Buying a home and don't know how anything works

[Epona]

Yeah from what I understand (my brother does casual work as removals) they are mega quick partly as they’re not reminiscing about the holiday to Tenerife when they bought that paperweight etc as me or you might

In the few months he did it he found amongst other things sex toys, WW2 era guns, a LOT of weed, and something they thought was heroin. So yeah put your contraband and highly personal items in the same box as the kettle

You might want some of that stuff your first night in a new place anyway, good time to celebrate with contraband and sex toys if you ask me

 

[Looby]

I think I’d be really torn as I hate the idea of someone going through my stuff but I’m also really really lazy. I think I’d do my own clothes, personal stuff etc but leave the kitchen, books etc for packers.

 

[moonsi til]

My plan was pack my own stuff & removal to take out & bring in other in. I couldn’t imagine someone going through my stuff whilst I’m still alive plus it gave opportunity to throw out or give away stuff -well in theory that was the plan but my partner packed paint with inches left.

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

Mortgage offer approved!!! Couple that with all the searches done, life insurance sorted, wills sorted, surveys done and issues resolved... It's happening!

Pros - it's a beautiful 4 bed house, lovely kitchen/diner/sofa space, south facing garden, amazing en suite with a double size shagging shower.

Cons - it's in Rugby.

 

[5t3IIa]

Mortgage offer approved!!! Couple that with all the searches done, life insurance sorted, wills sorted, surveys done and issues resolved... It's happening!

Pros - it's a beautiful 4 bed house, lovely kitchen/diner/sofa space, south facing garden, amazing en suite with a double size shagging shower.

Cons - it's in Rugby.

Hah, same here but Huddersfield

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Fucking solicitors.

Looks like a completion date is close but still no confirmation so I can book things. She got peeved yesterday with emailing both her and other side and telling them to pick up the bloody phone to each other.

Fees seem to have jumped a few hundred quid from the quote from the brokers. There's enough fine print to cover it, but still leaves a sour taste with how shit they've been. I'm definitely using a local one I can go and shout at if we go through this again.

 

[Elpenor]

I’ve been told by my lender that as I didn’t confirm my survey within 48 hrs of mortgage offer (I was waiting for the chain to be sorted) they can’t give me a survey. The valuation has been done already so that’s not a concern.

I’ve emailed a few local surveyors, one can’t do it before May 16th which is the week of the proposed ( by the sellers housebuilder) exchange date! Waiting on the other two to get back to me

Nothing to get too stressed about

 

[UnderOpenSky]

I’ve been told by my lender that as I didn’t confirm my survey within 48 hrs of mortgage offer (I was waiting for the chain to be sorted) they can’t give me a survey. The valuation has been done already so that’s not a concern.

I’ve emailed a few local surveyors, one can’t do it before May 16th which is the week of the proposed ( by the sellers housebuilder) exchange date! Waiting on the other two to get back to me

Nothing to get too stressed about

Maybe I did it the wrong way, but don't you do the survey before the offer?

 

[Elpenor]

Maybe I did it the wrong way, but don't you do the survey before the offer?

Usually I’ve done it via the mortgage lender. However I just had a basic valuation from them, I didn’t want to commit to spending the money until the chain was complete.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

We were meant to be completing Tuesday. I assume from radio silence from the solicitors this isn't happening now. The whole thing is bizzare.

 

[5t3IIa]

We were meant to be completing Tuesday. I assume from radio silence from the solicitors this isn't happening now. The whole thing is bizzare.

I suppose you chased them on Weds?

We are figuring that this week and next are going to be quiet due to Easter hols

Got a reply from sols saying they’d ask vendors to bin the fridges and let us know the reply. Also, sols had questions about the lease (£2 2s 6p per annum = approx £2 in 2022 money) and back lane maintenance and we do have an interest (obvs) in the answers but not too arsed. I’m assuming it’ll all just come together at some point soon lol.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

I suppose you chased them on Weds?

We are figuring that this week and next are going to be quiet due to Easter hols

Got a reply from sols saying they’d ask vendors to bin the fridges and let us know the reply. Also, sols had questions about the lease (£2 2s 6p per annum = approx £2 in 2022 money) and back lane maintenance and we do have an interest (obvs) in the answers but not too arsed. I’m assuming it’ll all just come together at some point soon lol.

Oh yes. Completion was meant to be yesterday but got moved. The solicitor suggested there was some kind of "hysteria" as nobody seemed to know what was happening and I mailed both her and the other side suggesting they pick up the phone.

I was actually expecting Tuesday not to go ahead, but an email at some point yesterday would have been nice. Even if it isn't there fault but the chain or the bank not releasing funds on such crazy short notice.

Hopefully your lot are a bit more organized!

 

[Elpenor]

We were meant to be completing Tuesday. I assume from radio silence from the solicitors this isn't happening now. The whole thing is bizzare.

