Well the survey results came back a week ago now, having had them verbally first (never a good sign) then read the official document I have been too depressed for updates!
Everything needs doing; gas system replacement, gutters, bathroom, kitchen, damp proofing, staircase, pointing in the attic, even all the water pipes in the house are made of lead and will need replacing... the list goes on. Thirty thousand pounds is a good wad of cash, a wad that we dont have to use replacing a whole house!
We took the surveyors advice and ducked out of the purchase, it would be too much to do with a baby living there, if the house was empty maybe but a job of that magnitude wouldn't bode well with a stroppy two-year-old growing up in it.
We have started the search for a replacement though, lets see what happens. Back on the phone to the estate agents I suppose!
Monday, 22 August 2011
Sunday, 31 July 2011
...and the survey says...
Cue angry 'Family Fortunes Wrong Answer'-stylee sound.
Well it's been another week, we have our 'Offer in principle' so now all we need to do is get the survey done, once that has been looked at then we have further negotiations, then get the solicitors to do the rest. I can't believe it's been so long since we went to see it! I do know these things can take months so I'm not holding my breath.
In some ways, I hope the survey shows up as an unbelievably good structure and we need to do nothing but the windows... Yeah like life is ever that kind.
On the plus side of things, my LO who is 1 year, 1 month and 1 week old today can say 'No', 'More' and 'Bab'... as the only other person to call me 'Bab' is the OH, I'm taking those three words to translate as "Go away Daddy". At least she doesn't gesticulate in the same fashion.
Back to the subject, how hard can it be to look at a house and say 'yeah, should be safe to live in', and do you really need to be paid for a whole day to do that?? I'm looking at it as an insignificant amount to the whole cost of the house, pre-work and post-work. It will be worth it I'm sure.
Well it's been another week, we have our 'Offer in principle' so now all we need to do is get the survey done, once that has been looked at then we have further negotiations, then get the solicitors to do the rest. I can't believe it's been so long since we went to see it! I do know these things can take months so I'm not holding my breath.
In some ways, I hope the survey shows up as an unbelievably good structure and we need to do nothing but the windows... Yeah like life is ever that kind.
On the plus side of things, my LO who is 1 year, 1 month and 1 week old today can say 'No', 'More' and 'Bab'... as the only other person to call me 'Bab' is the OH, I'm taking those three words to translate as "Go away Daddy". At least she doesn't gesticulate in the same fashion.
Back to the subject, how hard can it be to look at a house and say 'yeah, should be safe to live in', and do you really need to be paid for a whole day to do that?? I'm looking at it as an insignificant amount to the whole cost of the house, pre-work and post-work. It will be worth it I'm sure.
Saturday, 23 July 2011
The plan is...
Here's (VERY!!) rough plans for the new house, the heaviest pencilled bits are where the OH disagreed with what I had done and asked me to re-draw it!
I may well see if I can use some computery-wizardry to do a better inside plan at a later date. Jeez we have a whole lot of work to do!
Beg for your life
Right, down to earth with a bump after the panic and euphoria of being told we had the offer accepted.
I don't condone eating while you are driving - illegal or not, but certainly talking to your mortgage advisor (Bluetooth handsfree obviously!) whilst eating an apple whilst driving is certainly not advisable, especially when you are choking after the bit of apple you just breathed in is stuck in your windpipe, attempting to kill you so you never even have to try to find the twenty per cent deposit he needs you to find!!
The conversation went:
Him: "Yeah I can get you a mortgage Chris, even with the past credit problems."
Me: "Thats great - how soon can we get the ball rolling?"
Him: "Well I can be there with the paperwork tomorrow."
Me: "Fantastic, thats excellent."
Him: (bit of a pause first)"They are going to need a twenty per cent deposit though..."
Cue choking! So we have to find fifteen thousand, seven hundred pounds... in as much time as it takes to buy a house???? I politely tell the mortgage adviser that I dont have that kind of cash lying around in my trouser pocket at home and say I will call back in a couple of days.
