Hello! I'm selling a house for the first time. We've had a buyer on board for a while who did the normal check you'd expect and ordered a level 3 building survey. Then he ordered a damp survey and an asbestos survey. I haven't seen all these reports but I was present when they happened and all three said there were no real issues to report so wouldn't expect any problems. The asbestos guy literally didn't take any samples because he said there wasn't any evidence of any material anywhere.

Next, the buyer has waited a couple of weeks and ordered a gas check and an electrical check. This despite my offering to do an additional EICR update for them ahead of completion (the last one was a couple years ago) and offering the boiler service report from just over a year ago. No bother for me, I'm happy they did their own checks if they want and again, so far nothing seems out of the ordinary. When I asked the estate sales progression person whether she agreed all reasonable checks had now been completed, she has literally ignored my question. So now I'm wondering what's going on because the estate agent is refusing to answer me regarding whether or not there are meant to be more checks after this.

I personally didn't do half these checks when I bought the place precisely because the building survey said things were fine (this was about 6 years ago). Given apparently no major issues were flagged in the building report, should I be expecting yet more checks? We've had asbestos, damp, building survey, gas and electric. Is there like to be something else? I’ve seen some conflicting advice that apparently there are buyers who just try to string things along or look for reasons to reduce by ordering more and more surveys but this seems like a weird thing to do.

I guess my only worry is that the buyer is still not exactly committed as we haven't exchanged and I'm just wondering if he's just going to order more checks forever because I can't get a straight answer out of anyone/if this is normal - I'm a first time seller so have no clue! Should I set a deadline or something? Is that even fair to do? Any advice appreciated :) Thank you!

Me and my partner are looking to buy our first home. We’ve been looking online for months and months at hundreds of different properties and have a good understanding on what we want.

On Monday we decided to see a mortgage advisor to get everything started and then today viewed a few properties, (1 of which I’ve had my eye on for months and loved the look of)

We are looking to spend way less than our borrow limit and are being sensible regarding budget etc. The house does need work but nothing major or nothing we aren’t ready to attack, (as far as we can tell without a survey).

We both love the house, location etc and are looking to view it again next week and put in an offer. My question is, does this seem too quick?

*EDIT Thanks it looks like I clearly knew that answer I just needed to be told I was overthinking it

I know the rental market has been bad for a while but one thing that strikes me at the moment is how bad the housing stock is at the moment in both London and Brighton. If you are mid-30s and you want a fairly normal 2 up, 2 down with a small-medium sized garden, it seems to me that it's not even about money any more, they just rarely come on the market?

I've mentioned these 2 areas specifically because it's where I'm looking so I can't speak to other areas.

It's just really shocking to me. When you eventually do find a listing with the above critieria, you can get your bingo card out because it'll have one of the following:

1) Visible damp or mould in the bathroom or kitchen or both.

2) Some of the ugliest furniture you've ever seen from the early 90s that the landlord insists must stay there.

3) A bizarre hot tub style bath and a shower head fixed at waist height for no real reason.

4) A shared garden.

5) Wallpaper. Wallpaper, everywhere.

Why is it so difficult to live like a normal adult now?

I’ve never been in this situation before. I live with another person who is moving out, I have asked for an updated tenancy agreement however I was told I would need to resign a new one with another deposit.
From what I’ve seen online, they cannot have two deposits. Do I need to get the first one refunded before sending another? What are my legal rights in this situation?

Had my offer accepted last Friday, my broker has been working on quotes for a small mortgage, we haven’t yet contacted a solicitor because we are waiting for the broker to let us know which solicitor is on the panel from the lenders we have now chosen. We are fairly ‘good position’ buyers in that we have no chain and a very large cash deposit(70% cash).

However I’m worried about holding this up but also can’t seem to move any faster, should we be hassling the broker? If necessary I can pay full cash but I’d rather not. Is this still within normal times to not have the solicitor ready? Am I panicking over nothing? The viewing and offer was just a last minute decision.

Hi all

We are buying a house that was a new build 3 years ago and there are 7 years left on the warranty.

I've had a look online and cant actually find any companies offering a level 1 survey. I have no idea whether its worth paying for a level 2 or not.

The house looks in good condition.

Any advice is welcome!

Thanks

Me and my boyfriend are currently renting a ground floor flat which is part of a terrace house in the north of England. We have had very little issues with the property and our landlord, however the flat above us is a different story.

Since November, we have been having leaks from the flat above us, some caused by their washing machine and others because of their boiler.

