Houses

[Raj]

Any recommendations  for getting estate agents?

I know most are cvnts.

Want to get my dads valued and on the market

[kenny]

8 minutes ago, Raj said:

Any recommendations  for getting estate agents?

I know most are cvnts.

Want to get my dads valued and on the market

We always use Carltons in Narborough. Small, independent and not money grabbing dicks.

[LcFc_Smiv]

Me and my girlfriend are in the process of buying our first house. We had an offer accepted 7 weeks ago, sellers have a house sorted with no chain. Everything had run fairly smoothly until two weeks ago when I hadn't heard anything regarding the mortgage for a while after getting everything sorted and sent off straight away. The adviser rang up to say Nationwide weren't happy with my girlfriends contract, as she's a trainee GP she's on a three year training programme but they only provide a one year fixed term contract. We followed up with a letter well over a week ago from her HR department explaining the situation, mortgage adviser who has been excellent up until now keeps telling me to be to be patient they will let us know their decision but I get the feeling for some reason he's not chasing this as much as he has other things. Solicitors have said they are just waiting on local searches to come back and have been pretty frequent with updates, so I believe ?we aren't too far off from that side of things We've been pretty lucky with everything compared to stuff I've read on here that people have gone through, just hoping we hear back regarding the mortgage this week. 

[Raj]

DM me of anyone is in the look out for an independent mortgage advisor as my cousin  is one(REAL cousin!!!).

P.S I'm not on commission as hes actually choc o block with work!! But for a foxestalk recommendation you get absolutely  no discount at all!!!

[Wolfox]

52 minutes ago, LcFc_Smiv said:

Me and my girlfriend are in the process of buying our first house. We had an offer accepted 7 weeks ago, sellers have a house sorted with no chain. Everything had run fairly smoothly until two weeks ago when I hadn't heard anything regarding the mortgage for a while after getting everything sorted and sent off straight away. The adviser rang up to say Nationwide weren't happy with my girlfriends contract, as she's a trainee GP she's on a three year training programme but they only provide a one year fixed term contract. We followed up with a letter well over a week ago from her HR department explaining the situation, mortgage adviser who has been excellent up until now keeps telling me to be to be patient they will let us know their decision but I get the feeling for some reason he's not chasing this as much as he has other things. Solicitors have said they are just waiting on local searches to come back and have been pretty frequent with updates, so I believe ?we aren't too far off from that side of things We've been pretty lucky with everything compared to stuff I've read on here that people have gone through, just hoping we hear back regarding the mortgage this week. 

Could she get a guarantor?  I don’t know if that’s a thing with mortgages…?

 

We ended up disregarding my wife’s wage for our mortgage as it was too much hassle (newly qualified teacher) and she had a years contract naturally.

 

It’s idiotic really…. They’re supposed to lend on the basis of risk…. GP’s and teachers are about a solid career as you could ever choose!

[grth2004]

3 hours ago, LcFc_Smiv said:

Me and my girlfriend are in the process of buying our first house. We had an offer accepted 7 weeks ago, sellers have a house sorted with no chain. Everything had run fairly smoothly until two weeks ago when I hadn't heard anything regarding the mortgage for a while after getting everything sorted and sent off straight away. The adviser rang up to say Nationwide weren't happy with my girlfriends contract, as she's a trainee GP she's on a three year training programme but they only provide a one year fixed term contract. We followed up with a letter well over a week ago from her HR department explaining the situation, mortgage adviser who has been excellent up until now keeps telling me to be to be patient they will let us know their decision but I get the feeling for some reason he's not chasing this as much as he has other things. Solicitors have said they are just waiting on local searches to come back and have been pretty frequent with updates, so I believe ?we aren't too far off from that side of things We've been pretty lucky with everything compared to stuff I've read on here that people have gone through, just hoping we hear back regarding the mortgage this week. 

