Help calm me. House buying and selling stress *Part 10*

Grammaretto

Did you like anything enough to make an offer Oops?

Sadly not this time, most of the houses we saw had been for sale for some months. The agents all said that they have more houses coming onto their books soon. I think traditionally Easter is a good time to put your house on the market.

I have to say, Estate Agents have access to some remarkable camera lenses, they can make the smallest house and garden look huge!

We are away soon so it will be April before we can get back down to view more properties.

Did you like anything enough to make an offer Oops?

Oops when I viewed my bungalow in July 2018 it still had the ladies things in and she died in the May including her clothes. When I reviewed it in April 2019 clothes gone but still all the furniture and knick knacks . It was empty apart from the mice when I got the keys in August.

Wish I had thought about the property being empty for so long and got the pest control pre booked for the day I got the key.

My brother and sister in law's bungalow also had the furry pests but my brother sorted them out himself ably assisted by Aggie their jack Russell.

I had viewed only one that was empty but knew from the outside I would hate it . Nothing like the pictures.

Happy property hunting Oops and Grammaretto.

We’ve spent the last 2 days looking at houses, they had all been decluttered to the point where you couldn’t tell if the house was lived in, 1 was empty, an ex holiday home.

I really really need to start packing at home before the agent comes to take photos.

1 house had been ‘unlived’ in for 8 months, it was a probate sale and every room was rammed with ‘stuff’ obviously a much loved home, but I do pity the poor family having to clear it out.

We are in a bungalow at the moment, but any house that potentially has the space for a lift or stairlift, or even a spare room downstairs, is worth a look ( for us anyway).
We think if we want something that much we can make it work, this mornings offering doesn’t have any parking, but a large garden could have access onto the road to make a Parking area.
We will see.
Back home today, another trip down soon.

Thanks Whiff and thanks Franbern for your insights.

When I said house, Fran, I actually meant it generically. It was a bungalow I looked at but with 4 bedrooms and a huge garden.

The house I would like to build in my garden would be single story and probably a kit house adapted to suit my needs. It would have almost zero energy costs.

I promised a friend that I would look at properties for sale and a converted church hall has recently come on the market. So I will take a look but the building is on the main road and each flat has a garden the size of a pocket handkerchief.

I agree about the need to declutter and I shall continue to scale down the amount of stuff I have and don't need.

You are correct too in that I would prefer to stay in my town which I know so well, feel safe and have all the facilities I need as well as having friends and groups to go to.
My AC live quite far away but I am not intending to live nearer to them.

Grammaretto, TBH I woudsay that if you do not move within the next 12-18 months then you will probably not do so. It is harder as we get older. I was 79 upon compeltion when I moved here, and I did hVae some help both at the end I was selling and also from the daughTer's family near to where I came,.
First decision tomake is area to move to. You sound as if you really wish tostay more or less where you are. It is easier as it means you can know properties and prices and get to view properties quickly. But is this the case with you?

De cluttering - be strong, be determined, and realise that when you die virtually everything you hold so dear with just be chucked out. Why are you keeping things? Put yourself in the place of your children trying to sort out a cluttered house after your death, they will just use loads of cardboard boxed and black dustbin bags. Sure you can re-home many thing by doing it yourself.

Not sure why you (at 75) are looking at houses!!! You need to future proof - no matter how fit and healthy you are now, lots is likely to get worse over the next few years, a bungalow or a flat everything on the level is the way forward.

When I downsized from the family house at the age of 62, I was totally opposed to going in a flat, wanted and moved extremely happily to a lovely little house, on which I lavished much care and money over the years I continued to work. But when I was looking in my seventies, my needs changed. Indeed, when I first looked I was intent on a 'garden' ground floor flat. When things started to happen four years later, I most definitely did not want a ground floor flat, but one first or second floor with all the extra feeling of security that gives to me,.

So be open minded, and look at apartments, preferably those in well-maintained purpose built blocks of flats.

IN all probability any flat is going to be purchased at far less than you will sell you very large house. Even if it goes to developers to change into flats, you should come out of it with a goodly sum to spare.

Would stress that the first year after moving money seems to go like it has just been invented After all we want to change/ improve our new home and make it exactly right for us. So, often new bathrooms, new kitchens, changing around of electrical points, carpets, curtains, flooring. Do allow for this.

