The House Thread

[Spikey M]

My friend was almost scared into not buying because of Brexit, but surely if house prices fall by such an extent to make it worthwhile waiting then they will only have done so because of an actual economic crisis, in which case nobody will be lending you any money to buy even a cheaper one.

And nobody will bother selling.

[Lewis]

And that.

[Mike]

Mine does not have a balcony. Thats, not a feature that I was looking for. I struggled to find an apartment that had a bath. Seems like alot of apartments are being built with showers only. Ive ended relationships with girls because they don't take a bath and have showers only. Im disgusted.

I have a juliette balcony which while not amazing, means I get some good double patio doors in my living-room. There's enough room on the 'balcony' to technically stand on, but you're taking your life into your own hands. I have a bath too. So nailing it really.

[phonics]

Absolutely nuts storm last night flooded my house and took down almost every tree in the garden. Thank god for insurance.

Saw a couple of people died so could be worse.

[SincereTheRebel]

Absolutely nuts storm last night flooded my house and took down almost every tree in the garden. Thank god for insurance.

Saw a couple of people died so could be worse.

Damm. Any bad damage? You are currently living in The Alps?

[phonics]

The carpets go squelch, the parquee flooring is fucked and it smells like wet dog. Moved all the elctronics the moment I saw water coming through the door. No I don't live in the alps.

[SincereTheRebel]

We could do with a TTh map that pinpoints everyone’s living city.

[Boydy]

Saw a nice house in what I thought was an okay area of Belfast there. Had a look at it on street view and there's a house across the street boarded up with 'UVF' scrawled across the boards on the windows.

:moop:

[Shindig]

Motivated seller.

[Spikey M]

How many knee caps do you actually need anyway? Me and DS get by alright.

[Bam]

Have you lost a kneecap Spikey?

[Spikey M]

I may as well have, the useless cunt.

[Boydy]

Couple of places I've enquired about viewing now and the estate agent has told me there's an offer around 10k over the asking price. Given that housing in NI is pretty cheap, 10k is a significant percentage of the value. Maybe about 7-8%. Is this for real or are estate agents trying to drive up prices?

[Boydy]

Also fuck estate agents being absolutely useless at doing evening or weekend viewings.

[SvN]

I've found a brand new hatred from Estate Agents while trying to sell my house. They're all total cunts, every single one of them.

[Boydy]

They're on a par with recruiters.

[Mike]

They're also the slowest workers in any job. Takes them weeks to do anything.

[Raoul Duke]

Couple of places I've enquired about viewing now and the estate agent has told me there's an offer around 10k over the asking price. Given that housing in NI is pretty cheap, 10k is a significant percentage of the value. Maybe about 7-8%. Is this for real or are estate agents trying to drive up prices?

Lol, no. It's a buyer's market and nothing is selling at asking price. They're desperate because the wheels are coming off and they've got bills to pay. Fuck these people into a swamp

[Boydy]

Lol, no. It's a buyer's market and nothing is selling at asking price. They're desperate because the wheels are coming off and they've got bills to pay. Fuck these people into a swamp

I dunno, I just checked and one of the ones that I was told had an offer of around 10k over the asking price is now listed as 'sale agreed'.

Edit: The market here still seems to be doing alright
https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/northern-ireland-house-price-rise-biggest-in-uk-37933645.html

[SvN]

We've had an offer tonight that's £2k below asking price, which we're going to provisionally accept. I'm not convinced it will end up happening. The guy is an investor and seems to be throwing offers randomly at houses in the area. Plus he started £30k below asking price yesterday, and has come up in tiny increments since then.

My wife is feeling really optimistic about it, but I think he's just a timewasting tosser.

[Josh]

We sold some land recently and had so many fucking timewasters. Not sure what they get out of it by offering money they haven't got.

[Boydy]

Viewed a house this afternoon. First one I've seen. I've no idea what I'm doing. It was quite nice but I didn't love it.

[SvN]

Kick the bricks to check it's nice and solid.

[Boydy]

It had a bit of a musty smell but is that just it being locked up with no one in it at the minute? And the plaster on a wall in one of the spare bedrooms looked a bit shit but is that just a case of needing it replastered? Or could it be underlying problems? I don't know these things.

[SvN]

Take an adult with you.

[Boydy]

This is why I've been trying to get evening or weekend viewings so my dad could maybe come along but estate agents are fucking twats.

[SincereTheRebel]

I had email saying from the lawyer sayingThe Contractual doc is still being drafted. Its been 3 months on this bullshit.

[Spikey M]

If Boyd is getting arsey about estate agents, I can't wait until the Solicitors get involved. 12 weeks of heel dragging and attempting to justify their price/inactivity. :drool:

[Boydy]

I'll knock them out.

[Spikey M]

That will cost you £70 for the letter they'll send you explaining why they caused you to take such action.

[Boydy]

What do they even do in the process? Sign a few forms and receive the deeds? I could do that.

[Spikey M]

What do they even do in the process? Sign a few forms and receive the deeds? I could do that.

They do very, very little you couldn't do yourself. Including writing to the local council to ask if the house is in a flooding/earthquake danger zone. £70. Robbing cunts.

[Giggles]

So long as they don't ask about warzone.

[Jimmy Floyd]

If Boyd is getting arsey about estate agents, I can't wait until the Solicitors get involved. 12 weeks of heel dragging and attempting to justify their price/inactivity. :drool:

My solicitor first managed to send me somebody else's lease agreement (they claimed impossible, but the person on the wrong lease has a surname that would be next to mine in the alphabet so they've clearly pulled it out of the next door file like retards) and then took three weeks just to confirm that they had received my deposit.

I'm now in limbo until god knows when as the flat has been bought (not exchanged, but it's all done) but we're all waiting for the council to grant planning permission for them to keep the road/pavement in its existing state, as the developer has been caught pulling a fast one trying to cheat its previously granted planning permission. Might move September if I'm lucky.

