Owning your own home

His or her job, but probably only after having been instructed after dick man had bought the place at the auction. It's amazing how many people buy a property at an auction without even looking at the title documents in the sales pack. Or even looking at the sales pack.

Ahh that makes sense, I missed the fact it was an auction. Put it straight back in and learn yer lesson me laddo.

Gosh. Was he actually buying it to live in?

Who even has lifetime tenancies anymore.

I'd be happy to introduce you to Dong

#euph

No, another investment, and the price was really good so one day it could be a very good one.

The place used to belong to British Waterways (which no longer exists and has been superseded by the Canal and River Trust). Lock keepers were given lifetime tenancies, and the other houses were let out at ridiculous prices.

My parents got a tenancy in the early 80s, initially for £75/quarter, and then bought it in the mid nineties for a single-figure sum as BW took their rent payments into account.

I wonder why they had no money!?

Who even has lifetime tenancies anymore.

I did some digging around on this - seems like folks who have 'sold' their homes to equity release companies in exchange for an LT as well as the more obvious beneficiaries from public sector stuff.

There are also some legacy ones left over from old regulations, i.e. some of the Albany flats off Piccadilly

Wait until you see what insurance for a thatched roof house will cost you.

I could do with some advice on selling...

1. We've had our house on the market for 4 weeks (Hackney) and in that time had 5/6 viewings. This seems low to me but I don't know if it's the time of year/price bracket/etc.
   
2. All the feedback from the agent has been that the people viewing like the inside but the location is wrong (on 'main' road, next to A12, noisy garden). This doesn't seem hugely constructive, as they valued it based on the location and we can't change any of those things.
   I am wondering if we should have chosen an agent closer to us (they're based in shoreditch, we're on the other side of Hackney) but I naively assumed it wouldn't matter in the age of rightmove/etc and they seemed quite pro.
   
3. It's listed as two-bed but it could be listed as three-bed.
   Better to disappoint with a tiny third bedroom or just not get into search results in the first place?
   
4. We've caught some of the chat on our Canary - one agent in particular seems pretty clueless and almost negative. Tempted to print out a sheet of answers/explanations for him so he stops making shit up then getting mixed up. Also tempted just to change agent but unsure of changing things over Christmas.
   
   

???
etc

Sounds like a combination of time of year and a shit agent.

We've also had endless letters through the door along the lines of 'we've noticed you still haven't sold, why not try us?' but not sure if they're just trying to scare us.

On the list as two-or-three bed question - three seems sensible. It's a room. A bed will fit in it. It's a bedroom. Right?

(assuming a bed does fit in it :) ).

Is anything else selling around your way?

It's an awkward shape due to an en-suite but you'd get a single in, just. I'm using it as a music studio at the moment so I'll measure it to make sure.
Nothing comparable at the moment, which I think could be an issue but houses in the same row (worse condition, similar layout) have sold within the past six months.

Lots of people are looking for a three bed on the expectation that one will be unusable small as a bedroom but make a good office room. We were when we looked. List it as three bed but define it as ideal nursery/office room.

Use a more local agent.

That's what I thought/have done, look for more bedrooms knowing every room is a 'bedroom'. Feels like a waste of a month when we wanted to get things done quickly!

Season has less impact than I would have thought

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/570511/UK_Tables_Nov_2016__cir_.pdf

See page 4 - Chart 1A

Some local authorities would class a separate living/reception room as a bedroom.

Ha, I was looking at that very same property the other day. Wish I didn't have to commute to Uxbridge.

Sounds familiar. Our place has been on the market for just over 2 weeks. 4 viewings. One said that some of the rooms were a bit dark. Not sure the estate agent could find the light switch. Things are very quiet on the market so we are trying to be super patient.

I do wonder how agents are going to be able to answer many questions. They may have info on local schools and stuff, but they won't tell people how the patio is bathed in evening sunshine from April to October and how the road seems to have avoided being a rat run and we don't think there have been any murders in the last 14 years.

I'm an agent in Hackney and I can tell you the market is really quiet at the moment and has been for the last couple of months. However, it does sound like the agent is shite so I'd give them notice and find someone more local who knows what they're talking about.

I never realised you were a hippy.

Most surveyors will not however.

All the feedback from the agent has been that the people viewing like the inside but the location is wrong (on 'main' road, next to A12, noisy garden). This doesn't seem hugely constructive, as they valued it based on the location and we can't change any of those things.

One way of interpreting this is that to make this judgment they must have seen other comparable houses that aren't noisy at about the same money, so maybe the agent didn't consider this compromise enough in the price.

Take it off the market now.

Relaunch it in the new year with a new agent as a 3 bed and try to find one who will use someone decent to show people round.

they won't tell people how the patio is bathed in evening sunshine from April to October and how the road seems to have avoided being a rat run and we don't think there have been any murders in the last 14 years.

Get it put in the brochure. Maybe not the murders bit.

That's a fair point but I'm just not sure there's that much comparable around at least in this price bracket - one viewer had another 30% budget (cash) and another wanted to be in London Fields, which appears to be at least 40% more expensive than here, which makes me think it's the wrong people viewing. Will double check our current contract and speak to some agents tomorrow though.