Things to be aware of when moving house!

[Graham Orm]

Try to find a local (to your purchase) acredited surveyor

That's a very important point, the local guy will know all about the different building types in the area and any local land problems.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

22yrs ago when I bought my last house, my solicitor advised me to have a structural survey as the house was 100+ yrs old, and I declined. He asked me to sign an indemnity as he would be deemed negligent if it came back on him, which I was happy to do. When we had finished the business, he asked why I was sure I didn't need one. I replied that half my working time was spent doing maintenance on a building older than that, and I intended to take my friends, a builder and an electrician around with me to look at it and put £100 on the bar of the nearest pub afterwards so we could have a good chat. He said not to quote him, but I would find out far more doing it that way.

 

[RogerS]

22yrs ago when I bought my last house, my solicitor advised me to have a structural survey as the house was 100+ yrs old, and I declined. He asked me to sign an indemnity as he would be deemed negligent if it came back on him, which I was happy to do. When we had finished the business, he asked why I was sure I didn't need one. I replied that half my working time was spent doing maintenance on a building older than that, and I intended to take my friends, a builder and an electrician around with me to look at it and put £100 on the bar of the nearest pub afterwards so we could have a good chat. He said not to quote him, but I would find out far more doing it that way.

Ditto! The first building society surveyor we had was more used to Barrett boxes and refused to recommend our house as mortgageable. So we got a more sensible surveyor and another survey! As my builder said to me when I questioned the bowing walls...."Roger, that house will outlast you!"

 

[Phil Pascoe]

:lol: I regularly pass a house with a belly in the end wall - my grandfather was offered it in 1951 and turned it down. I think his £90 would have been well spent!

 

[Lons]

Hi Phil
We have a fair sized caravan (for the two of us) with all mod cons. We plan to use that as a base to do our searching. We will leave the house stuff in a warehouse until we buy somewhere to live

Devon is to far away to keep popping down to look at houses, also we will be in a better position with cash and no chain, to bargain with. Still it will be nice when its all over and we can get back to a normal life again.

There is of course a risk in that if it takes too long to find something to buy as in a "reportedly" rising market, the difference between your selling value and buying price will have changed and your purchase will have increased in price.
Worth the risk though to escape some of the anxt!

Bob

 

[david123]

We are happy to take the risk Phi

I think on balance having the freedom to purchase on the spot without a chain will give us greater bargaining power. I guess also, the fact that we are pretty flexible in the area of south Devon that we want to move to, will give us a better chance of finding the property with the requirements that we need.
Once we have sold here it will be a full on search, We don't intend on hanging about.

 

[devonwoody]

Dave - the problem you will have is
1/ It's prohibitively expensive to rent if you need 3/4 bedrooms, and
2/ If you find somewhere they invariably want a twelve month contract, and either no children or no pets.
I was lucky, a friend had a large empty bungallow on the market which was not attracting any attention, so we've rented it very short term.

We've got three daughters, we could always have our own back and stay for ten years with each :wink: :wink: :wink:

I think after reading that lot above, we will stay until we drop off our perches and let them worry about all those problems. They would most probably sell to a property developer anyway and the developer would want the property to do up or not, so no worries!

 

[david123]

Morning mate
See where you are coming from. I should spring that surprise on our kids, that would give them a shock :lol:

 

[devonwoody]

Morning mate
See where you are coming from. I should spring that surprise on our kids, that would give them a shock :lol:

We came down from Essex nearly 55 years ago to Torbay, got a model railway in loft, double garage workshop, no commuting , you are a bit late realising what we have in Devon.

 

[david123]

the kids live in Cornwall and Wiltshire so we have been traveling down that way for years, but business has kept me here in Essex for the last 12 years and now we have grandchildren, we feel it is time to move.

Looking forward to being closer them

 

[Andrewf]

I sold my house earlier in the year and are presently renting whilst looking to buy. Unfortunately I don't think this is an advantage as the property you end up buying means you are at the bottom of a chain and are subject to all thoise above you without being able to bring much pressure to bear to complete within a time scale that suits you.
Since selling have failed to buy one house due to vendor pulling out. Present purchase might collapse due to the vendor wanting to delay completion for various reasons. This Is really annoying as the vendor is local in desperate financial position and contacted us. We offered the asking price on condition that we could exchange by a set day. This doesn't look like happening, so am threatening to reduce my price or look at somewhere else. Beginning to wish I hadn't sold.

 

[RogerS]

.... Beginning to wish I hadn't sold.

No, i reckon you did the right thing. It can be/is very frustrating but you are in a much better position re purchasing/getting a good price.

 

[david123]

Agree

 

[Andrewf]

Well the saga of house moving continues. The rented house am in at present has been sold. So need to move out of that soon. Wife less than impressed that I am away working for next couple of months so she'll have to move on ber own. The vendor of house I am looking to purchase has pulled out of buying their house. Has found another one but this is pushing completion back further and further. So by the time I finally move will have spent a fortune in moving and storage fees. Am getting really hacked off. All my tools and gear is in storage and wife has decided I can't have another dog until we are moved.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Well I've had a bit of good news today. The people who live i the house I am buying have exchanged on their new build. So the chances of it falling through now are virtually nil. I have Oct 25 as the completion date. Can't wait.
S

 

[Graham Orm]

Well I've had a bit of good news today. The people who live i the house I am buying have exchanged on their new build. So the chances of it falling through now are virtually nil. I have Oct 25 as the completion date. Can't wait.
S

Good luck Steve, never an easy process.....almost there!

 

[Woodchips2]

Morning mate
See where you are coming from. I should spring that surprise on our kids, that would give them a shock :lol:

We came down from Essex nearly 55 years ago to Torbay, got a model railway in loft, double garage workshop, no commuting , you are a bit late realising what we have in Devon.

Realised earlier in the year when we visited Teignmouth! Exchanged contracts today on our house in Bedfordshire and heading your way next week so please keep the drawbridge down :lol:

Regards Keith

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I can't speak for Devon, but so many people left Cornwall in the late 1800s and early 1900s that it was 1971 before the population reached what it was in 1861' and since then it has doubled. I wouldn't mind if only they weren't all retired, Londoners, or Poles. :wink: :wink:

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Seriously, I've sold my house and am searching at the moment, but when the time comes I'll agree the exchange and completion - if the person can't find somewhere to go, it's not really my problem. There's the cash, I want you out by such and such a date - they either want to sell or they don't.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Well I have exchanged contracts.
I should be ecstatic, but I'm going to have an argument with my solicitors about why they quoted one price and then billed me for £350 more. Not happy with them at all. The Estate Agents are threatening to report them to, whoever. The Law Society? I don't know.
I just want the keys and to put 56 years behind me.
S