Good evening,
Not sure if I'm doing this right, or whether what
I write below is even relevant, but I thought I'd email you
regardless.
I don't live in Wales, but I've spent the last 6 years trying to buy a house in Wales, to become my first and hopefully forever house.
I'm 31 years old, and it's long been my dream to
move to Wales, and purchase a small currently derelict/dilapidated
farmhouse with some barns, that's been sat empty for years, so that
I'm not taking a house away from a local.
Sadly, due to the world and their wife wanting to
buy every damm house as their holiday house, any that are on the
market I never get the chance to buy, because there is always so
much competition and they are all cash buyers and because I need a
mortgage I never get a look in. As a result I have tried to buy
many houses that are not on the market but are sat long empty some
owners would sell to me but there have been other issues that have
arisen but a lot won't because I'm English, and the last few years
this has been getting worse and worse, I've had alot of angry
phonecalls from extremely rude and racist Welshman's when I've
written them a letter expressing an interest in their empty
derelict property.
Also because of this, they have driven the price
so high that I might aswell forget about Wales now as I can no
longer afford to move there, or anywhere else rural for that
matter, but I don't see why I should have to live somewhere I don't
want to all because Maureen wants a holiday house to visit for 3
weeks a year.
There was a perfect house I tried to buy 2 years
ago that was on the market, it was being sold in 3 lots, I was only
one going for the house, and in the end I think the vender took
issue with me being English as the estate agent deliberately messed
me around, ignored emails, didn't submit my offer etc, and in the
end it was sold as one lot for £90k less. 2 years on the
house sits empty falling into further dereliction (and despite
being listed grade 2*) with holes in the roof etc. I have spoken
with the new owner who once again would seemingly rather watch the
housefull down the sell it to an Englishman, despite knowing how
desperate I am to find a house and how much it would mean to me to
finally find a house and put an end to this nightmare. I've
suffered from extreme stress and now anxiety as a result of not
being able to buy a house, especially now as I'm losing my house
and business later in the new year because my landlord is selling
up for development and there is no where local to relocate to, so I
need a house more than ever now.
I also wish to learn Welsh and be a member of the
community, but no one is willing to give me the opportunity, most
would rather leave the house to fall down than sell to an
Englishman, and it's so sad that we are all tarred with the same
brush, and as a result I'm being denied the future I want and
desperately need!
I won't let anti English feelings stop me from
moving to Wales, but something needs to be done. There should be a
law that anybody who is buying it to be their main residence
especially a first time buyer gets priority over anybody is who
wants it as a second house and the same with locals they get
priority as well and then if neither of us to want to buy it then
by all means but everyone who wants it as a holiday home can buy
it, although this will never happen as the people wanting it as a
holiday house have much deeper pockets than us.
Perhaps aswell, something should be done to
encourage more owners of empty houses to sell them or rent them out
rather than leaving them to fall down, Ceredigion is littered with
abandoned farmhouses!
Sorry if any of this sounded rude, I'm just so
frustrated with the whole situation, I must have wasted about
£10k in fuel now doing 500mile round day trips viewing houses
for nothing as im never successful, even if I offer way over the
asking price.