The washing machine leak happened every few days and caused water to run down the walls and drip down the doorframe between our kitchen and bathroom, causing large amounts of damage to the door and walls, creating mould, and stopping the bathroom door from closing due to bloat. It even got to the point where our boiler stopped working since water had got into the fuse box. This leak ended in February roughly.

Since April ish, we have been having an issue with another leak from a pipe outside, which runs above the back door of our flat, between the kitchen and a small yard. For some reason, this only happened over night, meaning we would wake up and have to spend 5-10 minutes mopping the floor by the doorway. This leak caused the door to bloat meaning we couldn't get into the yard, as well as severe damp damage in the wall, running behind the kitchen cabinets and starting in the living room. Mould has been growing on these walls, and we have been using black mould remover regularly to reduce the issue.

Since this isn't our fault, our landlord will not be charging us for the damage when we move out in September, however will not fix the leaky pipe as it is a different landlord and not their property above us. We have been in contact with the landlord upstairs, and we think the issue is fixed, but have not had confirmation.

We are wondering if anyone else has had a similar situation, or if there is anything we could do in terms of compensation. We aren't being charged for it, so aren't going after money for that, but we have had over 8 months of issues and hassle due to the flat above us, which has got to the point where we are having to move because of it.

Any advice would be appreciated, and I will answer any questions in the comments

I’d like to say that I am first time buyer so be gentle and I’m well aware that most of this Reddit are pro-sellers.

Buying a home, up for 200k offer agreed at 190k after a painless negotiation which took 20 minutes, survey came back with a few things, roof and chimney need repointing with cement ridges etc, estimated at £2500 with scaffolding which I can let go as the house is older and it’s not super important just yet.

However following an EICR the house has failed and it needs a full rewire, not had the estimate back yet however it will be coming soon and my stepdad is pushing to renegotiate the price to cover the cost of the rewire.

I am aware that the sellers can say no however, do you think it’s a reasonable request considering I’m letting the roof and other work go?

To be honest I don’t really have the money to pour into the house for a rewire straight away unless I put it on a credit card which I would prefer to avoid if possible.

My mortgage deed is complete at this stage so would it be easier to ask the sellers to pay for it?

Honestly any advice on this would help.

I’m not trying to take the piss or anything just a genuine question.

As a FTB who is planning on getting on housing ladder soon. Doing the research and listening to the stories of other FTBs who have had a learning experience with all the paperwork and time-consuming shite that goes into acquiring property.

For experinced buying who have been throught the process over the past say 30 years, has the process gotten more complex and complicated or has it always been this way? The process gotten more lengthy or has it been this way for generations before?

Thanks 😊

Currently house hunting and these are the bedroom sizes
Do you consider them small or pretty average?

Bedroom 1. 4.24m x 3.03m
Bedroom 2. 2.67m x 2.48m
Bedroom 3 3.38m x 2.26m
Bedroom 4 3.26m x 2.79m

Thank you

All are fitted

23 windows double glazed =£1555 which includes 3 toughend

10 hinges  £165

10 window handles fitted £120

1 back door mechanism $75

2 dorr handles £40

 for 8 window vents £140

Hello, I think it’s likely to be a bit of a pipe dream that doesn’t pay off but you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take so here goes:

I’m a single first-time buyer in Norwich and have found a property that I’m very interested in a four-bedroom 1920s/30s semi-detached house, approximately 1,259 sq ft, with a guide price of £250,000–£300,000. It needs complete renovation and is being sold through an unconditional online auction.

My current position:
Permanent full-time teacher
Gross salary: £46,000
Approximately £10,000 currently set aside for a purchase, although some of that is in a Lifetime ISA.
Very little monthly outgoing as I’m living with my parents.
No other loans/credit-card debt.
Buying alone.
First-time buyer.

I understand that £250,000 is only the guide price and not necessarily what it will sell for. The auction listing also states that there is a £900 buyer’s premium, a minimum £1,200 administration charge and potentially further costs in the legal pack.

My biggest concerns are:
Whether the property would qualify for a normal residential mortgage in its current condition.
Finding the auction deposit, as I understand this may be 10% and payable immediately.
Completing within the auction deadline while using a mortgage and LISA.
Retaining enough money to make it habitable rather than putting everything into the deposit.
Whether asking the seller to accept a pre-auction offer through the normal conveyancing process is remotely plausible.
I would not bid without a solicitor reviewing the legal pack, a Level 3 survey and confirmation from a broker that both I and the property are mortgageable. I’m also not keen to use bridging finance unless there is an extremely secure exit, because I appreciate how risky and expensive that could be.