[SvN]

My house is now "Sold STC". We're travelling to the Midlands next weekend to do some viewings. I still feel sceptical it will come to anything, but I've gone from 10% to 50% in terms of optimism.

[SvN]

So, yesterday we spent the entire day driving around different areas of Warwickshire and the Midlands viewing houses. The end result is that we love one house that ticks every box and is 10 times better than the Rightmove photos suggest. It's been really poorly marketed - a handful of photos, no floor plan, and no measurements. However, when we got there it was absolutely huge, and would be a massive upgrade on our current place. It's on for £390k, but we think we can probably get for £370k - the vendor (who did the viewing) said they'd had "a few" viewings so far and no offers - it's been on the market since March, and has come down from £450k. I almost feel like telling them they've been fucked over by their estate agents, but their loss might be my gain.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I'm going to be doing some property development with my Mum.

I put in just over £20k into the current house which has now sold and we have a bid accepted for a new place.

Bit daunting because the new place is in an excellent location and could be worth a mint if done right but there's loads of things wrong with it right now.

Survey came back the other day and there are only like four things listed as 1 (need no work at all). Structurally it's sound and the walls are thick (it's right next to the train station and it was done so you can't hear the trains) but inside there is a lot of work. Rising damp downstairs, electrics need re-wiring, there are no gas/water etc certificates, potential for rot in the floors downstairs etc etc. There's also no parking at the property (have to pay for a permit and park about 5-10 minutes walk away).

Current plan, largely because it's right next to the station and no parking, is to turn the place into two two-bedroom flats. We'll sell the top one after about a year and keep the bottom for rent.

Also means I'll be living with my Mum for a few more years but the plan is to have a flat with no mortgage at the end of it to live in as well as some rental income.

[Spikey M]

You could buy a house if you didn't fly to Frankfurt everytime you wanted a hotdog.

[Pen]

We’re selling our flat on Wednesday and buying a new one next Thursday.

We really bought the current one at the right time as the price we’re getting is 30k more than we paid two and a half years back. The one we’re buying is roughly 20k under the market value as the sellers knocked off the agent fee as there was no need for one. We also sold ours by ourselves so that’s a hefty saving for us too. Really happy with it all as we get 30 m2 more living space and a yard and it’s all in one floor. Our living costs will be the same as now too as we’ll own the land it is built on unlike in our current place.

My family will be closer to us too and it’s a five minute walk away from the tube.

[Boydy]

Going to see a house tomorrow after work and if it's as nice as it looks in the pictures (probably not - are they ever?), I think I'll be wanting to stick an offer in. The ad says 'asking price' rather than 'offers around' or 'offers over'. Should I bid below that first to see what happens or what?

[Pepe]

Always.

[SvN]

Its always worth offering low to start with, unless you know for a fact it's super competitive. My last house was "Offers over £265k" and we got it for £250k.

[Magic]

6 weeks now and only 1 viewing. So much for my BIDDING WAR.

[Spikey M]

It's a cold war.

[Boydy]

Its always worth offering low to start with, unless you know for a fact it's super competitive. My last house was "Offers over £265k" and we got it for £250k.

I found another house on the same road that had recently gone sale agreed for the asking price of this one. But it had an attic converted into an office/extra room so you were getting a bit more space.

Not sure how long this one's been on the market but I know there aren't any offers yet. I reckon it's probably overvalued.

[SvN]

6 weeks now and only 1 viewing. So much for my BIDDING WAR.

That's tragic (mind the pun). I can only assume it's not a desirable area to live in, as you'd at least be getting viewings even if it was overvalued. Do you have any idea how many views and saves you're getting on Rightmove?

[Magic]

That's tragic (mind the pun). I can only assume it's not a desirable area to live in, as you'd at least be getting viewings even if it was overvalued. Do you have any idea how many views and saves you're getting on Rightmove?

The dundee fowk will confirm the area. We've seen massive overspend even just round the corner so I don't understand.

[Magic]

https://www.tspc.co.uk/3-Bed-Semi-Detached-Villa-For-Sale-16-Morar-Place-Broughty-Ferry-DD5-3HN

For reference.

[SvN]

Is that your house?

[Spikey M]

That goes for £350k round here.

[Magic]

Is that your house?

Obviously.

[SvN]

I can't find it on Rightmove

[Magic]

I can't find it on Rightmove

This isn't England. Online estate agents have no place up here. Purple Bricks has failed miserably and Right Move nobody looks on.

[Spikey M]

:cab:

[SvN]

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/find.html?locationIdentifier=POSTCODE%5E220020&maxPrice=200000&radius=5.0&propertyTypes=&includeSSTC=false&mustHave=&dontShow=&furnishTypes=&keywords=

I think I've figured out why you haven't had any viewings.

Do you think people still look in the newspaper for their next house?

[Spikey M]

Christ. I need to move.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

It is Dundee though...

[Magic]

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/find.html?locationIdentifier=POSTCODE%5E220020&maxPrice=200000&radius=5.0&propertyTypes=&includeSSTC=false&mustHave=&dontShow=&furnishTypes=&keywords=

I think I've figured out why you haven't had any viewings.

Do you think people still look in the newspaper for their next house?

5 miles. :D

DD5 1/2/3 is the most expensive postcode and is very exclusive. The radius is about 2 miles. So having changed the search to reflect that, please show me a bigger, better presented house than mine?

[SvN]

I think you completely missed my point. You're not getting viewings because noone can find your house, as it's not listed on the website that every under the age of 70 uses to search for houses.

[Magic]

I think you completely missed my point. You're not getting viewings because noone can find your house, as it's not listed on the website that every under the age of 70 uses to search for houses.

Like I said SvN, if you want to sell a house in Tayside you go on TSPC. In Scotland the market is different.

[Pepe]

Yes SvN, Magic knows best. His record viewings speak for themselves.

[SincereTheRebel]

Like I said SvN, if you want to sell a house in Tayside you go on TSPC. In Scotland the market is different.

If you are desperate, I'll trade you for eight random PS2 games and a half eaten cheese and branston pickle sandwich.

