I’m considering putting in an offer on that one, although I need to scout round a couple of other areas which contain houses but might not meet my ‘desirable neighbourhood’ criteria.