Non-standard construction

Updates for you. As you know we lowered the offer on the original Airey house back down to the asking price. The owners came back with a counter offer of roughly half-way between the original asking price and the top price we offered, stating they needed it for their onward purchase.

Turns out that was more lies, because they now have accepted our asking price offer. Surely if they needed the money that badly they would have dumped us and put it back on the market for a higher offer? However as one of the couple is a teacher, they are looking to complete by the end of August, and have got the agent to push us into starting the searches (we haven't started the searches yet as we didn't want to lose any more money, and as the house is an Airey, quite rightly so).

It seems unlikely that completing in 4 weeks will happen, as we haven't even got our new DIP yet from the new mortgage lender. Apparently the owners haven't heard of weekends to move house on. So you'll be busy for a couple of weeks. So what? Welcome to life!

We have asked for repair certificates to be provided of course, and I am just about to send an email to agent to state we want it in writing that they can provide the certificate, BEFORE we get our solicitor to start the searches.

A very experienced friend has pointed out that the house (it is a semi) on the left has a different coloured brick to the house on the right (ours), and there is a clear line of demarcation between them. They seem sure that the house on the left is a council repair, and ours is a privately done repair, however we don't know when this repair was done yet.

So, to sum up, we are having one last go at buying the house, because at the end of the day if they can prove the house is structurally sound, there is no reason not to. We don't plan on selling for a very long time, if ever. I will update you when I have more news.

Hi Smodlet, I didn't expect anyone else to reply after my last message, but i'm glad you're back!

Updates for you:-

We got our DIP for the new lender on Wednesday, and the full mortgage application went in on the same day. The broker had a word with the BDM of our new lender and he said he was willing to look at our application even without repair certificates as it was built 1950.

Searches are underway, and we have one of them back already. I believe there are five altogether.

The agent is chasing up the repair certificates for the house; apparently it was a council repair which was done in 1980 and was re-cladded (is that a word?) then. Not sure what this means though really.

In the meantime we have instructed a full structural survey just to be doubly sure we are not buying a death trap!

So we are protecting ourselves and not going in blind.

Will let you know when we get a valuation arranged etc.

Small update, for @smodlet in particular.

The mortgage application has been in since 7th August, and we are still waiting for a decision! Incredible!

Also another issue: the extension that has been built on the back of the house doesn't appear to have any building regs approval, so either we wait for the approval to be granted which could take a couple of months, or we are told we can apply for indemnity insurance in case it needs to be knocked down.

Nightmare from start to finish! Where's the gin??