Owning your own home

Bidding on my house in Sweden was a revelation. After viewing all interested parties register their interest and submit their bids via text message in a group chat. Last man standing wins the house and then you get a list of all the other bidders so you can see if there was any funny business.

Mine dragged on for three days culminating in us sending the winning bid from the side of a mountain in Iceland with our absolute last bid. We went way over what we wanted to pay but no regrets.

Problem is that I know I'm ridiculous, and if I bid then get outbid I'll end up red in the face and winning at 910k. Then I will repent at leisure, for around 25 years I imagine. Or that's the danger, anyway.

That to one side, I am also not enamoured of being told which specific PVC windows I have to use by the leaseholding company - as one of the things I'd probably want to do is to re-install 60's steel framed windows (there's one of the original ones left, to use as a reference), and being told "no, PVC" would I suspect annoy me.

You'd need to put £200k in to that place I reckon.

Total ballache.

Would be a banger when done but I don't think you'd see a great return on it.

If it is a probate sale you might find it doesn't matter what you say you can pay, they will go for the most reasonable offer from the most well positioned buyer, i.e. someone with cash or who doesn't' need to synchronise another sale to go through with it.

The leasehold aspect of it is a warning. It doesn't matter what others might say - it is a absolutely a problem because leasehold houses have historically and recently in quite high profile ways been a cause of problems. Some will dismiss it out of hand. I would. Leasehold houses can do one.

#fuckleasehold

Yes, leasehold can get in the fucking sea. Ours on paper should have been stress free. No overbearing restrictions or conditions. But, just when we went to sell, the freeholders solicitor ceased business and the subsequent arse ache of them moving to a new solicitor caused untold stress. So you never know what could happen that will cause you to pull what's left of your hair out further down the road. It doesn't mean that freehold is guaranteed easy Street, but if you can avoid one high probability of stress, I would.

My place is freehold with a covenents that dictates many of what you can and cant do, the guidebook says PVC windows but the previous onlys got aluminium ones in white of the same shape, and they were allowed.

A few of the neighbours we've spoken to have been quite envious of them and wish they'd known because while subtle they do look alot better

Leasehold houses can do one.

There's no excuse for a Leasehold house.

carpet is all about quality and installation ( underlay )
generally, buy german. and try to get hold of some samples if you can. try Vorwerk

Wrong sort of auction and aren’t they legally binding too?

Auctions are legally binding, yes. Any auction which isn't legally binding isn't going to solve the problems with the current system, as there's nothing to stop the seller going to the losing bidders after the auction and saying 'gwan, another £20k and it's yours'.

There's no excuse for a Leasehold house.

You've obviously never had to draft a rentcharge deed for the payment of shared expenses on a freehold house.

Would be a banger when done but I don't think you'd see a great return on it.

Do you need to make any cash if you live in the place for a few decades?

New builder came back with quotes. Significantly cheaper than the last guy who ghosted us (40% cheaper - yet to hear confirmation of VAT, but even if that has yet to be added, still way less). Which is concerning, but he was much more through and the prices seem more considered than the previous finger in the air quotes. Also, they are insisting on doing a full inspection of the exterior render and pointing before quoting for that, which actually makes me feel more comfortable.

Said OK for a number of non-critical interior jobs first to get the feel of them. Waiting to hear when they can start.

Damp work being done. Is my house going to fall down? The gentleman seems pretty liberal with the old SDS

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last guy who ghosted us (40% cheaper

My guess is they were too busy & were trying to price themselves out

Or they're just shit at communications and follow-up.

That's taking the piss.

This is me doing near exactly the same thing.

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Probably. Still no word on a tower that will fit our alleyway, so likely going for static scaffold.

I don't really know what they are doing, but that gives me the eebiejeebies

Same - it was just supposed to be hacking off the plaster but the bricks seems to be crumbling like toast.

doubt it - depends on what he's doing - injection ?

No the actual work is to the DPM and parging/render outside but the internal plaster was fucked so had to come off too.

Doesn't blown plaster just fall off?? I know it did in my house.

This was the before.

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Any recommendations for weather sealing and protection products for the bottom of this door set up?

Feels like it needs a rain deflector as well as the obvious need for better water sealing at the bottom.

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That looks like he's been holding the SDS 90° to the wall? What did the plaster look like when it was off? Any big continuous chunks?

I didn't see it...are big continuous chunks a good sign or bad sign?