Help calm me. house buying and selling stress. Part 5

Norfolk is nice - and so much further south than where you are. Seems strange to read how cold it is up there. I cannot remember when I last had any heating on here, and am sleeping with just a flat sheet and a throw on my bed. All my winter clothes have been completely packed away,.
Wroxham in Norfolk is a lovely town, an excellent High Street, right on the Broads, I used to have a once a year coach trip there, mainly to shop in Roys.
Some beautiful bungalows there.
Spoke to friends in London, near to where I used to live, they tell me that everything is very busy. They go out for a walk at 6.30 each morning as the roads, etc are not so busy then, They live very close to central line undergrouns, and say that the tubes are pretty crowded.
I suppose living here in WsM have been lulled into security. I can go out anytime, none of the streets, park or Promenade is crowded at all, can trundle around anywhere very safely, seeing enough people to say 'Good Day' to, but none in any way of me. No wonder the CV19rae is so low in the South West.
I very much want to be able to go to Suffolk to see my sister-in-law who is pretty much of a state. Had hoped to be able to do that within next month or so, (by car), was intending to stop overnight at my daughters house, both on the way there and on the way home. Do wonder when I will be able to do this journey
I am wondering if WsM and other places like this on the coast is going to get more crowded now that people have been permission to drive a distance for exercise.

I do think that norfolk is an excellent choice and good value housing by all accounts

Glad your lions will be re homed Shandy57.
My son in law had a new bike a month ago. He only been using it for 2 weeks when he hit a kerb and when a right cropper. He rode 5 miles back bleeding from his legs and hands. My daughter when mad because my grandson was asleep he wouldn't phone for her to fetch him. Like she said he would have stayed asleep. To be honest he was more upset of damage his new bike. Luckily the local bike shop soon fixed it.

Had to put the heating on tonight for a bit it's so cold here today. Pest guy came squirrel free no sign they had nested. He was impressed with the job the roofers did sealing the roof. My kitchen/bathroom fitters coming Thursday or Friday to remove all the insulation. Hopefully it will be nice I can be in the garden if not sitting in my bedroom whilst they do it. My daughter said to to get them booked in for beginning of June to do the shower room and other work. I will be staying with them for the duration.

It's been very windy today but glad to say my fruit cage didn't collapse.

Grayson's art programme on tonight. Guest Anthony Gormley. Should be good.

Evening all, my daughter texted me an hour ago - she is moving to Belfast on 16 June and hopes to take the car with her. I've looked at 'importing' cars and it's a real faff, but I'll leave it to her and her boyfriend to sort out. Thankfully I've found all the paperwork.

whiff, wonderful to hear that about the good roofer and am so glad that you are vermin-free

Shandy, Belfast so that really does mean that you are free to live wherever you like. Sounds as though you really will be on your own when it comes to you buying and moving but c`est la vie and at least you get to make your own decisive decisions.

My EA niece is actually moving end of this month, seems that houses will be snapped up because of the hold up and people want to get moved before the `next` lockdown . I hope you are looking very seriously and have declared expressions of interest so that EAs can get organised about letting you into homes to look around

Shandy57 is your daughter going to live there for good? You are right to let them sort out all the details about transporting it themselves. Hope you don't mind me asking are you paying any of the costs on the car like insurance? If so why? I think you said you brought it sorry if I'm remembering wrongly. If you are paying anything please stop. She is an adult as such should be reasonable for her own expenses. For all my son doesn't want anything to do will me since working he has always paid his own way. My daughter has always been the same. Even when she came home for a couple of years after uni to help him through he's A levels she insisted she paid me housekeeping money. I suggested an amount and she said don't be silly and trebled it.
Are you ok in yourself?

Norfolk sounds nice. One place we never went to as a family. One of my cousin's when his wife was alive always had their holidays there. Loved the place . Unfortunately she died 3 years ago aged 53. They had been together since they were 14. I really miss her as we talked every few weeks. She loved hearing stories of our side of the family. My mom was the holder of the family history. Always telling stories of her grandparents and other members of the family. I'm the holder of those stories. My brother has no interest in extended family only close. My daughter likes to hear some of the history but not my son. In a way I feel a little sad the family history will die with me. Funny for me to be thinking about that today. Are any of you holders of your family history?

BT coming this morning my landline hasn't worked for a week and my WiFi keeps cutting in and out. Got some washing on and if it warms up I will have a go in the garden . Still one area I haven't attached the weeds yet.

Hope everyone has a good day.

Craftyone our posts crossed thank you. It was such a relief not to keep listening for strange noises. Be glad when the old insulation is out.

