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Buying a home and don't know how anything works

Hollis said:
Another thing you could think of is borrowing some money on top of the cash you have to buy something larger. Interest rates and mortgages are ridiculously cheap at the moment, and you can lock into a low interest rate for 5-10 years.
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I'm not sure anyone will give me a mortgage though :(
 
miss direct said:
This is nice but has been on for ages - think it's not a good area: Check out this 2 bedroom terraced house for sale on Rightmove
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It might or it might not be a good area, but there are two potential issues I can see from those particulars:

(i) looks like it's on a main road, which will put off many buyers, those with children and/or pets, and also because of the noise. (And if it's near a hospital and/or police station or in a rough area, you might find sirens disturbing at night, although ear plugs are good.)

ii) It says it's leasehold. There might be a problem with 'doubling ground rent' or similar problems. Although with older buildings in the north, the leasehold scenario was probably originally to do with local landowner and covenants, rather than unscrupulous property developers - although there is a trend for companies to buy up portfolios and increase ground rent, so it's still a potential problem, something to be aware of.

There's a major problem with ground rents over £250 outside London or over £1000 in London, in that due to a legal quirk this means you've not really got a long lease to rely on, what you've actually got in an assured short hold tenancy, and the freeholder can take possession if you're in... three months...? of arrears.

If a property's leasehold, always ask what the service charges are, although with an older property like this, it might just be ground rent.
 
miss direct I live at a busy junction on a main road, on a route often used by the emergency services. I don't really hear the traffic noise now, although it was very noticeable when it wasn't there during lockdown. It is annoying when the police put the sirens on, but that's less frequent these days.

The route isn't heavily used by big lorries, which probably makes a difference.
 
two sheds said:
This is true, but I discovered that you only discover how cheap your insurance is once you come to claim.

I had a flood where a cold water pipe split in the attic during a February freeze and deposited the contents of a small swimming pool into my house. I was abroad at the time was lucky that an urbanite (thank you Bosky) passed by and thought to turn off the water at the mains. Not something I would have thought of I have to say.

I was with the NFU and I have to say they were superb. Bloke came round and viewed the damage and passed everything I wanted to do (I was pretty fucking reasonable as it happens but I did stretch it in places :) ).

I'm no longer with the NFU because of their bee-killing policies but the lesson I learned was find a good reliable insurer who will pay out if you need it.
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Fuck, how long did that take to sort out?
 
18 months or so :( , had an industrial dehumidifier pumping out a bucket a day for the first month or so as I recall. The walls are stone filled with clay and that dries out at an inch a month as I also recall - the walls are a good 2ft thick.

I should have gone lived at a hotel or b&b for the duration, I don't think it did my lungs any good, but I didn't want to leave the house.

As I say NFU were superb - bloke came round almost immediately and let me know there wouldn't be a problem with the claims/estimates.
 
cybershot said:
Indeed, assume nothing is included including the light bulbs and even any fitted kitchen utilitles. Although only a twonk would go as far as removing every light bulb and removing a fitted hob and oven. It's always worth asking when you view, but the brocure will usually say if fitted kitchen utilities are included.

When you've agreed the sale, the seller will provide you with a fixtures and fittings sheet, in here it will detail what comes with the house down to any paint tins that might be left in the shed. In this sheet the seller will usually indicate if they are willing to sell any white goods separately. Usually done via your solicitors who will deal with the transfers of cash throughout.
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Don't underestimate how many twonks there are out there. Me and ex-bf bought a house and when we moved in realised they'd not only unscrewed and removed a couple of wall fightings in the hallway, but they'd also unscrewed and removed curtain poles and hooks for curtain tie-backs (except in main bedroom where we agreed to buy made-to-measure curtains for the big bay window as part of the purchase), they'd also unscrewed and removed bathroom fittings like loo roll holder and towel rail. And also removed all the lightbulbs. The most incredible thing, though, was that we moved to number 10 and they'd removed the brass numbers off the front door. It's not like they were going to use them at their next property, because iirc they were moving to number 26 or 28 or something like that.

We figured they must've done a car boot sale or something, because the odds on curtain rails/poles etc from four bedroom house, dining room, sitting room etc all fitting their new place were remote.

