Ahh how lovely of your vendor Yoga. I hope you get good feedback from yesterday's viewing! Interesting link on the BBC page as well. Ours is pretty much the same as yours - climbing steadily for several years but sharply dropping in 2017.
Welcome FreezerBird. I think timescales is a difficult one as it's so unpredictable, and depends a lot what the market is like where you are. I personally would have thought though that if you are just going on the market, even if you get a buyer very quickly, being in by Christmas now would be probably unlikely. Best of luck though. I think we all get 'nerves' sometimes as it's such a big decision.
An interesting development here too. For those who have been around a little while may remember that about 6 weeks ago we put a full asking price offer in on a house if the vendor would be willing to wait for us to get a buyer. Well the offer was declined (not unexpected) and a few days later (irritatingly, since the house had been on for several months previously with no offers) a cash buyer made an offer which was accepted and the house went off the market. So we went 'hey hum' and carried on looking. Well now the other deal must have fallen through because it appeared back on Rightmove yesterday. This is quite confusing because we'd emotionally moved on and found another house we liked (which we saw last Sat) so now we are confused about which one we like more. And, assuming VSC (Very Slow Couple for newbies here - my nickname for our potential buyers who are nice people but sooooo bloody slow at sorting paperwork) actually do complete all the paperwork and hand in to the estate agent on Saturday as they have said they will (and I do still have some scepticism about this) then we may be in a position to make an offer on one or other of these houses in the next week or so (obviously provided neither of them sell in the meanwhile). So, out of the two, which would you pick out of these two:
House A:
*On at 275k. (Means we could get an 80% LTV mortgage with better interest rates than on house B).
*Better location than house B.
*Generally in 'liveable but tired' condition and would probably need doing up gradually over the next few years.
*Chain free (probate sale).
*Lovely garden.
*Slightly smaller than house B but has loads of room to extend (and many other houses in the street have already done so).
*Currently only parking for 1 car but front garden could be converted to a double driveway (again other houses in the street have done it so I'm fairly confident planning permission would be granted).
*Only has 1 toilet (currently)!
House B:
*On at 295k (right at the top of our budget, and meaning we would only be able to get an 85% LTV mortgage so interest rates slightly higher).
*About 80 sq feet bigger due to having an extra room meaning we could have a separate office space.
*A longer walk to the town / school.
*Fairly small garden.
*No real room to extend.
*Double driveway already there.
*Generally in very good condition.
*Currently only has a shower room and not a bathroom which we would have to change very soon after moving in (due to having 3 year old and near 1 year old who obviously bath and not shower). This would cost several thousands which on top of the house purchase itself would clear all of our savings.
*Has a second toilet.
Hmm, having written out all the pluses and minuses I think I'm probably veering towards house A. Although house B would be the 'easier' move because (past the shower room) nothing else needs doing to it, but I think in some ways that works against it as there's nothing else you can really do to it to add value to or extend it. House A undoubtedly needs more work and but I think because of it's location and potential probably would be better for us in the long term if I'm honest. Gah, I'm confused. Can you tell!! 