My daughter said a few houses in the roads by her have just been put on the market. So people still want to move.

I saw some houses on the market yesterday while I was coming home through the levels, all small villages so there is still a fair amount of property to look at. People are chomping at the bit to move and no doubt will have sorted their own houses and paperwork during lockdown. I should think there will be many transactions taking less than 3 months.

The holder of the family history, I never thought of it like that and that is me in my family. I have shared lots with my 5 siblings and wrote the book and shared everything I have. AC are not so curious, probably because I am still alive, it is only afterwards that they realise. Hence the book, I did it through blurb and every AC has one and so have the siblings but the actual making-do and hardships as well as the good times like a charabanc trip to the seaside, well only we will know what that was really like, complete with gritty jam sandwiches

On about charabanc trips. My mom said when they went on outings and needed a toilet break. Men used to go one side of the road women the other and the men always used to sing when the moon shone over the mountain. Mom said it made them pee quicker.

ahh, memories whiff LOL

Shandy, the easiest, and probably, the cheapest method of moving a car from mainland UK to Northern Ireland is to drive it there via a ferry. Not sure if these are still running at present.
When my daughter and family moved down to Eastbourne from near Belfast a couple of years back, her hubbie drove his large car and she and the children came by plane. Then, poor hubbie had to fly back to Belfast to collect her car (packed full with remaining items from their house there) and bring that back on the ferry. Whew.......sounds complicated, but it worked out cheaper than trying to bring the cars by plane.
As Belfast is still part of UK it is not a matter of importing/exporting. However, do not know where she is going to live in Belfast - it is often suggested that it is not the best idea to have a car with a English number plate out there.
Obviously, it is completely down to your daugter to make appropriate arrangements to remove any items, including the car, that you have been storing for her. I would suggest that she needs also to look at all those things you have brought down from The Station, which you say were from her room, and puts what she wants into the car - and then you can safely dispose of the remainder.
Does she have a job in Belfast? Thought she was keen to remain for her theatre to re-open - which sounds as if it could far sooner than I would have thought.
When things return to something vaguely like normal, Belfast is not that far away. You can fly there easily - if you do go to Norfolk then Stanstead would probably be the nearest airport for such flights.
Know you have the rental until August, only really leaves three months now for you to find somewhere and you really need to get on with that, even before sorting out all the stuff you have been bringing down to the Cottage. That can all be sorted out once you know where and to what and when you are moving.

Morning all, I'm feeling absolutely exhausted, I think I was running on adrenalin. Have to mow the lawns here then collect meds for my pets and I'm going back to bed.

See you tomorrow, stay warm and well everyone

Have a good rest Shandy57 you need it after all your hard work.

Greg from BT has been landline and WiFi both working . Fault in the box in the main bedroom fixed and put on a thingy that was missing. The phone cable was loose outside he's tacked it to the wall.

Shandy - Escape to the Country in at present - in Norfolk

As Franbern said, norfolk in escape to the country and I am watching it on iplayer. Lovely mum and daughter, mum is making the big move and needs community. Excellent prices and lots of bungalows at 230 and less. Shandy you can be as brave as she is. Google market towns in norfolk. Fresh air and space in norfolk

Craftyone did you see a different Norfolk episode to me . It was man and woman who' s daughter would be joining them they had a budget of £550,000. Jules was the presenter.

So the housing market is open again. You can visit estate agents and view properties. I always felt this would happen early on but do hope there will be strict precautions to follow for all.

No I saw the current one whiff. They were spending around 350, mum was an ex nurse. Very nice mumsy people. It is on iplayer

EAs are open today, prices are expected to fall 7% so any offer, shandy, should go in at least at 8% less than currently listed and stand firm on that. For example instead of looking for £23000, look for £249,000 and offer below 230 to get to the start of a negotiation. Stand very firm or look elsewhere. I am only assuming a number for you of course but don`t forget to allow for the fees and all the costs of moving in and leaving a little nest egg for yourself to get you through the next few years. The cost of moving in would be additional to legals, surveyor, removals etc.

I have spent a lot this past year, I would say allow at least 20k to make a property comfy and weathertight.

I watched it on the TV. They where accountants. Must have been 2 Norfolk programmes. By the time I've finished having things done my expenditure with be about 28k. But at least nothing will need doing for years and some of the things never in my life time. Need to cover everything up loft insulation coming out today.

Morning everyone, sunshine again here!

We've woken up to a different world again, haven't we.