Three days worth of begging to parents, friends and everyone we know later, four generous souls have offered us altogether the grand total of sixteen thousand pounds - one of which being the OH's dad who has offered to take a loan out in his name for a quarter of it. It makes me realise how generous some people still are these days. Thank you to all of you!
Sixteen grand payable back over four years, four-k per year, three hundred and thirty three pounds and thirty three pence a month on top of circa two hundred and forty-ish quids worth of mortgage payments... we'll shit 'um!
Thanks Dad, Mum, Phil and RJP... you are our saviours! Time to get that mortgage we ordered!
I don't condone eating while you are driving - illegal or not, but certainly talking to your mortgage advisor (Bluetooth handsfree obviously!) whilst eating an apple whilst driving is certainly not advisable, especially when you are choking after the bit of apple you just breathed in is stuck in your windpipe, attempting to kill you so you never even have to try to find the twenty per cent deposit he needs you to find!!
The conversation went:
Him: "Yeah I can get you a mortgage Chris, even with the past credit problems."
Me: "Thats great - how soon can we get the ball rolling?"
Him: "Well I can be there with the paperwork tomorrow."
Me: "Fantastic, thats excellent."
Him: (bit of a pause first)"They are going to need a twenty per cent deposit though..."
Cue choking! So we have to find fifteen thousand, seven hundred pounds... in as much time as it takes to buy a house???? I politely tell the mortgage adviser that I dont have that kind of cash lying around in my trouser pocket at home and say I will call back in a couple of days.
Three days worth of begging to parents, friends and everyone we know later, four generous souls have offered us altogether the grand total of sixteen thousand pounds - one of which being the OH's dad who has offered to take a loan out in his name for a quarter of it. It makes me realise how generous some people still are these days. Thank you to all of you!
Sixteen grand payable back over four years, four-k per year, three hundred and thirty three pounds and thirty three pence a month on top of circa two hundred and forty-ish quids worth of mortgage payments... we'll shit 'um!
Thanks Dad, Mum, Phil and RJP... you are our saviours! Time to get that mortgage we ordered!
Wednesday, 20 July 2011
ZOMG!
AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!
The offer was accepted!! To be honest, it was so low I really didnt expect it whatsoever, but they accepted it anyhow!
As the estate agent told me this over the phone yesterday I was a little bit lost for words, the first thought in my head was "I'm going to have to get some paint" rather than wanting to tell everyone. Then came a few hours of panic, and now after all the panic and reflection the day after I can say the house can be ours! That is if we can get it...
Now comes the near impossible task of getting a mortgage. The OH has an unblemished credit history, always pays her cards off on time and always pays the phone bill. Having been rejected for a few loans myself over the past three or four years I delved into the wonderous world that is my credit file. Lo and behold, there are two defaults on it - one dating back to 2006 and one in 2008. One was kind of my fault, but the other was because a semi-reputable mobile telephone provider had somehow managed to lose a payment. I really don't want to have to wait so long to get going with the mortgage as to having to wait for these bad boys to clear off the system... so I have to get them removed myself, which I have been told takes months!
Ah well, better get on the phone!
The offer was accepted!! To be honest, it was so low I really didnt expect it whatsoever, but they accepted it anyhow!
As the estate agent told me this over the phone yesterday I was a little bit lost for words, the first thought in my head was "I'm going to have to get some paint" rather than wanting to tell everyone. Then came a few hours of panic, and now after all the panic and reflection the day after I can say the house can be ours! That is if we can get it...
Now comes the near impossible task of getting a mortgage. The OH has an unblemished credit history, always pays her cards off on time and always pays the phone bill. Having been rejected for a few loans myself over the past three or four years I delved into the wonderous world that is my credit file. Lo and behold, there are two defaults on it - one dating back to 2006 and one in 2008. One was kind of my fault, but the other was because a semi-reputable mobile telephone provider had somehow managed to lose a payment. I really don't want to have to wait so long to get going with the mortgage as to having to wait for these bad boys to clear off the system... so I have to get them removed myself, which I have been told takes months!
