Just bought a new house!
- Thread starter neocaligatio
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I've moved house about 8 times in the last 20 years (but am staying put now, God willing) so here's my accumulated wisdom:
Moving yourself is fine if 1) you're not going far AND 2) you've got a large window of time (3-4 days or more, depending on how fast you can shift stuff)
If neither 1 or 2 then call the pros.
Other tips: don't try and re-create your old home in your new one. Rooms will be different size/shape (and maybe number/function).
Finally, when we moved here we got the loft boarded out (£500 with lighting, loft hatch, drop down ladder: I couldn't have done it cheaper myself and would have made a worse job of it.) Voila: lots of warm dry storage, well worth the wonga. Stuff I was unsure about went up there and 2 years on most of it's still there. That's OK because now I know I probably don't need/want/like/love it. Also with kids we put old clothes up there while we wait for the next one to grow into them.
HTH
Ollie
Moving yourself is fine if 1) you're not going far AND 2) you've got a large window of time (3-4 days or more, depending on how fast you can shift stuff)
If neither 1 or 2 then call the pros.
Other tips: don't try and re-create your old home in your new one. Rooms will be different size/shape (and maybe number/function).
Finally, when we moved here we got the loft boarded out (£500 with lighting, loft hatch, drop down ladder: I couldn't have done it cheaper myself and would have made a worse job of it.) Voila: lots of warm dry storage, well worth the wonga. Stuff I was unsure about went up there and 2 years on most of it's still there. That's OK because now I know I probably don't need/want/like/love it. Also with kids we put old clothes up there while we wait for the next one to grow into them.
HTH
Ollie
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I have only moved once. I didn't have a lot of stuff, so rented a Luton van with a tail lift, got my brother to take the day off and we did it ourselves. Just took a day. Still managed to break a couple of things, and a Luton van full of house contents steers with all the accuracy of narrowboat.
Ian
Ian
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Some good friends of mine moved about 3 times in as many years. They were hoarders and I must have moved the same f**king boxes unopened and full of junk as many times. Never again, move your own shit, I just can't remember if I said that aloud.
They are still friends but they haven't asked me for help again.
They are still friends but they haven't asked me for help again.
antdad said:
Reminds me of the time we got invited to our friends' house-warming party. It was an all-day thing on a Saturday. When we got there it was like bloody Ground Force. Everyone was commissioned in to moving rubble, painting fences and building a shed. Wouldn't mind but it would have been nice to have been told, the sneakers rotters! :roll:
J
joe mcclaine
Guest
My kid brother is moving this weekend - from 3-bed "bachelor pad" to 3-bed "girlfriend and 3 step-kids house".
He used to collect old comics and football programmes and has a football Video collection to rival the BBC archives.
Poor fella is having to car-boot and eBay most of it - just to get down to 7 big boxes!
I told him the internet is full of women who would put up with his hoarding but apparently he's in love, or summat.
He used to collect old comics and football programmes and has a football Video collection to rival the BBC archives.
Poor fella is having to car-boot and eBay most of it - just to get down to 7 big boxes!
I told him the internet is full of women who would put up with his hoarding but apparently he's in love, or summat.
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I've bought 9 houses and sold 8. Settled now for 16 years.
I have experienced just about everything. Quick completions, last minute withdrawals, long delays in selling and buying and one that sold within two hours of an add in my local paper that cost £2.50 - back in 1971 when prices doubled in a year.
Advice? Do it your way!
I have always found it best to take time over decisions about how to furnish or change things to suit you. A place needs to be lived in before you really understand how to make it work best for you.
Enjoy your move.
I have experienced just about everything. Quick completions, last minute withdrawals, long delays in selling and buying and one that sold within two hours of an add in my local paper that cost £2.50 - back in 1971 when prices doubled in a year.
Advice? Do it your way!
I have always found it best to take time over decisions about how to furnish or change things to suit you. A place needs to be lived in before you really understand how to make it work best for you.
Enjoy your move.
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neocaligatio said:
Yes, last July. Get a big enough van/truck and make sure your driver's licence is valid for it. Also it helps a great deal if your load master (my brother in law) used to work for a moving company during his holidays when in college.
OP
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Arrgghh!!!
I really hope there are no surveyors on the forum, as I'm seriously likely to offend at this point....
Mortgage valuation survey on our property just came back. The surveyor was from North London (nowhere near me) and was in his mid 70s. HE wandered round a bit and poked and prodded, stuck his head in the loft for a few minutes and then left.
