Owning your own home

DO NOT BUY A FLAT UNTIL THSI SHIT IS RESOLVED

Unless you are the person trying to buy my flat

Fuck me we are going to be renting somewhere next year though aren't we.

Fucksticks.

Sorry to hear you're having a shitter of it.

I think I'm alright though on this particular issue - this is 5 floors, 1930's brick building - no cladding. So I'm good right??

It's just the general leasehold / freehold / who knows what you're going to get stung for general nature of flats that I'm nervous about - which this adds to.

I don't really know what it means in practice, but on the Ealing map you linked to, the access alley (bit fancy calling it a 'road' :) ) is marked, in pink, as 'Adopted: Housing'. This mostly applies to estate roads, I think, but it may be a similar sort of deal here in that the local authority may also do maintenance on that bit. I think that may not change the land ownership, whoever's it is, but you could ask someone in Ealing's Highways department about it. This may all be bollocks but may be worth investigating briefly.

Sounds like extraordinarily bad legislation.

Not if you're the freeholder. Or a vulture capitalist. i.e. a Tory.

Surprise, surprise ...

Thanks, yes, I'll follow that up.

Kitchens... place we’re looking to buy has a built in electric oven and separate mismatched gas hob. Both a little old. Is it a thing to chop out the wooden worktop and unit and replace with a range cooker or even remove two units for a proper wide range cooker?

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Small kitchen? I’d think carefully before losing counter space to a range.

If the worktop is fucked (wood!) then might be better getting the kitchen re done if you really need a better cooking set up.

If not fix the worktop and upgrade the hob. You can fit the oven yourself.

Is it a thing to chop out the wooden worktop and unit and replace with a range cooker or even remove two units for a proper wide range cooker?

Both can be done pretty easily. You would need to remove the sink and worktop in order to do the cuts as the worktop should sit below the tiles. As you are taking the worktop out it would be much easier to give it a good sand and a couple of coats of Danish oil to recondition it.

Also as @Howard says think very carefully before losing any worktop space as it looks like it's at a premium.

Built in electric oven and mismatched gas hob is pretty standard.

If you do chop it out also be aware of regulations in terms of distance of flammable materials from hob/range. You need to make sure that it's on a level or higher than the surrounding worktop.

@Howard @Bobbo @aggi Thanks for the advice, that's great.

We're going to be on a tight budget after moving so refinishing the worktop, painting cupboards, tiling etc whilst saving to properly redo as funds allow. Roping in some handy friends and family along the way. Mind was wondering about sneaking in rangecooker now and then incorporating into the new kitchen at the later date.

Space wise the picture is deceptive/cropped. There's worktops down the opposite wall too and the current owners have even squeezed in an full size upright piano!

Sounds like extraordinarily bad legislation.

Only if you're a leaseholder. If you're a freeholder, it's brilliant legislation. Which is why freeholders spent so much effort to get themselves heard during drafting.

It's the same old story - has its own hashtag, #leaseholdscandal - and this is always the same problem.

There's worktops down the opposite wall too

Yeah that's fine remember to be mindful of how much trekking you'd need to do between opposite ends of the room if you lose counter space at the key points (sink, hob).

Also: bloody pianos!

Already getting fucked off with estate agents before we've started. Want to move, need our flat valued (ground floor maisonette conversion in a two story house). Looked at which agent has the most two beds on the market round here, KFH. Get in touch to ask for a valuation, offered a remote valuation.

EA: We can really do any time, when works for you?
Me: Fridays, weekends or any evening should be good.
EA: Well we don't offer valuations on Saturday, and Fridays are booked up for a while.
Me: That's not... anyway, a Monday evening would be good or can you let me know when your next Friday slot is available?
EA: Sure, what time on Monday evening works for you?
Me: Any time after 18:30
EA: We don;t do valuations after 18:00
Me: That's not really the evening then, is it?
EA: I suppose I see it as early evening for sure.

The last comment was a direct quote from the email I just received.

Not aimed at you, and probably more for the "I Hate" thread, but I can never get my head round people giving times as morning,afternoon etc. I had someone due to collect something on Sunday, asked what time he wanted to come, answer of lunchtime, what time is that? his lunch?, my lunch? my 4 year olds lunch (10am some days..) arghhhhhh

Hah if you think selling is bad try buying.

Why say evening if you mean before the end of the working day?????
Why say anytime is good then reject any time I ask for?????
I have since asked for exact available slots for me to pick and she's come back with another vague response.

Any recommendations from the hive mind for an EA to value and potentially list a 2 bed maisonette with a garden near Crystal Palace? One that won't make me want to gouge my eyes out before I've even met them.

Oh yes, no disagreement there, evening is probably the clearest of them, there is no doubt that starts after the working day...

Pedder. Unless you're using Pedder.

No, Chumps McGee is KFH. I thought Pedder might be a bit too high end. They seem to have places that are closer to the triangle and therefore 30% - 40% more expensive than ours. But I'll give them a go I suppose.

Excessive question marks weren't aimed at you, btw. I agree with your "lunchtime" rant too.

Any recommendations from the hive mind for an EA to value and potentially list a 2 bed maisonette with a garden near Crystal Palace? One that won't make me want to gouge my eyes out before I've even met them.

They are all shit.

But. Context. I think at the moment they are slammed AND nothing is selling, or rather, very few sales are completing. If I were you, I would

• put a day in your diary in a week or sos time. This is the one valuation day. It is not a Sat.
  
• ring round every high street EA, make it clear you want to sell, and ask them to value that day that you've put in your diary. It's critical that they think you are serious. Make it clear you will decide that day or next.
  
• also, look at the 'for sale by agent' listings on Rightmove / Zoopla - this will surface other agents you haven't considered. Invite them, too.
  
• get PB and Yopa in, I think now is the time to be able to do self viewings
  
  

It's a ball ache, but if they think you are not kicking the tyres they will do what you want.

Seems quite a few for sale, at £500k you possibly competitive.

You're right. I'm already telling myself the whole process is going to be a ball ache so probably looking for excuses to be angry at someone. But, if someone does push my buttons this early on it is not a good sign for the rest of the process if I have that short a fuse about the whole thing.

I like the idea of picking a day and getting it all out the way then.

I reckon ours is somewhere between £300k and £320k. If I can get that, it fits my theoretical budget for the new place. If they can get more, then obviously that's better, because math.