Aghhh. Trying to move before school applicaton deadline...

[alittleteapot]

...and not having much luck. Ayone else in similar boat and want to support each other?

This is SO stressful, and I feel it could lead to making a bad decision if I don't get a bit of perspective on things.

So, anyone out there want to chat about this massive life decision?

We are in a flat and trying to buy a house. I am due to apply for a reception place by mid January. Yikes!

It's looking like it can't happen now. And even when promising houses are around I just can't commit _ i'm too wound up after months of hunting.

We're intersted in a lovely house but hte local school though friendly enough really doesn't seem to be doing great. part of me thinks, ah well, just muck in and make it better. Part of me thinks how can we spend this much money and not be guaranteed a school that has a bit more of a dynamic buzz to it?

Anyway, love to share stories if anyone else is going through this or has or has any wisdom to share.

At this rate will be moving after applications so will be at the mercy of waiting lists.

yes good luck angel and everyone else in this discombobulating boat!

Hiya,

Any updates? We saw the house and we love it. Really think the space can work for us. It's massively expensive though. Anyway, DH has been looking at school reports in detail and has decided 2nd best school (which this house will be in catchment for) is good enough! I told him that for me, it's hard to give up the safety net of sending the boys to private school though he did say if I went back to work (I took redundancy last month) then it's not a complete lost cause.

So it's been calls all around and we think we can make the sums work so have made a low offer on the house (vendors have already found somewhere to move to and we found out they paid less than a fifth of what we are offering them 15 years ago when they bought the house!) on the proviso then that if they take that offer, we can take the rejected offer on our house to make things progress so we shall see... Gosh, I feel so stressed out already...

Ax

well it just depends if the vendors can make your offer work for the house they are buying or pass some of the "loss" upwards. It is extremely stressful.

Yes, I am aware. That's what I said to DH. It depends on the upwards chain, we actually met the vendor on Saturday and he said they were still 'negotiating' on the house so we shall see... Oh well, I am trying to tak e a philosophical view on this: Que Sara Sara!

Really hope it works out angel. Great that you loved the house.

Just popped back to say WE EXCHANGED TODAY! It still hasn't sunk in and we're moving this Friday! AAAGH! Excited though!

Any tips on how I can organise this while working and looking after 2 kids??????

Congratulations!!!! Well done you. Am so glad you will be spending Christmas in your new house! :)

Thanks, I can't believe it! I would have cried if I'd had to put the tree up here

I'm another one in the school admissions/moving boat.

After spending most of the year trying to buy a house from vendors who deserve a full SERIES on the Jeremy Kyle show, the house sale collapsed for good 2 weeks ago when the vendor refused to sign a transfer form - basically to spite his ex-wife.

However - we have found another house (one we looked at before, now been reduced in price) better location for schools, has no onward chain (nor do we).

However the fiasco with the last house has left us with just 8 weeks before our mortgage offer lapses. Our mortgage broker has tried to renew it with other lenders to get a better rate and we've been referred on one, declined for the other (DH self employed)

So, unless we can exchange and complete within 8 weeks, we won't be going anywhere. Which leaves me wondering where the hell do I apply for DD's school now?

Here - where we're hoping not to be living, or There with a solicitors letter regarding the impending move (which I'm not sure actually makes much difference)?

I'm phoning both councils tomorrow to find out the best course of action

I hate hate hate moving.

8 weeks is plenty of time to exchange and complete especially if no chain. You just need good solicitors and do lots of chasing.

moomin, agree it's poss in 8 weeks but you'll have to put pressure on your buyer. some solicitors are specialists in working quickly - maybe you could even offer to stump up a couple of hundred towards their conveyancing to speed it up? As for schools, are you moving to a completely different area? In which case, can't you apply in both areas? apply where you are right now and then as soon as poss apply where you'll be? be awful not to have a place where you are if new house falls through (and hope and am sure it won't, but better safe than sorry...)
good luck though! And for the new area, a solicitor's letter should help secure you a school place even if not exchanged yet. Also most authorities have a small lateness window in these kinds of circumstances

I was in tears today. We went to see a house I had high hopes for, near a good school. I was awake in the night plotting and planning, all excited it was going to work out. But in the event the house was just much too small, no way round it. (And below our budget.) I had thought, it can be a three year house. But it's just too small.

So the only house we love is near not great schools. OUr choice is looking like go for that and just make the school work, join the PTA, get involved, get sleeves up.

Or keep looking, move after deadline (unrealistic that much will happen before now) and be subject to the lottery of waiting lists.

Or rent, but when I last looked not much on, and anyway same problem as that commits us to an area and we may not find a house in that area anyway so still might have to move dd's school.

I feel like I'm being a bad mum at the moment cos I'm so preoccupied by getting this right that I'm not giving my children the proper attention they need. My mind is always half away.

I'm sure it will all be alright eventually but it's feeling pretty hard to believe right now.

pressure on vendor i mean! don't let their sols slow things down.

Argh, we are not even anywhere near the 'school application date' and I am feeling depressed already.

Update: We saw the fab house near the second best school. DH and I have decided that houses on that two roads near the best school just don't come up that often and the second best school really isn't bad by any standard. The house indeed was fab, DH loved it (so did I!) but way overpriced. Basically, we worked out the MAX we could pay if we took the low offer on our house and we made a low offer and it was turned down. :( Vendor won't say how much they want but I suspect that as they have been on the market a week, they are keen to hold out just a big longer...

Then we saw a house today which is very similar to the fab house and I love it! Only on the next road... DH still loved house 1 more though. It is slightly lower in the asking price so we are more likely to get this house iykwim. We found out (after the viewing) after a bit of internet research that the vendor bought the house only 1.5 years ago and for almost a £100k less than they are marketing it for. WTF?!!!!!! Now we don't even know if we want to offer for the place. I do love it though, I can really see it working for us... :( Any suggestions?