[SvN]

Let me check how much we've got left in the TTH fund.

[Adamski]

I’ve never heard of anyone not using Rightmove.

[Boydy]

Rightmove isn't that popular in Northern Ireland either. Propertypal is the most popular here and I don't think it covers many other areas.

[Josh]

Like I said SvN, if you want to sell a house in Tayside you go on TSPC. In Scotland the market is different.

But why not have it on Rightmove? Your EA should be putting it on there, it will cost them like £100 but it should be standard practice.

There are enough houses on Rightmove to suggest you're wrong. But I suppose your viewings speak for themselves...

[Baz]

& Zoopla.

[Boydy]

That house I saw tonight was really lovely. It was pretty much as nice as in the pictures. Only thing is though, the street's pretty narrow and there are cars parked all along both sides. It seems like it'd be a nightmare trying to get parked in front of your own house and getting in/out of the street as well as only one car can go down it at a time but traffic can go both ways.

[Baz]

That house I saw tonight was really lovely. It was pretty much as nice as in the pictures. Only thing is though, the street's pretty narrow and there are cars parked all along both sides. It seems like it'd be a nightmare trying to get parked in front of your own house and getting in/out of the street as well as only one car can go down it at a time but traffic can go both ways.That would genuinely put me off even considering it.

[Spikey M]

Depends on your budget doesn't it. If you can afford to tick both location and property, then do, but if you have to compromise then I'd do it on location (within reason).

[SvN]

Exactly. It's very unlikely you'll be able to tick every single box unless you're spending high 6 figures. It's usually a case of compromising things you care less about.

[Giggles]

Parking would be more important to me than nearly everything else.

[Shindig]

'Fiercely protected' doesn't sound like an area I'd want to live in. :D

[Pepe]

The apartment I am moving to next month has two garages. :cool:

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Parking would be more important to me than nearly everything else.

It's what's bugging me the most about our potential new place.

No parking on site so I have to pay £84 a year to park 5 minutes walk away.

[igor_balis]

So, yesterday we spent the entire day driving around different areas of Warwickshire and the Midlands viewing houses. The end result is that we love one house that ticks every box and is 10 times better than the Rightmove photos suggest. It's been really poorly marketed - a handful of photos, no floor plan, and no measurements. However, when we got there it was absolutely huge, and would be a massive upgrade on our current place. It's on for £390k, but we think we can probably get for £370k - the vendor (who did the viewing) said they'd had "a few" viewings so far and no offers - it's been on the market since March, and has come down from £450k. I almost feel like telling them they've been fucked over by their estate agents, but their loss might be my gain.

Ah, my enz. Which bits you looking at? Leam and the surrounding area is nice, move there.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Parking is the one slight unknown at the place I'm buying. It's down a sort of side street which doesn't lead anywhere except to these properties, and there is on and off street parking space, but it isn't 'allocated' - so am I to assume then that every cunt will just park outside my place even though there is no real reason to do so?

I think it'll probably be alright but there is no arena of life where people are bigger cunts than the parking arena.

[Lewis]

Rightmove isn't that popular in Northern Ireland either. Propertypal is the most popular here and I don't think it covers many other areas.

Can you filter by religion on that?

[SincereTheRebel]

Parking has never been a problem for me. That does not bother me. Its a home with a bathtub. New homes made for one person are only having showers fitted. Saving space I guess. Fuck off.

[SvN]

Ah, my enz. Which bits you looking at? Leam and the surrounding area is nice, move there.

Leamington, Warwick, Stratford, Solihull are the main areas. We've dismissed quite a few villages around Leamington because they're just too small. We found a house we loved in Southam, but then went to have lunch in the town centre and it was just absolutely dead.

[Spikey M]

Stratford is amazing. Move there.

[SvN]

We're struggling to find anywhere suitable in our budget, unfortunately. We'd need an extra 50-70k to be able to get what we want.

The only things we can afford are in awful new build estates a couple of miles outside of the actual town.

[Boydy]

Is it just me or do new builds all seem very cramped and small for the money? I suppose it's developers maximising their profits but they're shite.

[SvN]

Yep they really are. They all have a "lounge/diner" or "kitchen/diner" so you end up losing a room.

[Andy]

Yep they really are. They all have a "lounge/diner" or "kitchen/diner" so you end up losing a room.

Funny you say that, In the last few years I've converted so many houses to have a kitchen/diner rather than separate rooms. It was also the first Inside job at my own house.

If I was going to buy a new build to live in for a long time I'd want a big kitchen /diner rather than two rooms.

[SvN]

We have a lounge/diner too, but they started off as separate rooms. The problem with the new builds is that you don't get anywhere near as much space as you would if you converted two rooms. Instead you get a single room that's slightly bigger than a normal lounge.

[Jimmy Floyd]

The payoff you get with new builds is that they were't built by some long dead shark in 1965.

[niko_cee]

No, they're just built by 21st century sharks.

At least the ones of days gone by used actual cement and mortar to hold things together, and didn't try to keep the land the house is built on for a permanent ground rent.

[Lewis]

Wouldn't your settee end up absorbing all of your cooking smells/moisture over time in a 'lounge/diner'? They're the second most stupid thing in contemporary [posh] houses, after balconies overlooking your own garden.

[SvN]

Only if you cook your meals in your dining room.

[Lewis]

I suppose it depends on the size. You see flats with them and you wonder where it all goes.

[SvN]

The living space in our first flat was essentially a single room with a kitchen at one end and the dining table squeezed next to the sofa. The biggest problem was the noise from the washing machine.

[Spikey M]

Our old flat was an open plan new build and it was much better. Everything being separate is just irritating.

[Adamski]

A dining room is a huge waste of space, we’ve got kitchen/diner/living space at the back of the house then a front living room separate.

[SvN]

If you've still got the extra space but just knocked down the wall then that's great.

[Boydy]

Yeah, open plan is good but 'open plan' in the sense of new builds where it's a kitchen that they've stuck a tiny table into the corner of and you have less space is shit.