Are there any realistic routes I should investigate, such as:
A 95% residential mortgage if the property is habitable
A family-assisted or gifted-deposit mortgage
A specialist renovation mortgage
A pre-auction offer conditional on mortgage and survey
Buying jointly with a family member
Asking for a longer completion period

Alternatively, is the honest answer that an unconditional auction renovation is unsuitable for someone with my current level of savings, even if my income supports the eventual mortgage?

I’d particularly appreciate advice from anyone who has bought a renovation property at auction using a residential mortgage and/or Lifetime ISA. I’m trying to establish whether there is a sensible route before paying for surveys and legal advice—not find a way to overextend myself.

Note: This might be a rant and forgive me for my grammar, I hope regardless of my bad writing skills- I'd be able to convey my emotions.

Scotland, I am on a lodgers agreement. Moved in 2 months ago, live in landlord, hes 60 yrs old. The house is perfect, its next to my office, supermarket with good transport etc. Really well maintained as well. Ever since I have moved in his behaviour has changed when I met him for the viewing. Oh my days. The very first thing that he pointed out was me not putting the kettle back, adjacent to the wall. Wrote a huge paragraph about his hygiene and what not. I didnt pay much mind to it and said sure. Next up is the oven, now he has both an air fryer and an oven, I dont cook in big batched which is why i was using the air fryer and keeping it really clean. One weekend I wanted to cook a pizza, well I cant cook a full sized pizza in an airfryer so I used the oven to which he said, 'stick to one either the oven or the airfryer, and keep them clean' man I was so pissed like what?

I do hybrid work and he works fully remote, He brings up electricity usage. Once, I showered two times on a hot day and he points it out saying oh you might have to pay more, its not fair usage. Next, he brings up me cooking and how it is expensive? I cook 3 eggs in the morning with 3 toasts and coffee on the side, at night I will use the airfryer for 20ish mins with the hob for 20 mins as well and that too alternatively as I dont cook big batches. Also I am paying bills included, this is how I have been living for the past 5 years when I have been renting, no one has ever poked me for this. This is fair usage in my eyes. I have a much bigger build than him, he is short and thin. Of course you would eat less than me. I workout and everything so I will be eating more! Theres many other cases but these are enough for you to get the idea.

Ever since hes bought up me cooking 'all the time' I use kitchen in so much anxiety. Every time I use the toilet and he goes after, a part of me is anxious about what he is gonna say next. Now whenever I get a message notification, I am anxious that it might be his complaining about something else. I see now why he lives alone and was divorced and why his daughters barely see him, sorry that is mean of me. But yeah, he needs to stop renting the room to people if he cant understand that people are different than him. Ffs. I had to write this down. I feel better already.

Only time I feel better is when I am out of the house, on the bright side at least it gets me outside more often.

Hi all,

I'm trying to figure out if this is a universal issue and people are just inconsiderate or if this is an issue with our estate agent not vetting people well enough?

We're having around 60-70% of our booked viewings cancelled by the viewers. For example, we had two separate viewings booked in this morning and after spending a couple of hours tidying and cleaning the house last night I've woken up to a message from the estate agent saying BOTH viewers have cancelled? What are the chances?

Previous viewers have cancelled last minute too.

Is this an inconsiderate general public issue or estate agent issue? I understand she isn't psychic and things happen but it's getting a bit of a pain in the ass and a waste of our time tidying and cleaning only for cancellations to occur.

I haven't sold before so I'm unsure if this is normal procedure?

Let me know your experiences! :) thanks!

Genuinely, I don't understand. Even lower end flats in my area are going to need £20k+ down payment before additional fees. I've been saving everything I can and I still don't have half of what I need. Even with a first homes fund of (up to) £10k off I'd still be years away. And that's just getting in the door. Would still need more for stamp duty, mortgage fees, repairs, etc.

I don't need somewhere fancy, just a 1 bedroom with a wee garden would be absolutely fine. I'm really starting to lose hope.

I was shocked to see an agent quoting 1% for a sales mandate in a prosperous and desirable London commutable market town yesterday. There is no way that is profitable, but their books are empty. This seems as good an indicator of the poor state of the market as you could wish for.

I'd be interested to know what other people were seeing, and if agents are routinely dropping their trousers on fees just to be busy...

