Owning your own home

@roboto - There are so many potential ways around that problem. I would never encourage you to commit minor money laundering on a public forum though. Obviously.

• I am currently on electoral register... in a different town. It is the address where my credit card and bank statements go. Better or worse than being on it here?
  
  
  

Pretty much neutral. Apply from that address.

• We have a whole of market broker. Who said not to start moving the deposit into current accounts yet, and to leave it where it is.
  Good! Do what they say, they're the expert.

• I've spoken to a solicitor who said not to instruct/appoint them until after an offer is accepted.

Good, important thing is having them lined up and ready to go.

• I have one credit account which is paid in full within 1 month about 90% of the time.

• Credit report then.

Ultimately it's probably right or mostly right. You can't change your actual history, but it would be good to know now if there are any glaring errors so you can decide whether to go through with a full application or not.

Ok, some of the deposit is a gift. I don't have any paperwork for that yet.
But I do have my own paperwork for a load of savings that exceed the value of the gift. Is there any point in me taking that stuff to show the estate agents?

No paperwork unless they ask for it (that kind of thing doesn't normally go to the agent as they won't be providing your mortgage), but there is no harm in making sure they are fully aware of your situation. The way the market has been for the last few years it's so competitive that you want to sell yourself to them as a good prospect.

Robbie even wrote them an email, basically saying "We're both in permanent jobs, our income is X, we have saved Y as a deposit, are first time buyers so chain free and have a mortgage pre-approved/in principal". The agent wants to close the sale and you want to get ahead of anyone who isn't such a good prospect.

Oh, just found it:

Dear smarmy git,

Following our telephone conversation, I just wanted to give you some more information about us as buyers:
We have a £XX,XXX household income
We are both in permanent, professional jobs with a high level of job security
We are chain free and in a periodic tenancy, so flexible to the vendor's timescales to end their tenants' AST
We both have excellent credit ratings

Do let me know if you need any further info.

Best wishes,

Oh, just found it:

Dear smarmy git,

Following our telephone conversation, I just wanted to give you some more information about us as buyers:
We have a £XX,XXX household income
We are both in permanent, professional jobs with a high level of job security
We are chain free and in a periodic tenancy, so flexible to the vendor's timescales to end their tenants' AST
We both have excellent credit ratings

Do let me know if you need any further info.

Best wishes,

Good idea, I'm going to also give a Lynx 'Africa' gift set and cheap pink tie to the selling agent of our future property.

Pink champagne. I hear they love pink champagne.

I'm feeling very jaded about the London property market. Prices are off the scale and self employed mortgages are painful to get. The fact I am able to show long term regular income and excellent credit record doesn't seem to count for much because for some reason I am deemed as being a higher risk than a permanent employee when most of my contracts have greater notice periods and compensation attached than a permie would have.

This is perhaps amplified by the fact that I just found a large family home on Lake Geneva for sale for the same price as my two bed flat in Barnes.

I think it is fair to say that when me and Mrs Hedge get round to buying somewhere together there is an increasing likelihood that it will not be in London and might even not be in the UK.

I've had a shocking history with money and bills, but got a mortgage first time. I'm guessing I'm bad, but not quite bad enough to be DENIED

I'm feeling very jaded about the London property market. Prices are off the scale and self employed mortgages are painful to get. The fact I am able to show long term regular income and excellent credit record doesn't seem to count for much because for some reason I am deemed as being a higher risk than a permanent employee when most of my contracts have greater notice periods and compensation attached than a permie would have.
.

Virgin money mortgage seem pretty good for accepting SA302's as proof of self employed income, they only looked at the last two years.

I'm feeling very jaded about the London property market. Prices are off the scale and self employed mortgages are painful to get. The fact I am able to show long term regular income and excellent credit record doesn't seem to count for much because for some reason I am deemed as being a higher risk than a permanent employee when most of my contracts have greater notice periods and compensation attached than a permie would have.

I had no issues as a contractor with a steady savings history and large deposit and I didn't even have a permanent visa when I applied for mine. Find a different mortgage broker?

can any of you lot's rich folks / in laws lend me a couple of grand? i need to record and produce a vanity album.

#norefunds

I'll check...

looking hopeful...

No

bugger.

/puts down phone to nice lady at http://hargravecustomyachts.com/

hold on...uncle Pete has something. All you have to do is deliver a laptop to thailand...oh and some other stuff. They'll let you know when you're there.

is the piccadilly line running ok today?

http://www.homesandproperty.co.uk/property-news/news/app-lets-you-buy-house-your-phone

i can see this ending well

drunken texts anyone ? sorry darling i appear to have bought another house

Has anyone done buy-to-let? In another city? I've given up hope of getting on the ladder in London so am looking in Bristol.
Google research is inconclusive: is it true that to qualify for a buy-to-let mortgage you need to already own property?

No, but your svr will be higher, you need to tell your insurer too.

edit: googled answer

Flat above ours advertised for sale toward the end of last year for 325k, received an offer the first weekend it was on sale for 340k, which they took.

They paid 245k for it 4 years ago, redecorated and redid the bathroom.

Not bad, but this little bubble still means wherever they move is likely to be more expensive too.

Has anyone here bought property in Spain?

No?

Not bad, but this little bubble still means wherever they move is likely to be more expensive too.

Yep, they are moving to Ashtead in Surrey. The sort of house they want in Forest Hill is now 600-700k

^How much in Ashtead? I didnt think it was cheap round there

Not sure, a lot cheaper than Forest Hill though it would appear.

We have fauxie riding hipsters now.

I might have found a house for sale (freehold) on a piece of land that I think lends itself well to a knock down and rebuild. At the moment, there exists planning permission for a large extension to the existing building. Am I crazy to think that it might not therefore be too far fetched to imagine that it would be possible to obtain permission to build an alternative house on the same site?

Subsiduary topic - has anyone any experience of self build?