Help calm me. House buying and selling stress

Ellianne I will pinch your idea for carrot mash topping when I make a fish pie. Taster than pots.

Morning all, I hope you are all well.

I still haven't had my 'contract' and phoned the EA yesterday. Apparently the young lady dealing with it was off yesterday, but I was reassured the bungalow is off the market and there will be no further viewings. It unsettled me they use 'under offer. I hope to hear on Monday. I've just seen a neighbour and told her about the bungalow. I know her Mum from when she owned a shop in the next village - seems she will be one of my new next door neighbours!

I had a small sort out yesterday and have started stacking things I don't think I'll want to take with me, I'll ebay some and donate the others. My Dad sent me an antique chandelier, in a thousand parts, about five years ago. I doubt I'll ever reassemble it, he's stopped contacting me now too, so I'll ebay it. Fantastic that you can send up to 10 Kg (box size limit) on Collect Plus for £6.49 plus a few pounds insurance depending on value. I'll also be selling my leather sofa and chair, it's not wide enough to lie on comfortably.

I approached my kids yesterday and said it looks like Christmas is postponed, would they like me to send them money or gifts. They both want to wait and see, but I'm normally already buying/wrapping by now. I don't mind being on my own, it's the norm now.

I hope you liked the house Spice101, have you offered? I'll be up late as usual, let us know what you thought.

Have a good day everyone

Had a little panic my money transfer isn't showing on my new savings account - fingers crossed it shows Monday, I forgot it is Saturday!

Accept that fate is happening shandy and try to stop worrying. Your seller will not back out now that she has a local cash buyer. We will all be so happy when you are snug in your new home. Just some hoops to jump through first but they are important and I doubt this transaction will fail so chin up m`dear. You have a very important fulfilling sorting time ahead of you. Has you seller found her new home?

So pleased to hear that you are happy with your new home Shandy, they won’t put SSTC on until you have both filled all of the forms in.
MILs house has been sold STTC since May! Problem was that it was being sold to pay for her future care home costs, but she died, so it all had to go to Probate, which is still going through ( since May!!) no one seems to know how long it will take, due to a backlog, if it was my Mum I would start kicking some peoples backsides, but it isn’t so I can’t! Let’s hope the buyer is still able to get his Mortgage as he started buying it in January, on the bright side if it goes back into the market we will push for a good price as SIL put it on far too low, just to get shot of it.
Meanwhile we are still waiting for en electrician to come out to quote fro the bathroom, I can see it being next year now.

Shandy, it is just normal terminology 'Under Offer' and will remain that way until the next stage which will be 'SSTC'. I know you will be having these worries and it easy to say Don't!!! But, you really should not - process is all happening and I bet that the vendors are feeling so delighted that not only did they get above their asking price, but also from a cash buyer. Do you know if they have somewhere in mind to move to??
Spice - how did that second viewing go?
Oopsdaisy - probate is always a long draw out process - and just even longer at the moment, It will all happen eventually.

Good morning everyone,

This is a long story short report.

Second viewing was worthwhile, they say it is more important than the first as the first is done with the heart and the second with the head.
We identified a few things that are not ideal, some easily fixed others not so but not deal breakers.

There are a few issues with the Estate Agents and I think we are being pressured because the EA's are very well aware of the substantial amount we sold our property for. For various reasons we have, at the suggestion/urging of one of our sons decided to appoint a Buyer's Agent to continue with the possible purchase. He will do his own evaluation of the price not an inflated one and various other research and investigations.
We still did not get to see the bedroom we missed on the first visit as the owner was again working. We were not best pleased and have decided that it is essential that we see that before we commit. The estate agent told us he expects the selling price to be way above the guide price and if that is so we want to know why it is being quoted as it is. It may also be that it is only us they are telling that to hence the Buyer Agent.

At this stage we are still interested but not at the inflated price the EA's are thinking. Hopefully our Agent will see the property on Monday and we will discuss it with him after that.

So, in line with the title of this thread I now feel like a fully fledged member.

Some positive vibes around this morning. Good to hear!

100% sensible, spice. Good you and your dh have your wits about you. It is very strange about not seeing that bedroom again

Fingers crossed Spice

I think I've mentioned I walk through the golf course to the beach each day - first time I've seen an ambulance on the green today, it really upset me, I could hardly breathe. As I left I heard the casualty is alive, best wishes to him, my late husband knew him.

