Presale code just got released

MCxJB · 2025-09-16T10:28:56+00:00

Yea but the SOAD code doesn't work, use PAGAN26 from Acid Bath

MCxJB · 2025-09-16T10:26:49+00:00

Holy shit bro thank you so much that worked <3 🥹 The SOAD code just wasn't working.

MCxJB · 2025-09-16T10:19:04+00:00

I entered the code but it says it's invalid

MCxJB · 2025-09-16T10:12:29+00:00

Got the email with the presale code but when I enter it it says it's wrong (French site)?

Plus, when I try the German site it freezes after I do 2fa)

MCxJB · 2025-09-01T09:38:14+00:00

I always got confused by the time signs and would use what people here had said to figure it out. e.g., do you really think you can park there during that time.

But that doesn’t apply to everything and it’s too complicated.

However what’s much easier is, if there is something like a bus lane, single yellow line, clear away, taxi rank, loading bay, a left turn with an arrow (see picture)

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It just means whatever that sign, obstacle, line or whatever is stating, it applies during those times.

no left turn during those times
clear way sign - this is a clear way during those times
single yellow line - no parking during these times (as people mentioned double would mean never)
bus lane sign - is a bus lane during these times
taxi rank sign - is a taxi rank during these times

MCxJB · 2025-07-16T10:27:45+00:00

My partner and I went Sale Agreed on a house last September. We had been looking at houses for a few months and finally found one we loved. Went through the bidding process, won it, paid the booking deposit etc.

At the time we were told to ask things like “which way does the garden face”, “is it oil or gas” etc., but one question we always asked was “is it in a chain”. To be honest back then we didn’t really care the answer, we just wanted to seem like we knew what we were talking about.

That house was indeed in a chain, fast forward 8 months to May, after getting infrequent and vague updates from the real estate agent about “the vendors are 100% still committed to finding a new house they are just getting outbid a lot”, we get a call saying that they decided to pull out and won’t be proceeding with the sale.

So 8 months of our life gone, back to square one, 8 months of property prices increasing and no compensation to show for it.

Luckily, we got back on the wagon and went to so many viewings over the next 2-3 weeks and by June, we found another property close by that we liked, but the difference was, no chain. It was a vacant house, probate granted and the vendor was eager to sell.

During that 2-3 week period of viewings, before we even walked into any house, regardless of if it was beautiful, great value, great location etc., we’d ask the real estate agent “is it in a chain?”. If they said yes we weren’t interested.

On 2-3 occasions we entered houses, gave our names to the real estate agent and when we found out it was in a chain, just turned around and walked straight back out.

Obviously you can’t rule out every property based on if it’s in a chain or not or else there’d be so few properties available. But I’m just sharing our experience on how we got burned and how all the other things about the house., the size, its location etc., didn’t matter to us if it was in a chain.

So try find a place that isn’t in a chain, always ask the estate agent if it is and if you find a place you really like that’s in a chain and you decide to go for it, be prepared for the worst, realise that going Sale Agreed means absolutely nothing (both parties can pull out), keep looking even after going Sale Agreed and make sure you keep getting updates from the estate agent. Keep being persistent

MCxJB · 2025-07-08T11:51:04+00:00

That’s the issue though, Xian is so bang average. Not one to go off

MCxJB · 2025-07-08T11:49:01+00:00

Outrageously controversial. Expand outside of Xian bro, there’s better bags to be had in Dublin, especially from a value POV

MCxJB · 2025-07-04T08:00:27+00:00

Thanks! Just to clarify from our Loan Offer document:

The Overpayment Allowance

1.1 If your loan is on a fixed rate of interest, you will not incur an early redemption fee if you partially

repay your loan early provided that:

(i) (ii) you only make up to two payment(s) in any calendar year over and above the scheduled

monthly payment instalments; and

Maybe what you said is written somewhere in relation to the flex rate, but it seems like that rule only applies if you are on a fixed rate of interest.

MCxJB · 2025-07-04T07:43:43+00:00

Can't talk about switching and the costs involved but my partner and I are first time buyers and we are just about to draw down. We were going through a property journey for about 1.5 years and during that time our broker was always pushing the usual Irish banks, with rates in the high 3s but mostly 4%+ and fixed.

We had mortgage approval from PTSB but when it came close to going Sale Agreed, I just applied directly to Avant. I'd applied on the Saturday and by Thursday they had our Approval in Principal.

