Owning your own home

This happened to us too. It really should be a standard warning for any house buying (and especially in London) that there is a very real possibility of this happening. I think if we buy again, and there is any hint of delay, we will just make it very clear that we won't pay a penny more than what was agreed and if they want more money they can fuck off back to the market.

Buy at Auction - no fucking about

Bought in Scotland, nea fucking about!

Reckon we just missed each other. I expect you served me at least one rump steak with watercress over the years tho, it felt like we went there for every family birthday for a while.

It's a bit disappointing now. All style over service / substance.

Ha. Washing up -> Commis Chef -> Grill Chef. Even spent a month as acting head chef at the Travellers Rest in Girton when their head chef went on holiday.

It was very useful as I just walked into a part-time job when I went to Uni and then switched between the two during holidays and term time.

Gave me a great understanding the physics of cooking, just none of the art. Give me a recipe and I can follow it no problem (and adjust for different hobs/ovens/etc) but give me a bunch of ingredients and I'm thinking stir fry.

Although morally confusing, this is also excellent.

My solicitor told me not to worry and to proceed nonetheless at the price they wanted. I obviously informed him that I didn't have £20k and he told me not to worry.

On the day of exchange, my solicitor and I chipped the price by £20k and told them that because it had taken so long to process, values had dipped and that the original price was the only one I was prepared to pay.

Homeowners; unite!

How much am I looking at for a solid replacment front door (internal) with deadbolt and latch fitted. Assume would need new door frame etc etc.

Any recommendations?

You also put down a deposit upon committing to by in Europe. Of around 10%. So make offer, accepted, 10%. No one pulls out.

Morally it is wrong, I agree. I wouldn't have a been such a shady little tinker if they hadn't carried on like they did.

Wankers.

Does noone remember HIPs?

The last Labour government introduced a Scot-ish system with the Home Information Pack. It came at a rotten time, just as we were starting the plummet into recession. Scrapping it was one of the first moves of the Tories when they won.

It wasn't a wholly bad idea, for the reasons above.

@b&d & @ffm

It's not even so much the money that's enraged us, the house has risen in value by that much at least. It's the fact that we sold our house, moved in my parents and stored all-the-things™ on the proviso they'd get a wriggle on and sort their shit out. Suddenly they're finding they can't afford what's available in the market to downsize and her family are bending her ear.

We're off to look at another house today, further out than I'd like but we need a distraction, I must stop thinking of revenge.

have they let the sale fall through for this then?

There are so many contributing factors that enable a sale to fall through.

Chiefly it's that people assume that they'll get significantly more than they can afford.

Sounds like the vendor could've got slightly more for her money if she'd pulled her finger out and got it sorted in 12 weeks as opposed to 8 months. The market won't have shifted that much, but maybe enough.

I looked at a flat in Hammersmith three weeks ago and the twat of an agent got two other people to view it at the same time as me in an attempt to get me to make a decision on the spot.

Prick.

He's since told me that it's gone to best and finals and was I still interested?

I told him to phone me on 30th Jan when it hadn't sold and I'd make him an offer then.

It won't sell at the price he wants to achieve.

Price dependant on materials but it's about a days labour (circa £200). If you want a fire/security door you can get door blanks, very heavy and fire-rated, not bought one for a while but I think around £60. Deadbolt and night latch anywhere from £60 - £600 depending on manufacturer etc. Don't go cheap on hinges if it's a heavy door, 3 hinges around £10-20 each.

If you looking for high security i.e. hinge bolts and london bar, that adds another £50-100 materials and £50 labour.

Not sure why you think the frame might need changing, usually only need to change it if it's really badly out of true.

Does anyone have any experience with having a loft converted? My loft isn't huge but could definitely be made into a useful space as a small bedroom or office type thing. I'd mostly be interested in how much value it would actually add to the house in relation to how much it would cost.
This is my house by the way.
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-35264607.html

Doesn't look to me like you've got the headroom.

Measure from the top of the ceiling joist to the bottom of the ridge beam. You want at least 2.4m to allow for various bits of insulation, flooring, any necessary structural bits of metal that have to go in. Any less than that and your finished ceiling height will be too low.

If you do have the height best advice is do it properly. Build a big square box dormer out the back and add really good useful space. You can do a simple conversion of what's there for about £20k down south, probably less up your way, but it will be small and awkward and you'll have to bring the stairs up in the middle to get head height. The big dormer will add maybe £10k to the cost but will be eleventy billion times better and will add value to the house, where a half-arsed job often harms the value as you lose as much first floor space putting the stairs in as you gain on the second floor.

There's a surprising amount of height up there but 2.4m might be pushing it to be fair, cheers for the advice, I'll have a measure and then think about getting some quotes!

Also see if you can put the staircase in for the loft above your existing staircase to the first floor. Will minise the amount of the first floor you have to sacrifice.

To meet part L1b building regs you'll need to allow for at 63mm of insulated plasterboard below your rafter line in addition to a partial fill of rigid insulation between rafters. That's assuming your rafters are 150mm deep or less.

I would say generally it's not because they want you to make a decision on the spot it's just simply a time management issue. If I've got 30 applicants who all want to view the flat why would I not group some of those viewings together?

Did you like the flat? Did he give you an indication at what level the offers were at?

Great flat and he told me what it would sell for.

I'm in the best position, but I'm not prepared to offer above what the market dictates because he thinks that it's worth £30k more.

He'll be calling me in the new year, I can almost guarantee it.

That's fair enough, best of luck.

If you couldn't tell I'm an agent myself (boooo/hisss etc...)

Excellent, you will be getting my questions in the future.

No worries - I've done that job too.

I just can't stand the fact that all agents make the incorrect assumption that purchasers are idiots.

No prizes for guessing who this bloke worked for.