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House and home

Help calm me. House buying and selling stress

(996 Posts)
Spice101 Fri 24-Sep-21 13:39:33

Link to first 8 threads

tinyurl.com/4883ywjs

Thread #9

loopyloo Thu 02-Dec-21 17:56:38

Shandy,
this is dreadful. You need someone ASAP
One tip I heard was to drill holes in the ceiling to allow water to drain more quickly.
Have you a builder or helper to do this?
Avoiding any electric cables hopefully.
Sending best wishes.

.

Shandy57 Thu 02-Dec-21 18:30:37

Thanks loopyloo, unfortunately everyone locally is in the same boat and roofers/fencers/builders are working flat out.

I was really, really lucky that the men came and put the tarp up yesterday, my surveyor called in a favour on my behalf.
Not completely waterproof but better than being open to the elements. I'm sorry that I can't upload the video, it's too large, but the dripping is very musical! It's slowed down now the snow has finally melted, I can take my dog out for his last walk.

Just charging my aunt's mobile phone, I do hope the SIM arrives tomorrow. Getting into a mobile phone is an art in itself isn't it!

Granny23 Thu 02-Dec-21 22:19:13

Moving day for me tomorrow. As I expected it has been snowing this evening and there are traffic lights on the road up to the flat. However, my Nephew has taken a day off work to help along with my DDs, Son in Law and big burly friend. The 'team' have decreed that I should absent myself during the flitting, so my sister will take me out for lunch and Christmas shopping. only returning when the worst of it is over.

Surprisingly, I am not over emotional about leaving the family home as the happy memories will stay with me forever and a new family will make it their own. The one thing I am sure of is that I will never, ever, embark on moving house again - it has been a nightmare.

Shandy57 Thu 02-Dec-21 22:52:34

Wishing you every happiness in your new home Granny23!

Spice101 Thu 02-Dec-21 22:52:49

Surprisingly, I am not over emotional about leaving the family home as the happy memories will stay with me forever and a new family will make it their own.

I agree with this Granny23. Leaving our home of 40 years which we had put so much into by way of physical work, money and emotional effort and the raising of our family and so many other things was so much a non event. We watched the developer who bought it knock it down and in doing so destroying everything we had done and yet I felt little emotion other than this was a chapter in our journey in life and we moved on to the next chapter.
We totally closed the circle recently when we went back to the location and saw the final result of the sale. 16 new houses which will provide 16 families with a lovely home in a lovely area. I'm totally at peace with leaving the place and will forever enjoy the memories, good and not so good that we have of the place.

BoadiceaJones Thu 02-Dec-21 23:03:55

Spice101
marymary62 as shandy says the price you paid will be forgotten about. We sold our home and rented for a year because we could not find anything suitable. Eventually we found our new home a few days before Christmas last year. Yes, we possible paid too much and I did worry about that for a while because I knew there was more to spend to make it as we wanted. However, over the last 7 months since we moved in the house prices have soared in our area and the availability lessened. There is not one house come onto the market that would have suited our needs since we bought so the price we paid was more than worth it to get settled in our own place again.
You are so right, neighbour. Exactly as we did - missed two places we thought we really wanted, then found THE one - fierce competition, so we offered over the asking price to ensure that we secured it. We are SO glad we did. The house is perfect for us, in the 6 months since we moved up, value has gone up at least $100k, and there is absolutely nothing else around that would make us feel so happy and secure. Yes, we probably paid too much at the time, but it was a gamble that paid off. How is everything across the Pond?

Yoginimeisje Fri 03-Dec-21 08:34:25

Oh my God Shandy that's terrible. Must have been a cowboy builder, he would have known it wouldn't last long, don't know how they could do such a thing!

Butterfly I have already spoken to my house insurers and they said just phone them up and they will swap it over to the new house.

Just opened an email saying my buyers want a moving day before Xmas, not later than 17th. Well so do I, but nothing can be done until the lease returns from the LR

Yoginimeisje Fri 03-Dec-21 08:44:38

Granny23 Hope all went well with your move yesterday. How lucky that you were taken out for lunch whilst the move was going on! Nightmare is the right word. Hope all's well today.

Not sure if my buyers are threatening to pull out with their last request. But as my house has gone up by at least 15K since they 'bought it' perhaps it would financially do me a good turn, but the thought of starting again shock

Franbern Fri 03-Dec-21 08:48:33

Granny23 Every good wish for today. At last the end to the heartache, and the start of your wonderful future.
You voiced the same feeling that so many of us here had - 'NEVER AGAIN!!!' Would just say, that rather like when having a baby - the pain does recede, and the enjoyment in your new home just increases.

Even now, over two years later, I find myself so often sitting down, admiring my home and feeling such a sense of relief as to how wonderful it has all turned out.

Your next week will be very busy, but it is all upwards and forwards from now on.

Josianne Fri 03-Dec-21 09:15:11

Best wishes to Granny23. A new chapter. Give yourself a few days off unpacking over Christmas.

Elusivebutterfly Fri 03-Dec-21 09:57:56

Good luck with the move Granny 23.