People often say do not go into flats due to service charge, but if you go into a bungalow then you will still have maintenance costs, most years. Unless the Service charge is very high, they tend to work out much the same, but with the flats having someone else have the hassle of organising the work. Look for blocks of flats that have their own voluntary self management companies.

Grammaretto I have never for a second regretted moving to my bungalow in 2019. Both children proved out permanently in 2006 and moved to the north west. After my husband died in 2004 it wasn't a home anymore but a house. He was my home. But because of having both parents and mother in law to look after I couldn't move. Mom was the last to died . So finally I was free. I decided to put my house on the market March 2018..

Christmas 2017 I went round the house writing a list of all the things that I wouldn't need. Plus a list of what I wanted for my final home and what I didn't want and what I was willing to have done.

I knew because of my mobility it had to be a 2 bed bungalow as I didn't need more bedrooms. Small garden , drive but wasn't bothered if there was a garage as I could have a garden shed. Living room or separate living and dinning ,kitchen I knew I would have a new one with a dishwasher I always wanted,shower room done . Didn't want somewhere that needed rewiring or fixing any damp problems. No later than built in 1970's.

Had my house cleaned by cleaning company before having photos taken. They estate agent valued my house at a ridiculous price so set my own . Knew how much I could spend on the bungalow taking into account the work I was prepared to do.

I told my solicitor I was putting my house on the market and she sent me all the forms to filled and got them back to her. March 2018 house on market. Had viewings but finally accepted offer June 2018. Found my bungalow July 2018. Exchange set for September buyer pulled out day of exchange. House back on the market new buyer October 2018. March 2019 4 days before exchange she pulled out. Got another buyer should have moved May 2019 but their solicitor was a nightmare so didn't get here until August 2019. I was lucky the executors of their mom's will keep the bungalow for me.

There are different ways to sell. I went with a local estate agent but went for fixed price option so I knew what it would cost in the end. My solicitor gave me a fixed price and even though had 2 buyers pull out didn't alter that price.

My brother and sister in law brought their bungalow via modern auction where it's the buyer who pays estate agent and solicitor bill there bungalow cost £165k but had bill of £10k to pay.

Or you can sell to one of these we buy any home company but they will only pay 80% of what your house is worth.

Lot of us moved in 2019 if you look for this thread then lots of advice there .

I paid £220k for my 2 bed bungalow large living ,2 large bedrooms ,good sized showroom shower cubicle horrible but it was fine until I had it redone. Kitchen had no appliances so cooked using my slow cooker,toaster and microwave until October 2019 when had my dream kitchen fitted. Small hall. Front and back garden small enough for me to do . Long drive and garage . In a lovely area buses ,shops,GP all handy .

There is a bungalow 2 bed opposite side of the road to mine which where built in mid 1990's smaller room sizes to mine slightly large back garden £325k.

Bungalows on my side all have concrete walls and floors nice brick on the outside . Front door on the drive both sides. Other side of the road wooden floors breeze block with plaster board walls and bricks to match our side.

No idea if this has helped. I existed in my old house since moving here I live my life to the full . Better healthcare here and having a water meter made a vast difference. Used to pay same as everyone else in my old house £160+ pennies now £28+ pennies.

I have started to read these posts again. It must be Spring!. I know that I must downsize but the whole prospect is daunting.

Huge house where we've lived for 44years. Alone now since DH died.
The monthly bills are huge.
So far I have
a) let out the granny annexe. Tenant now anxious and is actively looking to move out.
b) had 2 valuations. Unrealistically high IMO but both say massive decluttering needed. they both think the house will take a while to sell.
c) 3 architects have offered ideas for selling the big house and building a small eco house in the garden.
d) I have looked at one house nearby for sale. Not right at all.
e) have accepted my preferred Architect's offer to do a feasibility study with structural engineer for a new house but also to convert the big house to flats. Agents disagree.
f) I watch old episodes of grand design and phil and kirsty.

Finally, I come on here for sensible advice
Btw I am 75, have no money apart from a mortgage free house and a pension.
None of my DC are helping me but not hindering either.

