Help calm me, house buying and selling stress part 2

We followed a gritting lorry on the road back from Aberdeenshire today. There was snow on the tops.
Winter is upon us.
A friend's house, which has been on the market for ages has just sold. They had it at "Offers over" but recently put it at a fixed price which I think most people find easier to understand.
It is a lovely house but on a fast road which I would hate.

Glad to hear it Whiff, that's what Sundays should be about, relaxing with good friends and enjoying some happy memories of that friendship. Hope their windscreen demister was working and they could see to get home OK.
I used to have a very old Morris Minor with a split screen, and the heater wasn't powerful enough to demist the windscreen, I used to have a dish washing 'mop' to clean it all the time!

I've not had a very nice day and feel a bit sorry for myself. I phoned my elderly aunt who has come down with a very catarhhy type of cold, she was making disgusting noises on the telephone! I had a very cold beach walk with my doggie, tidied up, sorted out all the bills, checked my car tyres and filled the car, then food shopping - which was brightened by seeing my friend who works for the EA. She said I could telephone her when/if I hear from my buyer, if he is proceeding. I have a feeling he isn't going to, I haven't had any requests for people to come here for quotes, I am finding it very stressful 'waiting'. I felt a bit faint in the shops, but remembered I hadn't eaten today.

My daughter is doing a double shift so I've got to go and collect her at around 9 pm, luckily from the local station, as it feels very icy tonight. I am getting through oil like there's no tomorrow and the watchman is registering 6 bars so I've got about 1200L left - looks like I'm using more than 600L per month. It makes me feel panicky when the tank gets towards half full, I think I'll have to order again tomorrow in case we do have snow in January. When we bought the house the owner said we don't get snow as we are so coastal, I couldn't believe how severe the beast from the east was!

Had a lovely day. Couple of my oldest friends came for lunch today. Had a lovely time. We talked a lot about my husband as they both knew him. We have been friends for 43 years. They loved the bungalow and couldn't get over how quiet it was here. The car heater packed up on the way here so they were glad to get warm .

Hope everyone had a good day.

I'm back and glad to say I have a new window, and a dog still! My daughter only sold one original hand painted card for £3.00, she was disappointed but we agree it's too late in the year, most people shop earlier nowadays. She was going onto a friend's for tea, so I bought one big bag back with me on the train and met her school friend - she's buying her first house, I'm amazed, but she explained her late grandad left her some money. Although quiet it was a lovely day and we had two treats - a ladie's (lady's?) choir came and sang some 'pop' songs, they really enjoyed themselves, plus my son did manage to pop in and we had a catch up.

Waiting for the call to go to the nearby station to collect my daughter, will be glad to get these boots off but my chilblains were less painful today,

Think that part of the problems with selling craft items, is that people do include their time, and that makes them very expensive.
I used to do the same Xmas Fayre as the mother of my daughters partner. She is a very, very able needlewoman, and would put up for sale beautifully made aprons, napkins, tray clothes. etc. etc. However, they were very pricey, and when she was asked why,she said she included cost of materials, which was minimal and her time. She sold very little.
At the same Fayre I used to sell cute knitted stuffed toys, but used to cost them totally on the material cost, plus a small extra - always used to sell out.
We were both retired at this time, and our time was our own.

The things we do for our DC!
We've just braved IKEA to find some zipped packing bags as DD will be moving house soon after Christmas. Ofcourse we had to negotiate the entire store only to find them at the checkout.
Now in driving rain on the motorway to take them to her. At least it's not snowing yet.
Good luck with the craft fair Mosaics

Morning everyone

I'm in my coat ready to leave for the craft fair, the glass is out of the gothic window and the draught is horrendous. The joiner has gone to the glazier to get the template cut - I used to have masses of brown paper too, Franbern! I have to leave him here doing it, no choice, he may have a huge contract next year and won't be free again. I am very worried about my dog being here alone with him and have asked him to take extra care - he has to come into the house to finish the bedroom and bathroom window too.

Please send positive thoughts my daughter will sell some of her crafts today, she's worked so hard, but I've sat at Christmas Fairs without any customers. I've got to bring it all back on my own as she is going to tea with a friend afterwards, coming home later. What a day!

Quite right Craftyone!

he is playing cat and mouse mosaics, maybe was waiting until after the election and for stability to appear on the horizon, I think the house market will start to move again. A hung parliament would have been soul destroying for sellers. Your EA should ring him again next week

Not long to christmas now, try and put him on the back burner and enjoy time with your family. I was thinking about your dd and her age, I was married at her age and took responsibility for a household. You should not be doing this alone, the children are adults and should be right in there, helping you

Thanks Whiff, I was so relieved, all of a sudden I'm paying out huge sums and it doesn't seem to be ending. I've still not had the bill for the oil pump and motor for the boiler, that's going to be hundreds plus I've got the Council Tax bill looming on 1st Jan because my daughter is 'home'. £364 in two lumps, have just paid the first one. As I thought I'd sold the house in September I closed my savings account so I could access the money quickly, I've lost a lot of interest and must organise another.

