10 things we learned about buying our first home during the coronavirus pandemic 8 September 2020 at 1:36PM in House buying, renting & selling 16 replies 3.7K views

Jamaicanmelaff

Totally agree. My seller accepted my offer even though she had another slightly higher one because she really liked me and could tell I genuinely loved the house. 

NowVillager

I had an offer accepted, then discovered a delay of c.1 month on surveys in the area due to requests building up during Covid, which will affect timing to completion, so if you're renting you may need to factor an extra couple of months' rent into your overall budget. The popular ones have longer delays, up to 6 weeks. 

Eventually I found one who could do it in 3 weeks but from interactions so far it seems there's a reason they weren't booked up, even though I requested a client reference rather than rely on online reviews.

HariRaviRaj

I tried to find the below question on the FAQs and on the website but couldn't find it anywhere. 

It's regarding first time buyers and whether I would still be legible. Last September I sold my share of a flat I used own with my sister to her partner which resulted in me coming off the mortgage and property deed. I am now looking to buy a new property with my partner, but wanted to see if we would fall into that category of first time buyer as my partner has never previously owned a property but I have?

davidmcn

HariRaviRaj said:

I tried to find the below question on the FAQs and on the website but couldn't find it anywhere. 

It's regarding first time buyers and whether I would still be legible. Last September I sold my share of a flat I used own with my sister to her partner which resulted in me coming off the mortgage and property deed. I am now looking to buy a new property with my partner, but wanted to see if we would fall into that category of first time buyer as my partner has never previously owned a property but I have?

You'd be better to start your own thread rather than tagging your question onto a not particularly relevant one.

HariRaviRaj

davidmcn said:

HariRaviRaj said:

I tried to find the below question on the FAQs and on the website but couldn't find it anywhere. 

It's regarding first time buyers and whether I would still be legible. Last September I sold my share of a flat I used own with my sister to her partner which resulted in me coming off the mortgage and property deed. I am now looking to buy a new property with my partner, but wanted to see if we would fall into that category of first time buyer as my partner has never previously owned a property but I have?

You'd be better to start your own thread rather than tagging your question onto a not particularly relevant one.

Apologies, first time using the forum. 

TheOnlyJohnnyA

I agree with Doozergirl and others about the poker face too. We're first-time buyers and found a maisonette we could see ourselves living in for a few years. After our first viewing with the estate agent, we asked to meet the vendor, so he knew we were interested. We were friendly, nice and enjoyed chatting with the vendor for over an hour over a tea. Found out more about him. Why he was moving and where he was moving to. It made everyone feel more relaxed and allowed us to see the place again. We made a first offer under the asking price and after a bit of negotiation, met the vendor in the middle - this was useful because it allowed us to know the price the vendor was actually prepared to accept. We had already done our own checks of prices in the area, so we knew what comparable properties were going for plus the vendor said he was open to offers.

He has accepted and we're now in the process of all the other bits. Fingers crossed we can get it over the line - the agent has not delisted the property from sale yet as they are awaiting solicitor details from the vendor so I'm cynically expecting us to be gazumped. But no point in worrying about things beyond my control. If it goes through great. If it doesn't, well, I'd be disappointed but we'll find something else. 

But yes, be nice. Business is about people no matter what shows like The Apprentice might lead you to think. They're just melodrama for entertainment purposes. I freelance and if I was aloof, cold or just a bit of an a-hole towards any of my clients, I wouldn't get repeat business. 

Enjoy the whirlwind! Now back to my own...