Sounds a bit weird , a decent mortgage advisor would get an answer within a day or two. I’m self employed and we got an answer within 3 days once everything was submitted. 
one thing I’ve learned 4 months into this process is never stop ringing people even if they try to put you off as it’s kind of who screams loudest gets through I think. 
I ring at least one person every day , I’m like a solicitors and estate agents worst nightmare but it’s the only way things seem to move. 
so in other words pester the hell out of your mortgage advisor especially if you’ve paid them. 

[LcFc_Smiv]

On 06/09/2021 at 21:54, grth2004 said:

Sounds a bit weird , a decent mortgage advisor would get an answer within a day or two. I’m self employed and we got an answer within 3 days once everything was submitted. 
one thing I’ve learned 4 months into this process is never stop ringing people even if they try to put you off as it’s kind of who screams loudest gets through I think. 
I ring at least one person every day , I’m like a solicitors and estate agents worst nightmare but it’s the only way things seem to move. 
so in other words pester the hell out of your mortgage advisor especially if you’ve paid them. 

 

On 06/09/2021 at 19:15, Wolfox said:

Could she get a guarantor?  I don’t know if that’s a thing with mortgages…?

 

We ended up disregarding my wife’s wage for our mortgage as it was too much hassle (newly qualified teacher) and she had a years contract naturally.

 

It’s idiotic really…. They’re supposed to lend on the basis of risk…. GP’s and teachers are about a solid career as you could ever choose!

Don't believe you can get a guarantor.

 

That's the frustrating part, we aren't lying or trying to cheat the system just stating our current situation. As you say it's about a stable profession as there is.

 

I've been on the phone to him today and tried to force the issue, his stance is that the lender is taking longer than he would like but it's the state of play at the moment with how busy they are. He is going to chase them up. The corker was him saying not to worry we will still get a mortgage we may just have to put down a bit more upfront if they loan us less. Thanks.

 

Not paying him, he gets paid from the lender I believe. Maybe I should have paid someone.

[FoxesAreBlue]

On 06/09/2021 at 12:22, Raj said:

Any recommendations  for getting estate agents?

I know most are cvnts.

Want to get my dads valued and on the market

I have no affiliation to them but I used Aston and Co in Wigston when I sold what was my first flat in 2019.

 

I also assumed that all estate agents are cvnts and I’d agree that 99.9999% of them are.

 

Aston and Co are the exception to the rule. They really did go above and beyond to get the place sold quickly and even sorted out some post-sale issues too.

 

I don’t live in Leicestershire at all anymore but if I did, I’d be using Aston and Co.

[grth2004]

6 hours ago, LcFc_Smiv said:

 

Don't believe you can get a guarantor.

 

That's the frustrating part, we aren't lying or trying to cheat the system just stating our current situation. As you say it's about a stable profession as there is.

 

I've been on the phone to him today and tried to force the issue, his stance is that the lender is taking longer than he would like but it's the state of play at the moment with how busy they are. He is going to chase them up. The corker was him saying not to worry we will still get a mortgage we may just have to put down a bit more upfront if they loan us less. Thanks.

 

Not paying him, he gets paid from the lender I believe. Maybe I should have paid someone.

I paid someone £300 and they got me a mortgage in 24 hours and seeing as I’m self employed that’s impressive. 
she’s based in Leics so if you need her contact details let me know. its worth

paying a bit to jump the queue at the moment. 
 

[LcFc_Smiv]

14 hours ago, grth2004 said:

I paid someone £300 and they got me a mortgage in 24 hours and seeing as I’m self employed that’s impressive. 
she’s based in Leics so if you need her contact details let me know. its worth

paying a bit to jump the queue at the moment. 
 

Appreciate it, with some progression yesterday we are one letter from her HR department away from having it all sorted.

[jgtuk]

Getting a valuation today. Got to a point where a change in lifestyle is needed. Had a rep from Sykes Cottages assess our house last week and we were told it would turn over between £83,000 and £101,000 per annum as a holiday let.

We are debating a move to France although we also have a 2 bed apartment in Cyprus that was gifted to us by my MIL.

Is it possible to have too much choice?

 

Edit: Sounding quite blasé about the choices but am actually a bit depressed at the state of the country. Politics and economics mainly but shocked at the attitudes and seemingly uncaring nature of the general media.