I wrote to the sash window specialist and said have a good christmas, I hope to get your quote when you have time - he wrote back for the first time having ignored me for three emails, and said he'd check his 'sent' box to see where he sent it. Don't believe him, what a pathetic response, not to be trusted.

I've just come on to admire your brownies really - last lot I baked I forgot them, nice lump of charcoal out of the aga! Lucky craft group, my friend used to make scones for hers.

Very grey and grim here, taking daughter to the station then coming home to sort my paperwork out and decorate the christmas tree.

I just can't get going for christmas with this 'decision' hanging over my head. I can't understand how he is getting quotes without anyone visiting the house, I think it's very odd.

Glad he managed to fix it for you Mosaicwarts. Fingers crossed you won't have any extra things go wrong.

Franbern never thought of vibrate mode on my phone. Have to get one of the family to show me how to set it. As I've be said before I'm not technology minded.

Did my first baking in my new oven . Brownies. Nigel Slater's recipe. Be making more on Monday for my craft group.

Have a good day

A good start anyway mosaics!

I'm glad to say the young man managed to take the joint off and replace it, I don't have to have a new water tank. Two hours up there in 2 degrees, I wish I'd had some home made broth to offer him, he was absolutely frozen when he came down. Sent him off with some beers and a box of chox for the young lady in the office who organises the workload, so nice of her to send him today at this very busy time of year. One problem down, sixteen to go!

Hey Whiff, glad you got the heads up for an early appointment, who knows what they have been able to discover since your last appointment. I keep my phone on during the night, couldn't believe it when my US friend sent a 2 am message! My friend from London has just been on the phone saying don't drop a penny - she's really angry and thinks this person is definitely going to make a ridiculous offer. I can't see how he is getting quotes, no-one has contacted me at all?

So, as for the saga of my plumetting savings ... plumber came at 11 am, said the leak is barely noticeable and he's surprised the surveyor picked it up. He hopes to be able to get the joint off but if not, it means a new water tank. It's never ending. I'm not going to let it get me down, I'm just going to enjoy myself getting things for my son's Christmas stocking and pretend it's not happening

Haven't turned the news on yet - will it be a hung parliament I wonder, after Brexit anything could happen! Have a good afternoon xx

I think it must be a form of ptsd franbern, I got that same knot when my solicitor sent me those documents. I don`t think the memory of that stress will ever go away

So silly how easy it has been to forget all the worry and stress of the move. This morning, (more than five weeks since I moved), I received an email from my Solicitors office with attachments. For just a moment, I felt that familiar (nearly forgotten) knot in my stomach. When I looked they are the official registration papers for Land Registry for my flat, which have only just come through.
Have printed it all off and placed with the Deeds, etc.

Whiff, that is annoying about the missed call. You should put you phone on silent, but vibrate, then you have a quick look to see if you need to step outside to take a call.
Mw, does not your household bldg insurance help towards the cost of the broken glass? Probably you will have to pay the surcharge, whatever you have set that for, but may help.
In my Edwardian Family house, there was a very large, rather strangely shaped piece of glass in the front door (think it had originally, been stained glass, but by the time we moved was just ordinary obscured glass). However, the only way of getting it replaced was to take a huge sheet of brown paper and make a pattern of the irregular shape and take that to the local glazier. One year, one of my children had a strop on Xmas Day and slammed out of the house and as the door slammed shut, this glass broke - she can still remember how scared she was to come back home (had only meant to go out for a few minutes), but stayed hiding in their den in the Forest for over an hour, until one of her siblings went and fetched her back.
When I drive past there I note that the people who purchased that house from me back in 2003 have put in a double glazed glass with a name on it (I assume they have given the house that name).
I can can remember several other stories of broken windows - I think that windows did seem to break much easier in the days of single glazing than they do these days.

Mosaicwarts hope nothing else goes wrong with your house. Have you been able to declutter and decide what you want to keep and get rid off? Don't forget to ask your daughter for help and get her to sort out her things as well. My children had moved out years before I moved and told me if there was anything that was still theirs to get rid of it .
Had a good time at U3A. The talk was about Victorian attitudes to social evil in Liverpool. It was good , interesting and funny but also shocking in parts. It was tolerated as men had to satisfy their insatiable sexual urges. Their wives were delicate flowers that had to be protected from them. That made me laugh.