[igor_balis]

Leamington, Warwick, Stratford, Solihull are the main areas. We've dismissed quite a few villages around Leamington because they're just too small. We found a house we loved in Southam, but then went to have lunch in the town centre and it was just absolutely dead.

In fairness they're all just about the most expensive bits of Warks/WMids you could have picked.

What kind of place you looking for, big house? Leamington proper has plenty of lovely Regency houses/flats with super modern yuppie interiors. Probably couldn't afford more than an apartment at your budget, though.

The villages/small towns like Southam etc are ALL dead around here as well, mate. You'll be lucky to get a pub and a post office. Lutterworth is alright? It's a bit more Leicester way, but it has about 5 pubs, a couple of half decent restaurants and is right by the M1 and a stones throw from the M6.

Rugby is worth considering as well. Property here is cheap, there's loads of good pubs and restaurants (and this is something that's constantly improving), and it's incredibly well connected. I can get from my front door to London Euston in less than 90 minutes. There's loads of soulless newbuild estates popping up all the time, but the centre and surrounding parts have some really lovely old Victorian and Edwardian houses.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-82611539.html

I mean look at how cute this is, and it's right by the big nice park in the town centre. Corner shop 30 seconds away with an excellent selection of sandwiches too.

[igor_balis]

SvN

Market Harborough is great as well, thriving town centre, loads of good shops, but it's probably quite expensive there and it's quite a bit more East than the other places you're looking at

[SvN]

Rugby is too far for me to travel to work every day, unfortunately. I did consider it, but one of the reasons we're moving is so I can be in the office every day - so I'm only really considering areas that allow me to do door to door within the hour, and have the option of getting the train if I want. This rules out quite a lot of areas, which is why we ended up with the areas selected, and ruled out all of the nice villages around Leamington.

We considered Coventry until we spent 5 minutes driving around there.

We've lived in the city centres of Birmingham and Southampton for the last 12 years, so we're not quite ready to move to a tiny village with a pub and post office. That's why the areas mentioned appeal, they're all fairly lively as long as we can live within walking distance of the town centre.

[Spikey M]

Never consider Coventry. Never.

[Boydy]

Not gonna bother with that one I saw the other night. The parking/busy street situation put me off too much. Got a viewing on Saturday morning for a house that's quite nice. No off-street parking there but it's in a little cul-de-sac which should be fairly quiet. The bathroom's got some horrible old-fashioned coloured suite in it but I could put up with that for a while and get a new one when money allows.

Also got a viewing on Monday for another one which looks really lovely but the asking price is right at the maximum of what I could afford so dunno if it'll be doable.

[Giggles]

Not gonna bother with that one I saw the other night. The parking/busy street situation put me off too much. Got a viewing on Saturday morning for a house that's quite nice. No off-street parking there but it's in a little cul-de-sac which should be fairly quiet. The bathroom's got some horrible old-fashioned coloured sweet in it but I could put up with that for a while and get a new one when money allows.

Also got a viewing on Monday for another one which looks really lovely but the asking price is right at the maximum of what I could afford so dunno if it'll be doable.

Sweet? Are you voice dictating these posts?

[Baz]

Shots fired wullie

#RIP

[Boydy]

Sweet? Are you voice dictating these posts?

Yes. :uhoh:

[SvN]

When I was about 10 my dad came back from a shopping trip to declare he'd "seen some amazing sweets" at the shop he was at, and I was really upset that he hadn't bought me any.

[Baz]

Did he mean bathrooms or settees?

[SvN]

He was on about tasty treats, he just hated my guts

[Boydy]

House I saw this morning wasn't all that nice when I actually saw it in person.

I'm getting a bit fed up with this now.

[SincereTheRebel]

House I saw this morning wasn't all that nice when I actually saw it in person.

I'm getting a bit fed up with this now.

Keep going. Took me a year to find the one i wanted. They are were shit.

[SvN]

Did a second viewing of a house this weekend, made an offer and had it accepted. I hope that's the end of it now, and all goes plain sailing from here.

[Ian]

I'm going to view a flat on Wednesday that would hopefully save me money and make my commute either significantly quicker or I could just walk, depending on the weather.

Given when I got the one I'm in it was pretty much spot-on for what I needed at the time I think this is only the second time I've ever actually been to view anything.

[SincereTheRebel]

Did a second viewing of a house this weekend, made an offer and had it accepted. I hope that's the end of it now, and all goes plain sailing from here.

It is just the start lad.

[SvN]

The last house was absolutely fine, but we didn't have one to sell that time. It's the sale that I'm worried about, if he pulls out or decides to be a dickhead then we're fucked.

[Pen]

Surely you have clauses in your offer for situations like that?

[SvN]

Obviously if our sale falls through we're not obligated to buy the new one. But it puts us back to square one, and we have a very specific, tight timeline we're aiming for.

[Pen]

Ah, fair enough if it’s a question of time more than anything else. We had “fines” for pulling out of the sale when we were selling and buying. We’re actually going to the bank tomorrow to finalize the deal for our new place. We sold ours last Wednesday.

[Boydy]

Right, house I saw this morning was lovely. I want to put an offer in. There aren't any yet. It says offers around £139,950. Where do I start? 135? That too low?

[Pepe]

Hasn't even started the new job and he's already spending the money.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Right, house I saw this morning was lovely. I want to put an offer in. There aren't any yet. It says offers around £139,950. Where do I start? 135? That too low?

Depends how long it's been on the market, the condition, how eager the seller is to move on etc etc.

[Baz]

Right, house I saw this morning was lovely. I want to put an offer in. There aren't any yet. It says offers around £139,950. Where do I start? 135? That too low?

130

[Boydy]

Depends how long it's been on the market, the condition, how eager the seller is to move on etc etc.
Not too sure how long it's been on the market. It's in very good condition - I'd be able to move right in, it wouldn't need anything done. Not sure about eager the seller is to move.