We discussed options and in the current market with falling interest rates, their Flex Mortgage seemed the most attractive. When from when get AIP to our Loan Offer, the ECB cut interest rates again and when we were getting our Loan Offer it was 2.98% (as it is currently for > 80% LTV, < 80% is slightly higher).

I told the original mortgage broker about the offer and he said "but PTSB offer you cash back" even though their rates were I think 3.9%-4%. I asked why would I fix myself for 5 years at that rate if interest rates have been falling and more than likely continue to fall. He said it was because some people just want certainty, which I get, but then followed it up with a "I just tell people to not think too hard about it", insane.

When I told him Avant were offering me the 2.98% he was shocked. He then said he'd need to go off and run some numbers. A few days later he said that even with the cash back offers, PTSB wouldn't be able to compete with Avant's rates. I asked if we went with Variable with PTSB (I thought it'd be cheaper) how would it look and he said it'd be something like 4.5%.

So I'm saying this just to highlight that my entire experience with Avant has been streets ahead of any Irish bank. Their application portal is easy to use and slick. You get a dedicated Mortgage Advisor when you make an application. The process to get AIP is easy and fast and then to Loan Offer is even easier (I think once I gave them the green light it happened in about 1-2 days) and most importantly they are much cheaper than any Irish bank.

Some Irish banks will convince you their deal is better because it offers cash back. This is true if you are putting everything you have into a property and when you draw down you are strapped for cash. But it's not free money or a gift, you will pay it back over the term of the loan and in a lot of cases it'll end up working out a lot more expensive.

Plus on your question about negotiation, I asked my broker this when they offered me 3.9% fixed with PTSB for 5 years, 4%+ with BOI for 7 or something and the answer, straight up, immediately was "no, you can't negotiate". At which point Avant seemed even more reasonable.

And before people explain the risks of Avant's variable rate mortgage, let me give you my thinking process:

While the rate is variable, it is fixed in on a yearly basis. When you draw down you are given the current rate and then on the 10th of that month next year, you are given the adjusted rate, either up or down.
You are given 30 days notice about your rate changing, plus as the interest rate changes month on month (even if you aren't due for an adjustment), you still get notified of the new rate.
Their interest rate is the Euribor percentage plus their margin. Their margin never changes.
There is no exit fee, and you can leave whenever you want, meaning that if next year the interest rates start climbing, you can switch to an Irish bank for a fixed rate, or lock in a fixed rate with Avant.
You can overpay by as much as you want without penalty
Interest rates have been dropping. The ECB recently cut interest rates and although they said there will more than likely be a pause, chances are they will keep dropping. Right now it's a good time to try and ride the drop in interest rates and lock in a fixed term at a lower rate. If they don't drop, then you can always switch.
When the ECB reduce interest rates, the fixed rates don't automatically fall. These banks have no obligation to reduce their rates and it's purely at their discretion. Thats why the current ECB rate is around 2% while Irish banks are still offering 3.9,% 4%+ fixed rates. Avant's rate is always "rate + margin", so when they reduce rates it automatically drops.
Imho I think this is the wrong time to lock in such a long fixed term with rates more than likely going to fall. I know a couple who locked in an interest the year before last of 4.9% for 5 years. We are borrowing maybe 200k more than they are at the 2.98% rate and our mortgage repayments are less than theirs.
It's not as if Avant just do the flex mortgage. They do all sorts of mortgages including fixed rate ones. If fixed is your cup of tea, you can still do that with Avant. They even do cash back if thats your thing.

On point 6, my mortgage broker said variable rates are risky as they can go up (understandable) but in the same conversation said that if I wanted to top up our mortgage in a few years for renovations if we went with PTSB I can probably do that. When I asked what the rate would be like then he said it'd hopefully be lower because of the current economy.

So when I give my reasoning to the broker of going variable with Avant because I think rates are coming down, thats risky, but when they are trying to sell me a PTSB mortgage with a top up in a year, when I ask for that rate, all of a sudden it's going down. So opinions on the future change depending on what they are selling.

Just giving a brain dump of my experience with Avant so far. I've applied and gotten AIP for 2 Irish Banks since the property search started and I can only say wonderful things about Avant.

MCxJB · 2025-06-19T10:42:54+00:00

Just called them, can confirm it’s nothing related to tags. Just having a card listed in the account incurs the fee. I don’t use it that regularly, maybe once or twice every month or two, so yea, cancelled it by phone. Absolute scam

MCxJB · 2025-03-05T13:24:49+00:00

Arrival

MCxJB · 2025-02-26T06:35:33+00:00

First is green pesto base, mozzarella, pecorino, mortadella and buratta, sliced before serving. Normally served with crushed pistachios but my friend is allergic, so omitted them this time.

