The nervous wait to exchange....
- Thread starter noj
- Start date
Nice one, congrats! Out of interest how much did you pay for it and when you buy it if its dropped from a 300k valuation?
I guess at least a new build you've saved on all the maintenance costs etc. (or at least most of them.)
Thanks! I paid £227k for it 6 years ago, I think I could have got £270k if not more if I was prepared to wait but we have our hearts set on the house we are hopefully going to buy.
I've been doing some thinking and I think I've done alright for myself. Next door has a garage attached to the house (mine hasn't), a downstairs utility (mine hasn't), a much bigger kitchen and better house layout. Also a bigger garden. They bought the house the same time as I did for £270k. It was listed for sale for £310k and after many months it finally sold in March this year for £290k.
I bought mine for £227k and I have an accepted offer for £255k today.
I bought mine for £227k and I have an accepted offer for £255k today.
Absolute nightmare but we're finally in.
Offer accepted July, Exchanged last Thursday, Completed Monday. Didn't actually complete until 4:30pm, so had to unpack in the dark. The house had been vacant since January so it was freezing, however the boiler didn't work (it's a 2 year old Vailant). My brother who used to work for British Gas Service & Repair came after work to look. Loads of water inside the boiler, clearly loads of rainwater had got into the flue. So we got everything in on Monday evening, and stayed the night at my girlfriend's parents. Tuesday my brother comes after work, takes the boiler apart, soaks up all the pools of water at the bottom with kitchen towel, took it apart and scrubbed all the scale off, hairdryer to the PCB to dry it out. Put it all together and it kicked in. Pump needed replacing so he replaced that Wednesday.
Got most things unpacked but still lots to go. Moving house is a nightmare! Definitely the most stressful thing I've done. If we lived further away from family and I didn't have a brother who used to fix/maintain boilers for a living we'd have been stuffed.
Offer accepted July, Exchanged last Thursday, Completed Monday. Didn't actually complete until 4:30pm, so had to unpack in the dark. The house had been vacant since January so it was freezing, however the boiler didn't work (it's a 2 year old Vailant). My brother who used to work for British Gas Service & Repair came after work to look. Loads of water inside the boiler, clearly loads of rainwater had got into the flue. So we got everything in on Monday evening, and stayed the night at my girlfriend's parents. Tuesday my brother comes after work, takes the boiler apart, soaks up all the pools of water at the bottom with kitchen towel, took it apart and scrubbed all the scale off, hairdryer to the PCB to dry it out. Put it all together and it kicked in. Pump needed replacing so he replaced that Wednesday.
Got most things unpacked but still lots to go. Moving house is a nightmare! Definitely the most stressful thing I've done. If we lived further away from family and I didn't have a brother who used to fix/maintain boilers for a living we'd have been stuffed.
Soldato
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- 2 Jul 2019
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Awesome, thank fuu for that. Family in the trades really is a god send.
Are most removals companies ok with this? Do they just wait around for a while?
Soldato
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- 1 Jul 2007
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Ours has gone live today, although still nervous about getting our mortgage through so struggling to take excitement in.
Like about bought ours for just shy of 227 (3years ago) and HR value of 250 so should be receiving offers of above that (Scottish system).
Like about bought ours for just shy of 227 (3years ago) and HR value of 250 so should be receiving offers of above that (Scottish system).
Don’t know. The people who bought my flat were there from 10am so they must have been waiting a while. We moved ourselves so not a problem for us. Glad I rented the van until Tuesday morning.
No, they're not. Ours had a surcharge for every hour they have to wait after 2pm. We got the keys at 2:45 and had to pay an extra £110.
Just got building survey back, can see how they could scare people!
There is probably 5-10k worth on work to do, though stuff like replacing fences was expected. Replacement roof for bay window, repointing/flashing chimney and replacing some roof tiles though wasn't.
What are people's thoughts on negotiating price passed on the survey? Seems a small amount compared to purchase price and is an old house so don't want to be seen as taking the ****!
There is probably 5-10k worth on work to do, though stuff like replacing fences was expected. Replacement roof for bay window, repointing/flashing chimney and replacing some roof tiles though wasn't.
What are people's thoughts on negotiating price passed on the survey? Seems a small amount compared to purchase price and is an old house so don't want to be seen as taking the ****!
Soldato
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- 27 Aug 2005
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- 3,796
Its very common for them to wait around especially if its a long chain.
Our survey showed a requirement to replace all the joists under the ground floor - the estate agents arranged to two companies to provide quotes on the work, we took an average, and asked for that money to be subtracted from the price. It was an easier decision for the sellers to let us have the discount as a) we'd bid over asking price initially, so our offer was somewhat inflated and b) we were quite advanced in the process.
I suppose any seller is or isn't likely to give you a discount if they're aware of the problem and have either priced it in and/or made you aware from the off. It came as a surprise to our sellers, so they were happy to acquiesce, however if the defects are very obvious then it might not be as likely that you'll get away with a lower bid.