 

Edited 9 September 2021 by jgtuk

[FoxesDeb]

28 minutes ago, jgtuk said:

Getting a valuation today. Got to a point where a change in lifestyle is needed. Had a rep from Sykes Cottages assess our house last week and we were told it would turn over between £83,000 and £101,000 per annum as a holiday let.

We are debating a move to France although we also have a 2 bed apartment in Cyprus that was gifted to us by my MIL.

Is it possible to have too much choice?

 

Edit: Sounding quite blasé about the choices but am actually a bit depressed at the state of the country. Politics and economics mainly but shocked at the attitudes and seemingly uncaring nature of the general media.

 

That's a great situation to be in. I had a quick browse on Sykes Cottages, and some of the prices are eye watering! 

 

We made the move abroad in December last year and we haven't looked back. There were lots of deciding factors for us, the main one being we could never have afforded the equivalent property in the UK. Also our lifestyle is much better, more relaxed and laid back. The weather is fab for most of the year and the sunshine definitely helps my mood. Virtually everything is cheaper too, fuel, the supermarket shop and the quality is better too, so our money goes much further, and helps us afford a better lifestyle. 

 

Covid has shown us that there seems to be a vast difference between the way the UK population and the people here regard the welfare of each other, too. Over here people just seem to care more about other people, there's far less of the 'what about me' that seems so prevalent in the UK. 

 

Good luck with your decision! 

[Mickyblueeyes]

On 20/08/2021 at 22:16, grth2004 said:

Bloody hell , thought I had it bad but you just made me feel better. 
The house buying system has a huge problem with solicitors who are ripping everyone off big time. 
We are 12 weeks in and no chain either side , all problems now solved but the solicitors pretty much said because we were told  it would be 16 weeks to complete that’s what it will be no matter what. 
Even though I have to pay them £1700 they won’t work any faster , the system is definitely broken and needs regulating. 
 

Why are your solicitors telling you they can't complete earlier ? Have you exchanged ?

[Mickyblueeyes]

On 20/08/2021 at 16:05, urban fox said:

Purchased a flat in London last December. Solicitors kept telling me that there was no cert for the windows, or part P cert for the electrical mods. I told them not to worry as i knew the vendor personally as i had been renting this property for the last 6 years to use a crash pad whilst working down there and i knew everything was sound and that she had the certs somewhere. I also politely informed them that as the electrical work was more than 5 years old and the windows more then 10, then these certs were not required. Every time i rang to enquire on progress they kept coming back to this as an excuse as to why they had done f**k all.

Solicitors are the biggest pain in the whole process. this mob took 4 months to complete a straight forward purchase. I knew the vendor personally, had agreed a price, no estate agents, no mortgage, etc and yet they still dragged it out. They even told me that it was due to not being able to get search results back from the LA due to covid. when i rang the planning dept of the local borough they told me they had turned it round in 14 days and that the report had been sent four weeks previously.  Never answered e-mails or phone calls and i did everything myself in respect of ironing out any issues over the leasehold with the vendor and their solicitors. In the end i had to threaten them with getting another solicitor to do the work, contra charging them for any costs above their original quote and reporting them to the ombudsman before they did anything. To cap it all off, on completion day, despite my asking on several occasions to let me have a breakdown of monies due and payment dates etc, they told me that they could not complete as i still owed them £135 for the land registry fee (which they did not actually submit i consequently found out until a few weeks ago, when i needed a copy of the registry entry for tax planning purposes).

I have vowed that if i am ever selling, i will make it clear to any prospective buyers that their offer will  not be accepted if they are using this firm.

You need to raise a complained directly with the firm. You should be getting a refund if all of these issues/problems have occurred. 

 

In particular, if they have not provided you with a breakdown of fees/disbursements and failed to submit an application for registration (if they have submitted but its not registered as yet, that is fine). Both are potentially a breach of COC and should be dealt with via the firms complaint procedure and then the ombudsman if no resolution is found. 