Note to self don't put my phone on silent again. Whilst at the talk I missed a call which meant I could have seen a neurologist on Tuesday afternoon. They had a cancellation. Spoke to the hospital as I was worried I would go to the bottom of the list. But was reassured that I was on the priority waiting list also top of cancellation list. On the ordinary list there is a 6 month wait for appointments. The hospital takes patients from all over the country as its a specialist neurological one.

Don't forget to vote. Take care everyone.

I'm absolutely freezing, I'm scared to shut the front door in case the paint sticks, it's too cold today he shouldn't really have painted it. Poor dog is so fed up we haven't been to the beach. The painter's Dad stopped by and I discovered he is the brother of a casual acquaintance of mine, it's certainly a small world around here. Hopefully all finished tomorrow, I've almost run out of tea bags. He very kindly puttied the platform room windows for me - looks terrible, but should stop more damage happening.

Name change duly noted Jane10, I'd put in about seven names and all had been taken, was a desperate bid to join the site. I do like your suggestions which didn't occur to me at the time.

Gosh how annoying mosaicwarts! One thing after another with this house of yours. I'm glad that you're feeling more relaxed. Just imagine how much more relaxed you'll be this time next year!
Just a side issue- once you've successfully and happily made the move, would you consider choosing a prettier or at least less warty name?! romanmosaics or terrazzotiles or something?

Morning all.

The painter has come today, hopefully for the last time, and I've had a disaster - the porch window glass has cracked. Looks like I was careless when I was rearranging the wood bags and knocked the xmas lights against it. The window is a gothic shape, and I will have to have hand made glass, I feel awful that I did such a silly and hugely expensive thing because I was rushing.

Thanks for the encouragement on where to live, I do feel so much more relaxed now. Taking my daughter to the station shortly, then coming straight home as the painter has to do the front door, so it has to be open, dog has to wait for his beach walk today.

Franbern, it is about compromises and I know that I personally could easily live in northumberland. I was there for 3 years. It is very beautiful and the people are so friendly. It was the house making mosaics unhappy lately and that is part of the house letting go and vice versa. . Now that mosaics has accepted it, I am sure that this particular blockage will disappear. Just as happened to me.

My husband chose my last home and kept asking me if I loved it there, naturally I said yes because I loved my husband. Those silken ties are part of what bound us to these homes. Mosaics never had a chance to say goodbye and nor did I. This stage has been such a struggle but in a way it was like the struggle of a babe to be born and to have a new life.

Good that you are making decisions. Once you known where and to what - you have a better idea of your finances. However, you have so often said that you were not particularly happy with Northumberland on here, do be sure that you really want to stay there and are not just taking the easy route - which you could regret in the future.
Lots of places have nice beaches, and with things like U3A and WI, as well as specialist interest groups, it is quite easy to get to know local people. Also meet-ups from Gransnet.
Monkey World in Wareham is absolutely fascinating . Watch it on TV and went, with a friend, couple of years ago for my birthday. Really loved it, and will definitely be going again now that I am nearer. However, as you say Dorset is very expensive.
You may be surprised (pleasantly) with what your purchaser actually offers.
My children (particularly the eldest girl, who I lived close to) were also furious when they found out how much I had put the house on the market (and this was not the house they had all grown up in). But, I pointed out to her that as long as I could get enough out of my 50% equity to purchase the flat I wanted, it was silly for me to put myself through hell just to keep it on the market at a higher price. Looking at Rightmove, I see that the lady who wanted to buy my house right back in April, still has her own one on the market!!!
As has been said, any property is only worth what someone will pay for it. As I had four different would-be purchasres over the months from April - August - obviously, I was putting it at a good price.
I am still struggling with all the different organisations, etc with change of address. Do have re-direction for six months, and am gradually trying to contact different companies as brochures, etc arrive.
Finding it difficult to amend the address for my Tesco card. As I have had it for such long time, it is not registered on line - and obviously got it originally when I had a previous mobile phone. I have no idea what the number on that was -have not had it for some six or more years. But, because of this am having a real job getting them to accept my new address.

It's one year today since I moved house. I'm very happy here and, like others have said, the stress of the difficulties with moving fade once you are settled in your new house.
I need to get organised to do more here next year. I've been very slow doing things in the house and joining new activities.

I hope you feel better now you have made a decision. It will be easier to stay in the area you know. I don't think it is fair on you that your daughter is upset about selling and the price. She is not there to share the work and the bills and needs help with lifts. The current market is bad and it is obvious that it would be too stressful for you to hang on for a higher offer.