Just bought a new house!

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neocaligatio

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The wife and I have just had an offer accepted on a new house! So any tips/advice? We've only bought as first timers thus far so this is our first proper move :roll:

Chris
 
Hmm...I think it's a little bit late for any real advice, you've already pulled the trigger!! (well, kind of)

Actually, I do have some advice, stop referring to your wife as THE wife.

Ian
 
Advice?

Whatever you have budgeted for improvements/decorating/furnishings - double it.

Congratulations, anyway. Unless people show some confidence in the market and start buying, prices will continue to fall. So well done on your contribution to the recovery of our economy. ;)


Regards

Ian
 
How big is it and where is it?

Is there enough room to have a dedicated shaving room in it? I would love to have a house big enough that I could have dedicated rooms like that.
 
Congratulations! Nothing like your own castle :D. I used to live in the city, but we moved out to a house 2 1/2 years ago and I´ve not looked back once. I love it. Even though things can be pricey (like in the winter or if something in the construction breaks :eek: :shock: - have a good buffert or good connections with the bank is my advice).
 
What advise and tips are you after?

I'm a partner of an independent rural Estate Agency so if you need specific advise PM me.

Initial thoughts,

Conveyancing - Use a local solicitor especially if you can get a recommendation from someone you know. Do not use a conveyancing company owned by a large organisation, they tend to have too high a proportion of clerical people and not enough legally trained ones. If everything is straight forward then they get the job done reasonably well but if anything even slightly unusual comes up they tend to be very slow and hopeless. One of my professional landlord clients has standing instructions that if the the buyer of any property he sells appoints Countrywide Property Lawyers (or any legal co. owned by the countrywide group) he will withdraw from the sale.

Be Patient - Despite the fact that it shouldn't be the process takes an age, do regularly telephone your solicitor to keep them on the ball but don't expect to be in, in less than 8 weeks. More often its 12-16 weeks, at this time of year more than half of sales will complete in the New Year.

Survey - Many survey reports are an exercise in arse covering, while they do have a use the views of a competent builder (again from recommendation if possible) as to the potential costs and seriousness of anything that a survey throws up are useful. Survey reports often read like a horror novel BTW so don't immediately think a house is about to collapse if the survey says things you didn't expect.

Good luck.
 
Thanks chaps - I've found a local solicitor who seems quite open in terms of costs and inclusive bits, so happy there.

There are a couple of things that the house needs, but most can wait whilst we re-acquire some savings :?

Anyone moved themselves rather than hiring Pickfords or similar?
 
Not personally but a lot do, the key is arranging reliable helpers. As many as you can muster, bribery with beer and pizza helps. The advantage you get from a removals co. is that they'll know the size(or number) of wagon(s) you'll need.

If you have a related sale the release of keys, which should happen when the money is received, will take place on your sale before your purchase. As the money has to come in on yours before its sent on the the one you're buying, that makes the concept of 2 journeys difficult so having a lorry large enough to accommodate all you your possessions will be less stressful. If you do move yourself be aware that your possessions are not automatically insured while in the lorry, people have loaded up their entire life the night before a move only to find the lorry with its contents stolen the following day and basically had to start from scratch again.
 
neocaligatio said:
Anyone moved themselves rather than hiring Pickfords or similar?
Click to expand...

If you use a removal firm, pick a local one where their reputation counts in preference to a behemoth like Pickfords. I've moved house 4 times - once with a "pro" and never ever again. If I'm going to end up with smashed possessions, I'd rather I smashed them than Pickfords :lol:

Anyway - driving a 7½ tonner is fun - like being king of the road :mrgreen:
 
I think it is better to use movers unless you have a huge family to help, I moved from a fourth floor flat to my semi in a few hours hours using a company. Things like washing machines are so heavy and companies are insured if they drop or smash something (check that they are before signing). This leaves you one less thing to stress over on the day, you wake up they come and take everything and you stand at the other end telling them to put things where and inspecting the delicate items for damage.

Get a few quotes, we found a local one much better than more flexible then the national big guys and have a think if there is some items that you want to move yourself, for me it was my HiFi and Computer. The rest I left to them.

When you are in I find there is two stages (dependent on house condition), getting it livable and then making it what you want. If you need to paint the walls and this allows you to move in do that, but when it comes to getting a bathroom or kitchen done try to think long term or bigger picture. I got my whole bottom floor re-plastered three years after moving in so I took the opportunity to rewire it. Then when I got the kitchen done a few years later I had the points and cables already dropped.

Congratulations, the main thing is to enjoy the new home when you are in and do not try to build Rome in a day; oh and get in early to reserve the shave den/stash area if you possibly can.
 
I've moved from a flat in Glasgow to a flat in Motherwell (10 miles outside glasgow). Me and a friend did it in a transit in about 4-5 trips.

My advice would be to plan ahead. Don't leave your packing till the last minute. It is much easier to move when everything* is just ready to be bundled into a van.

Also it can be quite stressful if the dates of the payments and the moving dates don't match perfectly. I was promised keys on a Wednesday, my mortgage provider handed over some information late, the estate agents refused to give me keys on the said date, solicitors were arguing, the previous owner of my new flat lived in Australia and couldn't be contacted etc etc.

The only thing I'd do differently though is, decorate before moving in. I ended up living here for almost 4 years in decor which looked shite and which I hated. I wish I had just given myself a week or so to decorate before I moved.


*Except the kettle, mugs, tea, coffee, sugar and milk. People helping you move usually appreciate a cuppa.
 
The good thing about moving with a removal company is that they will deliver you boxes beforehand so you can get most things packed up before the day of the move.

As Audiolab says above moving big electrical items is no fun.

However, the choice is yours and will depend a lot on how much property you have to move.
 
When we moved here (about ten years ago) we didn't have a great deal of possessions so decided to hire a van, well a small truck with a flatbed at the back that would lift stuff up. We skimped and went for the cheapest company, perhaps saving us fifty quid or so. The truck was shit. It broke down in the dark, luckily in a nearby village. The company were hopeless and tried to blame us for it. There was also the matter of fuel to add on to the bill which apparently was in the small print. So, if you're going to do it yourself hire a decent vehicle!
 
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