130
Is that not taking the piss a bit?

I took my mum with me to see it and I said to 135 to her and she said that's probably too low.

[Baz]

It's not like they're gonna say 'you took the piss with that first offer so we refuse to even discuss any further offers' is it? Aim low; you might end up with a bargain. Just make sure they take it off the market as soon as they accept an offer. :moop:

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I wouldn't say 130 is too low.

It's still a serious offer.

[Spikey M]

135 is fine. 130 would put my nose out of joint.

[Boydy]

The estate agent seems to be closed now. :moop:

[Magic]

Got another viewing. Is it wrong to creep the prospective buyer on Facebook? An O&G worker. :drool:

[SvN]

£130k is probably too low if it's just gone on the market. If it's been on more than 4 weeks, I'd say it's completely fine.

Also depends what the exact wording is on the price. If it's "Offers over" then yeah, you're taking the piss.

[Pepe]

Or just choose what you're willing to pay and go with that.

[Boydy]

£130k is probably too low if it's just gone on the market. If it's been on more than 4 weeks, I'd say it's completely fine.

Also depends what the exact wording is on the price. If it's "Offers over" then yeah, you're taking the piss.
Offers around.

[Boydy]

Okay so it's been on the market since the first week of June. And the owners have another house they live in elsewhere and are just renting this to their niece at the minute.

[SvN]

I think that puts them in somewhat of a strong position, they're clearly in no rush to sell. Still, a low offer can't hurt as long as you're willing to come up if needed.

[Boydy]

Gone in at 135.

[Boydy]

Just rang up about an apartment just down the road from that house I've put the offer in for. It was listed at 115 and is just about to go to sale agreed for 123.

The estate agents there said there's loads of people wanting to buy and not enough people selling. The estate agent for this place this morning said they're not seeing that many houses coming on the market either. Bit worrying.

[Pepe]

Buy Magic's and be done with it.

[Spikey M]

Viewing number 3. :cool:

[Magic]

Boydy is fucking loving this isn't he the little shit. He's gone absolutely mad for financial gain.

[Pepe]

Can't wait to hear how his stocks are doing over a cigar.

[Boydy]

Boydy is fucking loving this isn't he the little shit. He's gone absolutely mad for financial gain.

I'm not really arsed about financial gain. I just want somewhere nice to live and a mortgage actually works out cheaper than renting (if you've got the deposit, obvs).

[niko_cee]

Obviously if our sale falls through we're not obligated to buy the new one. But it puts us back to square one, and we have a very specific, tight timeline we're aiming for.

In my experience, once you are on a tight time frame either the person you are buying off, or your buyer, will disappear on some life affirming jaunt to the middle of nowhere, completely incontactable save for fortnightly carrier pigeon releases, the lawyers will decide one of the boundary walls is 6 inches the wrong side of some imaginary line (despite having been there for decades if not hundreds of years) and the survey will come back with both a lol valuation under what you've agreed to pay (or agreed to sell for) and some other complaint about not being able to visually inspect anything.

Good luck.

[Raoul Duke]

I'm not really arsed about financial gain. I just want somewhere nice to live and a mortgage actually works out cheaper than renting (if you've got the deposit, obvs).

Show us some pics :nodd:

[Boydy]

How long should I wait for a reply?

[Spikey M]

They're normally pretty quick. I'd chase tomorrow under the guise of considering an offer on another property.

[SvN]

Had a call from the sellers estate agents today saying they've had a better offer than ours :moop: We questioned why it was even still on the market, but they said they viewed it a few weeks ago and have only just got around to making an offer. Not sure how much I believe them, but we've upped our offer by 2 grand and said it's dependant on the house being taken off the market today and that this is our final offer.

I really hope it doesn't go tits up. Not a great start.

[Pen]

That’s proper shit.

We were at the bank today and now everything is done and we get the keys on the fifth of next month.

[SvN]

Congrats. Hopefully we'll be in a similar position in a couple of months.

The property is now at least listed as SSTC, so hopefully there'll be no more twats offering on it.

[Boydy]

Called the estate agents and the agent I was dealing with is 'on another call' and will 'call me back'. I don't believe a word of it.

[SvN]

The house we put an offer in required 5 phone calls over the course of a week to get a viewing booked in. Absolute twats, the lot of them.

[Boydy]

He did actually get back to me tbf. Says he can't get the owners at the minute. They are on holiday which I already knew but I mean you can still answer the phone/reply to a text. He's probably out trying to drum up other interest and offers.

[Ian]

I just saw a flat on Rightmove that you have to walk THROUGH the shower to get to the toilet.

[SincereTheRebel]

I just saw a flat on Rightmove that you have to walk THROUGH the shower to get to the toilet.

send me a link please :D

[Ian]

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-58971426.html

Picture 7.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

What the fuck?

[Lewis]

Saves on toilet roll.

[SincereTheRebel]

Thats a reflection and the picture is taken by a vampire.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

How did you not realise that, Ian?

Fucking idiot.

[SvN]

That's hilarious :D

I actually questioned my sanity for a moment as I thought Sincere was right because of the dual shower curtains.

[John]

Fairly sure that's a folding screen door in the kitchen too. I don't think I've ever seen one of those in a house that didn't also have a drying pulley swinging off the kitchen ceiling.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

You get those drying pulleys a lot in Poland and they're almost always over the bath.

[Spikey M]

Fairly sure that's a folding screen door in the kitchen too. I don't think I've ever seen one of those in a house that didn't also have a drying pulley swinging off the kitchen ceiling.

I didn't know what a drying pulley was without googling, so I naturally assumed it was the type of apparatus you'd find in Hammer's gaff.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Buyers of our house want another viewing (original was before offering, they came again two weeks ago to show other members of their family and now again) on Saturday. They're planning to finalise everything in 3 weeks so what's the point?

In regards to the new place, the rising damp company took a look at it today with the estimate at a touch under £10k.

[Boydy]

That offer I put in was rejected. Estate agent said the owner wants at least the asking price (139,950) and was hoping for 145. Lol, fuck off. He said there were more viewings this week and asked what the highest I'd be willing to go is. I said I'm not going any higher.

