Midlife Musings and Measurable Goals

beanielou

With you on the local v amazon. 

Sometimes it is just so expensive so shop locally & support the independents. 

MovingForwards

It's definitely worth picking your battles with shopping. I support local where I can, but not when there's such a price difference as that would buy me something from the charity shop.

Have fun looking at the properties, the spending to travel will soon reduce 🤗

Seasidegal58

I agree that it's sometimes a toss deciding where and how to shop.  I tend to buy mostly cards, fruit and veg, and small home wares locally. Trouble is if you need specific things sometimes it's easier and cheaper to hit Amazon. I also tend to buy clothes and shoes online through Marisota and M&S as it's hard to get my size locally. 

I hope you have a fruitful day amongst the properties. Fingers crossed!🤞

doingitanyway

Thanks everyone

Yesterday was hectic and interesting. The hidden gem did not work due to lay out. The rooms were tiny and could not be knocked through as the staircase was in the way. Too much work generally. Other properties were too small. Or the 'flow' wasn't there. One had only 2 chairs in the living space and there was nowhere for a sofa to go!  

The star of the show was the apartment. Gorgeous area. I loved it and the little roof terrace entered by a different door was perfect. It had a table and chairs and lots of pots of herbs and flowers. Great views from every window, The owner lives onsite and are a lovely elderly couple. I can even have a vegetable patch in the owner's main garden. Lots of space. Good storage. Open fire! Three apartments in a massive house. Quiet. I felt safe at the top of the house and when I travel I wouldn't worry about safety. Long lease.

Downsides now...carpets throughout  (for obvious reasons). Fine carpeting but I prefer floorboards and rugs. The outside of the building was a bit grand-house-grubby. Officially no pets but the vendor has a cat and she said she would ask about a small dog. No repairs or rubbish or anything but it could have done with a power wash to the path and there was a bit of weeding...The main downside is I would worry about being slapped with a big bill to to do some sort of major works as it is a big building.  So, I need to check on the reserves held. Schedule of works etc. It is definitely a contender. Looking at again on Monday with a friend.

In other news L1dl has a single induction hob going on sale next week. Going to buy it as along with a slow cooker, it would enable me to get rid of my cooker to the dump. Also it is useful to have anyway.

Slept poorly and felt unwell yesterday. Joints bad too but thankfully today is the osteopath. Before then, soup making and a walk to the BHF to see what they have. I need dining chairs.

Hope everyone has a good day

MovingForwards

You saw the potential hidden gems and ruled them out for perfectly good reasons. I bet you did learn a lot from viewing them and it helps settle what you do want from a home 😊

The apartment sounds great. Would they allow the carpet to be removed, thick quality underlay fitted with quality engineered wood flooring? It's a good compromise, even if it's just in the lounge.
You only see the outside of the building when walking up to it, if it's structurally sound, no signs of needing repairs I would not touch it, I wouldn't clean it, just keep an eye out for when it's due to be painted (if it's painted); any traffic dust etc always sticks to the building and negates the effort required.

Would a single hob be enough, or would a double be better? Not to sway you (I think you may be a vegetarian / vegan, so a single may be more than enough), find a steamer if you do buy it as it's easier to cook food stacked up and only requires one pan 😁

Hope you get some rest later, that was a busy one yesterday 🤗

another_casualty

You've had a very good day regarding the viewings . 

That apartment does sound good . You have to ask yourself if the dog is a deal breaker 🐕
I wouldn't think you'd be the type to have a handbag type dog like those annoying celebrities have . They should realise dogs do Infact walk . But I'll leave that there .
The other thing to think about, is if the roof terrace is solely for your use and would it bother you if it was not . If you tick those boxes then it's probably best to find out cost of annual service charges / gd rent etc and if it's paid quarterly / 6monthly / annually .
Not sure if there are service charges as I forgot . 

There is a sinking fund incorporated in my service charges and so far so good , the managing agents are not too bad on the whole and well organised . 

It's good that you are enjoying and looking forward to seeing oestropath ,and you'll feel rejuvenated afterwards .
Hope the day goes well🌧

doingitanyway

MovingForwards said:

You saw the potential hidden gems and ruled them out for perfectly good reasons. I bet you did learn a lot from viewing them and it helps settle what you do want from a home 😊

The apartment sounds great. Would they allow the carpet to be removed, thick quality underlay fitted with quality engineered wood flooring? It's a good compromise, even if it's just in the lounge.
You only see the outside of the building when walking up to it, if it's structurally sound, no signs of needing repairs I would not touch it, I wouldn't clean it, just keep an eye out for when it's due to be painted (if it's painted); any traffic dust etc always sticks to the building and negates the effort required.

Would a single hob be enough, or would a double be better? Not to sway you (I think you may be a vegetarian / vegan, so a single may be more than enough), find a steamer if you do buy it as it's easier to cook food stacked up and only requires one pan 😁

Hope you get some rest later, that was a busy one yesterday 🤗

Thanks @MovingF@MovingForwards

You are right I learnt lots from viewings yesterday. I started this process wanting a house, now I am pretty sure it will be an apartment or a maisonette. Talk about a turnabout. I started thinking I don't need any outside space. Now I am prioritising it. 

I have already asked if insulating under the floors would be allowed. It is only the living area, as I would be happy with carpets in the bedrooms. 

The house is painted so I am asking when it is due to be repainted. The communal areas were very clean inside.

A double hob would be better, but with a slow cooker one hob might do and would be more useful after I move.

So much to think about. This housing search is taking up all of my time and energy. I'm glad Christmas is coming so I can slow down on thinking about houses until the new year.

doingitanyway

another_casualty said:

You've had a very good day regarding the viewings . 

That apartment does sound good . You have to ask yourself if the dog is a deal breaker 🐕
I wouldn't think you'd be the type to have a handbag type dog like those annoying celebrities have . They should realise dogs do Infact walk . But I'll leave that there .
The other thing to think about, is if the roof terrace is solely for your use and would it bother you if it was not . If you tick those boxes then it's probably best to find out cost of annual service charges / gd rent etc and if it's paid quarterly / 6monthly / annually .
Not sure if there are service charges as I forgot . 

There is a sinking fund incorporated in my service charges and so far so good , the managing agents are not too bad on the whole and well organised . 

It's good that you are enjoying and looking forward to seeing oestropath ,and you'll feel rejuvenated afterwards .
Hope the day goes well🌧

Thanks AC I missed this as I was posting at the time.
You are right a miniature dog isn't for me! I did always plan on  a small dog however. I will need to think about this one and think whether it is a deal breaker or not for me...

The roof terrace is for my sole use I'm pleased to say and made the flat so much more attractive. 
Service charges are fine, about standard.
There is a sink fund so should be fine if there is a healthy reserve there. This is being checked for me. 

The weather is so cold and grey isn't it? Meh.

Sunshine_girl2

Sounds like the trip to the flat was worthwhile and hopefully when you go back with your friend , you can decide if it is a viable option. 

If not there will be another property along in the future. 

savingholmes

Good luck. Sounds like that there's a lot to consider.