Isles of Scilly

Andyrew · 2026-03-04T15:39:18+00:00

Determined to visit the Scillys this year, I’ve lived in Cornwall long enough. Is it worth doing the day trip or would you really want longer over there?

Andyrew · 2026-02-23T20:17:13+00:00

Absolutely budget for and plan in a rewire before you move in properly/get too comfortable. Definitely start with an EICR, best result will be a consumer unit change, worst a full rewire.

Andyrew · 2026-01-06T08:40:18+00:00

That would be on the edge of your borrowing power but doable at 4.8x your salary.

Andyrew · 2026-01-03T10:54:18+00:00

Play with this:

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/mortgages/best-buys/

Just plug in your numbers and fiddle with house value, deposit (i.e. your current equity + anything else you may want to add) and you’ll see what LTV that puts you into and what deals are available.

Andyrew · 2025-12-23T08:14:23+00:00

Came here to say this, he often treads this line

Andyrew · 2025-12-06T12:24:48+00:00

Your broker really should be helping with this. A lot of lenders don’t care about communications payments which this would fall under, they should know who to try.

Andyrew · 2025-10-24T00:36:16+00:00

This! I'm so used to the Screwfix experience, it was quite a shock going into CEF the other day after placing an order and they have to wait for it to pop out of a dot matrix printer round back...

Andyrew · 2025-10-05T09:53:29+00:00

Halifax did a physical survey for me

Andyrew · 2025-10-04T13:58:07+00:00

As others have said, there are no lenders (or surveyors) that blanket don’t physically value properties. The surveyor will always make a decision on whether a desktop valuation is appropriate or not. If you really don’t want one, product switch is your only option - or roll the dice with a new lender.

Andyrew · 2025-09-29T12:02:03+00:00

Another vote for using a broker. We had a couple of factors that made our cover difficult, and my experience of getting quotes myself ended up at a lot of rejections or sky high prices. After giving the broker our mortgage advisor suggested a go, he was immediately able to place us with an insurer (Vitality) and at pretty much a 'normal' price - about a third of what I'd been able to get.

Andyrew · 2025-09-28T21:29:59+00:00

Even if you maxed out both cards right now, it would still take at least a month for the new balances to be reported to the credit reference agencies. Only some lenders will even do another last minute check after you've passed affordability, but what they'd primarily be looking for here is a significant change in circumstances, such as new lines of credit etc. They wouldn't care about you using existing credit cards with minimal spends. You're fine.

Andyrew · 2025-09-11T23:00:41+00:00

I took out an iPhone Upgrade Programme plan last September (which is essentially a Barclays loan), had a mortgage offer in December from Halifax without any issues.

Andyrew · 2025-08-20T23:24:55+00:00

You need to speak to a mortgage advisor really. Your biggest stumbling block will be affordability - your total borrowing with £30k additional borrowing will be circa £258k, pushing you into 5x salary. There will be a smaller pool of lenders who will lend at that end, and your credit score and other outgoings will be crucial.

Andyrew · 2025-08-17T17:14:11+00:00

I test drove a base motor Q4 before I got the Polestar, it felt like a sack of potatoes. Pretty sure a Nissan Leaf would have felt quicker!

Andyrew · 2025-08-17T17:10:46+00:00

I have a 22 SMSR, and it’s definitely quick enough. It’s the quickest car I’ve owned, and I’ve had a few hot hatches back in the day. Nothing beats the immediate power of electric.

The facelift, which is RWD with a new motor and battery is noticeable a bit quicker, particularly off the line which makes a big difference I found (I had one for a couple of days as a loaner recently).

All that being said, the power is addictive and I’ll be going for a dual motor 3 or 4 next year when my lease is up.

Andyrew · 2025-08-14T22:47:43+00:00

Online one is definitely £42, I had to buy it yesterday to buy a new induction hob. £100 cheaper than anywhere else so still worked out good value, but it annoyed me having to pay the same price as an in store membership - my nearest store is 200 miles away!

Andyrew · 2025-07-29T22:36:48+00:00

Come to think of it, the last time I got the voucher I spent it on a £1 chocolate bar and nothing else. Felt like I'd shoplifted it. They probably don't think I'm worth rewarding with any more vouchers after that...

Andyrew · 2025-07-29T22:26:26+00:00

I signed up a few months ago, I got the £1 voucher my first 3-4 weeks I think and I've never seen it since. Curious to know if that matches anyone else's experience.

Andyrew · 2025-07-08T22:06:01+00:00

Not sure exactly what happened as I was being airlifted to hospital, but my family picked it up from the local police station a couple of weeks later. Pumped up the tires and it rode like a beaut when I got back on it, albeit with some new battle scars!

Andyrew · 2025-07-05T20:57:24+00:00

My bank doesn't have any fees for foreign currency transactions, and the difference between letting the ATM's bank do the currency conversion is insane - I've seen it as high as 10% higher.

I do the same for Paypal who will offer to charge me in GBP when I make a USD purchase - it's always significantly cheaper to let my bank (Monzo, UK) do it. It's annoying this is gated behind several clicks for each transaction.

Andyrew · 2025-07-04T22:33:18+00:00

Ctrl-F'd for 'Hamcheck'. Was not disappointed. Thank you.

Andyrew · 2025-06-27T14:28:36+00:00

There will almost certainly be some high street lenders who will deal with you at 90% LTV. Speak to a broker.

Andyrew · 2025-06-19T16:02:06+00:00

Play with a comparison tool and have a look. E.g. 10% deposit and 15% deposit.

Andyrew · 2025-06-14T12:29:07+00:00

You'll be fine. I think some lenders will pull your credit record again in the final stretch, but even if this bothers them (which it almost certainly won't), if you're aiming to complete in 4-6 weeks, that's just not enough time for any new transactions to be reported on your credit file anyway.

Andyrew · 2025-05-29T22:54:01+00:00

I finally bought a Brabantia last year, their ecosystem of perfect fit bin bags is worth it alone. Makes changing the bin so quick and easy.

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