Buying/selling/both? Come and join me to discuss anxiety/stress/happiness/hope! (hopefully more of latter)

[MamaG]

My house sold within 2 weeks of it going on the market

Kinda unexpected, the speed! We've got a house to buy and things seem (touch wood) to be going through.

DH is self employed though and I'm not working, so we've had to get a self-cert mortgage (eek at repayments). Survey was done on Friday and is fine, so we are just waiting for the "ok" from mortgage co now.

My Solicitor hasn't sent the searches off yet () despite being instructd a month ago so I put a rocket up his arse this morning.

My buyer wants to complete 11th Dec, so I'm on pins, its only 6 weeks away! Will be a chaotic Christmas thats for sure...me, DH, 10yo DD, 5yo DS1, 1yo BabyG, the hamster and 3 million packing boxes

Good luck! Great that your house sold so quickly.

Not sure I am speaking to you though after you called me a pest on my thread!!! Cheeky mare.

What is new house like? Do you love it?

I am at the excited stage still about ours but DH tells me I need to do all the practical stuff before I can get excited and start planning what we want to do to the house. Boring!

Have spoken to a surveyor that I liked and he said he would email me his terms and conditions but haven't had anything through yet. Got a few names of solicitors from a friend in Somerset. How do you know who to go for???

I have never done any of this before so am hoping I don't cock it all up. DH is helpfully in the States of course.

Yes, I love the new house but I know its not our house for life, more of a stepping stone.

3 bedrooms, so the boys will have to share but next door have converted the loft, so we have that option. It's alreayd been extended to add a big family bathroom downstairs and make the box-bedroom a really good sized double.
Upstaris bathroom is now a family shower room which is great.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the ktichen, tis huge and big enough for my massive table - I've always wanted a big kitchen

Got a teeny study area too, which is great.

Nice big garden for the DC.

Re Solicitors, I am using a firm that I used to work for so I know they're OK (although see rocket sentence in OP!). Do you ahve any links with Taunton folk buda, to get recommendations for Solicitors? Do get quotes from a few, as fees can differ a LOT.

I'm trying not to get excited until we get themortgage offer as thats the last hurdle. Although it shouldn't be a prob at all, we are putting down deposit of over 65% and the surveyor was happy with house.

I saw your house on your other thread. It is BEAUTIFUL, now that IS a house for life

Your new house sounds great.

LOLing at your teeny study area. DH has already comandeered the smallest bedroom in 'our' new house. He wants his own study as I am so untidy!

I am to have a teeny-tiny store-room downstairs and I am very excited!

I will put out a call on here for solicitor recommendations i think and I have already had some names from a friend who lives near Taunton.

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ISn't it funny the things we get excited about! We're hoping to build a conservatory/sun room on the back to use as a playroom/guest room (would prefer it to have a proper roof rather than a conservatory type but we'll see)

Its within 2 minutes walk of a primary school but I think they'll be going to one a big further away. Just over a mile, so still walkable. It has much better OFSTED reports and is bigger, the close one is C of E and I'm not particularly religious. High School is a stones throw

I'm feeling quite anxious really. Stamp Duty rates change at end of Dec and if we can complete before then, we won't have to pay any. Also, DD is in Year 6 so we must move ASAP to get her a place at local secondary school. DD (age 10) is happy to move but DS1 (5) was very upset when we discussed it with him, saying he didn't want to move house/schools and lose his friends - he's going to need a LOT of support.

Dilemma - God that sounds so stressful, but you sound like you're in a really strong position (cash etc) so fingers crossed. You're viewing one tomorrow aren't you?

MamaG - my sis built on an extension to her house in Dublin. There was a small 'sun-room' there already and they just extended that all the way across the back of the house. Instead of a flat roof or a conservatory type roof they put in a huge high A shaped roof with velux windows in each side. It looks fab and makes the space look SO much bigger.

Sounds good for you for school too. I am sure it will be hard for DS1 initially but they do settle very quickly. Having seen so many children come and go here - it is amazing how quickly they adjust really. Bribery usually helps!

Dilemma - good luck! Hope viewing goes well.

MamaG you can spit feathers at Solicitors with me. I am at the end of my teather!! It is now 3 weeks since our offer was agreed on a house & since then we have had the survey done & completed everything we need to. However, our Solicitor still hasn't received the draft contracts (or anything else for that matter) from the Vendors solicitor - whom was supposed to DX it across on Thursday evening last week - I have just spoken to my Solicitor & he has still received NOTHING. Ugh I feel like screaming. Been onto the EA & told him to find out what is happening at the Vendors end. We are due to complete at the end of Nov so I am feeling mega stressed. Am fed up & all of this is spoiling the excitement of getting a new home

Mama - why do you think your house sold so fast? We want to put ours on the market soon but not quite sure what sales are like. Did you have to drop your price?

That sounds great buda (the roof thingy). Will def look into things like that. Agree that kids settle much faster than you think, DS1 finds it very easy to make friends (they do at 5, don't they?)

