Help calm me. House buying and selling stress

Very well done Shandy on sorting it all out, what a relief for you, let's hope the storm passes you by, fingers & toes crossed for you. xx

Found my doggies collar, pushed right down the back of the settee, sorry GC

Spoke to my EA this morning, she is being told the lease is certain to be back this week [how certain is certain?], that would mean moving by the 17th Yiks!! My buyers have said it must not be later than that date as they are booked on a cruise for 1st Jan. Not sure if I believe that, first time they've mentioned it, EA feels the same. So if it is after, not sure what happens; do we all move with them on their cruise, they said they don't want to be paying a mortgage if not in the house, but they will still have to pay their rent, unless they put everything into storage.

Thanks Yogi. So you have exchanged, and they are now pushing for completion on the 17th?

Shandy - well done for chasing and getting an assessor to come out. That must be a relief and hope the next storm is not too bad.

Evening all, Storm Barra is almost as bad as Storm Arwen, driving sleety rain and huge gusts of noisy wind. I'm scared it will lift the remaining part of the roof and flood the back bedroom and bathroom - where I had to run with all my books and records. I'll be interested to see what the wind speed is tomorrow.

I'm hiding in the front bedroom and praying the tarpaulin holds. I'm in and out of there like a yoyo, I've only got four leaks at the moment.

Feels better having shared, thanks for posting Elusivebutterfly.

I meant to add that I heard banging this afternoon - someone was repairing my fence.

The neighbour had invited him and told him it was a 'shared' fence. I told him that it was my fence, and I'd have to pay him. Hopefully the bits he managed to put up will still be standing tomorrow - the roofer had used some of the wood to secure the tarpaulin.

I'm quite shocked as I'd already established with her it was my fence when she asked me to fix the fence post in my first few weeks of living here. It doesn't affect her privacy as I never go down the side. I will have to handle it delicately.

Perhaps your neighbour was trying to be friendly and helpful Shandy, do hope you manage to sleep tonight.

Thanks midgey, you are probably right, she probably thought she was being helpful.

I've just popped in to say the storm has died down a little, it was raging for five hours. I hope it doesn't start up again during the early hours.

Morning all

How did it go Shandy last night? I thought of you whilst watching the weather yesterday evening. Think they said that's it now, so if you got through it you're now safe, hope you got some sleep.

No I haven't exchanged yet, the EA said we need to exchange by the 10th. to move by the 17th, as my buyers mortgage brokers need one week after the exchange. I hope it doesn't happen till after Xmas now!

Yogi, do think that these last bit of the exchange and completion is the hardest time of all. Everything seems to be right on the edge, yet nothing definite. I know you are saying you would prefer to wait to move after the holidays, but think you would so very relieved once it is all absolutely arranged, whenever that is.

Shandy think your neighour is just trying to be helpful, she must see that state of your property at present and is just trying to do something to help. Thank goodness, these storms have now passed and you can start looking forward. Do try to stay positive, and think how much nicer and warmer and safer it will all be once the insurance has paid for all the repairs. Isn't it fortunate that you DID cancel your arrangements to go away earlier this week. Think how much worse it would have been to return to that devastation. Do you have leccie, warmth & cooking facilities in the rooms you can still use?
Hope everybody else on here came through these storms without any problems. I must admit neither of them really had any effect on me. I had to go out yesterday morning, virtually as it arrived in Weston, as I had (weeks ago) been put on the roster for doing the tea and coffee at the U3A Coffee morning. Not a lot of people actually came!!!! Fortunately, it is less than ten minutes away from where I live on my scooter and I do have a rain cover which goes over me on the scooter, which is very effective.

Morning all, it wasn't as scary but still scary. The wooden fence panels they'd used to secure the tarpaulin were battering up and down. I think I went to sleep about 2 am. I've just been out to look and it's ripped the tarpaulin out on the main roof, so the missing concrete tiles are exposed again, and I can't see the flat roof tarpaulin. I only had to empty the recycling bin three times, the leaks were concentrated in that area last night.

The insurance company said they are coming this morning to make the roof watertight. I didn't get a call yesterday, so I'll just have to wait and see.

Good luck Yogi.

Glad you weren't blown away Franbern, bet your plastic rain cover was flapping a bit!

PS I appreciate my neighbour was doing me a good turn this morning, I'm just 'up a height' as my friend used to say.

Today looks quieter and brighter for you Shandy, onwards and upwards!
We weren't badly affected here in the south west, just heavy rain and surface water, but the sea was blood red from the sandstone washed around.
Like you Franbern I have decided the next job will be a new kitchen. I want to get rid of all the wall cupboards which always seem to me to cramp the room.
Good luck to those about to exchange/complete. I enjoy reading the progress reports.

Hello Josianne, I thought of your marble table when the surveyor was hulking my new huge wooden tv unit into the kitchen!

Glad you weren't affected too badly, I do feel so sad for the 80 year old lady found in the river

My surveyor has just emailed and asked if I've heard anything, so nice of him.

I echo Josianne's comment, good luck to all about to exchange/complete.

And if you are buying a property with a flat roof, do over estimate the amount it covers for the insurance - I was very relieved to be able to go back and see my answers, I remembered dithering over 25-30%, but did choose 30-40%. Difficult to know as a layman!

Evening all, I rang the Complex Claims handler at 1 pm as I hadn't heard anything.

He said he would ring the surveyor, and at 2.30 pm I received a message on the Customer portal to say the contractors would be in touch within 7 days (M-F). So no definite date to stop the water coming in.