The response is somewhat frustrating.... not only has he knocked £5k off our original asking price as the 'true' value, but he also quoted £3000 worth of leaking and water damage to the roof. Needless to say it's basically all complete nonsense, however our buyer has dropped their price accordingly until we can prove otherwise. The £5k is impossible to argue with, even though we had the house valued by a number of people, including independent advisers, and the roof issue has meant I'm now seeking estimates from roofers for imaginary roof damage.
Also, if the quotes come back saying work is required, it comes straight off our equity, therefore straight off our deposit (only scaled up of course)
Lovely.... one lazy twat covering his own arse has potentially lost us our new house. I couldn't be happier... :evil:
I really hope there are no surveyors on the forum, as I'm seriously likely to offend at this point....
Mortgage valuation survey on our property just came back. The surveyor was from North London (nowhere near me) and was in his mid 70s. HE wandered round a bit and poked and prodded, stuck his head in the loft for a few minutes and then left.
The response is somewhat frustrating.... not only has he knocked £5k off our original asking price as the 'true' value, but he also quoted £3000 worth of leaking and water damage to the roof. Needless to say it's basically all complete nonsense, however our buyer has dropped their price accordingly until we can prove otherwise. The £5k is impossible to argue with, even though we had the house valued by a number of people, including independent advisers, and the roof issue has meant I'm now seeking estimates from roofers for imaginary roof damage.
Also, if the quotes come back saying work is required, it comes straight off our equity, therefore straight off our deposit (only scaled up of course)
Lovely.... one lazy twat covering his own arse has potentially lost us our new house. I couldn't be happier... :evil:
Yes its known as an ACE (Arse Covering Exercise) if there is anything on the survey for your purchase you can seek a compensating drop but it doesn't always work. There is a phrase in the business "There's no such thing as a good deal that a surveyor/solicitor can't f### up!"
As for work, surveyors are very poor at costing up works needed(both over and under quoting) so get several independent quotes. The trouble is that the people who give the quotes are also the people that do the work so have a vested interest in there being work to do, its a bit like taking your car to the garage and saying "What can you find to do?"
Down valuing happens and there is no right way to deal with it. You can try to play hard ball and say its just the surveyor being cautious but depending on the loan to value (LTV) it may affect the amount the lender will advance to your buyers and hence their ability to buy.
If you have an agent (rather than selling privately) then they should take on this re-negotiation and with works the best tack to take is that the buyer will enjoy the benefits of those works so it would be unfair for you to paid their full costs, maintenance being an ongoing cost etc.....
Good luck with it all.
As for work, surveyors are very poor at costing up works needed(both over and under quoting) so get several independent quotes. The trouble is that the people who give the quotes are also the people that do the work so have a vested interest in there being work to do, its a bit like taking your car to the garage and saying "What can you find to do?"
Down valuing happens and there is no right way to deal with it. You can try to play hard ball and say its just the surveyor being cautious but depending on the loan to value (LTV) it may affect the amount the lender will advance to your buyers and hence their ability to buy.
If you have an agent (rather than selling privately) then they should take on this re-negotiation and with works the best tack to take is that the buyer will enjoy the benefits of those works so it would be unfair for you to paid their full costs, maintenance being an ongoing cost etc.....
Good luck with it all.
OP
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Thanks - that's pretty much what I thought!
I've got two roofers found on checkatrade.com coming round this week, so should have a true idea. You make a valid point about the benefit of any work going to the buyer too. Our estate agents have been good at the selling part, but not so good at the support aspects. In fact they actually made things worse initially by passing on incorrect information from the buyers :?
I've got two roofers found on checkatrade.com coming round this week, so should have a true idea. You make a valid point about the benefit of any work going to the buyer too. Our estate agents have been good at the selling part, but not so good at the support aspects. In fact they actually made things worse initially by passing on incorrect information from the buyers :?
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neocaligatio said:
Do you have house and contents insurance :?:
OP
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I doubt my buildings and contents covers general upkeep?
The first roofer has been round and checked roof outside and inside - his view: roof is fine but old, some pointing repairs required to exterior chimney breast. Total no more than £500.
Now we just have to get his report to the relevant people.....
The first roofer has been round and checked roof outside and inside - his view: roof is fine but old, some pointing repairs required to exterior chimney breast. Total no more than £500.
Now we just have to get his report to the relevant people.....
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neocaligatio said:
Sorry Neo, my understanding was that there wasn't any damage to the roof. After having an inspection by your relevant insurance provider and receiving from them the paperwork stating no such damage you could have made said (bloody north London monkeys) life very interesting.