I was looking at moneysavingexpert last night and someone sold their house to an unpleasant buyer last year. Two months later their solicitor got a letter from the buyer claiming expenses for removal of rubbish, holes in the wall, and a broken boiler. The solicitor wrote back and the seller thought it was dealt with, but now finds it's going to court through something called Money Claim. Apparently the buyer left some paint, grout etc to be helpful - the 'rubbish' - and a few holes from picture hooks.

I have removed the paint etc I was going to leave, but haven't even touched the many picture hooks. I'll be going up this afternoon to take them out as carefully as I can. I won't go this morning as the lions are going. Maddening as I can't find my new hammer. I'm going to photograph absolutely everything with the new 'date stamp' app to avoid any 'claims'. As for the boiler, I have put it back on and it would be his word against mine.

Thanks for the info about Norfolk, very interesting. I am still looking all over the UK but so nervous about it all. I will be starting serious searching after my husband's anniversary on the 17th, I can't really concentrate at the moment.

Have a good day whatever you are doing

I would leave well alone, Shandy. With your old walls trying to remove the hooks could cause damage. We bought a new-ish house and the owners had left picture hooks all over the place and a few holes in the wall in others - including where they took down curtain poles and didn't bother filling them in. We just took it on the chin as one of those things (including a dripping tap which needed replacing, a door missing on the en-suite, and a constantly running toilet cistern!!!).

This buyer got your house at a knock-down price - he isn't
going to be bothered about the minutae of a few picture hooks. Please think again on this one, and save yourself some aggravation.

Shandy this is like a roller coaster ride for you and I can understand your emotions being all over the place. It's good you have set yourself a date after which you can really get going. I think I am one of the few amongst us who still has my husband without whom I would be completely lost and useless, I can only imagine how hard it is for you all at times.
I sort of agree with crafty that certainly if a property has been hanging around since say Christmas then 10% less than the asking price would seem reasonable. If it is new to the market then maybe 5% less because the price may have been slightly adjusted anyway.
Our DD has contacted the EA today and is holding out for the price he valued the house at the week before lockdown. Her thinking is they have spent 6 weeks working on it, especially new bathroom, and also spent a couple of extra thousand. Fingers crossed. It is in London on a tube line and has a home office in the garden so fingers crossed.

A pair of pincers shandy. They can be gently rolled down to ease the hooks out but hold a piece of cardboard under the pincers. If the hole is tiny as for hammered- in picture hooks, then just leave. Otherwise get a small box of powdered interior polyfilla and take a saucer or small dish and a small knife or even an old credit card. It will look darker when wet but dries to an off white colour, I didn`t have to paint over it or use any sandpaper Put a little water in the saucer or cup first and add the filler to that, also take a spoon with you and use a knife to mix. Take some kitchen roll or loo paper to wipe the utensils after you have rinsed them

Pincers are the round head ones and they are cheap, used to prise nails or screws plus rawlplugs. Its a very easy job

I've never bothered about removing picture hooks, fearing I would create more damage. I was quite grateful for the ones left in at our new place. I agree with Greta8, save yourself the aggravation Shandy, you have done enough for him.

The flat had dozens of picture hooks throughout. All left in situ. Due to the solid nature of the walls most of these were actually glued in place (no nails), As I have managed to get most of them off the walls, it has usually left damage to the plaster, which I have been repairing. Would not have dreamt of doing anything about this with the sellers.
Very stupidly, I had a fall late afternoon. Sitting on dining chair I leaned sideways to pick something up from the floor and the chair overbalanced.
I took a little while before I tried to get myself up, Then found that, although I had fallen onto my left side, my right hip and thigh was so painful could not weight bear, etc. I took some painkillers (Co-codamol), put a heat pad on it, then, eventually, using my trolley to get around, managed to run myself a hot bath. Got into that, - but then had to telephone my daughter to help me out.
Obviously, she insisted that I go to A&E for x-rays. So she drove me there, arriving at 7.30pm. Had to leave me in reception, but there were not many people there and everything took place quickly, triaged nearly immediately, taken through to cubicles, saw doctor, had about 15 minute wait for x-rays, then back to cubicles, saw doctor, who confirmed no breaks, and was back home again less than an hour and a half after going. It all felt very safe there.
The difference between A&E at this hospital and the nightmare that it always was at my nearest hospital in London is unbelievable.
When I fell and hurt my back so badly fifteen months ago, and my daughter there wanted to take me to A&E the following morning - I refused as I told her I was 'too ill to go to A&E'. Two months later an MRI showed I had a stress fracture of the spine from that fall.!!
Today, I am just taking it easy - daughter has popped round and I have some ready meals now in my fridge. Feeling a lot better and just taking pain killers as necessary.