 

What was the inclusive fee they charged you if you dont mind me asking ?

[FoyleFox]

Can anyone offer help / advise regarding energy tariffs? In Northern Ireland our electric was provided by Power NI, standard rate and that was the choice. No gas, our central heating was oil, supplemented by electric as we'd solar panels So, now we have moved, we are with the supplier the previous owners had and on a standard tariff for gas and electricity, with Economy 7. The money saving media people are constantly warning that we should all be on fixed rates due to price hikes in October.

 

I'm tempted to just go for the fixed rate with our current supplier due to having a million other jobs on but on the other hand that's a bit of a cop out, and I've not done my usual level of due diligence. Although, is it worth it to save £25?

 

I've been on these comparison websites but am overwhelmed by the options, and we have no usage history to work out what's best. Any suggestions?

[FoxesDeb]

22 minutes ago, FoyleFox said:

Can anyone offer help / advise regarding energy tariffs? In Northern Ireland our electric was provided by Power NI, standard rate and that was the choice. No gas, our central heating was oil, supplemented by electric as we'd solar panels So, now we have moved, we are with the supplier the previous owners had and on a standard tariff for gas and electricity, with Economy 7. The money saving media people are constantly warning that we should all be on fixed rates due to price hikes in October.

 

I'm tempted to just go for the fixed rate with our current supplier due to having a million other jobs on but on the other hand that's a bit of a cop out, and I've not done my usual level of due diligence. Although, is it worth it to save £25?

 

I've been on these comparison websites but am overwhelmed by the options, and we have no usage history to work out what's best. Any suggestions?

Will your electricity consumption be similar to either the previous owners, or your own at your previous house? Your current provider will know what the previous owner was using so should be able to give you an idea, or you may be able to get a copy of your bills from your previous houses provider if you are likely to be using similar. It will at least be a starting point. 

 

Every property has an estimated annual consumption, and your Distribution Network Operator should be able to give it to you, possibly Western Power? 

 

But ultimately your estimated monthly payments will be calculated on just that, an estimated usage, and will adjust once you start being billed. I used to be with Bulb and I was very happy with them, they were competitive and super easy to use. Others may have some other suggestions, I would usually try to avoid the big 6 though, British Gas, Eon, Npower, Scottish Power, SSE and EDF, they tend to be dearer, but again, someone else might have more recent experience. 

 

If you can, try to get a capped rate rather than fixed so it can come down but not go up, and try not to get tied into a contract. Where I work the rates are fixed but you're not contracted in, so you can switch at any time, so other providers I'm sure will offer similar. 

[FoyleFox]

We're guessing our consumption will be similar to the previous owners as there's also 2 of us. They've based our estimated costs on the previous owners for the DD. It'll certainly be different to our previous house, we hope anyway! We're currently with So Energy, I'll see if they have a capped rate, they certainly mentioned there was no early exit fees if you left. 

Edited 9 September 2021 by FoyleFox

[Jackirius]

Anyone tried the new online estate agency 'Strike'? No fees and just pay for optional extras. Thinking of getting some photos taken of my flat by a local property photographer and then just listing it on there for a few weeks. Reviews online are a bit hit and miss. 

[grth2004]

10 hours ago, Mickyblueeyes said:

Why are your solicitors telling you they can't complete earlier ? Have you exchanged ?

There were a couple of little enquiries to sort on either end but it was something like where is the drain access and just needed them to right back to other solicitors but it took 4 weeks to do it. 
every day I’ve been phoning people and emailing but they never move faster or ever answer emails , in my line of work if I don’t answer an email from a customer in 24 hours I’d be castigated but for some reason solicitors can just ignore people. 
to be fair ours are unbelievably terrible looking now at the google reviews. 

[grth2004]

52 minutes ago, Jackirius said:

Anyone tried the new online estate agency 'Strike'? No fees and just pay for optional extras. Thinking of getting some photos taken of my flat by a local property photographer and then just listing it on there for a few weeks. Reviews online are a bit hit and miss. 

Sounds interesting I’d like to know how it goes maybe that’s the revolution that industry needs. 