It was super annoying, because I understood that fixtures and fittings included stuff that was installed/screwed down, so we expected them to remove light shades off lights, but not light fittings actually screwed to the walls. But mainly because if they'd told us their plans, we would've paid a bit extra for them to leave all that stuff. They would've made a few quid at a car boot selling that stuff secondhand, but it was inconvenient and costly for us to replace it all from scratch.

I can't imagine what goes on in the minds of people who have the time, energy and inclination in the middle of a house move to remove every single lightbulb though. Tragic.

That was back in the days of cheap incandescent bulbs, though, maybe if people have smart LED bulbs costing £20-30 each that last a really long time, I figure some people nowadays might want to take those. But incandescents back then? Twonks.
 
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mauvais said:
There's some in Manchester city centre, a friend was on about it and I thought he meant unmortgageable properties but apparently not.
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Those kinds of new-build developments are probably way overpriced, a bit like losing loads of money when you drive a brand new car out of the showroom.

They charge a massive premium because the developers know that overseas buyers probably aren't getting mortgages, so there's no lender to quibble over the developer's overpriced 'valuation' of how much the property's worth.
 
AnnO'Neemus said:
Don't underestimate how many twonks there are out there. Me and ex-bf bought a house and when we moved in realised they'd not only unscrewed and removed a couple of wall fightings in the hallway, but they'd also unscrewed and removed curtain poles and hooks for curtain tie-backs (except in main bedroom where we agreed to buy made-to-measure curtains for the big bay window as part of the purchase), they'd also unscrewed and removed bathroom fittings like loo roll holder and towel rail. And also removed all the lightbulbs. The most incredible thing, though, was that we moved to number 10 and they'd removed the brass numbers off the front door. It's not like they were going to use them at their next property, because iirc they were moving to number 26 or 28 or something like that.

We figured they must've done a car boot sale or something, because the odds on curtain rails/poles etc from four bedroom house, dining room, sitting room etc all fitting their new place were remote.

It was super annoying, because I understood that fixtures and fittings included stuff that was installed/screwed down, so we expected them to remove light shades off lights, but not light fittings actually screwed to the walls. But mainly because if they'd told us their plans, we would've paid a bit extra for them to leave all that stuff. They would've made a few quid at a car boot selling that stuff secondhand, but it was inconvenient and costly for us to replace it all from scratch.

I can't imagine what goes on in the minds of people who have the time, energy and inclination in the middle of a house move to remove every single lightbulb though. Tragic.

That was back in the days of cheap incandescent bulbs, though, maybe if people have smart LED bulbs costing £20-30 each that last a really long time, I figure some people nowadays might want to take those. But incandescents back then? Twonks.
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I had a similar situation when I moved here although not quite as bad. They took all the light fittings and curtain poles but failed to empty the loft, one of the sheds and part of the garage. Most of it was junk but I did give some of it away to friends and family but the rest went to the tip.
 
Puddy_Tat said:
:D
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Another leaseholder saying avoid leasehold if at all possible.

Leasehold flats can be a nightmare, due to fire safety/cladding issues, also high service charges.

Newer leasehold houses are a nightmare with charges for grounds maintenance etc that isn't always carried out. Those fees might seem low and reasonable, though, the sting in the tail with these kinds of leaseholds is in other fees, like charging you for any kind of paperwork or permissions. If you need any paperwork from the freeholder to help you get a loan or mortgage, they'll charge you hundreds of pounds. If you want to put up a shed in your garden or add on a conservatory or extension, they will charge you hundreds of pounds, or even thousands of pounds, for the permissions paperwork (as stipulated in the lease). You might even find yourself having to pay hundreds of pounds of permission to do internal work in your own home, eg you might have to ask their permission to convert a loft into an extra bedroom or knock down/break through an internal wall, or if it's a townhouse with a built-in garage that you want to convert to a study, or whatever. If you bought such a property, you'd also be wise to pay for an indemnity policy just in case a previous owner had done some work without the relevant permissions, in case the freeholder wanted you to pay for permission retrospectively.

And those kinds of leaseholds have been a bit of a scam/scandal, in that property developers have developed estates of leasehold houses and then sold on the portfolio of leases to investors who then ramp up charges.

