Gosh, that was quick

[simont]

After a hectic week just past of house-hunting, I saw a house yesterday afternoon which was pretty much ideal for me. This morning I phoned in an offer to the estate agent, and within hours they phoned me back to say it had been accepted.

I think this is the point at which people usually say things like ‘ooh, how exciting!’, but in fact my main emotion right at the moment is dread of what will surely be an interminable saga of chaos and confusion and complicated legal manoeuvrings and inexplicable delays, culminating in it all falling through at the last minute. When (if) I have the keys to the house in my hand and a large negative amount of money, then it'll be exciting. Perhaps.

Still, at least it means I got something useful done this week. My usual use of two weeks off work is to spend the first week lying around doing nothing, and the second week doing something useful. I had vaguely intended that ‘something useful’ to be making a start on the piece of PuTTY development that I failed to get round to last September, interspersed with house-hunting, but in fact the house-hunting took over the week quite vigorously and left me no energy for coding. So it's good to have something to actually show for the house-hunting, because that suggests that the week wasn't a complete waste. (Though I suppose if I were PuTTY I might not think so, and indeed might be throwing the tantrum of a small boy whose parents have repeatedly reneged on their promise of a bicycle :-)

Comments

[gerald_duck]

Out of interest, why have you chosen now to buy, having rented (I believe) for years? I'm not saying I think you're doing the wrong thing, or anything, I just collect views on the housing market, not being 100% sure what to do myself. (-8

[simont]

Because I recently acquired a lot of extra money, so this is the first point at which buying has really been feasible for me. I've never liked renting, and this is my first chance to stop doing it. The state of the housing market doesn't really come into it except insofar as it has failed to rise fast enough to stay ahead of my increasing means.

[stephdairy.livejournal.com]

I could say `ooh, how exciting' if you promise to try and dispel my feelings of doom and gloom if I ever get around to doing anything about buying a hovel.

(S)

[simont]

It's a lot less bovel with a hovel. Or something.

[hsenag.livejournal.com]

Based on my current experience of house-buying, I'd recommend making sure your solicitor starts off the searches asap. The risk is that something else will go wrong and the money will be wasted, but the benefit is that they'll be done that much sooner and not holding things up. They don't cost all that much compared to other expenses. Our house purchases is currently held up on one of our searches being *really* slow and I'm wishing I'd kicked the solicitor harder at the beginning of the process into submitting the searches immediately.

[sunflowerinrain.livejournal.com]

Seconded. My house-selling was held up by the councilbods sending the results for the wrong house and then taking weeks to locate the correct ones (amazing, as it's all computerised).

[naath.livejournal.com]

Gosh how exciting.

(bah, I still can't afford a measly studio flat)

[ewx.livejournal.com]

Patience. l-)

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

Woohoo, house! When you want help moving or decorating, ask. I like painting :D

[simont]

On general principles, I won't be asking for help moving. Last time I tried to move house using my own muscles, I strained my arms so badly they hurt for a year and threatened my programming career; so now I don't help other people move, and I pay professionals to do my moving for me. But thanks for the offer :-)

[ewx.livejournal.com]

House buying can go quickly - once our offer was accepted things all went fairly smoothly. (And the transfer of equity currently underway is nearly done, but that's not quite the same, of course.)

[uisgebeatha.livejournal.com]

Congrats! If you need help moving do ask! (And do tell the saga of paperwork in great detail, that I might decide whether this buying a house business is worth it...:P)

[simont]

I won't need help moving, thanks; see above. But thanks :-)

[kaberett.livejournal.com]

*grin*

Y'know, I'm going to offer you congratulations anyway, and PuTTY can have cuddles (poor thing)...

... and good GODS this underlining-of-anything-it-doesn't-believe-in is infuriating...

... and then I'm going to go pout-pout-pout-poutity-pout - no more hiding from the rain with tea for ME, then.

Have another grin. :)

[simont]

Yes, I imagine I'll be rather out of your way after I move. Sorry about that...

[sphyg.livejournal.com]

One day I vow to be able to afford a house. This may mean moving back Oop North ;/

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Congratulations, anyway! Your feelings sound perfectly typical, if better analysed, to me :)

Do you have any particular plans to celebrate?

[simont]

Celebrate? Before our moment of triumph? I think you overestimate my chances. :-)

(OK, there is at least some chance it'll all go to plan, but I'm not going to tempt fate by so much as planning a celebration until I'm rather more confident of that than I am right now. Probably I'll have a housewarming once it's not only mine but also believably furnished and generally livable.)

[lnr]

I think you're pretty wise. My parents had houses fall through on them after this stage both the last two times they moved.

[pjc50.livejournal.com]

Yay house :)

[lnr]

Cool, and good luck!

[ex-lark-asc.livejournal.com]

I think you're very wise to be feeling as you are. Good luck with it all.

[nassus.livejournal.com]

Way cool - you did very well to find the place in a week and actually get it. I've had friends who were looking round for months before they found one they liked that hadn't already been snapped up. Maybe having the weekdays to do this helps. Congrats!

[simont]

Er, actually I was looking for months. I was able to step up the pace this week due to not being at work, but I started hunting around February. I'd already made one offer before this one, which fell through because the owner turned out just to be testing the market and didn't want to sell at all. Fortunately, this house is better than that one :-)

[mtbc100.livejournal.com]

Ooooh, please do keep us posted.

[pm215]

Actually, what I usually say is something along the lines of "you know this is just the beginning of the bad bit, right?" :-)

[rmc28]

If you haven't already got a conveyancer, I utterly recommend Mark Massucco of Massucco Buttress. Has a no-completion, no-fee arrangement (minus payments for searches carried out) and is amazingly competent, calm and all-round nice guy. Both Keith and I are using him in our respective house purchases at the moment.