A first time buyer has shared the biggest mistake that she made when buying her two-bedroom flat in London – and she wishes she could go back in time and see it sooner
The woman doesn’t think anyone else will buy her flat(Image: scu)
A first time buyer has explained one thing she regrets after buying a flat and spending hundreds of pounds renovating it. Buying your first home is a huge step in life, with it being the biggest purchase many people have ever made, or will ever make.
One woman, 27, bought herself a two-bedroom flat in London in December 2025 on a five-year fixed deal. But after spending “way more money than she should” renovating the home, she explained that there is one thing she completely regrets.
She said: “I bought a 2 bed for myself in London on a main road and I massively regret it and I don’t know what to do.
“I purchased in Dec 2024 on a 5 year fix and got the flat completely renovated spending way more money that I should have. I definitely should have lived in it first before renovating it else I wouldn’t have spent that kind of money on it.
“When I viewed I barely noticed the noise but now I am here it is so bad, even though I have secondary glazing already from the previous owners.
“The owners didn’t put in acoustic glass so that’s my next step but that’s going to cost me £3k and I don’t really wanna add more money to this money pit.
“I really don’t know what to do – I feel so guilty because my parents helped me to buy and now I feel stuck. I’m just so unhappy here but who is gonna buy it.”
Hundred’s of people replied under the woman’s post, which she uploaded to the r/HousingUK community on Reddit, to give her advice.
Many said that soundproof windows were really worth the investment, while other people gave cheaper solutions to try.
One person said: “£3k on soundproof windows is a sound investment (pardon the pun) because A) it makes your life more bearable and B) it’s attractive to potential buyers when you come to sell it eventually.”
The original poster replied: “Agree but I don’t know if it will make much more of a difference to what I already have now… motorbikes and boy racer cars are the problem mainly and the glass still won’t cut through that.”
A second person said: “If you get triple glazed windows you will be surprised the difference it can make. That and time – I used to live next to a main road growing up and honesty I didn’t hear it at all.
“One time there was a huge crash outside my window and they knocked a tree down and I slept right through it. Now I go back to visit my mum and I can’t sleep because I can hear the cars, but that’s because I live rural now.
“So you will adapt over time, but you will be surprised how much better windows such as triple glazing will help. My mum has 28mm double glazing and it does reduce the noise a lot.”
A third said: “All I can say is that I had a similar experience, worried the entire time I owned a similar flat, thought I’d made a huge mistake, then when I decided to sell it four years later it sold without too much issue and I even made money on it. I’m sure the renovations you’ve made will add value or at least make it more appealing and remember the reasons you bought it because those will be the reasons someone else will buy it.
“In the meantime do what you can to make it work best for you and don’t worry about things you can’t control or which may never happen – enjoy the things the you like about it and the area. Also, people make mistakes, don’t beat yourself up about it, it’s better to learn with a flat than with a £3m house.
“I know that’s easy to say but when this is behind you you’ll be glad of the lessons learned.”
A fourth added: “Don’t panic, someone will definitely buy it and probably for more than you paid for it.”
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