Like I said above, though, some older leasehold properties in the north are more about traditional landowners securing covenants and there might be a ground rent that's literally a peppercorn rent. But still beware what you're getting into, in terms of ground rent and service charges and fees for permissions, etc.

I bought my ex-council flat under Right to Buy and dealing with the council/housing association freeholder has been an absolute nightmare.
 
miss direct said:
Ugh just feel fed up. Feels like it will all take ages and I have no idea what I'm doing with my life and knowing me, I'll end up owning somewhere and then get a job halfway across the world. So sick of living in a bedroom :(
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It will probably take a while, but if you don’t need a mortgage maybe about 2 months from making an offer to keys in your hand (unless big unexpected stuff). Don’t rush, it’s a good very lucky thing that’s happening. The thing about not knowing where you want to be long term I totally get though. It might be tempting to use the windfall to rent for a little while, to have more than 1 room and see how an area really is to live in, but a lot of people might think that wasteful idk.
 
A lot of the houses here are leasehold - the one I'm living in now is one, and the landlady says she's never had an issue with it. But good to be aware of all these potential pitfalls.
 
bimble said:
It will probably take a while, but if you don’t need a mortgage maybe about 2 months from making an offer to keys in your hand (unless big unexpected stuff). Don’t rush, it’s a good very lucky thing that’s happening. The thing about not knowing where you want to be long term I totally get though. It might be tempting to use the windfall to rent for a little while, to have more than 1 room and see how an area really is to live in, but a lot of people might think that wasteful idk.
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I've been in this city for over six months now. Two months :( Plus I can't even make an offer yet, can I? So looking like end of March at the absolute earliest.
 
miss direct said:
I've been in this city for over six months now. Two months :( Plus I can't even make an offer yet, can I? So looking like end of March at the absolute earliest.
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If you know when the funds will be yours, then I think you can make offers if you find a place you like. You just have to explain your situation, to the agents.
 
There's a saying along the lines of being careful not to act in haste, repent at leisure.

You're in a very fortunate position of being flexible, in that you don't have to move by X date. I'd advise you not to be so anxious to solve a short term problem, maybe wanting a bit more space and privacy, that you create a long term and/or expensive one by rushing into a house purchase.

Why are you so eager? Is your current landlady a bit of a nightmare or are there problem neighbours or something, or is it too much of a trek to get to shops/supermarket or whatever?

Buying a house isn't like buying a dress whereby if you realise it's the wrong size or you don't like it you can easily return it.

Take your time to find the right house, not move into the first house that'll do.
 
Leafster said:
I had a similar situation when I moved here although not quite as bad. They took all the light fittings and curtain poles but failed to empty the loft, one of the sheds and part of the garage. Most of it was junk but I did give some of it away to friends and family but the rest went to the tip.
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In regards to fixtures and fittings, and rubbish, it was made very clear to me that I had to leave everything that I had listed, and that anything else including rubbish must be taken, as this to me, was part of the contract, I made double sure I emptied the loft and what not. I was very clear in my fixtures and fittings light fittings, bulbs, curtains, blinds would remain. Mainly because as others have pointed out it was more of a pain in the arse to remove them than it was to leave them!

Anyhoot, my point being, if its in the contract, you are probably within your rights to go back to your solictor to argue the toss if things are left behind that shouldn't be, or that things that were said to be included in fixtures and fittings suddenly were not!!

PITA I know, but if your seller decides to be a twonk play them back at their own game.
 
WouldBe said:
When I did mine I put rcbo's in, a combination of circuit breaker and RCD. That way if a fault develops only the affected circuit trips out whereas with a modern split load consumer unit if you get a fault then all the circuits on the rcd go off. :(
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Continuing with electricity but related to the opening post - if I have an RCD would that be the same as having an Electical Installation Condition Reports (EICR) - or negate the need for one? :confused:

My googling today has indicated that when you're buying a house you should ask for an EICR to make sure you don't get stung with loads of electrical work when you move in.. not sure if you need to have one when selling?
 
