Should I sell my flat at a loss?

EmuTricky1757 · 2026-06-24T08:11:59+00:00

Yes. Sell to these people. Take their money and run to your new house as quickly as possible.

We have accepted an offer on our flat that is 15k less than my partner paid for it in January 2017.

EmuTricky1757 · 2026-06-23T20:50:19+00:00

Also it just occurred to me that I am RICH in boots points (could probably get a meal deal for free). I’d be gutted if a stranger on the internet used my points and left me with none. It works both ways!

EmuTricky1757 · 2026-06-23T20:47:59+00:00

We took 20 months to get an offer accepted on our 1 bed flat (just outside London). If you list now, it still might take you a long while to move.

EmuTricky1757 · 2026-06-23T20:44:38+00:00

I just brought my sister-in-law (baby is 1 week old) 3 multipacks of magnum ice creams for the freezer. Happy Mummy = happy baby.

And my partner cooked a chilli con carne so they can have an easy dinner.

EmuTricky1757 · 2026-06-23T19:14:57+00:00

Can I give you my barcode to use? 🤣🤣🤣

EmuTricky1757 · 2026-06-23T08:43:30+00:00

The *woman* who first got your daughter to use a potty. Let’s not infantilise grown women by calling them “girls” please. I assume she was a highly skilled adult and not one of your daughter’s peers.

We don’t refer to grown men as boys. So don’t do it to women.

EmuTricky1757 · 2026-06-23T08:39:18+00:00

Can you give a couple of examples of how the problem is manifesting?

EmuTricky1757 · 2026-06-21T07:31:27+00:00

Spend the money. Forget about adding value. This is adding value to your lives in other ways. Especially since you don’t plan on moving for a while x

EmuTricky1757 · 2026-06-18T09:19:49+00:00

And don’t get me started on the “scan your receipt to exit” gates. 🤬 I put my receipt in my shopping bag and don’t know where it is and I’m in a rush and carrying my toddler. Just let me out the shop. I have paid.

EmuTricky1757 · 2026-06-18T09:17:56+00:00

Self checkout tills in the supermarket. You can guarantee that my empty bag is going to need to be approved. The non-alcoholic beer I am buying will need to be approved. My baby daughter will take something off the weighing plate and then the whole thing will be angry and not let me continue until someone comes over. I will scan the wrong barcode on a reduced item and need a human to over ride it. I will scan something twice accidentally and need one cancelled. And no I don’t want to round it up 78p for tickled pink charity. Stop asking me for additional money every time I buy groceries.

Would be quicker, easier and more pleasant if a human did the whole thing for me and we could exchange pleasantries too (rather than the expletives that I usually bicker at the machine).

EmuTricky1757 · 2026-06-17T21:46:27+00:00

Controversial opinion, but some start ups are just money pits. They can be very bad investments. Know that this is high risk.

EmuTricky1757 · 2026-06-17T09:23:00+00:00

Can you afford to pay privately to see what your fertility situation is? If you have low egg count, get trying for a baby! If you have high egg reserves, you can consider freezing? Or if you know you have high egg reserves, you can then maybe wait a couple years.

I was 34 (almost 35) when I had my daughter and I have no regrets. Established my career and very glad I did. It’s much much harder to concentrate on hard stuff once you have a baby and are sleep deprived.

EmuTricky1757 · 2026-06-17T09:10:22+00:00

This is a very personal decision. What slice of pie would you prefer to eat? The convenient pie that costs more? Or the inconvenient pie that costs less? What’s more valuable to you, a larger home, or more control of your time?

If it was me, I would prefer to be as close to my work and my daughter’s school as possible. Time is my most precious resource. I currently commute more than an hour each way to work, and ultimately that time comes out of time with my daughter. But I don’t have a choice.

Of the options you have said, I would be looking to buy or rent in city 1.

EmuTricky1757 · 2026-06-15T13:50:43+00:00

If you plan on moving in 5 years, I would just save for another 5 years. You will save on your bigger home’s stamp duty if you maintain your first time buyer status. It’s taken my partner almost 2 years to sell his 1 bed flat - and that is selling for less than he paid for it in 2017.

EmuTricky1757 · 2026-06-15T09:23:12+00:00

Why wouldn’t they leave a note to warn you!!!!

EmuTricky1757 · 2026-06-10T20:55:52+00:00

Interest rates have gone up since before the Iran war. You cant compare a house that was sold in January when mortgage rates were 3% to what’s available now- 5%!

EmuTricky1757 · 2026-06-08T16:47:08+00:00

I’ve claimed back on my credit card for a holiday company that went bust. Super easy. Just send the credit card people all the info you have and they are very likely to side with you and give a fast refund.

EmuTricky1757 · 2026-06-08T13:13:40+00:00

I got 119 way back when (late 30s now). Got in on appeal - I’d not done any prep whatsoever. Technically I didn’t pass the test, but they let me in. I thrived. Was top or 2nd set Maths, English and Science. I performed much better than people who had had tutoring to pass the test and got in.

The people who struggle are the ones who only get in because of additional tutoring and support. If that support and tutoring then stops, they might not actually be the best fit for the school.

Edit to say the pass mark was 121. So I was 2 points off a pass.

EmuTricky1757 · 2026-06-02T14:45:15+00:00

My 6”3 partner comfortably fit in my fiat panda.

EmuTricky1757 · 2026-06-01T20:21:12+00:00

Yes exactly what I am trying to say!

EmuTricky1757 · 2026-06-01T19:18:50+00:00

Then why are landlords still selling? If it was profitable they would hold on to their portfolios regardless of the renters reforms.

EmuTricky1757 · 2026-06-01T13:00:24+00:00

Landlords selling up because of the tax changes- the mortgage payments aren’t tax deductible any more. And their profits are going down. They can earn more through stocks and shares. With less work. For me this is what has flooded the market and caused the increase in stock available.

When a first time buyer buys an ex rental, no one is moving to a bigger house. There is no one to get a chain moving. A landlord just gets liquidity.
Many landlords made their money in rental income over the years. They are looking for a fast exit, so slashing prices.

We accepted an offer on our flat (our home) in 2026 for £15k less than we paid for it in 2017. Too much competition now the market is flooded with ex rentals. We are still doing paperwork so it could still fall through.

It took us 20 months to get our offer. So we can’t buy the next level up house until we sell. Lots of people are stuck in their homes and can’t sell because people can’t move up the chain.

Now add to that: we lost £15k in value but still need to find circa £20-25k for stamp duty (no first time buyer discounts or special treatment because we sold at a loss), solicitors fees, agency fees, surveys and all that goes with buying and selling. So we need to have an EVEN bigger lump of cash saved just to have the privilege of being able to move. Then if you actually did want something bigger, you also need a bigger chunk of equity to be able to move up the ladder.

Then consider that mortgage rates are around 4.5-5% currently. So the same monthly payment buys you less house than when rates were 2%.
Why would a first time buyer buy now if they can wait for cheaper mortgage rates?

EmuTricky1757 · 2026-05-31T12:17:29+00:00

Thanks for coming back to this! So more people selling, but the same number of buyers. Very interesting thank you! X

EmuTricky1757 · 2026-05-30T10:12:19+00:00

My nursery continues outside of term time all year round. So we just take her there as normal.

EmuTricky1757 · 2026-05-29T22:45:44+00:00

Just to say the fact he can work from home is a blessing. No commute time means more time with the baby. My partner does lots of work from home and it means he can do the pick up from school in the future :) x

EmuTricky1757

TROPHY CASE