[Mickyblueeyes]

13 hours ago, grth2004 said:

There were a couple of little enquiries to sort on either end but it was something like where is the drain access and just needed them to right back to other solicitors but it took 4 weeks to do it. 
every day I’ve been phoning people and emailing but they never move faster or ever answer emails , in my line of work if I don’t answer an email from a customer in 24 hours I’d be castigated but for some reason solicitors can just ignore people. 
to be fair ours are unbelievably terrible looking now at the google reviews. 

Solicitors have the same obligations as anyone else. Lack of response, speed of service etc. are all genuine complaints. The way to do it is to ask the firm for its complaints procedure. Run a complaint through that procedure, if you're not happy you go to the Ombudsmen. 

 

The problem with conveyancing is you have a lot of under qualified staff stacked with ridiculous amounts of work. When that occurs, people go crazy chasing. 

 

The indirect way to do it is between you and your seller. Have your seller threaten to pull out. Once you receive that email, notify all solicitors that if this matter does not conclude in time you will have no option but to take things further and hold the firms responsible. They'll make you the priority case and you'll get things moving a lot faster. Conveyancing isnt like the rest of law - he who shouts loudest, wins. 

 

Good luck. 

[urban fox]

On 09/09/2021 at 11:30, Mickyblueeyes said:

You need to raise a complained directly with the firm. You should be getting a refund if all of these issues/problems have occurred. 

 

In particular, if they have not provided you with a breakdown of fees/disbursements and failed to submit an application for registration (if they have submitted but its not registered as yet, that is fine). Both are potentially a breach of COC and should be dealt with via the firms complaint procedure and then the ombudsman if no resolution is found. 

 

What was the inclusive fee they charged you if you dont mind me asking ?

Ha yes. When I did try to complain they just made the same excuses, covering each other’s backsides. I tried to post a review on line through google etc, not a good one needless to say, they rejected it as did not post a case number (which I was never given, just the property address used as a reference). They charged me a grand, which was inclusive other than the stamp duty fees. A fairly reasonable price but it should have so straight forward. I just think they had taken far too much work on and simply doing things as they got round to them. I also think they had a lot of foreign investor clients that they could obviously charge much more so the lesser jobs just got put onto the back burner.

totally unprofessional in my mind. If I had of run my business that way I would have gone bust in no time.

[grth2004]

9 hours ago, urban fox said:

Ha yes. When I did try to complain they just made the same excuses, covering each other’s backsides. I tried to post a review on line through google etc, not a good one needless to say, they rejected it as did not post a case number (which I was never given, just the property address used as a reference). They charged me a grand, which was inclusive other than the stamp duty fees. A fairly reasonable price but it should have so straight forward. I just think they had taken far too much work on and simply doing things as they got round to them. I also think they had a lot of foreign investor clients that they could obviously charge much more so the lesser jobs just got put onto the back burner.

totally unprofessional in my mind. If I had of run my business that way I would have gone bust in no time.

Exactly the system is definitely broken and the general public are getting a terrible service, probably because of the way they have to take on more work than they can handle to cover the over the top insurance costs from what I’ve heard. 
I doubt anyone has had a great experience with solicitors in the last few years but we all still have to pay a lot of money for a terrible service with no realistic way of complaining. 
I doubt I’ll ever move again but I’d say to anyone who is just do massive research on the solicitors because finding a half decent one will make your life so much easier. 

[Sly]

We finally moved two weeks ago. 
 

This was the view from our master bedroom. Very much “Hound of the Baskerville”.

Also, despite growing up on a farm, I’d forgotten ducks quack at 2AM. Great fun when we’ve had all the windows open recently due to the heat. 

 

 

[Raj]

1 hour ago, Sly said:

We finally moved two weeks ago. 
 

This was the view from our master bedroom. Very much “Hound of the Baskerville”.

Also, despite growing up on a farm, I’d forgotten ducks quack at 2AM. Great fun when we’ve had all the windows open recently due to the heat. 

 

 

Wow, where's that?