Hollis said:
Continuing with electricity but related to the opening post - if I have an RCD would that be the same as having an Electical Installation Condition Reports (EICR) - or negate the need for one? :confused:

My googling today has indicated that when you're buying a house you should ask for an EICR to make sure you don't get stung with loads of electrical work when you move in.. not sure if you need to have one when selling?
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You don’t need one when selling. Mine had an ancient block type electrical consumer unit. Very old. Definitely not up to current regs. It wasn’t a problem. It’s only a problem if the buyer decides it’s a problem.

If my buyer has wanted one I’d have told him to get it done himself and pay for it himself. I was under no legal obligation to provide one.

The only one you’re legally obligated to provide is the energy performance certificate (EPC)

A home buyers survey will nearly always say to get an EICR and gas safety test done. Because they are not sparkies or gas people and are not qualified to say if it is safe. They are just covering their arses and hoping to bring business to their electric/gas colleagues. Even if the house is less than 2 years old they will say the same and odds are a house that is not 2 years old still wouldn’t pass a current electrical standards test because the standards change all the time.

My buyer was well aware the electrics needing doing he was very through with his viewing and even came back with a second offer when he got out bid when someone else offered asking price. It was the main reason I choose him over the other asking price offer because I’d seen how through his viewing was and he’d asked enough questions that I was confident he knew what he was doing and wouldn’t piss me about. My instinct proved right. Everything went smoothly.

If for arguments sake I’d chosen the other buyer and after a survey they decided to want to knock £5k off no electric cert or for getting electrics done I’d have invited them to come over with a hairdryer and check every socket and turn as many items on as possible to prove it was safe and they wouldn’t get an electrical shock in its current state. In 9 years there it was never a problem and never had even a mild shock.

Truth be told I knew the electrics were out of date and if they insisted on knocking £5k off to get the electrics done after agreeing sale at asking price I’d have agreed because I’d accounted for the electrics being an issue.

But I got asking price with the buyer knowing the electrics were outdated. Happy days.

It’s one of those things you need to check in your initial viewing. Out of the 13 viewings I had I’d say less than 5 actually bothered to ask where the meters/consumer boards were which I thought was pretty shocking unless they had already decided by that point they were not interested.

When I first bought that house the consumer board being out of date to be honest was indeed one of those things I slipped up on purely because I didn’t know what I was doing or looking for. I looked at it but it didn’t even occur to me to think that’s not up to scratch. It’s one of several errors I made as a first time buyer. Thankfully it all worked out and the house never caused me any real problems in all the years I was there despite some scary wording on the home buyers survey and I really would ensure you have someone else view a property with you and also only really worry about things that are rated a 3 (or 1, whichever the worse rating is) in the homebuyers and base it on how old the house is. It’s like buying a used car. An 80 year old house is going to have some wear and tear and need some money aside at all times for upkeep when things need repairing. If you really don’t like the idea of that buy a new build with a guarantee. Of which no doubt plenty again like a new car warranty ‘isn’t included’ so read the small print. Odds are the electrics will be fine. Look at the plugs? Are they mega old, are the flush to the wall or stick out (not flush a good sign for old electrics) do they have on off switches? Look for black marks etc. Ask for things to be switched on.

Also check the water. Turn taps on. Check the pressure is good. Flush toilets. Look for signs of leaks.

I think you only really learn what to look for when you also sell your own property for the first time as you all of a sudden realise this that and other needs doing, and then you realise it’s stuff you should also check when you’re buying you’re next property. Like most things in life you learn more the more you do it, although it’s not something g I intend to do again anytime soon. People that move often have more money than sense or are insane.

There’s no doubt house buying is scary and surveys are scary but be realistic with the age and condition of the property. It’s not going to be perfect but at the end of the day the agent isn’t going to list it at the selling price if they don’t think they can get that much for it. It will only get lowered if it’s been on for ages or indeed a problem surfaces from an existing survey and the buyer pulled out, but that probably wouldn’t stop the seller still trying to achieve original asking price, unless the agent specifically tells them to lower it. End of the day the agent also wants to sell so they get paid so they shouldn’t be trying to overprice or push a property that’s going to struggle to sell at its current price unless the seller is being really stubborn and wants to hold out.
 
