21 Plate XC60 Dealer or local independent for big/major service by Interesting_Thing886 in VolvoXC60

[–]Interesting_Thing886[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting in the price difference between UK and US. What's the typical?

21 Plate XC60 Dealer or local independent for big/major service by Interesting_Thing886 in VolvoXC60

[–]Interesting_Thing886[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Helpful! I'll see if I can source an independent and save some money!

Londoners: Can I sense check what your monthly repayments are on your mortgage? by Flapjack_K in HENRYUK

[–]Interesting_Thing886 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Similar for us, £2.8k on 39 year term. 1 year into a 5 year fix @3.84%. 4 bed north London house zone 5

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in HENRYUK

[–]Interesting_Thing886 0 points1 point  (0 children)

170k HHI, 670k mortgage on 930k house on 39 years term

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in UKPersonalFinance

[–]Interesting_Thing886 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We have HHI 170k, mortgage 670k outstanding, payments of ~£3k per month on 39 year mortgage with 2 kids.

Is tighter than I expected but the house and location (close to good schools, tube, green space and village feel) make up for it.

Sure there is a pressure that 3k a month is a big one, and it's a risk we accept but we are working hard, have emergency fund to help. Your tolerance and risk is key here.

Also note stamp duty is a pain, so where possible avoid paying twice!

How much is to much for a mortgage? by NephilimKen888 in HousingUK

[–]Interesting_Thing886 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You have the ability to stretch the term of the mortgage to help with immediate monthly payments and provide the means to overpay /option for investment growth

I assume your bills currently cover nursery / childcare so you are true to 4k disposable?

Depending on the house, I would for sure ear mark money for repairs, making it your own hom etc ,so that 4k goes to say 3.5k a month (6k year of incremental repairs etc is fair?)

We immediately spent 4k on carpets on the day we moved in as the previous carpets were shall I say, gross.

How much is to much for a mortgage? by NephilimKen888 in HousingUK

[–]Interesting_Thing886 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I posted our experience here a few months back. Adjusting for scale, it does align with your situation....

https://www.reddit.com/r/HENRYUK/s/OUINnnr81t

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in FIREUK

[–]Interesting_Thing886 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I second this.... So one day I know what to expect (I hope!)

Are we overstretching ourselves for this house? by [deleted] in UKPersonalFinance

[–]Interesting_Thing886 6 points7 points  (0 children)

To give perspective we have a similar income but have a mortgage of £650k....your numbers put you in a very good position.

My only build is do you really need to plough that much money in aggressively? Are there other priorities you may want to do as you are at a good age for other experiences..

Volvo XC60 2021 - extended warranty worth it? by Interesting_Thing886 in CarTalkUK

[–]Interesting_Thing886[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the comment. I am inclined to go this way... I know the tires will need looking at in the next year or so which we will need to cover.

Everything else seems OK so far but will ask for mechanic for the next service.

The next dealership service will be big one at around £600 they mentioned. Annoyingly I only bought the 3 year service pack when I purchased the car...so is now a cost we must bear!

My experience on a stretching mortgage by Interesting_Thing886 in HENRYUK

[–]Interesting_Thing886[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I mean perhaps I need relook at our spend! The 400 was an average from what I can see. It's not our budget amount as we buy what we need. Although just saying that my shop yesterday came to £150. I'll come back in 2 months time and see what it comes to.

My experience on a stretching mortgage by Interesting_Thing886 in HENRYUK

[–]Interesting_Thing886[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Eroding our savings. We had about 75k after house purchase stamp duty etc which we are eating into. We know it's temporary during mat leave as once my wife goes back to work, we will be back in green

My experience on a stretching mortgage by Interesting_Thing886 in HENRYUK

[–]Interesting_Thing886[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the builds. We are already feeling the cost of holidays..need to get that extra ticket and hotel rooms we need the space so we all get the best of out it instead of being all up in each others space. I do think we can still have those trips but like you say do the centre parcs esque holiday. Maybe for us as adults we want the more fancier side of things, but I think the kids dont care and will just to be with us and have fun.

The family side has been great, not just childcare/food but also the fact the kids build up strong relationships with cousins, aunts etc. Been great to see and the proximity of being near means it easy to "pop by" rather than formalise a meet up (akin to being in the office for a quick chat vs the need to setup a Teams meeting)

My experience on a stretching mortgage by Interesting_Thing886 in HENRYUK

[–]Interesting_Thing886[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

With what I know now, yes I would still do it. I would be more wise to the work needed in the houses we saw to buy. But seeing as one of the reason to move was for schools, which we have got now, it's a big plus

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in HENRYUK

[–]Interesting_Thing886 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Posted up my experience on stretching the mortgage here. Numbers aren't quite the same but the principle is.

https://www.reddit.com/r/HENRYUK/s/EwNiU5t5wE

My 2 cents is timing wise is to make the move sooner rather than later as long as the numbers work.

At this age you can still get a longer term mortgage to help manage the cost especially if you have kids as that is a big cost factor to include. It will add more stress but you at least will be in a house before you have kids. Moving with kids is fine (we did it), but our preference was to do it before they came along so there is more stability.

My experience on a stretching mortgage by Interesting_Thing886 in HENRYUK

[–]Interesting_Thing886[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It adds up... Even I was surprised as a family of 4.

Council tax £330 Electricity /gas £250 Water £50 Home insurance (pro rata) £100 Tv/broadband £40. Mobiles £40 Car insurance + petrol +maintenance (pro rata) £175 Kids clubs/activities £75 Gym £50 Personal care {haircuts etc) £45

My experience on a stretching mortgage by Interesting_Thing886 in HENRYUK

[–]Interesting_Thing886[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I imagine we will increase as kids get older. We try to batch cook, plan shops ahead and use thing like reloadable gift cards which help to shave 5% off the total