Finally I have a mortgage I can start to pay off!

themadvix

Thanks Cheery! That’s good to know 😊 While I wouldn’t want to be flaky, I also appreciate that a property of this size and age may well have hidden issues that will create get-out clauses anyway (And we can always just change our mind if we really change our mind!).

 Out of interest, did you go for a second look after you’d had the offer accepted? I know I’ll want to see it again but don’t want to put the vendors off us!

Cheery_Daff

We did, but not until months later. The estate agent was late the first time, and we had another viewing booked elsewhere, so our first viewing was about 30 mins 😮 we offered the next day (but in fairness I think there weren't people queueing up to buy this house...) 

It took us 3 months to get our mortgage offer, and when it looked like it was nearly there we came back for another viewing, and brought a friendly plumber with us as the boiler had been flashing an error code when we first viewed (it was fine, just the water pressure). This was an estate sale though so it was empty. 

Our old house was populate, I think we had about 15 viewings within a couple of days 😮 and several offers, all over asking price and all just after one viewing. We sold to someone who hadn't even got theirs on the market, for £15k over asking (because we weren't QUITE convinced about the place we'd offered on at the time and wanted to be more sure - they'd supposedly accepted our offer but not taken it off the market anyway).

Our buyers did come back for a second viewing, I think a couple of weeks later. Supposedly to measure up, but they'd not booked a survey, so basically did their own survey - they were there for 2 hours, going through every room, under every rug etc. I was more annoyed that they brought their daughter and left her sitting in the kitchen so I couldn't really potter about and do stuff 😂

They still bought it though, and we stillbought ours (this one, not the original one we'd offered on).

I reckon second viewings are expected after offering - just say you're measuring windows etc for curtains!

themadvix

Thanks, that was really helpful!

 One room down (barring touching up paint and cleaning the cat nose marks off the window), just 8 and the garden to go…. 

Cheery_Daff

You can do it! Go Vix! 

I should say I wasn't annoyed about our buyers coming back for another viewing (although it was *slightly* weird that they stayed for 2 hours - what on earth were they doing up there?!) It made me confident that they knew all the idiosyncrasies of the house near the start, and were therefore less likely to change their minds later.

But I was still a bit annoyed at the time at their daughter sitting in my way for so long 😂 although to be fair I suspect she was more annoyed at being abandoned in a stranger's kitchen for 2 hours! 😂

Kittenkirst

You can do it- go Vix

With the viewings side- our buyer only looked the once, put in the offer then and there and then didn’t re-visit at all. This was back in Late Feb so maybe the lockdowns still had an impact, but I thought it odd they didn’t want a second visit to check things/ measure etc. (She’s really happy with the house when we’ve been to collect mail a few weeks after sale so i think its all good)

themadvix

Thanks ladies, your motivational skills are excellent - you've propelled me forwards!

I don't blame you for being peeved about the daughter being dumped in the kitchen - rather irritating for you and her I imagine!

I have an appointment with a mortgage adviser this afternoon (did I say that already?). The property has a holiday let on the premises and Santander will not lend to you if that's the case, so going to hear what the options and (more importantly) the rates are likely to be. We'd have to pay ERC to get out of mortgage but it's 'only' £1200, so could be worth it if it meant we could let the separate property (which is kind of key to making the books balance, I feel).

Cheery_Daff

This is very exciting! 

I hope you don't mind, but with you saying it was slightly unusual I'm imagining you buying a windmill 😁😁 I don't want you to set me right - I'm very happy just imagining it 😁😂 we looked (online) at a couple of windmills when we were looking - one beautifully decorated but on a miniscule garden sandwiched between houses on an estate,  and the other literally just a shell with no access road or water 😂

Mr Cheery nearly bought a lighthouse once 😮😂 Kind of wish he had, but I'd probably never have met him as he'd have been so far from where I ended up 😂

Fortune_Smiles

We had two viewings - the second the day after the first.  However, we would have offered after the first if a second viewing wasn't doable.  Remember to offer subject to survey and contract so if anything horrid comes up during the process you can always withdraw.

Fortune x

Cheery_Daff

I don't thing anything's legally binding anyway til exchange, even if you don't say that (I don't think we did). Best to remind them though!

Chiglepig

Very exciting - but I'm not sure I could cope with the process again, certainly not in the current climate (but I'm a wimp with a house I like in a nice location!!)