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cybershot said:
In regards to fixtures and fittings, and rubbish, it was made very clear to me that I had to leave everything that I had listed, and that anything else including rubbish must be taken, as this to me, was part of the contract, I made double sure I emptied the loft and what not. I was very clear in my fixtures and fittings light fittings, bulbs, curtains, blinds would remain. Mainly because as others have pointed out it was more of a pain in the arse to remove them than it was to leave them!

Anyhoot, my point being, if its in the contract, you are probably within your rights to go back to your solictor to argue the toss if things are left behind that shouldn't be, or that things that were said to be included in fixtures and fittings suddenly were not!!

PITA I know, but if your seller decides to be a twonk play them back at their own game.
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If it had been something major I would have gone back to the solicitor but the rubbish clearance didn't cost me anything as I did it myself so only a bit of time really. My brother got a lawnmower out of it and some friends got a massive pizza oven (I can't remember what else I gave away but have just remembered some of it went to a charity shop too).

As for the fittings, I would have replaced them at some point so it just accelerated my plans.
 
I seem to remember advice to check ceilings for signs of damp/leaks.

Just noticed your thread title says "home" rather than "house" which is nice :) , Nice too that people seem to have avoided use of the word "property" which is a term I really dislike because it's so impersonal.
 
AnnO'Neemus said:
Why are you so eager? Is your current landlady a bit of a nightmare or are there problem neighbours or something, or is it too much of a trek to get to shops/supermarket or whatever?

Buying a house isn't like buying a dress whereby if you realise it's the wrong size or you don't like it you can easily return it.

Take your time to find the right house, not move into the first house that'll do.
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Yes, you're right.

Well, where I am right now was only supposed to be temporary, for a month at first. It's now turned into five (and looks like it'll be at least seven). I just feel somehow in the way. Doesn't help that we are both at home all the time (although in a few weeks I won't be any longer as I should be out at work, assuming schools open again).

She's not a nightmare, she's very nice, it's just that I'm nearly 40 and I'm finding it hard sharing, plus living in one room is rather depressing. But yes, rushing into a purchase just for the sake of it wouldn't be wise.
 
miss direct You sound really discouraged and I think a thread like this will inevitably feel a bit overwhelming as everyone shares decades of experience. Also, the home owners posting here are thinking about what they looked for in their family homes, or their second (or later) house purchases. You’re not looking for a “forever” home.

The truth is that very little in house buying is irreversible. You don’t have to keep whatever you buy forever. No home is perfect anyway.

My first flat was leasehold and I never had a scrap of trouble with it. Most leaseholds work perfectly well and are not rip offs or run by controlling despots.

My first flat was also overlooking a motorway-style A road. That’s why I could afford it, and it’s why the buyer who bought it from me could afford it. There will always be a healthy market for properties at the bottom end of the price scale. Young people with no kids who just want a place to call their own. The same reasons you will buy somewhere despite its faults will also apply to someone else when you’re ready to sell.

Few areas are really so “rough” that they interfere with happily enjoying your home. “Rough” is often Daily Mail-esque shorthand for “poor people live here” or “lots of immigrants” or “kids play/hang out in the local streets”. There’s a website (I don’t know the name) where you can check crimes that have happened in a given postcode, and that will give you a more realistic idea - though remember, everywhere has burglaries and vehicle thefts.

Sheffield is where you live now, and with things being as they are, you’re not likely to be going anywhere else for at least six months. It’s a nice mid-sized city with decent employment opportunities and lots going on. You might not stay there, but you may as well put your inheritance into a property there since it will be useful right now. If you want to live abroad again temporarily, you can rent it out or get someone in to house sit. If you decide to put down permanent roots somewhere that isn’t Sheffield, you can sell up. If, in a few years, you’ve got a steady job and you fancy somewhere bigger/quieter/nicer/closer to work or with better light/a garden/a second bathroom/more bedrooms/a swimming pool and helipad, then you can sell up and get a mortgage based on your salary and use the sale as a massive deposit.

Don’t feel burdened by this thing. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to do something that will provide enormous financial security. Go and see places and let yourself get excited. Or wait a couple of months til the money is ready, if that makes it easier to feel you’re ready to be part of the process.
 
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