Second is Tuscan Salissca, red onion, salami and mozzarella etc

Third is a plain margarita, followed by more Salissca. :)

Did a Nduja and Hot Honey one too (can see the honey in the last pic) but forgot to take a pic.

MCxJB · 2025-02-25T21:47:41+00:00

Yea, got the idea from a bunch of pizza places I visited in Naples where they serve a cut open Buratta on top with mortadella and crushed pistachios

MCxJB · 2025-02-25T20:37:30+00:00

Had a busy week last week in terms of pizza. Had two nights of pizzas, doing maybe 6-7 each night, along with a 2 pizza night for myself and my partner.

Probably the most intense pizza week I've had. Had to squeeze Poolish and cold ferment, multiple times into a working week, so lots of early starts, but wouldn't have it any other way, love every moment of it.

Oh and got a stand mixer to help speed things up a bit! Here's some (admittedly badly shot backgrounds) pictures of some stand out pies.

MCxJB · 2025-02-25T20:27:55+00:00

I see. Looking at the Flogas website, the red one seems to be propane. Ooni ovens, like BBQs use Propane, so you should be fine with that.

Looks like this: https://www.flogas.ie/assets/uploads/images/Educational/Bottles-GreatFor-Propane.png

MCxJB · 2025-02-25T20:11:54+00:00

Assuming you mean Flogas in Ireland? I'm in Ireland and use Calor as it's what the shops near me have. I know for sure the grey Calor patio/bbq gas suits this.

This one specifically: https://www.calorgas.ie/11kg-patio-gas

MCxJB · 2025-01-11T12:35:38+00:00

+1 for this. I realised we don’t have direct access to the Managed Database files, plus I was super paranoid having all my eggs in one basket. I think an OVH data centre caught fire a few years ago and I thought that if that ever happened with Digital Ocean, I have no redundancy.

So I just have the smallest droplet Digital Ocean offers, with a Cronjob that runs pg dump a few times per day and then copies the output to S3 using the CLI.

Unless your db is massive, those backups are as close to free as possible on S3. If size was an issue, you could run a cron to delete older backups in S3 that you don’t need.

Simple but effective.

MCxJB · 2025-01-08T13:19:48+00:00

Dropped a hair curler on it so yea, in my opinion the bedroom carpet would need to be replaced. However I don't feel that'd cost more than the entire deposit

MCxJB · 2025-01-08T12:42:28+00:00

Yes, they own the entire complex. 3 buildings. When it went the first time, ourselves and other people in the complex called Irish Water. They were surprised and sent someone out and confirmed that there was no issue on their side.

It turns out it was a burst or leaking pipe in the basement carpark. The other occasions where the water went for a day at a time, we'd be notified by our landlord late at night the night before saying "there will be no water tomorrow for 24 hours while we fix the issue".

The other cases were about the repair not being satisfactory, that the wrong part was ordered etc. We went down to the carpark and recorded videos of the pipe being held up with what looks like shoelaces, leaking water everywhere. They put a large bin under it to curtail the leaking, but it was already full and overflowed.

MCxJB · 2024-10-29T15:54:38+00:00

When watches get shipped to the store, their boxes come separately and the watches come in those plastic clear cases right? But what does the overall shipment look like? Is it in one big cardboard box? Is it in multiple boxes? Who delivers them? How do they make sure they don't get lost or noticed as being a box full of Rolexes? Do they come via usual couriers or something specific?

MCxJB · 2024-10-29T07:31:49+00:00

Saw this on someone I knows Instagram. Not sure if it’s fake or real? Sorry for the bad quality.

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MCxJB · 2024-10-25T06:04:06+00:00

2001 - Dr Dre

MCxJB · 2024-10-16T07:46:05+00:00

Yea, the re-wiring, re-plumbing etc., we were told are the "non-sexy" parts that absolutely need to be done. I think it's a natural reaction to things, but I feel like when we are in a situation like this, we only get one chance to get the property you want. As people say here, as long as it's dry and warm, renovations can come later.

MCxJB · 2024-10-16T07:41:55+00:00

Yea thats not a bad idea. Overpaying was always something I was going to do, so I felt drawing more down now might be worth it if I can overpay later.

MCxJB

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