Whiff Sat 04-Dec-21 06:55:59

Granny23 hope everything goes well for you today. Hopefully the weather is kind to you for loading and unloading.

Franbern I feel the same . And look around my bungalow and feel pleased with all I have done in the 2 years since I moved here. It's all finished . I love it here. I realised the other day in my old house I existed but wasn't fully living my life. But now I am living life to the full.

I am fully booked 3 days a weekend . Exercise class, craft group and at my daughter's. I wake early every morning and the day flies by.

Shandy hope you have soon good news regarding your roof soon and it gets fixed or at least water tight by Christmas.

Yogin I hope you get that information you need soon. Hopefully you are making a pest of yourself with your solicitor and estate agent . It's the only way to get things done I am afraid.

Told my brother and sister in law to do that from the start of their house buying and selling journey from hell. They still haven't any dates. It's the solicitors of their buyer holding everyone up.

I would never move again for all the money in the world. Never thought I could be so happy . But buying my bungalow was the best thing I have done for years, especially since moving have more health problems and could never have managed in my house. It's because the health care is so good here that they found out I was born with a heart defect. And due to my new neurologist I haven't had a seizure in 18 months.

In June I went back to the Midlands and we had to pass the end of my road and saw my old house and didn't feel anything for its. It's only bricks and mortar . My memories I brought with me.

My daughter and grandson's where here yesterday and the oldest decorated my tree while his brother pulled them off ?.

Have a good day everyone.

Shandy57 Sat 04-Dec-21 11:55:34

Morning everyone, I hope everyone is well and warm. Far too many people here are still without electricity and a very long eight days later, the Council have finally announced it as a Major Incident.

I went to bed last night quite happy as I'd managed to get the stinky wet carpet out, I had to use my kitchen knives as I couldn't get the packaging off the Stanley knife I'd paid £18.50 for sad

Woke up to pools of water on the concrete, but very luckily my surveyor had offered to come this morning. He's helped me to get the sofa out, and taken down the remains of the dangerous ceiling. He's up on the roof now putting up another tarpaulin, we are predicted another storm unfortunately.

I'm ready for Christmas, ha ha!

Granny23 Sat 04-Dec-21 20:20:56

Sorry no report yesterday - I'm just back on t'internet now.

Well we got a cold but dry and sunny day. We had allowed our buyers to come the day before to load our empty sheds with all their garden and outdoor stuff, then they went home and load all the furniture etc. in their van and decamped to their son's overnight. Turned up at our door at 12 noon by which time we had heard from our solicitors that someone in the chain's payment had not gone through, and we would not get the keys until 3 or 4 o'clock. We had already loaded our van and cars with everything from the front rooms, so after buyers and sellers teams had shared a takeaway lunch and become friends for life, both teams carried in the buyers furniture and stacked it in the front rooms, leaving their van empty, so next the second load of our stuff was loaded into their empty van, which enabled the buyers to get organised and everything to move at once when we finally got the go ahead and the keys at 4.30. Both sets of lawyers strongly advised that we did not let the buyers into the house until we had completed the move, but being decent folk we averted a possible disaster by co-operating. and completed the move before it was totally dark.

The new flat is immaculate, freshly painted and carpeted in neutral colours through out, with brand new white goods, etc. Once my own furniture was in everyone remarked how it really reflected my taste and style. I felt 'at home' right away, slept like a log and spent today unpacking boxes and learning how to operate the new white goods etc. Definitely a case of "All's Well that Ends Well"

Shandy57 Sat 04-Dec-21 21:20:15

Congratulations Granny23, wishing you every happiness in your new home.

Whiff Sun 05-Dec-21 07:52:42

Granny23 glad your move to your new home went smoothly. And you sound very happy already.

Just wish everyone's move would go so smoothly.

Franbern Sun 05-Dec-21 09:26:34

Granny, So great when everybody can work so well together, despite those usual warnings by Solicitors. Such great cooperation, and everyone so much happier.

Wish this could be extended to more people, and even countries.

Sounds as if your journey has been highly successful, and you can now slowly relax and enjoy your new home. When made this last move, the flat had been empty for eighteen months and the previous occupants deceased. However, the daughter acting on behalf of her siblings who sold it, had obviously arranged for professional cleaners to come in, when they took the final furniture out, so it was spotless when I arrived. At the house I sold, I left so much helpful local information, although I suspect none of it was used, as the new owners did not actually move in for over three months as they had builders doing whatever they did in there for all that time.
Shandy I do hope that it is settling down a little where you are and you will be able to (eventually), be able to use your insurance claim to re-build to your own specifications. Suspect it may take quite a while as probably both insurance companies and builders are extremely busy up there.

Many years ago, our youngest child (a bedwetter), wandered into one his big sisters bedroom around 2 am one morning, saying his bed was wet. Not an unusual thing to happen, so she told him to put on clean pj's and get into bed with her, which he did. So, not until when i got up the following morning, did I discovered that the reason for the wet bed, was because the water tank in the loft above his bedroom had overflowed, bringing down the ceiling in that bedroom, and going further down into the big kitchen/diner on the ground floor bringing down part of that ceiling also, and causing so much damage. Enormous insurance claim = but worked out well in the end for us.

