FTB - Advice on when to buy white good, electrical good (TV etc...) and living items (sofas, beds)

maton91

Hello all,

I'm a FTB looking to buy this year and until a suitable property becomes available I'm spending time researching.

One thing I'm not sure of, or could do with guidance on is when to buy the in-house items (white goods electrical good, living items etc...). Obviously every one that has bought a house has had to go through the pain so some feedback to take on board would be good.

My thinking is that you wouldn't buy anything until the sale has gone through due to risk of the sale breaking down or measurements (unless taken during the viewing) and storage of items. Likewise it's hard to imagine having to spend a number of days on air beds and deck chairs with no means to wash clothes!

I know it seems like a trivial question but I'm interested to hear what people on this forum did and any lessons learned. If it means having to rough it out for some time then so be it.

Thanks in advance!

jemima82

Where are you living now? If renting, you’ll probably need to rough it for a week or two until you can sort deliveries.

if you’re staying with family, at least you can wash clothes & spend nights there if needed.

You could order things to go into storage but then would have to move them into your new place.

It’s risky to start ordering things before you have the keys in case there is a delay to completion.

I was lucky to be able to spend nights with family until I got sorted, but there will be some back and forth regardless. For instance I still spent a night on an air bed (which will now be an emergency guest bed) because I had deliveries that could have turned up the next day from 7am.

You won’t mind the roughing it as you’ll be delighted to have your place!

MovingForwards

The last flat I rented only had built-in wardrobes and white goods, I hit BHF over a couple of days and furnished it (new bed / mattress) from them; all delivered the day I moved in. They also do white goods with warranty.
My curtains I picked from whatever Argos had in the sale section, including blackouts.
Think it was about £650, bulk of the money was the bed/mattress. But I had 2 leather sofas, table, TV unit etc.

A few months later I ordered a full size freezer from Argos. I even picked up a dining table free from gumtree.

Moving into my flat some bits I gave away, everything else came with me and I ordered a fridge from Argos. I just found the coldest part of my flat to keep a small bottle of milk, butter etc. I moved in May.

My flat also came with a hob, oven and washing machine. I could have negotiated for everything in the flat as it was a BTL, as it was the seller left me a wardrobe and chest of drawers.

When I knew I was in a position to buy I started picking bits up and keeping them in a box. I also kept a close eye on Facebook and gumtree. Personally I found AO, John Lewis etc too expensive as I didn't have much left in the bank after moving. 

Until you start viewing you don't know what will stay with the property. Also, what you think you want now, may not be what you want when you find your home.

Fiesto88

Once you exchange contracts you’ll know what your completion date is and both parties are legally committed so it’s a good idea to start with anything that might take a while then. 

AdrianC

maton91 said:

Obviously every one that has bought a house has had to go through the pain so some feedback to take on board would be good.

Well, no, because many FTBs have been living in unfurnished rental properties prior to buying, so have their own furniture and appliances...

The Swedish Embassy is already re-open, along with other "non-essential" retail, so there's no reason you can't just hire a van and dive to your nearest branch for some meatballs and whatever furniture. Appliance retailers are also open.

But there are still such things as launderettes...

theoretica

maton91 said:

 Likewise it's hard to imagine having to spend a number of days on air beds and deck chairs with no means to wash clothes!

That's what I did - though without the deck chair - and my furniture came a month later.  The kitchen did have a stove which I was glad of, so not fully camping mode.

MaryNB

I had an overlap between my tenancy and house purchase so I had a bit more time.
I only exchanged the day before completion so buying at exchange didn't give me much of advantage. The only furniture I had was a bedside locker and small storage unit (and a camping chair if that counts as furniture).

I completed before the end of the lockdown in November so nowhere was open. That delayed things a bit. There were a few things I didn't want to purchase before seeing them.

The mattress provider I chose had the option of week delivery so that was great. I didn't get the bed frame  for a month so I had the mattress on the floor for a while but obviously still much better than an air bed. Bedroom furniture and dining table (also used as a desk for WFH) from IKEA but had to get it delivered (no car) so it took a few weeks.

Couch (other retailer) had a 12 week lead time so I got used to a camping chair. 

Luckily the previous owners left the fridge behind. Ordered the washing machine when the shops opened and it took a week to arrive. I could still use my rented place to wash clothes but there was also a launderette nearby if I didn't have the overlap. 

I struggled to find ready made curtains I liked so got made to measure from a local place but it took AGES, so I'd recommend ready made if you can. 

MovingForwards

Years ago I moved into a place which had one old bed. I quickly purchased a microwave and a couple of those bed chair sponge things, couldn't afford a cheap sofa for about a year.

There's mini ovens and two ringed hobs while waiting for a cooker to be delivered.

Don't forget friends and family sometimes have things they have kept, but don't want. You may end up with donated gifts.

I'm collecting a rug and gorgeous coffee table next month, which has been sat unused for 20+ years in a spare bedroom. 

One man's junk is another man's treasure.

maton91

Thanks for all the help guys! Sounds like I'll probably need to rough it for some time, but as mentioned a few weeks as apposed to 25 years is nothing!

Soot2006

I really enjoyed the "camping" aspect of moving to my first owned house. I had my own mattress already, but if I didn't, I would have bought one on the day. Threw it on the floor ... Walked to the local takeaway, and then started sorting things out in the next day. I have my own van so Freecycle (at the time; now Marketplace) and Gumtree were a source of many cheap goods. Even now, I tend to buy high quality things second hand rather than a cheap new. It works for us, but I know some people prefer new and shiny things.

davidmcn

maton91 said:

Thanks for all the help guys! Sounds like I'll probably need to rough it for some time, but as mentioned a few weeks as apposed to 25 years is nothing!

Pretty much everything can be sourced within days, unless you really want e.g. a sofa from the places where their elves take 12 weeks to construct the things. The likes of Ikea have most things in stock and can deliver in the next free slot in their diary, if it's not something you can collect yourself.

Also bear in mind that properties tend to come with some stuff included, particularly white goods. My first flat came fully furnished.