House

[CopperNoseTeaFan]

Hi,

I got shot of the solicitor as it was costing too much (and it’s going to reduce the amount I get from the sale of the family home as I need to pay a solicitor induced credit card bill back).

The final consent order is sorted and we are just waiting on the family home to sell. No divorce absolute, as yet.

I am living in the family home but paying all maintenance costs and running costs myself (mortgage free). It’s too big for me now and I have been living here, alone most of the time, for 3.5 years.

Can I put an offer in on another house/purchase another property and move out? Obviously, I’d have to pay half of the bills for the empty house.
Am I safe to do this as I keep missing out on really good buys?

I’m not represented by a solicitor now so not sure.

Do you need equity from the former family home to buy?

Is there anything you can do in order to accelerate the sale? Change estate agents, perhaps? Ensure the asking price is right? Seek advice on how to make the house more marketable? Sometimes a decluttering, a nice garden, and a coat of paint unless the house is clearly a "project" anyway can make an incredible difference to the appeal.

I am not aware of anything that would stop you from buying a house BUT I am not sure whether being still married would or would not complicate the funding and buying process, and you would not want your STBX to have any rights to the new place.

You’d be hit for stamp duty buying a second property so keep that in mind

When was the consent (financial) order issued and what’s keeping you from applying for the decree absolute (now known as final order as of April 2022)?

Just editing: Your post is a bit confusing. You don’t have a final order if you don’t have what was called a decree absolute.