Anyone else having a nightmare trying to find a home?
Discussion
I've exchanged now. Getting keys in a couple of weeks.
I'm spending the time now doing some planning and buying bits and pieces i'll need (eg. painting kit!). This is going to be an expensive few months
Given the fact i have nothing, it's almost tempting to get professional painters in, the difference probably wouldn't be all that much given how much kit i'll need to get. Though maybe that's taking some of the fun out of the first house!
I'm spending the time now doing some planning and buying bits and pieces i'll need (eg. painting kit!). This is going to be an expensive few months
Given the fact i have nothing, it's almost tempting to get professional painters in, the difference probably wouldn't be all that much given how much kit i'll need to get. Though maybe that's taking some of the fun out of the first house!
Matt.. said:
I've exchanged now. Getting keys in a couple of weeks.
I'm spending the time now doing some planning and buying bits and pieces i'll need (eg. painting kit!). This is going to be an expensive few months
Given the fact i have nothing, it's almost tempting to get professional painters in, the difference probably wouldn't be all that much given how much kit i'll need to get. Though maybe that's taking some of the fun out of the first house!
Firstly congratulations OP.I'm spending the time now doing some planning and buying bits and pieces i'll need (eg. painting kit!). This is going to be an expensive few months
Given the fact i have nothing, it's almost tempting to get professional painters in, the difference probably wouldn't be all that much given how much kit i'll need to get. Though maybe that's taking some of the fun out of the first house!
Get the painting done yourself, it's not difficult and it's pretty satisfying and you'll save money you can spend in other areas plus you'll learn as you go and you only buy the kit once. My tip would be not to skimp on the quality of the brushes, rollers and paint with two exceptions. If you have a dark colour to cover up paint it with cheap white paint a couple of times and then use 2 coats of quality paint and also for gloss rollers get the cheapest of these that you can and treat them as single use. They're about £4 for 10 in Screwfix, or £10 for 10 in B&Q so I know where I shop!
Oh and I know it sounds simple but you'd be amazed at how many people change their carpets and then paint, funnily enough painting over old carpets works better!
Edited by SunsetZed on Friday 27th June 09:08
Firstly, congratulations fella! We're still waiting to exchange contracts.
As the previous poster said, doing the jobs yourself will always save you a significant wedge of cash in the long run compared to getting the pros in. Obviously, it depends on the complexity of the job, as to how difficult it is to get a good finish, but painting is one of those jobs that you rarely need a pro it to get a tidy finish. Plus, once you've got the kit in, the next time you need to touch something up, or fancy a change of colour, the kit's there ready and waiting.
Using the last logic is how I've got the Mrs to agree to me buying some new tools ahead of the impending move! Justified to enable me to tart up 'her' kitchen, but will come in for me playing with proper man-toys in the garage!
As the previous poster said, doing the jobs yourself will always save you a significant wedge of cash in the long run compared to getting the pros in. Obviously, it depends on the complexity of the job, as to how difficult it is to get a good finish, but painting is one of those jobs that you rarely need a pro it to get a tidy finish. Plus, once you've got the kit in, the next time you need to touch something up, or fancy a change of colour, the kit's there ready and waiting.
Using the last logic is how I've got the Mrs to agree to me buying some new tools ahead of the impending move! Justified to enable me to tart up 'her' kitchen, but will come in for me playing with proper man-toys in the garage!
Seems to be more-or-less normal at the moment when you're part of a chain, according to a friend of ours who works for a mortgage broker. Something to do with greater scrutiny by banks, in addition to general increase in workload due to current state of the market.
In our experience (very nearly four months from offer to exchange - and still counting), the biggest hold-ups have seem to be where the mortgage company uses a firm of solicitors from a panel, who are overworked, on small fees, to do their checking, regardless of who you appoint to do your conveyancing.
Chuck in three lots of those, as there are in our chain, and you're left with the world turning faster than they turn around paperwork. Immensely frustrating!
In our experience (very nearly four months from offer to exchange - and still counting), the biggest hold-ups have seem to be where the mortgage company uses a firm of solicitors from a panel, who are overworked, on small fees, to do their checking, regardless of who you appoint to do your conveyancing.
Chuck in three lots of those, as there are in our chain, and you're left with the world turning faster than they turn around paperwork. Immensely frustrating!
hornetrider said:
Well done and congrats. Is that 3.5 months from offer accepted to exchange? Seems quite a long time - any reason?
One person in the chain was having money issues it seems, and wasn't communicating it to anyone. They would agree to dates, then change their mind on the day. VERY annoying, and stressful.I was ready to exchange in April (eg. mortgage offer, everything signed, money waiting...). I am the first time buyer at the bottom of the chain. I don't really understand how it took people so long to be ready!
Got to hand my notice in on my flat later (i've lived here for a lot of years!). Kind of sad!
