Help calm me. House buying and selling stress

Thanks Franbern, I'm going to get myself an Alexa as a house warming

I'm in the middle of looking for my Mum's Carlton/Beswick ware - she collected the nauseous bright green with tomato decorations. I mentioned it to a friend yesterday and she'd never heard of it - or Clarice Cliff. I don't know when I became interested in pottery, I think art deco is my favourite period.

Solicitor has just emailed to say he's got in touch with the other side, and given me the completion payment amount required, including the remainder of his fee. I'd already paid out £370 for searches.

It's a lot of money, I'm determined to be happy there!

WHOO..... at last Shandy. My goodness, it has been a long road and journey - but you are so close to finishing line now. How very exciting. Now looking forward to your continuing story as you settle in happily.

I did have packers, although also packed a few things myself - eg: the very fragile contents of my large display cabinet, with irreplaceable gymnastic memoralbilia. What I had done, was to clean out all my kitchen cupboards during the months before I sold. Helped me get rid of stuff, and also meant that I knew they were all clean and just needed a quick wipe over with a damp cloth as the packers took everything out.

Spice hope your husband is feeling much better now, honestly, some people will do anything go get out of moving day!!!! . One point in each bedroom, do wonder how some developers/builders get away with this. Thanks goodness for good safe extensions leads. Strangely enough this is one room in which I am using LESS points than previously - so my bedside light, bedside clock/radio are now both replaced by my small Alexa dot.
Most of my main ceiling lights are now controlled by that small machine - not my kitchen ones, or spare bedroom or bathroom or en-suite, but all the rest.

Thanks GrannySomerset, I feel sick. I don't know if I'll hear if it happens successfully, will the solicitor confirm?

Fingers crossed. Shandy!

Pinch and a punch for the first of this foggy month!

I've just had an email from my solicitor asking for permission to exchange! I hope everyone else has good news today!

I didn't unpack very much when I moved here from the Station, so didn't have that much to do. I've now got 13 heavy sacks on my bed I need to number, when I find my Sharpie!

We have done all our clearing out and have boxed up stuff we don't need at present. Next door kindly let us put some stuff in their skip so I culled clothes hangers.
I'm with Lucky here and don't want to tempt fate.

Impressed by the packing. I am not doing any yet - waiting for exchange before I risk that step!

But I have done all the clearing out and there are lots of empty drawers here. During last summer after my OH died I had a skip and filled it up with stuff - and also got rid of lots of books and other stuff on Freecycle. So - the bulk of the clearing is done - but I do not want to tempt fate by starting to actually pack!

Morning all.

Sorry to hear that kissngate. If you put your request in writing to the EA, would the seller do it for you? I'm not keeping my sofa for long so I don't mind if it's a strange fit, but it does matter when the removal men come!

Lovely day here again, keep your fingers crossed it doesn't snow again. I have to do a few more address changes, and count all the black sacks in the bedroom today. I am as packed as I can be.

Enjoy your day everyone

Another one here not sleeping well. Wish our sellers were as helpful as yours Shandy. Refused to let me go round to check out sockets and measure up, quotes Covid rules every time even tho its allowed. Anyhow they have to exchange and complete very soon or it's off. Good luck everyone trying to complete in March.

Morning all, great to catch up with your news.

Up late again this morning, couldn't sleep last night.

Keeping my fingers crossed for everyone for next week. I've just transferred another chunk of money to the solicitor, I do feel nervous doing it!

The blue packaging tape from Amazon is rubbish if anyone is thinking of getting some, keeps tearing in the dispenser. I'm going to cut strips by hand and stick on the boxes destined for the bedrooms.

Off to the beach now, enjoy your day

Franbern, we have evaporative cooling as opposed to refrigerated air conditioning. Evap cooling is effectively a large fan blowing over cooling pads and ducted through the house and is a lot cheaper to install and run. Not to mention far less drain on the electricity supply. It usually keeps the place about 10-12 degrees less than the outside temperature . However as it puts moisture into the place it does increase the humidity so is not particularly effective on those days . We like the ceiling fans, particularly in the bedrooms as they are effective without the noise and cost of running the cooling through the whole house overnight.

This is a big house with big rooms and yet there is one power point in each bedroom.

Like Gagagran I also used Ao.com for all my 'whites'. Good choice and good service and competitive prices. I also like the way their website gives such excellent information on the goods. Had as small problem with slim line dishwasher, as they pushed it into the space it was to go, and, in doing so, damaged the input hose. However, when I contacted them (when I discovered this), changed that without any argument or problems.

Spice, I imagine you will get a lot more use from a swimming pool than people do in this country. For some years my Brother in law had one of these in their very posh and large house. Was nice on hot summer days to sit round it and use it. But, I know it was very expensive to keep in good condition and - obviously - had only limited use. Must admit that one of my totally unrealised ambitions was to have a home with an indoors swimming pool.

You mention installing fans - surely there is air conditioning in the house. With increasingly hotter weather in UK, I know a lot of people here are looking at this over here, but it is expensive to install and run. Only know of one large gymnastic club in London that had this put in - it is very effective, but the owner does say how expensive it is to actually use.

