By Jess Sharp, Money live reporter
Mortgage rates are high, house prices are rising again and saving for a deposit has become increasingly difficult. So what is the process of buying and selling a home really like in 2025? Over this year, we’ll find out with two people, a buyer and a seller, who are going through the process.
This week our buyer, Minreet Kaur, despairs at packing in three viewings a day, and our seller, Denise Palmer Davies, has her dreams crushed after her perfect home gets snapped up…
The mission
With a £650,000 budget, Minreet is looking for a three or four-bedroom property that suits all her family’s needs, with her mother suffering from incurable blood cancer, her dad needing enough space for his garden tools and a prayer room also on the list for all of them to use.
She is looking in Windsor, Egham or Burnham, but she’s discovering anything in her price range isn’t much bigger than where she is now in Hayes, Middlesex.
Three viewings a day and still nothing
Despite going on as many as three viewings a day, Minreet has been left disappointed by the options available to her – even when she pushes herself to the very top end of her price range.
She recently viewed two houses on the same private road in a new development in Iver.
With three bedrooms and a local area with lots of green spaces, one of the properties seemed to tick some of her boxes, but it had no garage and no space to extend.
“It was £660,000, which I think is still very expensive,” she said.
“There was no space to put things so I knew it wouldn’t be right for us. I was thinking to put in an offer but the house is too small so I didn’t go ahead.”
The second house on the same road had four bedrooms, a nice view of the green, and three parking spaces.
But it didn’t have a garage and came with a price tag that was almost £200,000 more at £850,000.
“It was way too expensive so I knew I couldn’t afford that but wanted to see the house to see if it had the space,” Minreet said.
“It did, but the price was just too much and the owner was asking for offers over that price.”
‘The smell put me off’
A third home in Burnham had the potential to be the first property Minreet put an offer on.
Located in a cul-de-sac, it looked “lovely” online, had four bedrooms and was on the market for £650,000 – the top end of her budget.
But when she visited, she was instantly put off by the smell.
“When we arrived I could smell pets straight away and that’s something we don’t really want,” she said.
“We want a house that is ready to move into and not something where I have to do a lot of work.
“It wasn’t right for us and the smell really put me off.”
‘It’s frustrating, boring and mentally draining’
While many people think of the excitement that comes with buying their first house, Minreet has stressed that it’s also an anxiety-inducing and frustrating process, particularly when you are doing it alone.
“I felt quite anxious during the whole viewing experience and also quite stressed as it takes a lot of time to view houses and I have to put other things on hold,” she said.
“My mum has blood cancer and she gets very tired so the whole process is very tiring. I find it frustrating, boring and mentally draining.
“Looking for a house is not my strength and I am completely new to it all. I find it very lonely at times doing it all myself and also trying to find something that is suitable for us all.”
She said it was so time-consuming that it was disrupting her attempts to find a full-time job.
“Looking for a house is like a full-time job in itself. It’s also left me without a social life. I don’t get time for myself, I don’t go out with friends. I just wish I had some support or someone who could help me through this step by step,” she said.
“I am finding it very hard at the moment in seeing something I like within my budget it’s very disheartening. I spend evenings sometimes in tears because of it.”
Sometimes her mum goes on viewings with her, but her illness means she gets tired quickly, leaving Minreet feeling “clueless” and trying to navigate the process on her own.
“I just feel so vulnerable because I don’t have the knowledge that some do on houses and it’s also quite lonely doing the viewings on your own,” she said.
“A lot of people say never give the offer it’s priced at, but then how much lower can you go? I really don’t know and that’s also tough to know what offer isn’t disrespectful to give.”
The mission
Denise wants to sell her £1.5m home in Esher, Surrey, to fund the purchase of another house in the same village. With the clock ticking, she is hoping to get it before someone else beats her there.
She dropped her asking price in a bid to entice new buyers, but this week her dreams were shattered when she got a call from her estate agent…
“Up until a few weeks ago, the house we had our hearts set on was still available. We were cautiously hopeful,” she said.
“Then came a couple who seemed genuinely interested in our house, they even requested a second viewing. Just as they were on the brink of asking for a third… we got that call. The house we wanted had gone under offer. Likely to complete. Just like that, the bubble burst.”
So what now?
Since dropping her asking price, Denise said viewings had picked up “considerably” – which is great news, in theory.
But, with both her and her husband working from home, looking after two children and caring for an elderly dog, she said keeping the house in a viewing-ready condition was “no small feat”.
“To keep the house constantly looking visually perfect for viewings is really stressful,” she said.
“It’s a military operation of setting the alarm an hour earlier on a school day so bathrooms can be scrubbed, floors hoovered and steamed, the children’s playroom tidied and then there are things like making sure there are fresh flowers on display, a relaxing candle burning,” she said.
“We find ourselves less tolerant with the children in an attempt to keep the house permanently tidy, or avoid having play dates as it just adds to the work load, so when we tell the kids we have another viewing we’re definitely let with groans all round.
“As the estate agent always turns up half an hour before the viewing, we take the cars off the drive, the elderly dog out of the house and have to relocate somewhere else to work while the viewing is taking place – luckily my mum is so close or we head for the village pub and restaurant to make ourselves scarce.”
Another dream on the horizon (if her husband agrees)
With her dream house gone, Denise has set her sights on another possible property – but her husband has a different idea.
“My husband thinks we should stay put. I feel like taking a risk. But with nowhere to go, it feels premature,” she said.
“There’s one glimmer of hope. A derelict house in the village might be coming to market. It would be a full-blown project – at least a year of work, possibly £500,000 to make it liveable.
“But if we could get it at the right price, it could be the dream opportunity to really put our stamp on a home.”
For now, the couple have decided to hold firm on their price and wait for the right offer.
“We’ve looked around, and nothing else in our local area offers what our home does at similar value,” Denise said.
“And that derelict house? Watch this space. If it comes up, it could be all systems go.”
