I am a PhD student@ sheffield Uni. and looking for a house to buy, but it proved very difficult and house prices start from my budget and sold for much more than the asking prices. If anyone thinking of selling his/her house and knows someone then I Should be extremly greatful if contacted me. + advices are appreciated.

I got the following from someone else who posted on another forum. The advice was that good I saved it.

Top tips:
-don't look at anything at the top end of your budget (allow around 10% slack for bidding - more for very popular areas!)
- check the property websites on a Thursday afternoon/evening - they usually are all updated by then (although Blundells sometimes has the odd property pop up on a Friday morning)
www.vebra.com - Blundells, Saxton Mee, Haybrook, Spencers
www.elr.co.uk
www.reedsrains.co.uk
www.winkworth.co.uk
www.halifax.co.uk
- try to arrange viewings that weekend or the next at the latest (popular houses quite often go within a couple of weeks)
- if you find something put in a low (but realistic offer) to register your interest
- try to find out from the agent if the vendor intends to go for sealed bids (this varies from agent to agent and whether there is a lot of interest in the property)
- keep chasing the agent (they won't tell you anything - they are incredibly complacent at the moment!), but sit tight and don't raise your offer until the vendor has agreed a closing date or the agent has decided that there are no more parties interested and wants to close the deal.
- if its sealed bids - don't disclose anything beyond your first offer and just offer what you can afford/what the property is worth to you
- if there is an open bidding war keep your nerve and remember its just like an auction -don't get carried away! and set an upper limit also don't go up in big jumps(£500 - £100 depending on your price bracket). I saw properties where people were bidding in £10k increments - it was madness!
- pray your vendor is not too eccentric (there seem to be a lot of them about) with strange ideas: not wanting to sell/ taking forever to make a decision/setting unrealistic completion deadlines/ignoring the agent and selling privately...

Hope this helps you mate!

I am a PhD student too,

I found the house's out in Stocksbridge to be well within my budget. The good thing about Stocksbridge is the locality to the Peak District for Outdoor Sports.

How far is it? and how long does it take you to commute?