to those buying in these difficult times! AKA buyers support network

54druids

Hi to all of you guys, cannot write for long as cannot trust this connection. Missives are concluded, the mortgage is in place, I will have no money for repairs once we move as I have spent it all on the holidayaccomodation we have been living in for 3 months but who cares - IT'S A HOUSE AND IT's OURS AND WE CAN SWING A CAT IN IT which is more than we can do now. Nothing like a bit of living out of your comfort zone to make you appreciate things more. Just watched relocation tonight and they offered 50 k under the asking price rather glibly ha! I thought not in Helensburgh - they wouldn't even accept 5k over. If you think I am moving again you have to be joking - well not for 5 years anyway and next one will be new build or our build. This was our first second hand house and don't want to do this again. Will write more when I get a good internet connection. Good luck to you all.
xx

p.s. missed the outcome of relocation as putting kids to bed - did they accept the 50k under?

Purpletopaz

Hi,
Thanks Tiggerjj, just got a huge mail form the Sols today! With contract copy deeds, hip! and fixtures and fittings! Looking through seems to be a prob with 2 doors and a window which dont have bulding regs cert so calling sols tomorrow. then will hand over alot of cash for the 10% Deposit!

54Druids So happy for you ! We are in squashed situation too In a rented 2 bed house been using the extra downstairs room as extra bedroom and the little one has been in with us! So the older boys can have a room each! So we are moving to a 4 bed with a large through living dining room! I can get a table to eat from, And today I got a letter from take a break I won a £500 Argos voucher so Now i have the means to buy it! So happy as we wont have money for extras for a bit either!!!!

Oh and why cant they show real people on relocation buying noraml property! i would love to see what they could get for £100,000. I didnt see the end either sorry!

nokando

We have spent the last year trying to buy, but have not been successful due to the following:

1) Speculative sellers who can't get what they want so pull out , This has happened 3 times the first was ok as they told us within a few days,the last was after three and a half months.

2)Lost out for two properties that went for above the asking price.I wouldn't have thought this possible in the current market.

3) Withdrew from one when it became apparent that the drive was a right of way ,so strictly speaking you couldn't park on your own drive.

4) We currently have an offer in on a property but they have no where to go,so who knows how it will turn out.

Have spent approximately a grand on surveys, but are very fortunate its not moreWe withdrew approximately 50K of ISA savings to pay for one of the properties and have now lost the tax free status.Firm believer that if its not meant to be it wont happen.Do what you can to make it happen but dont be frightened to walk away witrh your money.

Mini_Bear

We are in a similar situation to nokando and its very frustrating!
I refused to take my ISAs out until the absolute last min and thank goodness i didnt as our purchase fell thru (we were gazumped by a FTB paying above asking!!)
I too believe in fate and several times have thought perhaps we have had a lucky escape.
The market just seems at a complete standstill at the mo, I am starting to really reconsider moving at all at the moment. Prices just seem too high, here in south-east.
Good luck to everyone buying and selling, i hope things go smoothly!

tiggerjj

Purple topaz, got the same thing today but nothing about the deeds problem so still cant do anything ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

oh and now gonna have to argue with the sleers about the fridge/freezer and cooker/oven, stated clearly in EA blurb they were included and EA said so, not they arent on the fixture and fittings list, oh and im off overseas on sat so one more working day before everything becomes even harder to sort out!

Purpletopaz

Hi

Nokando - sounds like you have been having a hard time!

Mini bear - same with you! I am in the South East too!

Tiggerjj - So annoying when you want to move forward! GOsh stressful now even more so when you are abroad!! Hope you can get something done!.

I called Sols and they suggested asking vendor to take out indemnity insurance so i said ask them. we shall see ! I also said we would like to exchange on feb 12 and complete march 5th, if we cannot exchange on feb 12th we cannot give notice for another month!!!! So I hope they agree!

Good luck everyone!!!!!!

Astara

I do hope everyone on here is progressing with their purchases! Just an update - after my seller pulling out I have now found something else and out an offer in and had it accepted! My buyer did say he would wait but I wanted to get on any way. I have arranged for a survey so now fingers crossed! It is a completely different property from the one I was buying and in a different area which I prefer and of course there are some compromises but the sellers seem so much better than the last lot that to me that is worth it's weight in gold!

Purpletopaz

Oh good luck Astara! You sound very excited about it!, Waiting to hear if we are exchanging on friday as We paid the 10 % to the sols and signed all the contracts! Just waiting and packing now!

good luck!

Astara

Thank you Purple Topaz! And good luck on Friday - you must be so pleased to be coming near the end of it! Enjoy your new home!

mistrihelen

Hi all,

I'm hopefully near the end of our first house purchase but it's been a bit of a saga getting there,

We started looking back in June 09. We're first time buyers and rent so felt like we were in quite a good position apart from the nerve-wracking mortgage application etc.

First house: Reposession, much cheaper than other houses in the area, make offer and its accepted. All seemed to be going well until we discovered a floating freehold problem above a tunnel. Solicitor refused to entertain indemnity insurance, cue lots of going back and forth until we've been in the process for seven weeks and get gazumped. We later find out the person who gazumped us couldn't even get finance and it all fell apart. Too late for us.

Second house: After failure of the first one we were eager to find another property. Found somewhere that seemed great, sellers already owned another house so were keen to sell. Estate agents and seller tell us it is freehold. Turns out they're confused and when they thought they bought the freehold years ago, they actually just extended the lease. We don't think it's worth as much as a leasehold property (plus we wouldn't be able to easily extend as wanted) so it falls apart.

Third and hopefully final house: Slightly bigger (and more expensive) house on same road as first property. Sellers moving to Devon and quickly find a house to buy with no chain. All went smoothly except a problem with the garage - there's no proof of when it was built/planning permission. This time, we spend a month convincing solicitor that indemnity insurance will solve it, he makes us confirm with the bank, who don't see any problem and ta da! We signed contracts yesterday and will hopefully be completing next week, as sellers have booked removal men for the 16th. Solicitor is umming and ahing about how quickly it can happen but I feel the most relaxed I have done so far now.

Would quite happily never go through all that again! Luckily the end result is that we're buying a nicer, bigger house than the first one. It is a touch more expensive but still in budget and Natwest let us keep our rate from the first time we applied.