My eye! Sweet Jesus, Ouch!

[scorch]

This got bloody deep.

 

Anyway, took Mrs Tink to see the house we liked but had half written off due to price, in the light of what the mortgage advisor said it's tantalisingly close, only 5K more than what they thought the upper limit would be.

 

Now to find near enough 20K for deposit, and stamp duty, and legal fees etc etc, whilst Mrs Tink phones them tomorrow to see if we can get an offer in principal, whatever that is...

 

That's exactly where we were at a couple of months ago. What fun you have ahead of you.

[amateurstuntman]

I made my choice and (all things considered), I made the right one.

 

Good for you sir, whether you are happy or not you are so due to choices you have made rather than stuff that just happened to you because you did what everyone else was doing.

So many people are miserable because they are where they are because they didn't make decisions, they just went along with things.

 

Nowadays not having kids is the responsible choice.  It's not like the world is short of a kid or two, we're up to out neck in the blighters.

 

This got bloody deep.

 

Anyway, took Mrs Tink to see the house we liked but had half written off due to price, in the light of what the mortgage advisor said it's tantalisingly close, only 5K more than what they thought the upper limit would be.

 

Now to find near enough 20K for deposit, and stamp duty, and legal fees etc etc, whilst Mrs Tink phones them tomorrow to see if we can get an offer in principal, whatever that is...

 

Agreement in principal is where they assess you and tell you an amount they will lend you.

However the amount you can have in the end will depend on the relative value of the loan compared to the bank's assessment of the value of the house you want.

 

You will probably be able to get around 90% of the value of the house up to the figure of your agreement in principal.

 

You are embarking on one of the most stressful journeys you can take.

 

New job, bereavement, divorce and moving house.

Top reasons for stress.  Remember why you are doing it and stay positive.

 

Try to stretch yourself as much as you can.  Your house will (probably) gain value and the amount you owe will drop.  Your salary will increase.

As you owe less of the total value of your house you gain access to cheaper products.

Mortgages (generally) only get easier to manage with time so might as well.

 

 

Do it.

 

Chase your dreams.

 

Through the woods.

 

With an axe.

 

Catch them, tie them up in your basement.

[shmook]

Offer low. Expect to get it rejected, and if so offer a bit more. Don't chase it or they end up like an eBay bidding session.

 

If it doesn't happen, it wasn't meant to be.

 

Never get hung up on a house, they find you. Always believe they cost more than you have, cos they do. We are still renovating 5 years in.

 

That brings me to the second point. Kids are time thieves and money pits. We have 1, and he's properly ace, but *fruitcage*ed our timescale up royally. Not just a few months or anything, it's years. You can't do a lot for at least the first few years. Nursery is basically your mortgage doubled. Ours starts school in September and we are counting the days so we can actually do more with the house.

 

As mentioned, I've made my bed etc, but it is hard having a child. Apologies if that sounds *suitcase* or ungrateful for folk here, I don't mean it like that. It really is a bloody eye-opener though.

[scorch]

Kids are time thieves and money pits.

*dragons den voice*

 

And for that reason, I'm out.

[Tinkerton]

New build so not much haggling room. A quick Google suggests its not unheard of for the developer to pay stamp duty and/ or legal fees as well as some extras, so we'll see.

[Hedganian]

Good luck.

[scorch]

It'll be fine. Whether it's this one or not, you'll get the right one.

[Tinkerton]

Thanks. I've a good feeling about it, but its daunting to commit to that much money, to say the least.

[scorch]

It certainly is.

 

We've just had the mortgage officially approved. Just waiting on the solicitors now.

 

If I'm honest, I can't wait to get a bit of DIY done to make it ours. No doubt job number 1 will be putting a cat flap in.

[DrAlexanderTobacco]

New build so not much haggling room. A quick Google suggests its not unheard of for the developer to pay stamp duty and/ or legal fees as well as some extras, so we'll see.

Be very, VERY careful to check whether you're getting a freehold or leasehold - New build houses, especially from developers like Taylor Wimpey, are sold under lease with exorbitant ground-rent charges. i.e. they double every 5 years making it really difficult to sell. The freehold is often sold onto investors as well, which then charge £500 to even enquire about buying the freehold!

 

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2016/nov/05/ground-rent-scandal-engulfing-new-home-buyers-leasehold

[Hedganian]

That makes me very angry [/ Marvin the Martian]

 

To charge such a fee for literally nothing... The freeholder did nothing but pay the developer some money to acquire the freehold in order to charge the leaseholders.

 

Such practises should be immediately outlawed, any property sold should be sold with its freehold.

[amateurstuntman]

Agreed.