Cheers, its a tough one, got it under asking but they need to sell before Stamp duty change while we it doesn't really matter fo us. Time a mull it over!
Well, we finally exchanged about two months ago - our buyer seemed to get the wind up, and we had a mad rush at the end, trying to shift everything in a day - had to 'legally' be out of our old place at 14:00, but didn't get to unload the first luton load at the new place, until 13:50! Anyway, it got done in the end.
However....
We really aren't feeling the new home - which seems mental, as it ticks all boxes - bar the one marked "home". It just feels like a house, and part of that might be that we have gone from a small 3 bed, to a massive 4 bed - and odd as it sounds, it just feels too big and lifeless to us.
I think the rot set in when our sale process dragged on and on, it took the sheen off of the whole exciting time - and at least once, I did think "is the new house too big?", but we never actually sat down and had a discussion about it; we also didn't want to let the sellers down - they were an old couple with health issues on the verge of losing their next place! But much as we wanted to help them - we now feel that we did that, to our detriment.
So, we are now planning to put the house on the market after the 6 month wait has passed - as I understand putting it on sooner, will likely hamper any potential buyer - most of hte advice suggests that lenders aren't too keen on a property that has come back onto the market so soon.
The next place, we might have to pay a bit more - as we are hoping to find something rural/semi-rural, something with a bit of character would be nice, but we'd even settle for our old estate - as it really was nice around there.
So here's to 4 months passing by - and hopefully with Brexit being done (however that goes) and maybe Covid being reigned in - house prices might rise slightly, and we won't lose too much/if anything by selling up.
However....
We really aren't feeling the new home - which seems mental, as it ticks all boxes - bar the one marked "home". It just feels like a house, and part of that might be that we have gone from a small 3 bed, to a massive 4 bed - and odd as it sounds, it just feels too big and lifeless to us.
I think the rot set in when our sale process dragged on and on, it took the sheen off of the whole exciting time - and at least once, I did think "is the new house too big?", but we never actually sat down and had a discussion about it; we also didn't want to let the sellers down - they were an old couple with health issues on the verge of losing their next place! But much as we wanted to help them - we now feel that we did that, to our detriment.
So, we are now planning to put the house on the market after the 6 month wait has passed - as I understand putting it on sooner, will likely hamper any potential buyer - most of hte advice suggests that lenders aren't too keen on a property that has come back onto the market so soon.
The next place, we might have to pay a bit more - as we are hoping to find something rural/semi-rural, something with a bit of character would be nice, but we'd even settle for our old estate - as it really was nice around there.
So here's to 4 months passing by - and hopefully with Brexit being done (however that goes) and maybe Covid being reigned in - house prices might rise slightly, and we won't lose too much/if anything by selling up.
@Scort You really need to live somewhere for at least 6 months before you can make such a decision. The stress leading up to and including the move will have tainted your view somewhat. Give it some time and re-evaluate after a year I'd say. Not knowing your financial situation, you may end up having to pay a lot of money, such as ERC, SDLT, solicitors fees, mortgage fees, removal fees, broadband and/or TV contract issues plus a whole load of other stuff. Then there's the stress of yet another additional chain.
@Scort to echo ChrisD, you have not been in anything like the amount of time to really have made it your home yet. You have had no time to remodel it to be yours, so of course it just feels like a random house, as it is a random house at this point 
Start ripping those walls and kitchens out, and it will soon feel like yours....
Start ripping those walls and kitchens out, and it will soon feel like yours....I hear where you're coming from, I really do - but both myself and the Mrs really cannot see it getting any better tbh - we clearly didn't do our research with this place, and went with hearts over heads - I mean; the thing that sold it to us was a bloody suite at the top of the house! We never gave a second thought to having a busy residential road out the front, being in another terrace and having the faff of getting from drive/garage (at the rear) into the home with a newborn, and the fact that for the majority of the year, we probably wouldn't use any of the rooms on the first floor.
Not to mention that a recent change of neighbours, has highlighted how bad the place is built - paper thin walls (all of which have a plasterboard layer), and the front windows let so much noise in, I have checked more than once to see if the Wife left them open!
I appreciate that making such a huge decision so soon, is rash to say the least - but from a financial aspect, we will be fine - if house prices go up, then all the better (as we'll get stamp duty this time!!); and it may take us many moths to sell it anyway - but we have had so many discussions about it, we literally feel that the house isn't right for us - and see no point in wasting a year+ hoping something might just click.
First world problems eh!
Not to mention that a recent change of neighbours, has highlighted how bad the place is built - paper thin walls (all of which have a plasterboard layer), and the front windows let so much noise in, I have checked more than once to see if the Wife left them open!
I appreciate that making such a huge decision so soon, is rash to say the least - but from a financial aspect, we will be fine - if house prices go up, then all the better (as we'll get stamp duty this time!!); and it may take us many moths to sell it anyway - but we have had so many discussions about it, we literally feel that the house isn't right for us - and see no point in wasting a year+ hoping something might just click.
First world problems eh!