New tank installed and some oil on its way, new loo also installed. Bathroom chap coming on Monday to give quote to tidy up the bathroom. Nothing major, just a bit of a revamp.
I’ve started to pack small items that I don’t want to dust each time we have a viewing (fingers crossed we get some!). Also I’m Taking photos of each room to see what needs ‘tweaking’ before the Agent comes back next month. Carpet cleaner to book too.
A long long list of things to do outside as soon as the weather picks up, it’s far too squelchy underfoot to touch the garden and some of the pots are waterlogged, so I don’t expect any bulbs to have survived in those. Gutters etc will have to wait for a month or so, ditto varnishing the front door.
Paperwork to sort and put into a file too.
MzOops is in the middle of selling (and buying,) the paperwork is driving her mad, the Solicitors insist on asking her questions that she is unable to answer, they can’t seem to accept that some things she just doesn’t know.
For example
There is a Telegraph pole in the field opposite her cottage that supplies Electricity and Phone lines.
Question
Are there any Electricity cables or phone lines under your property? ( she has a cottage and 7 acres of ancient woodland)
Her answer was,probably not, as there is a pole opposite with the lines on them.
They’ve written back 3 times asking her to prove that there aren’t any cables under the property. Which she can’t do.
It’s a very old cottage, the chances of cables being hidden underground is unlikely, but who knows?
Anyway, onwards and upwards, we are off to the South Coast next week for a look around and are viewing some properties for MissOops, trying to get her settled before we follow her down.
Have a good weekend everyone.

Oh forgot to say a bungalow has come up for sale in our road, smaller footprint than ours, small garden backing onto the pub car park, they are asking a very ‘punchy’ figure for it, I hope they get it as it will help with our price.

Well, after dithering about we’ve decided that we will put the house on the market in April, decluttering has started and I’m exhausted already.
I’ve fished out all the guarantees/ certificates that I have for work done ( not many as we’ve been here for 25 years and no certificates were issued then).
New oil tank being fitted as soon as we get a sunny day, blasted tank couldn’t last another few months could it? It’s costing us nearly £4k so a real pain and the Saniflo that we have upstairs has also packed up, that will be £500 thank you very much. We need to move before anything else breaks 🙁
Paper shredding service booked for March, another job ticked off the list.
Searching each day for property in Bridport/ Lyme Regis/ Seaton area, so a few long weekends will have to be booked so that we can have a look around.
After going up and down so many stairs this week I’m inclined to look for another bungalow even though we said we wouldn’t want another one,
Anyway, time for a rest.p as I’m pooped.

You are an example of good forward planning, Franbern and remind me that I need to redo the en suite bathroom, though not this year. 2021 saw the new drive, 2022 new internal doors and hall flooring, so definitely need to rebuild savings before going again. And by then it will be 10 years since the kitchen was redone and it will need decorating and possibly the electrical stuff replacing ….. And so it goes on! Keeping any home in a reasonably up to date state is hard work!

Have just returned from ordered my new en-suite. Work to be carried out April\May. This should be the last big project in my flat - had bathroom done when I first moved in, then all the flooring was changed, kitchen done in 2022.

Having things like comfort height/rimless toilet, and disguised grab rails in shower. pivot door on that rather than sliding ones. Having main door from bedroom changed for a bi-fold one, not just to save a little room, but also to take away the concern that if ever I did have a fall in that room I could be blocking the door for entry from any aid.

When work is completed, I should have a lovely, modern en-suite with plenty of storage areas and a very easy place to keep clean. Will then have to start to re-build my savings!!!!!

