Drawing a line under the debt. Take two.

Drawingaline

Porch is done! Ceiling painted, wall painted, cleaned and floor down. Looks so much better, only taken 7yrs 😂 

Boy has been doing some more garden tidying, moved all the kittens tuff to the porch and will make a start in the conservatory tomorrow. Once the consent is don't I need to do a bit of glossing, and then clean and tidy. Going to be a full on weekend! 

Honeysucklelou2

Wow just catching up on your diary and it’s all go. How exciting!

Drawingaline

Conservatory is done. I feel broken 😱😂 glossed two doors (one I started back in 2010 and never finished!) Girl made a start in her room, only a small amount to be painted in there now. 

Tomorrow I will do the boys room and sort out the huge rug I have for it, change beds and clean and tidy our room. Gloss banisters and upstairs doors. 

I also took a few pieces of furniture to my mum and dad's. Dad has given us the money to clear the debts before we get a new mortgage. I had asked for money towards the fees, but we have decided to see if we can save at least half of that ourselves. He is happy to gift us up to 7k, and anything over needs to be repaid, but tbh, I am going to start putting £100 aside to pay him back anyway. He has been amazing and generous with money all my life and I know my sibling owes him a lot atm and isn't in a position to be paying it back and I don't want him to feel that we are using him as a bank. Once I get a chunk together I will offer it to him. 

Anyway, all full steam ahead, still haven't fully decided on pricing for the house, I am inclined to price it low just to get sold....

savingholmes

Well done on the weight loss. How generous of your dad. And how exciting to find a home you want just as you are putting your house on the market. Hope it all works out.

Drawingaline

So house has been photographed, and should be hitting the market tomorrow afternoon 😱 finally decided to market at 10k under valuation, we can still make the numbers work and we will have a week to get a firm offer in order to seal the deal with the house we want. Have still been saving houses on my Rightmove list, if this doesn't work out then there are other (cheaper) ones available, but they all need some work in order to work for us. But most of them are detached, and the one we have offered on is a terraced townhouse, which wouldn't be my first choice. But the extra space is crazy, normally townhouse have compromises, but this one's layout really works, and the kitchen I three times bigger than all other townhouse kitchens I have seen. We will probably actually put the office at one end of the kitchen, as there is a separate dining room! 

Anyway, enough house planning. Finally managed a hair appointment for me and  the girl, and she is booked in for a colour in September, was supposed to get it done for prom, so if that actually goes ahead in October time then that will be some normality for her. 

Tomorrow the doors are being done, I have an appointment to fix the tracking on the car (proper hit the kerb in May and the tyres were brand new in Feb), I bent the wheel rim (which they have said they will bang out) and I think I was lucky not to blow the tyre completely! So worthwhile getting the tracking redone I think, to prolong the tyre life. Also need to fit in food shopping as didn't make it today due to estate agent visit. 

Also need to sort the boys birthday, which is Saturday. Will possibly go out for part of the day (estate agent is hoping to do a 'launch' day then) and having Chinese for tea as his choice. 

savingholmes

Exciting to get the house on the market. Good that the wheel wasn't a complete write off

Drawingaline

So house is on the market, viewings lined up for Saturday afternoon, and EPC booked for sat morning. 

Doors are in, they look good, really open up the hall and kitchen. Invoice all paid. 

Drawingaline

Conservatory and gutters were cleaned yesterday. And I had my hard gotten tip appointment! Unfortunately some of the garden waste oozed all over my car interior, so now my car stinks 😱 need some febreeze, and probably a good valet. I never get my car cleaned, but may have no choice now! 

Seven viewings lined up for sat!!! One for Monday and two more wanting to view but EA has put them on hold as very confident we will have at lease two offers on Monday morning 😱 I just want it to be next Wednesday now so at least we will know where we stand regarding the house we have offered on. I spent over an hour with my RM list last night doing a pros and cons list of all the houses on it. All the ones that need nothing doing to them are above our price range (so we would he offering a lower price) and all the ones in our price range or lower need work. Like garage conversion or stairs moving etc. The one we have offered on is the only one in our price range that needs nothing doing to actually meet our three musts. I am willing to buy a cheaper one and do the work (and in some way some are better suited with regards to location and beings semi or detached property) but after buying two properties which needed a lot doing to them I fancy an easier time this time! 

Finances looking ok, but paying the doors has created a cash flow issue, money is tied up in premium bonds and a regular saver. Need £900 for the kittens (no idea why I was talked into them, expensive creatures 😂) which I don't have in the current account atm, but should be ok by the 26th. May have to use the cc for shopping and rather than paying it off weekly, actually pay it off when the bill comes in. So we have the money, I am just trying not to access it from the savings accounts atm. 

Hoping to save most of the fees ourselves. I think we can save around 5k by the end of November, which I think is likely to be our timescale for moving if we get a FTB and we manage to secure the house weh offered on as that is the full chain. Fees should be around 7k, but we would have a bit of equity to use depending on how high of a mortgage we decide on. 

Working tomorrow, but just one job as the other has asked me to go next week due to building works they have going on. The girl has to go to a charity shop to chat about what hours she can volunteer (mum normally works there but all the over 70's are not allowed to atm so they are a bit desperate) she is so bored so hoping this helps her get out more, plus it's good for her CV. She hasn't had any bites from her applications for part time jobs, not a shock really. Once the cafes and restaurants reopen properly she may be able to pick something up, but I am not holding out hope of her managing to save any money towards her uni costs like we hoped.

Then home to clean and touch up some paint for the viewings!

savingholmes

All the best with the viewings

Drawingaline

Well the viewings didn't go very well. In my eyes anyway! Three cancelled at the last minute, one investor (would he ideal, but you know, economy blah blah) one no show (just why?) One has two cars and a motorbike (then go find houses with a garage and driveway as any at this price will be communal parking) last one was more promising, but apparently only just started searching, first thing they have seen. We must be odd in that I don't even go and look at anything I wouldn't be prepared to offer on. I have been to see the outside of all the ones on my list, some have been deducted due to the outside, and there is nothing as big as ours on the market at this price. We need an offer by Wednesday or we lose the other house 😭

But we used the time to drive and look at the outside of all the houses on my list. A few I liked, hubby didn't, so this has reduced them quite dramatically. But we have three clear cut contendors but none of them are as perfect as the one we want. But all quite a bit cheaper, so......

We have another viewing booked in for Monday afternoon and I know there were a couple of more enquiries so will have to see, but I am so stressed over it all, can't wait to know either way.

In non house news we have a birthday boy in the house. So Chinese tonight as his choice. No cake as he can't have dairy and didn't get round to baking one with all the house stuff.