Prosperous soul, mortgage neutrality & creativity Year 2

savingholmes

doingitanyway said:

That's a really good list.
I hope the offers start to come in on the house. 
Great job getting the house organised.

Thanks DIA. I need to prioritise building my savings and continuing the 'hidden' stuff declutter in the upcoming months. I want to move as little carp as possible. I was shocked yesterday to discover a copy of the deed to my house in a random bag in the shed - together with other random confidential docs - some of which just needs to be shredded. Shows how far away from 'done' I still am! I was able to bin some of the stuff in there immediately but a definite wake up call that there's still random important stuff in illogical places.

Honeysucklelou2 said:

Finally had chance to catch up on your diary SH. A huge well done on all the decluttering and staging you’ve been able to do to put your house on the market.  Hope you are able to get some more sleep. Have fun at the family event this weekend.

Thanks for catching up HSL.

Just hope my efforts pay off and I find the right house for me. It will be interesting to see what happens with the whole moving game... There's a property for sale where I'd like to move that's up for more than I can afford - but has been on the market for 9 months. What discount do people reckon I could get? It's empty. Makes me wonder if there's also a probate issue.

I woke up around 5am and couldn't get back to sleep. I've been checking RM again and debating different price discounts to other people's properties - while hoping I get a decent price for mine. I no longer feel I have any idea of what I'm likely to get - but I'm trying to tell myself - it doesn't matter as long as I can negotiate the price down where I am buying too. The scary numbers in the mortgage calculators showing current interest rates are a definite disincentive to stretching myself!

I've also lost all faith in z00pla prices now too.

I need to finish getting dressed and go and log on. I'm hoping to finish early today to make up for such a full on day tomorrow - with the travel - seeing about 16 other family members... I note your suggestion I have fun HSL - but it's not my usual experience at such events... I find them really stressful.

LeighofMar

With homes like that, our realtor usually says just offer what you are comfortable paying. The worst they can say is no or counteroffer. Same with the first property that you loved. Even when it's off the market, your realtor can still submit an offer and all they can say is no or counter. 

WelshmansDaughter

I'll just throw in some food for thought. Perhaps you may find it easier to sell first? Then start looking, maybe rent for a little bit in an area you like to see if it is what you expect. You might not like the place in winter if it is rural for example.
I suppose what I'm thinking is no need to rush

KajiKita

I think offering more than 5% less than the asking price will feel like a big drop to the seller, but you might be able start at 8% and work up? I remember one couple coming to view our old house and all the wife did was carp about everything, all the way round the tour (I hosted). I didn’t expect an offer from them but they came back with an offer at £30K (12%) less than the asking price - I had no hesitation in telling the EA we weren’t interested. I didn’t *want* to sell it to them by then!! 

I feel you on the things still being in the wrong place after a significant length of time ….. A major job I am tackling tomorrow as the forecast is so poor, is moving all my books around into categories, so all my crafting and art books are together, cookery is together, gardening etc. This will take some time ….! 

KK

Chrystal

SH it's possible to look and see what the recent sale prices have been in an area I think.  If you had some idea of what they were originally asking it might be interesting to see the  'sold'  price. 
Also don't forget that the cost of buying/selling/moving can come to tens of thousands and needs to be seriously taken into consideration.... you might find that by the time you've finished with your property it might be exactly what you're looking for on RM,  XXX

savingholmes

LeighofMar said:

With homes like that, our realtor usually says just offer what you are comfortable paying.... Same with the first property that you loved. Even when it's off the market, your realtor can still submit an offer and all they can say is no or counter. 

Leigh - I agree. I need mine to sell for a reasonable price first.

WelshmansDaughter said:

I'll just throw in some food for thought. Perhaps you may find it easier to sell first? Then start looking, maybe rent for a little bit in an area you like to see if it is what you expect. You might not like the place in winter if it is rural for example.

Thanks WD - I can't rent - as I have a 3.5 years left of a 5 year fixed rate at a lovely 1.84%. I'd have to pay ERC of 4% and would then have a much higher mortgage payment for the next few years than it needs to be. 

KK - A site I read suggested starting at 5-10% down or 10-25% if going for a cheeky offer. Will know better what to do once I know what I get for mine.

