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Thinking of switching EA - please advise
Hi We have had house on marker for 8 weeks - had 3 viewings, no joy as yet. We are on with a local firm that charge £400 up front then £400 on sale of house. bascially, they email your details to people on their books and put you on RM. There is a lot of new build in the area and we have a lot of competition here, so we…
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Rent to Homebuy question
:cool:Hi I am a Housing Assoc tenant with an Assured Shorthold tenancy. I've just been to see a new build rent to homebuy flat five miles from where I live. I was only going out of interest, but I liked it so much I am considering moving there. The rent would be £120 per month more than I am paying now for a smaller but…
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Estate Agent Fees
We have pulled our house off the market. It was both residential & commercial property. I hadn't spotted in the contract that they would bill me for advertising. Now they have sent me a big bill. I am going to ask them to provide proof that they actually placed the ads they say they did. They are asking for £50 per advert.…
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Average living costs
Hi I am about to move to a 1 bed flat in London but as I've been living in shared house in London, I'm not sure how much my living costs will be once I'm living on my own. I'd be grateful if someone could give me a rough idea of how much c/tax, water, gas and elec might cost on a monthly basis. I'm trying to figure out…
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Fensa Certificate
We are in the process of buying a house but it has been held up because the seller has no fensa certificate for the windows. Its an ex council house not in a conservation area the windows have been in a few years now and are the same type as the other houses. Should we be worried about this certificate and let it hold up…
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Would you pay more than a house is 'worth' if you loved it?
I have a first-time buyer dilemma. Have fallen in love with a little house. It has been on the market for absolutely ages - since at least March 2008. It has gradually dropped in price from 125k to 115k to 113k. Was on at 115k for entire 2009 year, dropped to £113k at beginning of this year. I have offered 110k and it has…
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Will my solicitor charge me extra
Hi there, Just about to complete the sale of my house. Unfortunately the sale has not been without complications which have included ; * Our solicitor chasing the buyers solicitor (buyer was not responding) * Us chasing our solicitor regarding the above * One of our neighbours being awkward and the solicitor having to…
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Trying to Rent a Room - Good website?
Hi, Ive been trying to rent a room in my 2 bedroom flat for a few months now. Ive been using the Findaroommate.co.uk website with mixed results. Ive had a few viewings and a few interested emails but nothing too regular. I was wondering if anyone could recommend a good website for doing this? I dont mind paying a bit…
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Do I need HIP Insurance?
We are several months into the purchase of a new house. Our solicitors seem to charge us extra for everything - each enquiry they send to the seller's solicitors costs us extra - and now they say we must take out a HIP insurance policy. This costs £150 & VAT or they say we will have to get a new HIP done. I can't see any…
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Solicitor's Delaying Tactic
Hi all Sorry if this has been posted before, but brand new here, so please just direct me to the right thread if this is a repeat. We are in the process of moving - in a chain sadly: buying & selling. Today was meant to have been Exchange of Contracts day, but for some bizarre reason, our solicitor kept delaying the…
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Solicitor's Fees - Setup of chancel insurance
I'm buying a property in an area that may be liable for chancel payments, so my solicitor advised I could either do a full search to identify if I was liable, purchase indemnity insurance, or ignore it (which the lender may not have accepted). I opted to buy the insurance at around £60. On the solicitors bill in addition…
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Popular website for private landlords?
My mother has sold her house and has got to be out in 3 weeks but is struggling to find anywhere to rent in the area. Is there a popular website that landlords use to advertise that don't use an agent? Everything advertised on rightmove/primelocation etc is unsuitable. Thanks
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house conversion restraint area
The house I am buying is in a House Conversion Restraint Area designated by Wandsworth Council. My understanding is that this designation restricts the ability to convert the house into flats; but has no impact on any plans i might have to extend the property through a loft conversion and side return extension. Can anyone…
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No longer Bankrupt stuck in the rental market
Hi, Following a failed business and bankruptcy I am now back on my feet as a Cardiff Cabbie. My bankruptcy has recently been discharged and for the first time in many years I am earning more than what I am paying out!! I am looking for inspiration really on how to get out of a rented house and start a fresh buying a…
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Buying a house - offers and tactics advise
We are looking to buy a house in an area that we know pretty well. The area is a series of small cul-de-sacs set back off a busy main round and for the most part the houses are all virtually identical 3 bed semis. At the moment there are about 7 up for sale, all at the same price, £140k give or take £1k either way. Houses…
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Tax on rental income
I currently rent out a property which I own (achieving £500 per month) I have a small mortgage on the property (25k). Am I better to pay off the mortgage and pay tax on the income or retain the mortgage. I currently pay 20% tax and the rental income would not take me to the next tax bracket. Does this mean I would be…
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Offer accepted... what next?
Hi all. We had an offer accepted on a recently refurbished property. The work included converted loft, rear ground floor extension and side extension aswell as electrical re-wiring. We put in our offer on the condition that no solicitors/mortgage companies or surveyors would be contacted until the refurb work had been…
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Going to view a 'fixer upper'... tips?
The only reason we are even considering it is because of the location and layout of the house. It's a 3 bed bungalow with separate dining room and lounge (so basically would be used as a 4 bedroom in 2-4years when the boys want a room each, until then the lounge will be a day-room for the kids toys). We have 3 children,…
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Please help!
This is my first time on here so I hope I am doing this right. Unfortunately two years ago, we lost my uncle, he was unmarried and he had no kids, and he left his estate to be shared equally between his sister (my mum) and brother, and 5 nieces. Because of the amount of the estate we are paying a large amount of…
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First time landlord - help!
Hi, I've just accepted a job abroad which will be for 1 to 3 years and which includes accommodation and bills, so I'm going to rent my flat out whilst we're away. I'm a bit nervous because it will be the first time I've ever been a landlord. We've got a letting agent coming round to do a rental valuation next week and they…
