Prosperous soul, mortgage neutrality & creativity Year 2

EssexHebridean

lucielle said:

Just to add my 2 pennies worth. All the decluttering and working in the garden means you’re actually having a chance to enjoy it and view your house differently as each stage progresses. 

L

This is a really good point. I commented at the weekend that I'm really loving having the flat in the sort of state currently (boxes notwithstanding!) that means we've been really enjoying living there for the last few months. It will be nice to be able to look back on the final few months living there with real fondness, I think. 

And definitely don't be spending money on refurnishing a room with stuff that you probably won't want or need when you move. As others have said, it's easily explained and a lot of folk will actually appreciate being able to really see the size of the room better. 

On the decoration, can you just paint the ceiling perhaps? That will make it lighter in there without being a massive task. 

catclaires

savingholmes said:

I also want to book a week's holiday near where I think I want to live - and check out what there is to do in practice - especially as it goes into winter. See what the journey to work is from there etc.

I think this is a brilliant idea - it will give you a really good feel for the area as well as being a good excuse for a nice holiday!

It'll be interesting to see what you think of the area coming into winter. I live on the edge of a very touristy area - it's always quiet where we live but can be exceptionally busy only a short drive away, depending on where/when you go. I absolutely love 'getting to be here' out of season when the busier places are quiet too! But then I am generally an antisocial type

Sorry about the bad sleep - it's very debilitating - I hope you settle into a better rhythm soon.

doingitanyway

@catclaires I am the same as you. I love the seaside out of season when the 'fair-weather tourists' have gone.

@savingholmes my little holidays to the area I plan on living in have been essential to get a feel for different times of day, times of year...I hope you take a holiday there.

Blackcats

Booking some time away in the area you are thinking of moving to is a good idea.  Could you work for a couple of days during the week to save your annual leave but still benefit from a week away from home.
I haven't got much wisdom to add about the lower offer you've received.  Has your estate agent pushed them to see how much they might increase the offer by or put forward a counter offer from you.   Often the first offer is to start the dialogue and as others have said it can often be an almost arbitrary 10% under asking price figure.  A good estate agent will be working hard to convert this low offer into something a bit more likely to be acceptable by capitalising on their obvious interest in the house.

savingholmes

Thanks BM, Lucielle, Sandy, Jwil and Beanie

Lots of food for thought there thank you.

savingholmes

Thanks EH. I may set the cleaner on repainting the back wall and the ceiling -she'd enjoy it anyway. Need to buy more paint first. I will consider your suggestion on the back wall - but one of the problems with the back wall is that she peeled a circle of paint and although I had kept some in the same colour - in practice when I used it - it dried lighter - so there's a splotch where it looks wrong.

@catclaires The sleep thing is seriously disruptive. Thankfully I slept better last night. Hoping for the same again tonight.

DIA - I need to check when DD's holidays are and avoid them (so she can look after the cat) and then just book something. I'm past the point of needing a break it feels currently.

Blackcats said:

Booking some time away in the area you are thinking of moving to is a good idea.  Could you work for a couple of days during the week to save your annual leave but still benefit from a week away from home.

Yes - that could be an option that would allow me to go away sooner. I'd struggle otherwise to have time off any time soon.

Blackcats said:

I haven't got much wisdom to add about the lower offer you've received.  Has your estate agent pushed them to see how much they might increase the offer by or put forward a counter offer from you.   Often the first offer is to start the dialogue and as others have said it can often be an almost arbitrary 10% under asking price figure.  A good estate agent will be working hard to convert this low offer into something a bit more likely to be acceptable by capitalising on their obvious interest in the house.

Part of the problem - is that I don't know what to set as my minimum offer acceptance level - which feels a bit ridiculous. It's already at the low end of what Z00pla suggest so TBH I am already feeling disappointed. I was hoping for mid range. I showed a work colleague around my house today and her view is my house is huge and offers real value for money at the price it's on for - so she would let it ride for a while and see what happens. She feels that my house is move in ready and that there's little I could do to up it's value.

I'm not sure I picked a good EA - as I went for pretty close to free - but TBF while they would negotiate for me - I haven't given them figures of what I'd be willing to negotiate by and am paralysed by indecision so feel I've probably lost this buyer.

In other news £25 has gone into savings. 

I have had a nice walk this evening and enjoyed the time earlier with the work colleague.

mark55man

All coming together - I love the mini holiday idea - but make sure you make it an actual holiday as well as a reconnaissance mission 

EssexHebridean

I'd be inclined to ignore what people who know you say about the asking price for the house - and work solely based on facts and figures. what sort of prices have houses close by that are similar in size/space /configuration gone for? And how has that changed over the past 6 months - a lot of areas are seeing a drop off now, although not all, so that could be a factor. There is a Chrome extension called Property Log that a lot of people say is excellent for being able to get a good idea of realistic pricing in your area.

If you are pricing higher than the market will stand then it would be better to know about it sooner rather than later - you either then sit tight and ty to sell again later when the market has recovered a little, or you have to manage your own expectations in relation to both the achievable price and also what you have in the pot for an onward purchase. 

If your EA isn't actively working for you, then you need to see out the tied in period with them then ditch. Just be very careful to  make sure that they supply you with a complete list of everyone who has need, and pass that to your  new agents to avoid a risk of you getting pinged for two lots of commission! The market isn't easy at the moment for all sorts of reasons - and you absolutely won't be helped by an apathetic agent - trust me, we know this from experience! 

savingholmes

Thanks EH.

 I am ambivalent about selling because as DIA said it doesn't look like I will realise a high enough price for my onward purchase. I might therefore be better off saving for a while so I have a bigger cushion / war chest.

I will investigate the site you suggested for my house and others.

Another full on day. Had a tension band at the back of my head for hours despite going for a mini walk at lunchtime to get rid of some of my frustration. Saw counsellor this evening which was nice. She reflected on how far I'd come.

Had a tiny bit of lemon cake today with strawberries. But no chocolate. My taste buds are changing on these meds. If I can keep it up I will save money and lose weight.

I have just ordered some very pretty and colourful trainers. One pair was my dearest ever but I loved the ones I bought at the end of 2021 and regretted the plainer second pair as I have barely used them. I bought 2 pairs will see what they are like when they come. I found a random discount code online and got 10% £22 (cough) Off. Shows the importance of double checking.

Hope you all have an easy Friday 

jwil

Hope you have a better day today.