Last or this coming Tuesday?

Either way good luck

I’ve booked my survey for May 16th - very hard to get hold of a surveyor round here. Don’t think we’ll be exchanging on May 19th somehow

The vendors have told me they’ll sell the shelves in third bedroom / study for £50 (they’ll be handy for my own needs). And, while they’re taking the stairwell airer ropes and framework, they will leave the bits attached to the wall (pulleys and tie off point) for nowt, so if I decide I want to fit one it’s there for me. Seems like a good solution for all

 

[xenon]

Whilst things drag on and on, FFS. I'll bore with the details if / when it's resolved one way or the other I've just been casually looking at Right Move again.

There's a 3 bed maisonette I've seen in central Bristol. Not something I'd normally look at but is just affordable, however cash buyers only. Which rings alarm bells obv.

What do you reckon is wrong with it? From description it's fairly modern but kinda in a block.

I'm thinking.
1. It is covered in cladding.
2. It's the site or next to the site of a grim drug trade related murder a few years ago.
3. Has dry rot / some massively expensive issue.

I've not viewed it, pure speculative.

 

[Epona]

Short lease?

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Short lease?

that's the usual one. lenders won't usually do mortgages if lease has less than 80 years left, some are reluctant if it's above a shop, then there's 'non standard construction' e.g. steel frame and / or concrete instead of bricks.

or again, the freeholder could have just given notice of major works which will require a contribution from leaseholders. big blocks need a lot of scaffolding for relatively minor works, and that gets expensive. or if it's a block big enough to have lifts, they aren't cheap to replace.

there are online calculators out there to estimate cost of extending a lease, and i don't know how easy it is to get finance if you're in the league of having enough cash / equity to buy a place with a shortish lease but would then need finance to do the lease extension thing. i suspect it's more complicated.

 

[xenon]

Ah yeah good points. Only passingly curious at this stage but have saved it on my search. 3 bedrooms would be a bit greedy TBF...

 

[hash tag]

Whilst things drag on and on, FFS. I'll bore with the details if / when it's resolved one way or the other I've just been casually looking at Right Move again.

There's a 3 bed maisonette I've seen in central Bristol. Not something I'd normally look at but is just affordable, however cash buyers only. Which rings alarm bells obv.

What do you reckon is wrong with it? From description it's fairly modern but kinda in a block.

I'm thinking.
1. It is covered in cladding.
2. It's the site or next to the site of a grim drug trade related murder a few years ago.
3. Has dry rot / some massively expensive issue.

I've not viewed it, pure speculative.

Or, no lease at all.
Non standard construction?
Uninsurable because of past events like subsidence.

 

[5t3IIa]

Anyone had a roof dormer thing done? On the new gaff there’s one which is half the roof span (?). We’d ideally (?) like it the whole way across. Is that a thing? £?

 

[Artaxerxes]

Started watching Grand Designs: The Streets and God that looks like it's an amazing thing to do but bloody stressful as hell.

If this flat goes tits up maybe I'll look into it again, seems like a nightmare of only have a mortgage in place though especially if you've noone to rope in as labour

 

[bcuster]

A Virginia home that comes with a stranger living in the basement reportedly sold for $805,000 in all cash — $5,000 above its asking price

The five-bedroom home with a basement tenant and $25,000 worth of repairs needed reportedly received five offers and sold within five days.

www.insider.com

 

[Puddy_Tat]

 

[WouldBe]

Anyone had a roof dormer thing done? On the new gaff there’s one which is half the roof span (?). We’d ideally (?) like it the whole way across. Is that a thing? £?

Having a dormer all the way across isn't a problem but planning department may not like it if you have to go through one bedroom to get to another.

 

[5t3IIa]

Having a dormer all the way across isn't a problem but planning department may not like it if you have to go through one bedroom to get to another.

It’s one room, with current dormer over half so the roof slopes down to the only place the bed fits

 

[UnderOpenSky]

So not only did they not confirm (or even try to make contact) on Thursday about if we would be completing today, but I've emailed this morning and the solicitor is away for a week. I'm actually stunned at how bad they are.

 

[Thora]

Have you already exchanged?

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Have you already exchanged?

Don't know. Could have. It's beyond weird.

I think I'm going to call the estate agents and see if they know more. At least I won't have to deal with hold music.

 

[Elpenor]

Surely you’d have been asked to transfer a deposit if you had exchanged?

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Surely you’d have been asked to transfer a deposit if you had exchanged?

Yes, they had all the money early last week. I don't think we've exchanged. Given the timescales it was probably happening same day as completion.

 

[hash tag]

Yes, they had all the money early last week. I don't think we've exchanged. Given the timescales it was probably happening same day as completion.

People often complete within a week of exchanging contracts, so if you did exchange last week, you could be moving in a day or two