Whiff,
I have no idea when the c/t nonpayment for an unoccupied house changed , however it used to be that if there was no furniture in it then no c/t would be payable. However 2 examples of this not being the case are :
1 ) in 2021 We suffered a severe house flood whereby we had to move out for 9months . I contacted our local council who I pay c/t to & they advised me it is dealt with by a national Office ( of course possibly a quango ) That in itself was a trial as I had to complete a whole manner of stuff but alas because the kitchen was still in situ as was one of the two bathrooms .it remained that Council Tx was still payable .
2 ) Unfortunately for us after moving back in to our home in March 22 we suffered yet another house flood even worse than the first. This did involve the kitchen being removed .By some bizarre twist I have no idea why at that point we still paid full tax.
Therefore paying c/t on both properties. We did eventually get help with it in part from our insurers .
3)
My MIL brought a property in a retirement village in October 2022 . Her large semi had been on the mkt since April2022 . Buyers continually messed around regarding sales . She has been paying all the facilities in full since Oct 2022 ., along with the service charges involved at her retirement flat . Buyers are still messing around. Prior to it ever going on the market & I'm talking a few years of conversations here , that it would sell easily & has plenty of scope for both side & rear extensions.It s not like some of the properties we ourselves have viewed needing total updating as MIL was very forward thinking .
It’s proving a nightmare now though as she is now 90years old . The money for the purchase was made in good faith from a close family member in order that MIL didn’t lose the retirement property. This move has proved a great thing for her despite her partner passing away just 5 months after the move she herself has gained a new lease of life ,throwing herself into all the activities & outings.

That’s the other thing ,the interest lost on the money loaned. The fact that MIL now owns 2 properties that will incur inheritance tax .
It’s proving a headache , it’s still on the market & obvs needs gardening and maintenance done regularly.

We have looked at two houses this year, even though, at the time we viewed them our house was not even on the market.

To be fair, both of them were 'project houses'. the first one was a project too far and a location too far, but our house is noe with an EA, although not yet on RightMove and we are off to have a second viewing in 10 days time.

The one we are going back to is ideally located, but will be difficult to mortgage in its current state, nothing structural, and no builder will be interested in it as it is a Listed Building. Fortunately we already live in a Listed Building so we have no worries about the planning issues attached to these houses.

This will be our 7th and last house purchase and our 5th and last project. If we do buy the house, all the work will be done for us by builders before we move in.

Happy New Year all !!

I though I would just pop in and wish everyone a Happy New Year.
Nothing much has changed at this end, MzOops in Cornwall has just had a survey done on her cottage, all being well her sale should go through pretty quickly as the buyers don’t have anything to sell and MzOops will ‘sofa surf’ with friends until she finds something to buy. Storage options for her worldly goods are being explored this week.
She is still dithering about where to buy, casting her net far and wide, when she finds the right place she will know.

MissOops will start looking for a house In the Spring.

So that’s it! We still have work to do in our bungalow in the Spring but for now we are huddled in the warm. We will be exploring Propane bottled gas for a gas fire in the sitting room, but we need to see how far away we can site the bottles and run the pipe work. That’s MrOops job, he will sit at the computer and get the details ready for us to do the work.
Hope everyone is keeping well.

Oops lovely to read your update. Hope everything all works out for you all next year.

Thought I had done everything to my bungalow. But had an issue with my back door. My wonderful door/ window man tried to fix it. But I decided just to have a new door and frame. No idea how old the door is and they no longer fit the sort of frame it's in..

The door and frame is cheaper than I thought my fitter buys only German brands and love my front door etc he has fitted me. Also he won't charge me VAT as he only charges trade price. So 4-6 weeks have a new door.

Franbern as usual you have your pulse on property sales. Things have slowed down here but still lot of extensions being on family size homes. It seems Covid decided many to stay and just make their homes bigger.

Franbern seems a long time since we went through the torture of buying and selling. Glad we won't go through that again.

Hope all movers are happy in your new homes.

MrOops mate has had his house on the market for 8 weeks and no viewings so far.
It isn’t overpriced, comes with a paddock with Planning on, yet no viewings at all.
Very odd.
I didn’t realise how stressed MrOops was about moving, but once I said that I was happy (ish) to stay he relaxed and is much happier.
Let’s hope that MissOops finds something quickly in 2024, I doubt it will be very close to us as it’s too expensive around here.

Thanks for updating us all Oopsadaisy. Sorry that
your plans have fallen through. Must admit, they did sound very complicated. You sound as if you have taken good, sensible decisions, and hope it works out for you

The propoerty market here in Weston is still extremely slow. People are unable to sell their family houses, as the people who would be purchasing them are having problems with the sharp increases in mortgage rates. So, flat sales are negligible - as it usually people selling their family houses and downsizing that purchase these. Do have one going through in our block, keeping fingers and toes crossed.