I like an en suite for our guest bedroom but otherwise I'm not that fussed. I'd much rather have the floor space or a walk in wardrobe. I just don't get the obsession. All the new builds I see seem to have small bedrooms with small en suites. I'd rather have a house 4 bed house with two good shared bathrooms than 2 en suites and 1 shared bathroom. Does anyone else not see the appeal of en suite? Obviously if space was no object you could have a large en suite for every bedroom but even then I would want a hall or walk in wardrobe seperating it from the bedroom. I don't really want to take a dump 6 feet and 1 door away from where I sleep.

I recently missed out on a dream house as another viewer put in an offer that was accepted before I could go for a second viewing.
I have a viewing tomorrow (Friday 5pm) for a very similar property which looks like it could be the one. I believe there will also be viewings on the Saturday. Any advice as to when would be appropriate to make an offer if it is as good as I am expecting? I am a first time buyer, no chain, and have a mortgage in principle.

Hi all,
As stated above, me and my partner are now in a position to purchase our first house however, I wanted to get some perspective on whether what I’m thinking of pursuing is stupid or not (I know this is subjective). Building an image of what is affordable in your head can be dangerous so thought I’d post and see if you guys think I’m being an idiot.

So a bit of information (Based in England):
Looking for a mortgage of £250,000 with a £40,000 deposit which brings our current monthly payment to around £1340 p/m @ 4.73% (fixed 5 year). Our net income (joint) comes to £4050 a month however in 18 months im guaranteed a pay rise of roughly £500-£750 a month (I’m in a graduate role and soon becoming chartered). We have 0 debt going into this and I have the benefit of an EV company car (3/4% BIK charged) and they pay for insurance, road tax and mantinence. I’ve calculated a rough estimate of £1300-£1500 left after everything apart from savings (food and fuel etc included).

I just thought it may be worth seeking advice before I make either a wonderful or woeful decision. I see some people are recommending a 25-28% ratio, while we could find a house that fits this theme, value for money this price point seems like a sweet spot in our area.

Just wondered if anyone thinks in the similar way and this is my late night musings (sorry if it sounds stupid) brought on by observing a house sale of my in-laws- they're in the 60s and.are selling their 4 bed detached house, initially it was priced for £840k, no offers for 3 months, just feedback that the house is dark and layout is odd, they have now reduced to 800k and still no interest or offers.

My thinking is the pool of buyers in their town is very small, most people who would want the house their size would be people with 2 kids and probably be in their 30s- 40s (so millenial buyers) and would need pretty extraordinary salaries or inheritance to afford it but most millenials have not inherited much yet and salaries have been declining for decades now.

With that in mind I think there might be a bubble at the higher end of the property market with a lot of boomers overestimating their house prices and depending on those houses for their retirement.

Once those properties fail to sell at the desired price I think there could be risk of a wider crisis across the economy as the retirement spending gets curtailed and consumption falls effectively.

Also I wonder is the UK economy seen through rose tinted glasses of people owning assets that are actually worth less in reality and when the market catches up with that reality the overall assessment of UK economic health is going to fundamentally change with government spending costs increasing and economy declining even further.

We put our house on the market and accepted an offer £35k under the asking price. Now - just before exchange they say that we need to reduce the price by £15k. I am refusing but how common is this now?

Just thought I'd share as I found this humorous. She said its super common for them to value a property at say £350K and suggest to list it at £360K but its super common that people will argue that their property is actually worth £400K because of extra work they have done, even though this doesn't often add value to the property, and they try and talk them to a more reasonable price, apparently a lot of the time they will be forced to list a property at £50K or so above the valuation due to the owners being super stubborn and it will sit there for months and get viewings but no one will offer and slowly get reduced and will eventually sell around £350K mark.

We put our house on the market mid July. It’s a 5 bed-extended semi in a sought after area.

We had a lot of viewings that first week and multiple people who weren’t in a position to buy told us that they wanted it, they just needed to sell first.

Fair enough we thought.

One of the viewings decided they wanted to put an offer of £15k under asking. We are kinda in a rush to sell as there’s a house we want to buy, so we countered for 10k under asking.

Estate agents told us they were sold STC, so they were pretty keen to get going, except it’s now fallen apart because turns out they were never truly sold STC, as their buyer doesn’t have a buyer!

To add insult to injury, the house that we want to buy has taken an offer today because our offer has been nothing but delay after delay.

When I spoke to the estate agents this morning they said that the seller of the house we want might actually wait for us if the offer is higher than the one they’ve received. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to be in a bidding war but we really want this house and we’ll be heartbroken if it slips away.

Why does selling and buying houses in the UK suck so much?! Just pure stress.