Kind of went off it anyway by the time the reply came back. It's not far from where I rent now and recently I'd been sleeping with my bedroom window open at night due to the heat. The planes at the nearby airport keep waking me up at half six in the morning so fuck that.

[Magic]

Still no viewings. 2 in 7 weeks. I am dropping the price on Monday from OO 200K to OA 198500.

[mugbull]

You’ll get a bump. Same reason why stores always advertise $1.99 instead of $2

[Magic]

Imo it should have been that from the off.

[Lewis]

I bet your wife is sabotaging viewings.

[Spikey M]

I doubt she had the foresight to build a house in Dundee just for this.

[Magic]

I bet your wife is sabotaging viewings.

Theres none to sabotage.

[Magic]

I'm going to buy her out. Fuck it.

[SvN]

We've had an offer tonight that's £2k below asking price, which we're going to provisionally accept. I'm not convinced it will end up happening. The guy is an investor and seems to be throwing offers randomly at houses in the area. Plus he started £30k below asking price yesterday, and has come up in tiny increments since then.

My wife is feeling really optimistic about it, but I think he's just a timewasting tosser.


I fucking knew it.

The cunt emailed last night to say that "He's not getting any rental interest" so he's "not sure if he should proceed" with the sale. I don't even know what the fuck he's on about, he hasn't even listed it anywhere - how could he?! He said he wants a few days to see if rental interest picks up. We've told him we need a decision today, but I'm 95% sure I'm going to tell him to get fucked and just put it back on the market. From day one I felt like this guy was a time waster, and I should've just gone with my gut.

As it stands we're now going to miss out on the house that was by far better than anything else we'd viewed. Absolutely fuming.

[Spikey M]

In all honesty I'd just pull out now. He'll probably just say he'll Carry on with the purchase and drop out 2 weeks down the line anyway.

Alternatively, you could reopen for offers? That way he can drag his feet all he wants but he runs the risk of getting sniped.

[SvN]

What's even more annoying is that the survey for our new house was carried out yesterday, so that's £400 down the pan.

I think we're going to go with an Estate Agent (we're currently with Purple Bricks) and hope the new listing leads to a quick sale. What a fucking hassle.

[SincereTheRebel]

Ridiculous. So the buyer wants to rent out the property after he has bought it from you. He has already advertised it for rent, even though he hasn't bought it from you. Your house for rent isnt attracting any rental interest ?

[SvN]

Well that's the thing, he hasn't advertised it anywhere. So I have no idea what he means by "no interest". Our guy from Purple Bricks says he's going to call him to find out WTF he's on about, as he's not making any sense.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-81452561.html

Moving out tomorrow, going to miss it so much :(

[Jimmy Floyd]

I got the first look into my new flat last week. The kitchen and bathroom are superb, bedroom is nice and spacious. Living area a touch cramped but then there is only one of me. Balcony is probably the best bit, will be able to sit and eat out there like it's the Med (but with added drug addicts skulking in the playground below).

Slightly confusing was a large walk-in cupboard in the bathroom (with the same flooring as the bathroom). What goes in there, mops or something? It was like somewhere you'd hide a lover while your partner took a shower.

[Pepe]

Moving today to an apartment in town. Much smaller than the house I am currently living in, but it will be nice to leave the suburbs, which are the worst thing in the world. I will also have two garages, which is nice.

[Lewis]

I got the first look into my new flat last week. The kitchen and bathroom are superb, bedroom is nice and spacious. Living area a touch cramped but then there is only one of me. Balcony is probably the best bit, will be able to sit and eat out there like it's the Med (but with added drug addicts skulking in the playground below).

Slightly confusing was a large walk-in cupboard in the bathroom (with the same flooring as the bathroom). What goes in there, mops or something? It was like somewhere you'd hide a lover while your partner took a shower.

How have you managed this?

[Jimmy Floyd]

Shared ownership. Wouldn't be anywhere near it otherwise.

The mortgage will be tight-ish for a couple of years but should be ok after that.

[SvN]

Spoke to the estate agent a few minutes ago. He's spoken to the buyer who is "shocked and apologetic" that his email last night caused such uproar. We've given him until Friday, and then it's going back on the market. We'll also be pushing for an exchange date as soon as the solicitors will agree.

[Giggles]

Why is everyone on tth moving house at the same time?

[SincereTheRebel]

Shared ownership. Wouldn't be anywhere near it otherwise.

The mortgage will be tight-ish for a couple of years but should be ok after that.

What is the benefit of doing shared? I see them all the time but filter them out

[Spikey M]

Why is everyone on tth moving house at the same time?

And they call me the Pikey.

[SvN]

What is the benefit of doing shared? I see them all the time but filter them out

None whatsoever. But for some people, it's that or never buy.

[Spikey M]

What is the benefit of doing shared? I see them all the time but filter them out

You can own (some of) a house where you otherwise wouldn't be able to.

[Giggles]

What is the benefit of doing shared? I see them all the time but filter them out

Not ending up living in a hellhole.

[SincereTheRebel]

Not ending up living in a hellhole.

Talking about hellholes. I’ll see you in top Ireland lad.

[Giggles]

Talking about hellholes. I’ll see you in top Ireland lad.

Still trying. You're a simple thing aren't you?

[Jimmy Floyd]

What is the benefit of doing shared? I see them all the time but filter them out

The benefit is in comparison to perpetual renting. Obviously if one could afford to buy fully then one would do that.

[Pepe]

Why is everyone on tth moving house at the same time?

Because we've reached a certain age I guess.

[SvN]

Today, our buyer has come back and said he's changing his offer from £268k to £219k :harold: Obviously we've told him to get fucked. Back on the market we go.

If we manage to keep the house we were buying it'll be a miracle.

[Andy]

What a cretin.

[Spikey M]

I'll give you £220k.

[Spikey M]

In all seriousness though, I'd be finding him on Facebook just do coat him off.