I have a friend who would so love to purchase a flat here, but has had virtually no viewings on her very nice house. Have heard that it is likely to be 2025 before the housing market really goes back to where it was.

Meanwhile,anyone trying to get a rental property is up against so many other people all after the same property.

I’m having problems posting on GN this morning , it’s very glitchy so apologies for any errors in above post. But it’s difficult to do when there is a time lag between my typing and the words appearing on the screen

An update.

Plans of buying a house on a plot with MissOops and Nephew have been abandoned! We have decided to stay put, we’ve looked at so many places in Devon, Somerset and Dorset and can’t find anything that we would all be happy living in, we also looked for a suitable home for MissOops and Nephew at the same time, in the same locations, but living separately.

Of course it would only need for one of the houses to fall through and we could find ourselves being separated by miles for a considerable time, so it would have been logistically difficult.

So the plan now is that we will tell MissOps how much she has to spend and she can look at places and when she selects some we will go with her and help her to decide which is the best to go for.

The criteria for her is far more complex as she has the Nephews various problems to take into account, so she might find herself in another part of the country from us.

However MzOops is also moving out of Cornwall and into Wiltshire, so maybe MissOops will move closer to her?
Nothing will be done until the New Year anyway, MissOops and Nephews tenancy has been renewed, her landlord wants the house back sometime next year so we have a few months.

Meanwhile we still have to sort our bathroom and get new flooring for the sitting room, then it’s mostly some outside work that will have to be done next Spring.

MrOops is happy now we’ve decided to stay put, I won’t get closer to the coast, but we will have odd trips, which is fine. We’ve put so much effort into making this bungalow suit us if we can’t manage to do much in the future and just couldn’t find anywhere that made sense financially. There were plenty of places but more expensive than the one we have now.
Apart from in Wales of course. Which we decided against fairly early on in our quest.

Just bumping this up in case anyone is going through buying and selling.

There is definitely a stage when reality of aging sets in. My good friends are in their early 80s now and have just sold their large 4 bed house, double garage and beautiful garden. She has on-going health problems these days and they have found a pristine 3 bed bungalow, even handier for buses etc and the single garage and small garden that they said they would never want. His workshop stuff is being sold, the large furniture is staying with the house and being stylish of good quality, will be much appreciated by the new owner

Circumstances change with age and there is no holding back time but what I would say is to keep saving if possible and keep on top of de-cluttering and always keep an open mind

Obviously, I have no idea of the ages of other contributors on here. I know that when I was in my fifties, I was still living in the large family house, which had fallen into quite a state of disrepair due, mainly, to finances (or lack of them). Even so, I detested the thought of having to move out of it.

In my sixties, I was able to get most of this work carried out and longed for a smaller house (yes, it had to be a house), where ceilings were no so high, etc.

I did then move into a smaller, three bedroomed terrace 1930's property - which I absolutely loved, allocated earnings each year lavish work on it. (I was living by myself at this time). Extended into the loft, etc. It was less than a mile away from my previous house, so no change in area, etc. Always assumed I would be there for ever.

It was not until my mid-70's that I started to give serious thought to living on one level. The stairs would assume the proportion of Everest some evenings!!! Tried stair lift, hopeless when living by oneself for sending anything other than me up and down. Not enough room for a through the ceiling lift.

Soon after my 78th birthday I made the move to a flat. Not a small poky one, - large living/dining room, large main bedroom, en-suite as well as bathroom. Good sized hallway. From my first night there, I realised how wonderful living on one level can be. So, hopefully, this is where I will stay now for the remainder of my life.

People often ask if I regret not having made this final move to the flat earlier and the answer always is 'No'.

Different decade of my life, different circumstances. Glad I was able to do it all.

Great to hear the success stories!

I consider downsizing from time to time.
My problem is that I live in the perfect position, near services and friends and some family but the house is too big and too expensive realistically. I already let out part of it and share my studio (I'm an artist)
Sometimes I think it's a nice problem to have until the bills come in. 😲
I have noticed ash dieback recently which means I am going to have to have 3 trees felled, costing thousands.

DMiL died earlier this year. Her house was put on the market and sold very quickly to the person who made the first offer. It's yet to complete but doesn't seem to be a problem. She lived 5 miles from us