Owning your own home

Awesome stuff @andyp. Where are you now dude?

congratulations, and I thought just over a year was bad enough, the thought of doing another 2 gives me the fear!?

Thanks Joe. I'm sure once we get our stuff out of boxes and know where things the kids will start to adapt. Getting the dog back tomorrow will help too.

Half a mile from the old place, so Beckenham still, just a larger house with a big garden (and a proper bike shed).

We gave up for a bit of that time frame. Put the house on the market just as the pandemic started, offered on one place and lost that, found another then had our buyer pull out at the last minute. Took some time out then tried again and it's been a real rollercoaster; we've lost two buyers but still managed to keep the vendor of the house we wanted on board, only for him to pull out of his purchase on the day before exchange. Somehow we held on to our third buyer and the house directly opposite the one we were trying to buy came on the market and we offered on that at the beginning of October, and completed yesterday.

a lot of that sounds uncomfortably familiar, 2 buyers changing their minds along with sellers hiding £10k section 20 works notices until the day before exchange hoping to force our hand, losing that flat and then viewing one next block over and offer accepted all on the same day.

We could potentially exchange today/tomorrow or the house of cards could come tumbling down...

It happens. Even with our meticulous planning around packing. On moving day, ms_com had to stay at the old flat to try and wrangle a missing cat (SOMEONE didn't think my idea of keeping the cats in overnight the night before to stop this from happening was a good idea so one cat fucked off at the earliest opportunity). So she was not at the new place to direct the movers as to where to put what box. Turns out labelling boxes means fuck all if they're stacked 5 high and 5 deep in two different rooms on two different floors.

Label all sides of boxes when packing in future is the only lesson I learned. And trap any pets at the earliest opportunity.

Trap the children, box the pets, bubblewrap the bikes.

Congrats @andyp !

Anyone got the contact or used a reliable roofer need to replace all the felt in the roof. In stockwell.

Congrats Good luck on settling in and getting Xmas on the go.

(SOMEONE didn't think my idea of keeping the cats in overnight the night before to stop this from happening was a good idea so one cat fucked off at the earliest opportunity)

cats can be so smart/funny about stuff like this. growing up with burmilla/burmese cats we couldnt get suitcases out (to pack for going on holidays) without making sure the catflap was locked as the cats would immediately disappear because they knew they would shortly be heading to the cattery for 1-2 weeks :--) cunts

We also set aside a box each for the kids to pack some toys and a box for kettle/tea bags/coffee/squash and a few cups that we moved across in our car so the kids were calm and we had tea.

We picked up the keys and walked in to find the place infested mind, so walked straight out and booked the exterminators.

Infested with what ???.
I read that in way that made me think it was a hive mind that had infested the house like some sort of sci-fi horror amityville

Not in London but I wish you luck, the amount of roofers I've had over to quote for the same thing and then you never hear from them again is a joke. They all make a point of "measuring up" and saying "straight forward job" which makes it all the more confusing.

My theory is they'd all prefer to fix a tile for £200 x 5 a day. Makes sense, it's just a pain for us that need bigger jobs doing.

House buying in the UK is such a mess. Sorry you went though all that. Glad you're in now.

My theory is they'd all prefer to fix a tile for £200 x 5 a day. Makes sense, it's just a pain for us that need bigger jobs doing.

Yep.

If it’s a bigger job going to a builder (who will then sub a roofer) will get you there.

Had one quote of 12k going up to 18k if they replace the tiles too...I really can't afford that I might have to get a loan or something as the felt is knackered and causing some problems with condensation and small leaks all over the shop. :(

Such a bad time to be doing any big jobs. I recently took out a chunky loan and the interest was very reasonable somehow.

Good idea, will reach out to some!

Moths, Larvae, wasps and ants. Also a significant number of rodent carcasses under the kitchen cabinets

I’m gobsmacked that i have to come back here and rant (again) one document to check over that will take 30mins and we can exchange, if that doesn’t happen today or be be primed and ready for tomorrow morning the seller pulls the plug.
been waiting 2 days for this doc which is in it’s final revision. last communication was ‘Sorry i’m ill will get it too you in the morning’
and then fuck all response apart from an email from agent asking why we haven’t exchanged.
Solicitor knows it’s now or never and yet radio silence.

Forum resident mortgage broker Mike is great and happy to recommend but please find your own solicitor and don’t use the one he has links with and hopefully you will avoid the abysmal attention to detail and lack of urgency we have had to put up with.
It’s just as well they are not local as i would be in reception losing my shit and being restrained by Security right now.

rant over.

Edit: so supposedly we exchange tomorrow, i’ll believe it when it happens. had to go through old out of office emails and find peoples direct numbers in other branches and rant at them to find out if the person doing the work is even in the office working today as zero acknowledgement of any activity until 1pm.

Fingers crossed for you, a nice Christmas present if it happens...

Thanks Graham.
Will seem odd to not have the ongoing fuckwittery/uncertainty if it does go through..

The solicitor will be dealing with completions first -those have to be done so are the priority - then they will move on to exchanges, don’t worry if you haven’t heard by lunch time.

Surely no one is daft enough to complete the week before Christmas?