[John]

We've gone soft. Dave would have had the van filled up for that.

[Boydy]

Went to a view a house to rent this morning at 9am before heading into work. Had asked on Friday if it was okay to be a bit late because of it. Work's pretty flexible and laid-back but didn't want to take the piss since I'm new.

Got to the house this morning and had a text at 8:57 from the estate agent cancelling the appointment.

Also just had another estate agent email me about a place I'd enquired about over the weekend, asking me to fill in an application form before even viewing anywhere with them.

I'm gonna go on a fucking rampage.

[SvN]

We've signed up with another estate agent on a 2 week contract. A last minute attempt to try and get another offer on the table to prevent it all falling through.

[Ian]

I keep setting up viewings to go and look at flats and then they get cancelled because they're already gone. Which isn't as annoying as it being cancelled basically at the time of the appointment as you've had, Boydy, just frustrating because I'm not sure how I'm supposed to actually get to see anything in time to then apply and get it without just sitting refreshing websites all day.

[Boydy]

Estate agents are all cunts. And the country's housing is fucked.

I've got a viewing this evening provided it doesn't get cancelled between now and then and if it's reasonably nice, I'm gonna go for it because I'm sick of looking.

[Ian]

if it's reasonably nice, I'm gonna go for it because I'm sick of looking.

This is pretty much the point I'm already getting to which definitely can't end badly. :D

[Boydy]

Do all rental places ask for a guarantor? I thought that was only a thing for students and that.

[Andy]

Never needed a guarantor when renting.

Have you got a full time job?

[phonics]

Buying a house because you’re bored of looking for houses to buy is a serious level of :cab:

[Boydy]

Never needed a guarantor when renting.

Have you got a full time job?
Yeah. That's why I thought it was odd. I thought it was only something that applied to students normally.

Emailed the estate agent and he said it's fine without one.


Buying a house because you’re bored of looking for houses to buy is a serious level of :cab:

Who's doing that?

[SvN]

They probably took one look at you and decided you were an absolute joke.

[Lewis]

They probably took one look at you and decided you were an absolute joke.

https://i.ibb.co/qsLWwG0/bagel-boss-guy.png (https://imgbb.com/)

[SincereTheRebel]

Ive just been informed that the apartment I put a deposit down for, the whole apartment block is being sold to the housing associations and I now have to look for a new apartment. What kind of fuckery?

[Giggles]

Do all rental places ask for a guarantor? I thought that was only a thing for students and that.

Here they ask for a guarantor, payslips, work reference, landlord reference, and 3 months up front.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Jesus. That in a country full of empty houses too.

[Giggles]

Jesus. That in a country full of empty houses too.

There's a few ghost estates left out in the sticks near nothing (most are used or levelled by now) but there's none empty in areas where people want them. They're like gold dust.

[Boydy]

They probably took one look at you and decided you were an absolute joke.

Mean. :(

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Stripping wallpaper today which might now be my least favourite job.

It's not hard (especially on the back which is nice) but I'm covered in wall dust and I smacked my thumb a couple of times. Walls in this place are also really shit, a lot of holes and it's uneven in places with no plastering at all.

[phonics]

Stripping wallpapers great, it's so satisfying.

[Giggles]

Stripping wallpapers great, it's so satisfying.

Alright mokkers.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Stripping wallpapers great, it's so satisfying.

Not so much when dust from the walls are spraying everywhere and paint (some dickheads painted the wallpaper) flakes shower you.

The wallpaper here is crispy and by the style, at least 40 years old.

[Foe]

Operation upgrade to a house needs to happen soon.

I'm going to make the final payment on my flat mortgage this month. Who needs savings?

The amount of money I'll lose on this flat is astonishing, but hopefully offset in a house. Want to have the feeling of being mortgage free for a small period before I get absolutely balls deep in debt. :moop:

[John]

https://m.realestate.com.au/property-house-sa-magill-131914778

Not the most tastefully decorated place anyway but fuck me things take a turn at picture eleven.

[Giggles]

That just needs torched.

[Shindig]

The framed United shirt was the last straw.

[SincereTheRebel]

I need a new sofa.

[Yevrah]

I'm finally getting close to buying a house.

Anyone have any handy advice to the steps, when they should occur and any pitfalls to be aware of?

Ta muchly.

[Lewis]

Taking on a mortgage at your age could be an issue.

[Yevrah]

That much I do know, and it's not a problem.

[Raoul Duke]

Do you have an agreement in principle?

I think it's risky as fuck buying in this market, what with Brexit fucking shit up all over the shop.

[Yevrah]

Haven't even seen the place I'm interested in yet, going on Wednesday.

Been looking for a while for one that ticked all the boxes, with a view to waiting until Brexit is sorted, but on the basis that a) I could be dead before it's sorted, b) I've thought all along we won't leave and c) that's looking more likely than ever at the moment, I may as well just crack on if I do find the right one.

[Lewis]

You live in Oxford don't you? Their property prices would survive the Apocalypse.

[Yevrah]

Yep, they're fucking ridiculous.

Four-Hundred grand for a 3 bed is about where it is now and that's in a market that is somewhat deflated apparently.

[Lewis]

Any Brexit-related hit they did receive over the next year or so would presumably be made up a million fold over the course of your mortgage.

[Raoul Duke]

Haven't even seen the place I'm interested in yet, going on Wednesday.

Been looking for a while for one that ticked all the boxes, with a view to waiting until Brexit is sorted, but on the basis that a) I could be dead before it's sorted, b) I've thought all along we won't leave and c) that's looking more likely than ever at the moment, I may as well just crack on if I do find the right one.

If you want to put an offer in you'll need an Agreement In Principle which is basically the bank saying you're good for £x00k. You can get this without knowing which specific place you want to buy.

House prices are on their way down at the moment (albeit they're inflated massively over a 40-year period), so don't pay too much heed to asking prices.

[Yevrah]

If you want to put an offer in you'll need an Agreement In Principle which is basically the bank saying you're good for £x00k. You can get this without knowing which specific place you want to buy.