Chrystal said:

SH it's possible to look and see what the recent sale prices have been in an area I think.  If you had some idea of what they were originally asking it might be interesting to see the  'sold'  price. 
Also don't forget that the cost of buying/selling/moving can come to tens of thousands and needs to be seriously taken into consideration.... you might find that by the time you've finished with your property it might be exactly what you're looking for on RM,  XXX

Thanks Crystal I've been researching what I can but the stunning area I'm looking at hasn't had a huge amount of sales though. I may withdraw from the market if I can't afford to make an acceptable offer on somewhere I'm interested in moving.

I wrote down again my reasons for moving or staying. On the moving - top comes being overlooked and being diagonally opposite to the rear of a lewd, noisy, sweary neighbour and then a loud hot tub group next door to them. On the staying is that in winter none of that is an issue and it's close to work, more than big enough and I have cost certainty and am closer to wider family. I could put up more privacy blinds that would help address some of the feeling of being overlooked and could plant other things to block the view. Ironically my best plant shielding is to the sides rather than the rear - but I think that's partly because I've removed a couple of overgrown trees (that lost their leaves in winter anyway so weren't as useful as it might appear).

There's an element to which my life feels like a gilded cage - with common sense and convenience tying me down when another part of me wants to be off having adventures somewhere more scenic even if it rocks other areas of my life like wider family expectations and my job. (I mostly work remotely though so it needn't impact my job too much). I believe I'd be happier somewhere more scenic - but only if it is significantly different to what I have now - in both scenery but preferably lower cost too. I want more insulation from neighbours from a visual and a noise perspective - and increased sense of privacy. I have a beautiful garden oasis but don't sit out in it much as I feel oppressed by the nearby houses. But I don't want the noise or pollution of traffic either so an isolated house on a main road may not be suitable either... 

savingholmes

I had a nap at lunchtime for an hour even though I was planning to finish early as I couldn't stay awake. I finished before 2pm - painting the tiny bit of shed left to do and then mowed another strip on the estate that had been annoying me. I then napped for 3.5 hours. I felt completely and utter exhausted. I think its a combination of the last few weeks catching up with me - plus the disappointment over lowering my for sale price - and the difficulties in trying to work out the best course of action. Plus there have been no immediate requests to view... 

I also have very mixed feelings about the planned family gathering. 

Neither of the latest two dresses I ordered fit so will return them but that leaves me still wondering what I'll wear tomorrow! I also have to pick up and drop back DS at two random stations I've never been to before so that's also bothering me. I will have DD and her BF in the car too - and he is really tall (like DS) so that could be awkward. I am only just thinking now that I should have probably tidied my car out... I have found a couple of cards I can use - and am not particularly planning to wrap the present - it's an orchid - although thinking about it - I could wrap some tissue paper around the base and look like I tried... 

Then Sunday I'm due to try my new meds - and that feels a huge unknown. Best case they help me focus and perhaps improve my eating and fitness habits and therefore lose weight - worst case they wreck my sleep and don't give me sufficient benefit... My brain circles on these kinds of things endlessly!!

Hope you and I have a better weekend than expected with joy and laughter. Grateful that we live in a country that's not at war and are relatively safe.

beanielou

Hope tomorrow goes well.

Hope the new meds go well from Sunday.

Merlin's_Beard

Uncertainty is an exhausting place to live in, so I'm not surprised.

Hope that the family gathering goes well, and that there aren't too many settling in effects from the meds.

savingholmes

Thanks Beanie and Merlin

Uncertainty is very exhausting. My report from the EA shows that I got more views than typical for similar houses and they did say the market was down everywhere.

I washed some clothes before bed so they are now in the drier that way I have some choices once I've had a shower. It's pouring down - and it's given a 90% chance of rain all day where I'm going to. They said they'd put a gazebo up in the garden to give more circulation space. 18 of us (in a house!). Still struggling for a positive spin on that... Since the pandemic I'm rarely in places with that many people - except pubs - and I only go to spacious ones of those.

Have a good day y'all. It's decluttering weather for anyone in the mood. 

I have a story I can listen to on the way potentially or music. Will take my big headphones... just in case.