Narrow window to move house

[crazymuseummum]

DH and I are hoping to buy our first house in the next 9-10 months. We have an agreement in principle, so are pretty confident we'll be able to get a mortgage. It's going to be a move across the country to be closer to my family, and the first step will be him finding a new teaching job for September 2022. Then we'll know exactly where we'll want to live, start looking and viewing houses, make an offer, apply for mortgage, etc.

What I can't get my head around is how teachers ever manage to move house when we have a really narrow window (late June to mid August) in which to actually move. I hear from every side that buying a house can take months and months, and relies on so many external factors... Does anyone have experiences they can share.

I have also looked at the rental market in the towns we're looking at, and there's very, very little to be had.

Any advice or reassurance appreciated!

We just did the same thing, though we were selling a house as well as buying. DH got a job offer the day before the Easter holiday. We finally got moved in a week before the start of term. It can be done!

We limited ourselves to houses which were end of chain or where the vendor was willing to move in with family/go into rented etc. We also spent more than I would have liked on removals etc, but it got us sorted quickly.

If we had family in the area we moved to, in hindsight I would have made arrangements for some or all of us to stay with them for a few weeks to make the actual move date less stressful and less expensive. Maybe just DH so he could start work calmly.

Speak to a broker if you can, even just London and Country, to work out what combination of income you can use for your mortgage- they may not take into account a new job, or they might if you have savings to cover a few months mortgage payments, or they might query if you can continue in your current jobs after the move etc. There is almost certainly a combination that will work for you.

Surly an agreement in principle is only valid for a few months? You'll have to apply again if your looking to move in time for the summer holidays. With the changing economy and interest rates, you may not get the same deal and that might change what you can buy.

As with lots of other people who move with strict timescales for jobs, you do everything you can to get the timescales to work but you have a Plan B - you have a very long commute / stay with family / find a hotel or AirBnB or short term let if it doesn't complete in time.

I’d have thought the fact your husband will have accepted a job before may 31st (and very likely earlier would make things easier. Few jobs have such a long run in. Surely you move and he stays behind if it’s before the end of the summer term (with friends or an air bnb). Few people also get 6 weeks to sort out their house.

Remember you may encounter mortgage issues with him having a new employer if the new job and house move all happens at the same time