Spice a buyer's agent sounds a really good thing to have. At least you get a true valuation and not an estate agent trying to get a better commission out of the vendor.

Shandy try not to upset yourself. You need to look after yourself.

My son in law moved my bench into the garage and got the mat from under my tumble dryer and I put 3 of the spare tiles from the shower room for it to go on. He also moved some things for me that where to heavy. So the garage is now exactly as I want it. My grandson was giving directions to his dad. My daughter brought me some flowers which are lovely. Of course I had a great couple of hours playing with my grandson. Most likely fall asleep on the settee whilst watching TV. After my exercise.

Don't forget to put your clocks back tonight.

Having an agent sounds the way forward for you Spice. What is the vendor doing in the bedroom that they won't come out to let you view it? The mind boggles!
Shandy try to remain calm, you are on track to get yourself properly settled in a couple of months and then you can really relax.
Thanks for the reminder about the clocks Whiff. An extra hour in bed. Enjoy your flowers!

I knew it was going to be a bad day after this morning. My neighbour knocked at 5 pm and asked if I knew the number of the field owner - when I looked out of the window there were two horses in her 'garden'. Spent the next hour and a half watching as the neighbours tried to get them to go back across the river. Donated the mixed veg from my dinner for two buckets, but they wouldn't be lured with them. The owner turned up an hour and three quarters later and he had trouble catching them so they wrecked the garden skittishly running. My neighbour is a herbalist and her plants are precious, but our main worry was they'd get out onto the road. Glad they are back in the field now and at least she now has the owner's number.

most horse owners are very good and caring, there are some minorities that keep horses in poor conditions, near my last village too and people in the village became concerned, got rspca but nothing was done. If it happens again, the horses will come for some oats and apple or carrot slices, or perhaps even a whole carrot held out. They can cause awful damage to the ground, your poor neighbour must be devastated.

I had riding lessons at 43, sold my piano and bought my first horse, my girls are super horsewomen, winning at many shows and eventing competitions. When youngest dd was 11, she was saving hard for a pony, her gran gave her her 21st present early of £100. We got her a 13.2 cobby coloured pony for £260. That pony went on to win a big class at the royal welsh and was overall royal welsh champion, leading the parade. We tried all ways to keep her but she soon became too small and then the people in a small village in west wales clubbed together and bought her for a disabled boy, she went on to live on a farm.

We lived three minutes from the field, we paid tack, just £6 a week per horse. The old farmer used to love to be involved. At one time we had 4 horses, including thoroughbreds. We had stables in our back garden and my husband fenced in a small area that we used as a small holding paddock, it was covered in bark. All in 1/4 acre

That was such a lovely time in our lives, I used to pull a trailor with 2 big horses. One time I was going up a narrow hedged lane, uphill and a huge fire engine came downhill. I almost froze, the hill was steep. Had to get right into the hedge and stopped while the fire engine gingerly squeezed past. Then I had to do a standing start in mud, with a very heavy trailer load. The land rover defender never faltered, my heart was in my mouth

Got to stop reminiscing

I put the clocks back at 7 last night, to try and stay up later, I really do hate this time change, I cannot stay in bed when I am awake. This dreary weather is not at all nice, so I am finding small things to do and am also pottering. Made a 6" tall needle felted robin on friday, standing on a felted rock. He is lovely, perfect for christmas. Took me the whole day, yesterday I just pottered, tidied 3 small drawers and a utensil holder in the kitchen. Swapped out my wooden utensils for modern colourful slimline ones with a steel core. I am hoping always to keep on top of de-cluttering

I am going to plant the tulip bulbs today, in small troughs, on a plant etagere in front of the living room french windows. I have 8 violas left to plant and can do those soon, seems a shame to remove begonias that are still flowering, I usetheir old soil with a bit of `recharge`and a couple of inches of new compost on top. These are in a large pot sitting in a tall flared saltstone pot, in front of the kitchen french windows. I need to see flowers and the promise of spring

How lovely to think of you out horse riding craftyone, thanks for sharing. I took my kids riding, but was always too nervous to try it myself - plus it was £20 per hour. Enjoy your planting. I put crocus bulbs at the back of my husband's grave, the greenery came through OK but as soon as they flowered the slugs attacked.

