Owning your own home

I don't think it necessarily speeds the process up, we have sold to cash buyers twice in the last few years, both times it was not the best offer but felt safest, I'd feel that situation is even more relevant now. The risk of them pulling out, or faffing about or having a solicitor who literally can't use email so has to book an appointment in over the phone but who works 45 minutes away and is often just out of the office is still there, but I guess you are mitigating against the mortgage company saying 'no' (unlikley) or the buyers getting spooked as time ticks on and someone loses their job etc is mitigated to some extent.

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All the things RodSaetan lists as "risks that are still there" are exactly what happened to us with a cash buyer recently, if you'd like some anecdata. We thought theyd be more secure and quicker, but they turned out to be emotionally unattached, unmotivated, bullshit merchants.

Also worth finding out what "cash" really is. I sold my flat to someone who described themselves as a cash buyer only for it to become evident through the process that they meant "chain free" and were still getting a mortgage. Could have found that out at the stage of accepting the offer just didn't think of asking.

Also cash buyers are quite often the ones who will get into the process and start asking for reductions. They think it gives them more power than it does

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IANAL but it sounds like (i) you have right of way over the strip, (ii) neighbour has obligation to maintain it and (iii) unknown third party (“Vendor”) actually owns it?

Note it is not included in the title plan of either property.

The lawyer you are paying to handle this stuff should be able to give you a better answer, backed by a PI insurance policy.

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So do I pay for my garden door when it needs repairing or do they? What about the front gate?

Realistically you’ll pay for it. That’s obvious though, right? You know the answer. You’re just asking the question because you’re annoyed at the solicitor not having the official answer yet…

Leave the solicitor to go find the answer you need to complete the purchase and worry about questions that you don’t already know the pragmatic answer to.

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Welcome to the home buying process. It’s awful.

The pattern of the brickwork suggests it's not a solid wall. If it's a solid wall the brickwork would be laid in a Flemish bond and yours is stretcher bond which is used in cavity walls not solid walls.

Yep. You’re basically needing to have professional conversations - detailed, technical, outcome-driven - like you might do at work, often with people who can’t seemingly even tie their own shoelaces.

Would solid wall have windowsills? Mine doesn’t

We’ve been here before. The bay is single skin brick, the house is solid, you can see headers on every fourth course.

Note it is not included in the title plan of either property

Half the passage is owned by each house, the red line always falls inside the boundary.

There will be another drawing showing points C and D and the brown bit that will make it all clear. Looks like there’s a side passage plus a rear lane so it’s a bit confusing without the other plan.

ETA: all normal, sensible arrangements - someone owns the land, others have rights to cross it.

Do you think it's a brick skin to make a non standard construction house suitable to be lent on? Sorry if covered before and I haven't noticed.

ETA I guess if the rest is solid then it's a normal construction method ? I have a passing interest in bricks because I had a bit of a flood when doing some work a few months back and the sodding solid outside wall still isn't dry enough to decorate.

I'd ask your lawyer to see if they can identify an owner and if not register it in Your name.

Alternatively there are map search options online to find plots and the associated registry entry. It's likely the neighbours own it under separate title though

Just a trad solid brick 1930s house with single skins, so no headers, on the bay window bits. Our pebble dashed 30s semi had this. Normal stuff.

Does it de-risk things or speed them up significantly?

a friend went with a cash buyer when he sold recently and it actually took ages to get everything sorted. this was due to the buyer being abroad (Hong Kong) and therefore having to go through tonnes of anti-money laundering/diligence processes etc etc.

obviously this is one data point but it definitely isnt super straight forward with a cash buyer

That back lane has been "acquired" by a few houses on the road by the looks of things.

Yeah you are right, diagram comprehension fail from me.

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