Matt.. said:
Now told they're not going to be out until 6pm. I think they're having a laugh.
Yeh that’s not really on, mid-day is the unwritten rule isn’t it?On a side note, we originally saw our house on the 28th December, moved in last week, is 6 months to buy somewhere some kind of record?
I have a new found hatred for solicitors.
...and in.
Needs a very good clean, and removal of all the rubbish they've hidden! and some bookcases were hiding stuff, ha. The fun now starts. Doesn't really look so bad though, it's ~100yr old terrace, so was never going to be perfect!
What do i do about things like electric/gas/water/phone? They're all still connected i think, so what happens with those now i've moved in?
Needs a very good clean, and removal of all the rubbish they've hidden! and some bookcases were hiding stuff, ha. The fun now starts. Doesn't really look so bad though, it's ~100yr old terrace, so was never going to be perfect!
What do i do about things like electric/gas/water/phone? They're all still connected i think, so what happens with those now i've moved in?
Edited by Matt.. on Tuesday 8th July 20:56
Accepted an offer in April, exchanged last Thursday and due to complete on Friday. Seems like it has taken forever and that's just with three people in the chain. We have moved out of our house and moved into rented whilst we look for something suitable. It seems to be really difficult to find anything near what we are looking for.
Prices really seem to be falling north of Bristol. Out of our price range but a house that has been up at £1.5M came down to £1.35M last week.
Quite a few in the £600-£850K band have fallen by £50K or more in the last couple of weeks; one from £650K to £560K in one go!
Prices really seem to be falling north of Bristol. Out of our price range but a house that has been up at £1.5M came down to £1.35M last week.
Quite a few in the £600-£850K band have fallen by £50K or more in the last couple of weeks; one from £650K to £560K in one go!
We exchanged and then completed on 1st August and have been living in a rented house since. We have a decent cash budget (IMO) but cannot seem to find anything that fits the bill.
We have had three or four that look to be good possibilities, the most recent one of these today. I have now started to search the local planning applications before taking things any further with the agents.
One property in a fairly rural location was going to end up only one field away from a major housing expansion; this would have completely ruined the superb views that were a strong point for the property.
The house that we viewed externally this evening is due on the market tomorrow but the agent gave us the heads up today. Checked on Google satellite and everything looked positive; walked the area this evening and still looked good. However, checked the planning applications and there is a dispute over a recently erected 'agricultural building' very close by and a second application to erect a two storey second agricultural building on the same site. The two storey looks suspiciously like it could be turned into a house and the application has been turned down. However, in the objection from the vendor of the property that we were looking at, she talks about recent flash floods and poor drainage to the area!
Funny, the estate agent never mentioned any of this.
It's now a case of waiting to see what else comes onto the market although we have one long shot still kicking around. It's an acre of ground with an old cottage and 1960s extension at the end of a no through lane in the right area. The cottage and extension really need to be demolished and a new house built further away from the boundary. We are reasonably close on price but I am struggling with having to pay somewhere near £500K and then demolish the existing dwelling to start again.
We have had three or four that look to be good possibilities, the most recent one of these today. I have now started to search the local planning applications before taking things any further with the agents.
One property in a fairly rural location was going to end up only one field away from a major housing expansion; this would have completely ruined the superb views that were a strong point for the property.
The house that we viewed externally this evening is due on the market tomorrow but the agent gave us the heads up today. Checked on Google satellite and everything looked positive; walked the area this evening and still looked good. However, checked the planning applications and there is a dispute over a recently erected 'agricultural building' very close by and a second application to erect a two storey second agricultural building on the same site. The two storey looks suspiciously like it could be turned into a house and the application has been turned down. However, in the objection from the vendor of the property that we were looking at, she talks about recent flash floods and poor drainage to the area!
Funny, the estate agent never mentioned any of this.
It's now a case of waiting to see what else comes onto the market although we have one long shot still kicking around. It's an acre of ground with an old cottage and 1960s extension at the end of a no through lane in the right area. The cottage and extension really need to be demolished and a new house built further away from the boundary. We are reasonably close on price but I am struggling with having to pay somewhere near £500K and then demolish the existing dwelling to start again.
530dTPhil said:
We are reasonably close on price but I am struggling with having to pay somewhere near £500K and then demolish the existing dwelling to start again.
Decided against this in the end. The finished article wouldn't stack up financially so still searching.Prices for properties over £400K are still reducing. The biggest drop in the last fortnight locally (South Gloucestershire) was a nice house on for six weeks at £1.5M which dropped to £1.25M in one move. Still probably overpriced though and well out of my price band.
We accepted an offer on our house a few weeks ago. Buyers desperate to move in (they're getting turfed out of their flat) but there's not much about that we like. One nice place that is rather optimistically priced, that we've made a pretty good offer on (fair offer, not piss take)... Who knows when things will progress for us.
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