Ah well, better get on the phone!
Saturday, 16 July 2011
A view to a kill
Wow. Now this is a project!
Having cancelled a viewing this morning due to the house looking like something out of "Carry On to Brighton Beach", we had another scheduled for this afternoon in a house which we had a feeling had tons more potential.
It's perfect. Low price (under £100k for 4 bedrooms, a good prospect wherever you are), overgrown gardens, toilet out the back, kitchen in need of ripping and replacing... and its just about livable!
From first impressions no damp proofing needed although there are a multitude of windows at the front and back which will need replacing, lots of plastering, rewiring, paper, plastering, carpets, plumbing, bits of stairs, more plastering, knocking walls down and some visitors at the top of the back chimney may well need evicting - just visible here:
I don't know much about the whole process but I do know we should make an offer if we are interested. Having spoken to the owner of the house I can pretty much guarantee one of two offers will be accepted. The OH and I have talked and looked at the pictures over and over this afternoon, I cant wait 'til Monday to get the offer in! There is always a downside in these things as they always seem to happen to me... someone else saw the house half an hour before we did. I just hope they don't call the agent with a higher offer.
Never before have I said I can't wait for the weekend to be over!
Friday, 15 July 2011
Time to burn!
Having never bought a house before I have no idea what we are in for.
The two of us, the OH and I, feel it's time we stopped paying other people's mortgages off for them and started getting our own. I am fast-approaching the 'three-oh' hill, and I have always had that thought of getting my own house in the back of my mind but always found an excuse not to do so... "My credit rating wont be good enough...", "I don't earn enough for a decent place..." or "I can't get a deposit..." as is the tune for a lot of FTB's these days without that 'silver spoon'.
It's such a minefield of estate agents, websites the estate agents have, filtering the crap from the shite, booking a viewing, looking at a perfect house in the worst location or finding an affordable house in an unbelievable location that looks like it was built from plans drawn by our 13mo daughter, mortgage advice, surveys, second viewings, contracts, solicitors etc etc... Just getting a viewing for a half decent house is harder than it should be!
We have come up with a few houses to look at and that's all at the moment. My old man is going to (generously) loan us the deposit and the OH's likewise, of course we have an upper limit so cant just go for a £120k place that 'needs a bit of modern decor', we have to get big with small. Tomorrow we go and see a 4-bed house for less than £100k - in current climate I'm worried exactly how much work will need doing to it but from the street it looks liveable.
It's not just a modernising project, it's a home, it's hopefully going to be my daughter's first proper home, our first family home. We want it to be perfect but at the same time something we can stamp our own mark onto. We aren't expecting to be shot down but lets wait and see... I have a good feeling!
The two of us, the OH and I, feel it's time we stopped paying other people's mortgages off for them and started getting our own. I am fast-approaching the 'three-oh' hill, and I have always had that thought of getting my own house in the back of my mind but always found an excuse not to do so... "My credit rating wont be good enough...", "I don't earn enough for a decent place..." or "I can't get a deposit..." as is the tune for a lot of FTB's these days without that 'silver spoon'.
It's such a minefield of estate agents, websites the estate agents have, filtering the crap from the shite, booking a viewing, looking at a perfect house in the worst location or finding an affordable house in an unbelievable location that looks like it was built from plans drawn by our 13mo daughter, mortgage advice, surveys, second viewings, contracts, solicitors etc etc... Just getting a viewing for a half decent house is harder than it should be!
We have come up with a few houses to look at and that's all at the moment. My old man is going to (generously) loan us the deposit and the OH's likewise, of course we have an upper limit so cant just go for a £120k place that 'needs a bit of modern decor', we have to get big with small. Tomorrow we go and see a 4-bed house for less than £100k - in current climate I'm worried exactly how much work will need doing to it but from the street it looks liveable.
It's not just a modernising project, it's a home, it's hopefully going to be my daughter's first proper home, our first family home. We want it to be perfect but at the same time something we can stamp our own mark onto. We aren't expecting to be shot down but lets wait and see... I have a good feeling!
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