I'm going to try and relax and start living again, I've been worried to go out in case in rains, but looks like I've got at least another week of this worry before anything will be done.

Off to buy cake!

The Complex claims handler rang again at 5 pm. No-one is available, all are working flat out, he recommended I find a local roofer and they'll pay them. I could have done this in the first place. My surveyor has offered to ring him tomorrow to try and get me higher on the priority list, so kind of him.

Hurray! A roofer is coming to make the area watertight, and the drying team are coming too! Not sure how but I'll finally be able to go to bed and stay there

Alleluia Shandy! Progress.
Hope all those moving are progressing……

Yogi, have you heard if you are going to exchange tomorrow?

So pleased for you Shandy best of luck The winds were howling last night and it does make you afraid of damage, all's well this morning. No word from the LR, so I'm crossing my fingers and toes that no word from them today, then I can go and buy my Xmas tree

I read all the post yesterday morning but didn't have time to reply, early class, sorry if I've missed anyone out, can't read again.

Thanks Yogi, all very shorted lived, last until about 9.30 pm. Rain came pouring in to the recycling bin like I was running a bath, as well as the edge of the kitchen where the extension meets the concrete roof.

I went onto the portal this morning and asked how long my settlement would be, so far my claim is only at 17%. I have just heard back this minute and the settlement figure is being looked at by my surveyor. I'm not going to write about it again, it is so very awful and Christmas is coming!

Today is three years since I moved. The time has flown by and I am very happy here.
Unlike others on here, I have been very slow to do much to this house. I spent two years decorating, decluttering and then trying to sell my old house so did not seem to have the energy to start again. Then lockdown came along and, as there is nothing very urgent, I am still procrastinating!

I think I feel the same as you Elusivebutterfly. When I started the selling process in 2018 I also decorated, repaired, decluttered and packed everything away.

When I put the house into the March auction I moved into the rental in February 2020, and didn't unpack there, it was all stacked in the cottage and garage. I completed on my house sale during lockdown in May 2020, spent months house hunting and saw this bungalow mid October 2020. I bought and moved in March 2021.

My first nine months have been spent unpacking and rediscovering my possessions, including my late husbands, which has been very sad. There isn't a cupboard here of any kind, so my ideas of furnishing have changed, everything will have to be 'good storage'.

I'm going to have to make a decision about the new carpet in the extension in a few months when I get the roof/ceiling done, I'll probably have the same throughout.

I started my house move four years earlier (in Summer of 2015), with de-cluttering, mainly my very packed garage. Sold a lot of stuff, gave away a lot more. Spent seven agonising months waiting for the purchasers to sort out their mortgage before giving up in January 2016. Needed a couple of years recuperating from that experience (although continued with de-cluttering, etc), had a brief foray into trying to sell in July/August 2018. From comments I received then, I planned some repairs and re-decoration for winter of 2019 before really getting going on house sale. For the first time in my life, I had a professional decorator in to paint the hallway, etc. Looked so amazing, did wonder why I was selling the house!!

Once I moved, I knew I needed to get as much done as quickly as possible to turn my flat into MY home. As I neared 80 years of age, I want to be able to have as much time as possible enjoying my lovely home. So, garage door was electrified, two new fitted wardrobes, some change to electrics, particularly in kitchen, new bedroom and dining room furniture (Previous bedroom had all fitted furniture so I brought nothing with but my bed), carpet in Living/Dining room removed and wonderful karndean flooring laid, guest bathroom needed new full size bath - so this required whole room to be re-configured, and total overhaul, and new flooring also laid in en-suite (where there had been carpet!!!). New curtains and fittings needed in living room/dining area, both bedrooms. Also new verticle blinds along large living room window/patio doors. Finally new carpet in my bedroom and flooring in guest bedroom. Alongside this obviously were all the little bits and pieces like plants, lights, etc. Two internal doors needed changing for glazed ones to allow natural light into my large hallway. Also needed to completely sort out, and paint my good sized, walled balcony and find nice plant pots, etc for there. All this over the past two years, despite lockdown.

So, now I can relax - be nice to have a new kitchen when I can afford it - but in the meanwhile it has my stamp totally over this flat.

It's amazing what you've done in such a short time Franbern - and during lockdown. I hope your savings for the kitchen are going well, I'm finding it very hard to save at the moment, food has really increased in price especially dog food.

I'm so glad you are warm and happy there. I'll be glad when I get this dry rot/mould sorted. The hall floorboards made some horrible crunching noises yesterday and today, I think they are knackered there too. As you warned me, the first year is a very expensive one.

Have you missed the car at all? Mine is making a horrible clonk, and at speed something vibrates terribly. I was going into the garage on Wednesday but cancelled as the 'drying team' were supposed to be coming. I am still driving it, noises and all, the beach is a very long walk pushing my dog in his stroller, I'm not up to it at the moment.

Have a good day everyone, I have to be back home for the rain due at around 1 pm

Morning all

Hurray! Got the news I wanted to hear yesterday at about midday, I'm staying here for Xmas Went out and bought my tree, left outside in a big bucket of water, then bought in this morning. I'm looking forward to decorating it later. Put our outside lights on yesterday, with help from my tall son and will finish off inside deco once I've taken little pooch for walkies.

I'm so sorry for what you're going through Shandy, moving is bad enough without having your ceiling come down!

My new place is decorated really well, think that's why they got away with asking for 10K over the asking price. The fireplace I will put a feature wallpaper on and a new surround. Then in the summer I want to put new patio doors on. Not much really.