Just back from walking in the field - not the horse's one - and two lovely deer in the distance. Turned around, didn't want to disturb them.

I'm feeling a lot better I've decluttered the lounge, just my bedroom to do today.

Have a good day everyone

Hope your mouth is getting better Shandy.

Thanks midgey, the wonders of bonjela, it is a little better.

I had my tonsils out at 18 as I was always getting tonsillitis and having time off work, the BBC insisted - not sure this would happen nowadays. I've just remembered having this very sore tongue when I was approaching my finals thirty odd years ago, the doctor gave me a 'paste'. I did my degree with the OU and it was so hard, teaching full time and then two full on nights a week at night school. My Mum suffered with ulcers too, I was never very sympathetic! I pay £25 per month for my dental treatment and still haven't heard from them, desperately need to see the hygienist. I've just got a bit run down I think, eating lots of iron rich veg.

Good morning all. Can I just tell you that we have eventually had our buyers mortgage survey done by the surveyor that did it in April for the previous buyer? She still had all the details on her I pad so her company got two lots of fees for the same info! I despair what a mad process house buying and selling is. Good luck to everyone here - I hope you are having a good day today.

Money for old rope Teetime. The very best of luck to you.
Saying that, the surveyor that did the structural for my buyer in the November came back in the March for an auction viewer. He was thorough again, annoyingly so as only four months had passed. Even longer at six and a half hours this time, and luckily the loft hatch debris didn't fall on my bed again. I'm still dithering over a full structural, I can't decide if it's worth the extra money and terror at what it might reveal!

Shandy how old is the bungalow you are buying? My bungalow was built in the 1970's so the home buyers survey was perfect for wanted I needed to know. Are your floors in the bungalow wooden or concrete? All my floors are concrete. And my walls are very hard. When I first had it my son joked it would need a big bomb to get through my walls.

Also how much more expensive is the full structural survey compared with home buyers one ? Or haven't you priced them yet? If not you need to find out. No more dithering time for action. Quicker you can get things going the better.

Have spent a pleasant morning at Cheddar Car Boot sale. Daughter and I had planned to go to local one, but both that one and another nearby one were cancelled last night as 'they say' due to weather forecast. Must have been seeing a different one to what I saw which was, as it has been, bright and sunny this morning. Perfect for car boot sales. My daughter is trying to set up some sort of sensory/time out room at her school for use by her senco students. Has the room but no budget, so we are trying to get suitable items to go in there ourselves. Yesterday I managed to purchase a brand new, unused mood lamp from my local For sale website. Today she purchased some nice mats for that room.
I have been having problems with quite bad, and painful pins and needles in my fingers, even waking me at night and causing me problems with knitting. Yesterday, I looked out of my large First Aid Dressings box some wrist supports and have found that wearing those daytime has helped considerably. Do not need to see Doctor at present, I am assuming it is Carpel Tunnel.
Also at the Car Boot I purchased 18 winter pansies . Need now to get those in my balcony patio tubs which have all been well filled with spring bulbs, The will, hopefully, give me some colour during the winter months.
Spice hope it all works out successfully, what a good idea having someone professional to represent you - hope you get to see that bedroom soon. Did it show on the virtual tour?

I would want to know the age too shandy, very early could involve eg lathe and plaster ceilings, extensions could be built over drains etc. My surveyor, other property that I looked at, uncovered the fact that the extension had been built over a drain and she had something over the top to hide the fact. My SE friend said never to buy anything built over a drain. structural surveyor uncovered the fact that there was lead pipe, that the garage was single brick and my friend said it would get damp in winter. You could do with knowing if the walls are cavity or not, if they are foam filled or not or with removale insulation as wall ties can rust and cause damp, which is easily hidden by the barrier paint but would appear later

Personally,I would get the full structural survey

also my husband had a lot to do with refurb of council properties ie new walls etc. Many of this type are not mortgagable. PRC bungalows have a lot of issues,poor load carrying, weak structures, often were bought cheaply for cash, the PRC panels removed and replaced with block or brick etc. A homebuyers report may be sufficient, I don`t know. You could do with speaking to a surveyor anyway to get a date booked. I expect they are very busy

I knew a couple who were getting divorced. The husband didn't want to sell the house and every time the EA arranged a viewing he would take a long soak in the bath so no prospective buyers could see the bathroom!