HHNM - Def get onto your EA, IME they are the ones who are chomping at hte bit for their fees, they love to ring solicitors and badger them! Just keep ringing, every day, until they get sick of you and chase it up.

nikos - Hmm good question. We didn't put it on the market for the highest valuation, we put it on somewhere in teh middle, worked out what was the lowest we would accept and added £10k to allow for negotiation. Luckily we were offered just 3.5k under asking price froma cash buyer so we jumped at it. Get 3 different valuations, look carefully and HONESTLY at other similar houses in your area and price accordingly. We have done a lot of work to the house, it really is immaculate (well, it was when we were having viewings ) with an expensive kitchen and decent bathroom etc - all helps. To be honest though, I put most of it down to luck. You just never know who's going to be looking at hte right time. Our buyer lives inJapan and was going home the next day, he called into EA on the offchance that they had new properties, they rang me and aksed if he could view in 10 mins 0- I said give me half an hour (it was 4.30 on a Monday, with 3 childrne milling around!) and he offered the next day.

I'm watching you all with interest. We are in the process of buying in Kenya. This adds an extra interesting dimension into the usual buying process, when you are buying from a politician .

We could be in for a rough ride.

I think you're going to need alcohol.

G&T anyone?

Here you complete, but the property is not officially 'yours' until you get the title deeds. So, the vendor's lawyer is supposed to hold all of your cash in escrow until the deeds appear in your name (because the deeds may appear in several people's name and not actually belong to the person who claims to be the vendor). Unremarkably this can take some time, a couple of months on a good day.

Our man is desperate for his cash, his lawyers won't guarantee to hold the money in escrow until the title is registered in our name.

A possible stalemate situation.... We are hoping, due to his enviable position of power he can speed the registration process along.

Another alternative is that we rent the house from him until the deeds are registered, so that at least he gets some money.

House buying, why do we do it? Good luck to you all.

So you hand over the dosh but can't move in until the deeds have been passed to you? Nightmare!

I'll take that G&T thanks, make it a large one!

Thanks Mama, and I think I said on the other thread that we moved before Christmas one year, and with 3 children too. It was really o.k. and added extra excitement to Christmas. Made me realise that a simple Christmas can still be a great one and that getting stressed about festive time is a waste of energy. Start packing now though, aim for so many boxes a day and then nothing seems major.
Good luck. I'm a bit wierd me, I love moving house.

Yes that is spot on. I'm trying not to get too excited about the house at all.....

Good luck with your viewing Dilemma. And with your solicitors HHNM.

I have to say MamaG, you sound pretty calm and collected.

Dare we ask what part of the country you are in or perhaps you'd rather not say?

Wow - congratulations MamaG! We are trying to move by Christmas - have sold the house, had one purchase fall through and now scrambling about trying to sort out another purchase. I'm sure it's still October though, we've got loads of time...

Have you seen this thread? Lots of interesting stories (well, interesting if you are stressing about buying and selling houses anyway!). Come and join in!

Themaster (love the name by the way! I have actually read the book an' all!) - I think Mama is in Taunton from an earlier post in this thread.

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dilemma that sounds good, at least she didn't pull out because of a horrid problem

Wigeon 0 I didn't know there was already a support thread - good luck finding a house!

I'm actually in Cumbria, moving to Wetherby in Yorkshire - Buda's in Taunton

Themaster - I AM quite calm and collected, but still a bit stressy!

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Thing is, if you tell them that you've got the report and that you are offering X to take into account the leaky roof/dodgy loo/old boiler etc then they might be more inclined to accept? I dunno!

Yes it is a long way, we are originally from Leeds so we're going home moved up here 5 years ago and although I love it here, its VERY limited for things to do and career opportunities for the DC. Nearest supermarket is 25 miles away fgs! It feels good to be going home

dilemma - great that you have the surveyors report up front. How nice of the other buyer to give it to you. I know you paid but she didn't have to.

MamaG - I didn't realise you were moving so far!

I have just started another thread looking for advice on appointing solicitors as am clueless - all advice gratefully received!

dilemma, nikos, TheMaster & Buda - good luck

MamaG you must try the Wetherby Whaler when you move - it is a fab fish & chip restaurant & take-away. Yum yum

All going OK-ish here, we have received the paperwork from the Vendor's solictor & all seems to be in order apart from the conservatory that does not have any building regs...have started a new thread.

oh yes we know the Whaler very well - too well I think

We once bought a house wiht no building regs on a conservatory, the seller had to take out an insurance policy of about £100 and that was it dealt with. No biggy.

Hmm, you are buying a house not for life and still feel excited ? wow! It seems that you are making the right choice and that what makes things run smoothly and nicely.
I passed that stage just few months ago after unsuccessfully biding 5 or 6 properties. Went through a lot of stress and currently curing myself with antidepressants. Moved in to my first own house 1 month ago. Although it more or less ticks all the boxes, the feeling is not right. I realised now, I should not had rushed as if it was the last stock on the market. I live with the idea to make it to a nice saleable standard and sell as soon as tube comes into our area (in about 2 years; hopefully it will increase house value).
My only consoling idea is that is a sought after option (large 2 bed Victorian terrace) and hopefully it will be relatively easy to sell.
I am ready to go through the same stress in a couple of years and get that ?WOW? factor about my next house?

I really really like the house but I know ultimately I'll want to move again, probably to a detached house. I think we'll live in this house for a good 5 years or so though