Shandy57 Sun 05-Dec-21 10:29:45

Wow Franbern, although a terrible shock for you, that was one time you were glad your child wet the bed! I remember being down to one tablecloth with my son one very bad night - it was cotton!

I've had a terrible night, the rain was pouring in fast and noisily. I think I went to bed about 3 am. It's like having a newborn with the buckets, I can't stop going in to check on them! The recycling bin was a great idea as it was big enough to take the biggest leak, which was non stop. So thankful the surveyor took the wettest plaster down yesterday.

It was coming into the kitchen again as well, where the concrete bungalow roof meets the flat roof. My roofer rang me last night, he has had 300 calls and is working flat out.
The person who did my flat roof is back in area, apparently, as well as another man everyone has been warned about. So sorry some people will be paying for incompetent and unsatisfactory work.

We have flood alerts in the area because the rivers are so full, and lots of surface water on the roads.

I've finally realised I can watch BBCIplayer on my laptop, and feel a lot happier I can have a bit of normality.

Best wishes to everyone playing the 'waiting game' smile

Shandy57 Sun 05-Dec-21 22:41:05

I've just had a text from the loss adjuster - he is suggesting an appointment on 6 January 2022. I've written on my insurer's facebook page, twitter account, and I found the parent company's CEO's email address.

How can they leave someone without a roof for five weeks?

Yoginimeisje Mon 06-Dec-21 07:32:14

Morning all

So sorry Shandy for all the mess you're in, bad enough moving, without all that. Hope you get it sorted soon.

Well done Granny23 you all turned a bad situation into a good one. Enjoy your new home.

6.30am this morning I was in my granddaughters room, searching and searching for my little dogs collar with his tag on. Can't find it anywhere! Last time it was my keys, they turned up on their next weekly visit! I will have to go out and buy a new one, new tag and get it engraved with my phone no. as I'm worried with the imminent move, him not having it!

Shandy57 Mon 06-Dec-21 12:08:07

Morning nearly afternoon all. Thanks Yogi for your empathy, I'm sure your heart is beating as fast as mine! I hope you managed to find your dog's collar.

I've just popped in to say for anyone that finds themselves in my situation to give emailing the CEO a try.

Late last night I researched the parent company, found the email address of the CEO on this website - www.ceoemail.com/ - and sent an email appealing for my claim to be paid through viewing the photographs and videos I have uploaded. I was just going to bed and thought I'd google again - man had retired! I found out who had been appointed in his place, took a guess at his email prefix, and forwarded my original.

This morning at 8.30 am I had an email from the Complex Claims handler, asking for my phone number. He rang and is coming at 12.30 pm, with a surveyor. Whether they approve the claim or not, at least I've been heard.

And my aunt's phone engineer turned up - remarkably her upstairs flat neighbour - and a cable on the telegraph pole outside had been snapped. She's now back on line, and I can take my time to write her idiot proof guide to using her new mobile phone. I encouraged her again to action her health and welfare POA.

Anxiety and stress is a good way of losing weight isn't it, I've lost 7 lbs this week.

Have a good day everyone smile

Shandy57 Mon 06-Dec-21 17:49:02

Good news, the Complex Claims handler arrived with his surveyor, and my surveyor very kindly attended.

The surveyor said a waterproofing team would be here on Wednesday (hoping Storm Barra doesn't do more damage), then another team will come with dehumidifers to dry the place out.

Their roofing team are booked up for twelve weeks so I am going to be awarded a cash payment, my surveyor is going to find someone to do the whole roof, and I will have the new one insulated.

I feel so relieved I've finally been heard and someone is coming to help me. Hopefully this feeling will take me through the nightmare tomorrow could bring with 'Storm Barra'.

I rang Ipmobile today, as I only have 20p credit showing but the customer service person explained the SIM releases the money it as it is used. I hope the £36 does last my aunt the year.

Thanks for all your good wishes smile

midgey Mon 06-Dec-21 21:21:11

Granny how brilliant that you are so happily moved, hope you will be very happy in your new home.
Shandy…..good work on t he emailing front! So pleased you have had a result. Good luck with Barra, perhaps it will stay lower down the country! ?

Spice101 Tue 07-Dec-21 03:46:37

What a nightmare you are living Shandy. Fingers crossed the roof is fixed very soon.
Hopefully the weather will be at least a little kind until you are you are safe and snug for the winter.

Shandy57 Tue 07-Dec-21 09:20:37

Morning all, I feel so nervous about Storm Barra I feel sick. The roofer did attach the tarpaulin with wooden battens, but if the wind is 60 mph as predicted, who knows what will happen today. The ridge tiles that were attached to the resin roof came away with it, I could lose more.

Thanks for the empathy midgey and Spice101. I was surprised to get an email from the actual CEO late last night asking if his team had managed to help me, how nice of him. I did write back and thank him - my friend, who is a lot more savvy than me, said I should have kept my praise until the work had been done smile

I'm off to the beach with my dog now, before the storm hits.

Stay safe and warm everyone smile