House prices are on their way down at the moment (albeit they're inflated massively over a 40-year period), so don't pay too much heed to asking prices.

Thanks Raoul. For the agreement in principle can I use anyone online and then go with a broker to get the best mortgage I can or is it bad form (from the seller's perspective) not to stick with whoever has issued the agreement in principle?

[Spikey M]

Get a mortgage advisor. Ours cost £600 but he had a database of all lenders, their criteria for lending, how much we'd be lent and what our repayments would be. It helps you get the best bang for your buck. There was £50k difference on what we could get from different lenders and the repayment costs vary hugely.

[Yevrah]

I thought brokers/advisors were free as they're bringing you to the financial institution that will lend you the money and therefore take their cut from them?

[Boydy]

Or just search online and save yourself £600.

https://www.landc.co.uk/

[Spikey M]

I thought brokers/advisors were free as they're bringing you to the financial institution that will lend you the money and therefore take their cut from them?

The initial appointment was free, but they saw the whole thing through to the end with minimal fucking about for us. We had to sort a new fixed term out for ourselves last year and it was a fucking nightmare. I'd happily chuck a few hundred at someone to do it for me next time, never mind sorting out a mortgage from scratch.

[Yevrah]

Those were the people I'd had recommended to me Boyd.

[Yevrah]

The initial appointment was free, but they saw the whole thing through to the end with minimal fucking about for us. We had to sort a new fixed term out for ourselves last year and it was a fucking nightmare. I'd happily chuck a few hundred at someone to do it for me next time, never mind sorting out a mortgage from scratch.

Oh so they did all the soliciting and paperwork etc? I thought you had to get someone to do that stuff for you.

[Spikey M]

Oh so they did all the soliciting and paperwork etc? I thought you had to get someone to do that stuff for you.

For the mortgage yes. You have separate solicitors for the rest of it. The whole thing is a nightmare.

[Andy]

I thought brokers/advisors were free as they're bringing you to the financial institution that will lend you the money and therefore take their cut from them?

My uncle is an ex mortgage advisor, basically it's never free and you'll always end up paying somewhere along the line.

Some our transparent and say they charge X amount whichever lender you go with and some say it's 'free' and then try and guide you towards a certain lender where they get a massive amount of commission and you end up with a worse deal.

Best to find either someone you fully trust or go with a big company who have good reviews as they are usually more transparent with how they charge and youll end up with the best deal for you at the end.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

£8.3k to connect electricity for the top flat :cab:

[SincereTheRebel]

Why did it not have electricity in the first place?

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Why did it not have electricity in the first place?

It's a house (which has electricity) that is being converted into two flats.

The ground floor two bed flat will use the existing connections but the first floor one bed needs to be connected to gas, water and electric. The gas at £400 or so is a bargain it seems.

[SincereTheRebel]

Brothels just need running water. Forget about all that extra shit.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Completed today. Got my keys, went in there, turned the fridge on, made sure the taps worked. Did a massive IKEA order. Booked a broadband man.

Should be habitable by mid October. Absolute scenes.

There are things you don't think about, though. Like lampshades. How many saucepans do I need? Do I need a microwave? Do I actually need bookshelves, or are they just to show off? What can I actually keep in the 'garden shed' I have just discovered I have, when I don't have a garden? These things will keep me occupied until I die.

[Giggles]

3 saucepans; sauce, regular, and stock. For all the price of a microwave you might as well. The shed will depend on how dry and pest free it is.

[Mike]

Completed today. Got my keys, went in there, turned the fridge on, made sure the taps worked. Did a massive IKEA order. Booked a broadband man.

Should be habitable by mid October. Absolute scenes.

There are things you don't think about, though. Like lampshades. How many saucepans do I need? Do I need a microwave? Do I actually need bookshelves, or are they just to show off? What can I actually keep in the 'garden shed' I have just discovered I have, when I don't have a garden? These things will keep me occupied until I die.

My advice is don’t buy anything telling yourself “I’ll have that for now and upgrade it in the future” cos you won’t. I’ve still got a blind that I don’t like, but it works and I’m to lazy to replace. Only got it as a temporary one. Same with my light shades.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

£8.3k to connect electricity for the top flat :cab:

We told UK Power Networks that we wanted the meters outside on the side of the house and they've now passed it on to their projects department because it will now take a total of 43m of cables. No idea how it will take up 43m but clearly they want to add a fuckton more cash to the pile.

I've gotten Npower involved now who will contact some third party contractors as it really shouldn't be this costly.

[Spikey M]

Get Team Engineer to sort you out.

[Giggles]

I’ll steal you the cable.

[Shindig]

I assume that involves tying next door's sky wire to your rear axle and flooring it.

[Luke Emia]

My uncle is an ex mortgage advisor, basically it's never free and you'll always end up paying somewhere along the line.

Some our transparent and say they charge X amount whichever lender you go with and some say it's 'free' and then try and guide you towards a certain lender where they get a massive amount of commission and you end up with a worse deal.

Best to find either someone you fully trust or go with a big company who have good reviews as they are usually more transparent with how they charge and youll end up with the best deal for you at the end.

A whole heap of that isn't true. Some will charge fees, some won't depends on what they want. Ideally they won't but there isn't much money in mortgages normally about £400 per 100k of borrowing is what an adviser gets paid. No lender pays significantly more then any other really.

But, there are unscrupulous advisers out there who won't put you with a certain bank for the money but more for the ease of putting you with an easy lender. Any adviser should be upfront about any fee they charge should be stated in an initial meeting and what they get paid by the lender should be clearly outlined in both an initial key features document and on your mortgage offer.

[Luke Emia]

Or just search online and save yourself £600.

https://www.landc.co.uk/

You could and wind up with mediocre service. Or you could speak to someone in your local area who is independent and probably wouldn't charge you anywhere near 600 quid. With the added bonus of not having to spend an initial 45 minutes speaking to someone who isn't even qualified.