Does appear that however many electric points there are (particularly in the kitchen) we always need more. When we moved into our Victorian house in the early 1960's, we had to have a complete re-wire and the electrician asked how many sockets I wanted installed into the little kitchenette. Okay, I thought, need one for fridge, one for toaster, one for twin tub - and a spare to be used in future for a much desired Kenwood mixer. So, four!!!!! I cannot even start to work out how many I use now Fridge, Freezer, washing machine, dishwasher, toaster, egg boiler, soup maker, kenwood mixer, food processor, slow cooker, kettle, hot water machine, microwave, plus extras for sandwich toaster, grill, pie maker, 'whizzer', etc. etc. When I arrived here, I found that there were several sockets in cupboards under worktop, but just one twin above that. So it was the first job I had to have carried out -putting in so many more.

GOOD LUCK to all of you in the final, nail biting, stage of your Exchange/Completions/Removal.

I have followed all the posts on this thread from the start and have had my fingers crossed for all those waiting to get over the final hurdle! Looks like this week should bring some good news!

Talking of washing machines, I can recommend AO.com. We have replaced all the fitted white goods which we inherited when we bought this house in 2012.

I always choose Bosch appliances and over the years have found them to be ultra reliable and worth the extra initial cost. AO.com will remove the old appliance and fit the new ones for a fixed fee and as ours are all integrated, we have been glad of this option and found them excellent in every way.

Several friends have followed my recommendation and been equally pleased with the service and goods supplied.

Good luck Shandy and Luckygirl - hope all goes well. At least the sun is shining for you!

A week after moving things are coming along relatively smoothly. The seemingly endless pile of full boxes is being reduced gradually to a pile of empty ones. The amount of packing paper used was incredible and that to has to be disposed of. Fortunately the removalist will come and collect them when we want them gone.

I concur with Franbern and others about the way money flows out after moving. We have identified several things that we need/want to do. Unfortunately there are also things that we did not know would be an issue. Some of these are simply fixed others not so.

Unfortunately the solar heating for the pool is leaking badly and needs replacing ~ $9000. This is why we didn't want a pool. However we have one and it needs to be maintained. We need an electrician to put in more power points and some ceiling fans, we will need to get a technician to sort out the gas fire as it will not light, we need to have the cupboard over the fridge raised so the fridge will fit and I want to install drawers in the bottom of the cupboards and pantry so that I can access the things at the back of the cupboards.

Hubby came home on Monday afternoon and all is well. He was not unwell at any stage it was just the machinery that was failing. Had he not had it replaced there could have been an issue but fortunately that did not happen.

Fingers crossed for those hoping to finalize their new homes this week. It will be a relief for you although will bring other challenges.

We handed the keys to our rental back yesterday so now only have one property to worry about.

Thinking of you both, Shandy and Lucky girl, it's "The Final Countdown" now.
Shandy I had the keys to my new house before 10.00 a.m. on the Friday of the move. If you are that lucky you will have ample time to do what you feel needs to be done on that day.

Oh - good luck - things getting closer.

I have signed the contract and been copied in to TWO messages that my solicitor has sent to the buyer's solicitor requesting an exchange and completion date - but still no reply! I will have no nails left by the end of all this.

Looks like it's going to be a nail biting week!

Blue tape has just arrived, don't feel like doing it now, think I'll walk the dog again. I think I told you I've been feeling worried about walking him with all this dog theft - Lady Gaga's dog walker was shot recently, and her little french bulldogs stolen. What a world we are living in.

We've got fingers crossed for exchange next Wednesday here ?

Good luck kissngate, I wonder if we'll exchange on the same day. I feel sick with nerves, but the EA said the seller rang her yesterday, and I'm welcome to phone her at any time. I'm not doing a pre-exchange visit, I am trusting that she's a decent person and hopefully it will look the same as it did in October. Just so risky with the new virus being so easily transmitted, I can't fall at the last leg.

I'm waiting for my blue packaging tape to identify all my upstairs boxes that are going into the bedrooms, wish it would come.

We should be exchanging contracts next week. I told them they had to agree to exchange and complete within the next fortnight or it was over, EA thinks today should happen.

Just picked up my post - two, TWO brochures for care homes near me! Big Brother is definitely watching! It's not for me yet!

That's a good idea Pittcity, I went on the website after Martin's programme last night and it had crashed, must look again. Unfortunately I had to bid over the asking price to get the bungalow, so my stamp duty saving has gone to the seller. I don't regret it, when I thought she had cold feet I felt devastated.

We are going to be using the money "saved" by not having to pay Stamp Duty and hopefully getting discounted work done under the government green scheme (or whatever it's called at the moment!)
We are determined to spend our children's inheritance to keep ourselves comfortable.

Thanks for listing that Franbern, very interesting. I felt sad for some of the people at some viewings, they had spent their twilight years in very uncomfortable and unnattractive surroundings. One sofa I saw seemed held together with ugly grey duck (duct?) tape. There is an advert for a 'lifting' chair on tv that makes me giggle, the little girl takes the woman a plate with about ten biscuits on it to demonstrate the 'table'! The seller is leaving me her Ikea sofa, they still sell it and covers are available for £100.

I want to save for NZ so will be watching my expenditure like a hawk, I do have to allow funds for the loft insulation and the cavity wall 'ties'. Thanks for the washing machine recommendation, I had a look for my aunt, there is so much choice.

Sunny here so off to the beach when the tide is out, too many visitors when it's in.

Enjoy your day