 

Difficult where you have turned a house into flats and so on but yes, as a basic rule.

 

New build

 

See: "Snag list"

 

Make sure even the tiniest issues are sorted out promptly as soon as you notice them to get as much dome while it is still in warranty,

[DarkLite]

Literally the day after walking out of my job, shower heater element goes boof.

 

Cost of new element: £77
Cost of brand new shower heater unit with more capacity and better wattage: £88
Cost of plumber: £120 + VAT per hour, plus parts on top

 

So I am now installing a new shower heater unit myself.

[scorch]

That makes me very angry [/ Marvin the Martian]

 

To charge such a fee for literally nothing... The freeholder did nothing but pay the developer some money to acquire the freehold in order to charge the leaseholders.

 

Such practises should be immediately outlawed, any property sold should be sold with its freehold.

 

It's been outlawed in Scotland.

 

 

Literally the day after walking out of my job, shower heater element goes boof.

 

Cost of new element: £77

Cost of brand new shower heater unit with more capacity and better wattage: £88

Cost of plumber: £120 + VAT per hour, plus parts on top

 

So I am now installing a new shower heater unit myself.

Plumbing maintenance is a piece of cake. If you can modify an AEG and a GBB, you can change a shower element or a toilet syphon.

 

Full system installation is the tricky stuff.

[Hedganian]

It's been outlawed in Scotland.

 

So it should be, however there should be only one set of laws throughout the UK.

[scorch]

So it should be, however there should be only one set of laws throughout the UK.

I agree.

[Tinkerton]

[DrAlexanderTobacco]

Literally the day after walking out of my job, shower heater element goes boof.

 

Cost of new element: £77

Cost of brand new shower heater unit with more capacity and better wattage: £88

Cost of plumber: £120 + VAT per hour, plus parts on top

 

So I am now installing a new shower heater unit myself.

 

 

Combi-boiler in my landlady's annex lost pressure yesterday, housemate got properly angry at me for cancelling the plumber call-out. 

 

Until she saw me turn one tap 90 degrees, and another 45 degrees.

[shmook]

See: "Snag list"

 

Make sure even the tiniest issues are sorted out promptly as soon as you notice them to get as much dome while it is still in warranty,

This. I did this wih a new build I bought, and I'm sure they were totally sick of my nagging. I don't care, it should have been right from the start.

 

Also, as you're buying a new build, if it's off plan then cane them for upgrades, and if already built go for better carpets/fittings etc.

 

Rinse them for all you can, as they are already doing it to you. The cost of houses on this fair Isle is crazy.

[hitmanNo2]

Sadly many new house builders don't know the words 'quality', 'craftsmanship' e.t.c. Not uncommon to see massive cracking to wall/skirting junctions, random cracking to walls, fittings not properly installed on houses a few days old.  The snagging lists are pages and pages.

[amateurstuntman]

Without wanting to sound elitist there is a reason for that.

 

I work in the industry and your average builder doesn't give a *fruitcage* and even if he did he isn't capable of producing good work.

 

Having an A level makes you some kind of wizard, giving a *suitcase* makes you a snecker.

 

They are cutting every corner, doing the work as fast and as cheaply as possible and they don't care.

There are good artisan builders out there but they are not involved in new builds.

 

Complain loudly and often and get any tiny thing fixed.

[Tinkerton]

Squeeky wheel gets the grease.

 

Mortgage people said no on the bigger house. out of 'budget' by a mere 5K.

 

However, the smaller house is still a 4 bed detached, just with intergral garage which is 2sqm smaller than the bigger one. Worth saving 20K on. Going to speak to them and see what they can do. 

[hitmanNo2]

It's just when they do it on multi million pound properties...Do they think the buyers aren't going to kick off?  Less hassle to just sort it surely.

[Cannonfodder80]

Bloody Halifax changing their overdraft charges to make it "simpler". Apparently £1 a day and taking it all at the end of the month is too complicated, so in future they'll charge 1p for every £7 you're overdrawn and take the charge at the end of each day. Whoever thought that one up needs a slap

[DarkLite]

Fitted the new shower heater yesterday - in the instructions there's a big *fruitcage* off warning that you can only use a 15mm push fit elbow joint to connect it up, NOTHING ELSE.

 

So:

 

1) Why then, if this is the only fitting you can use, is there not one included in the package?
2) Why, if not included, is this particular piece of information not plastered front and *fruitcage* centre on the outside of the box?

 

Long story short, had to spend 3 hours on buses and nearly a fiver on bus fare to go to the nearest B&Q to pick up a part that cost £1.

 

On the plus side, I have hot showers again, yaaaay