We've finally got the keys to our new house after a long process and many years of looking and looking. The children are fed up to the gills of looking at new houses every weekend, not to mention their mother.
Though its not what we were looking for, it ticks the major boxes and will benefit from a mountain of restoration work, so here goes....in for a few months, maybe more of lots of building work.
My observations on what to expect after an offer is accepted on a house and what to be prepared for:
1) It will take much more time to complete than you expect, we were told 6-8 weeks by the bank, its more like 6 months.
2) Estate agents are nasty. Can go on a diatribe about them but suffice to say they are overworked and harried. Without naming our agent, its has been awful dealing with them. Of course, they are on the seller's side, not ours etc etc but compared to others we have dealt with, these are easily the worst.
3) Lots of people selling their houses without wishing to have any contact with the buyers. We have had no clue about the condition of the house, repairs, planning permissions for the extensions etc, have had to ask the post office lady about the occupants. The lady who owned the house is unwell and her family probably keener on the money than talking to us.
4) Lots of money to be paid out - surveyor, flood report, insurance, solicitor, some more surveys, mortgage fee, mortgage deposit, before we can even think of getting the keys.
5) Realising just how much work there is to be done on the house and trying to guess what the house looks like from pictures or a couple of visits.
Now finally get the keys and the mountain of work to be done needs to be climbed - bit by bit. Unfortunately all to be ready in a couple of months, in time for our bus load of visitors!
More on our renovating in the coming posts. The bottom line is we now have a lovely nice big house with enough space and that makes it all worth it :)
Though its not what we were looking for, it ticks the major boxes and will benefit from a mountain of restoration work, so here goes....in for a few months, maybe more of lots of building work.
My observations on what to expect after an offer is accepted on a house and what to be prepared for:
1) It will take much more time to complete than you expect, we were told 6-8 weeks by the bank, its more like 6 months.
2) Estate agents are nasty. Can go on a diatribe about them but suffice to say they are overworked and harried. Without naming our agent, its has been awful dealing with them. Of course, they are on the seller's side, not ours etc etc but compared to others we have dealt with, these are easily the worst.
3) Lots of people selling their houses without wishing to have any contact with the buyers. We have had no clue about the condition of the house, repairs, planning permissions for the extensions etc, have had to ask the post office lady about the occupants. The lady who owned the house is unwell and her family probably keener on the money than talking to us.
4) Lots of money to be paid out - surveyor, flood report, insurance, solicitor, some more surveys, mortgage fee, mortgage deposit, before we can even think of getting the keys.
5) Realising just how much work there is to be done on the house and trying to guess what the house looks like from pictures or a couple of visits.
Now finally get the keys and the mountain of work to be done needs to be climbed - bit by bit. Unfortunately all to be ready in a couple of months, in time for our bus load of visitors!
More on our renovating in the coming posts. The bottom line is we now have a lovely nice big house with enough space and that makes it all worth it :)
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