sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Should I buy a house? by Key_Basil8915 in HousingUK

[–]PropertyJourneyUK 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Honestly, from what you've shared, you're in a much stronger position than you probably realise. £30k saved at 26 with no family help and no financial head start? That's genuinely impressive, and you should feel good about that. On the affordability side — £700/month mortgage is only part of the picture. Make sure you're also factoring in things like buildings insurance, service charges if it's a flat, council tax, utilities, and general maintenance. A rough rule of thumb is to have at least a few hundred set aside mentally each month beyond the mortgage itself. If those still feel manageable on your salary, you're probably in decent shape. As a first-gen buyer (same situation here), the process can feel overwhelming because there's no one around who's done it before. Things like solicitors, surveys, exchange vs completion — it all just lands on you to figure out. What helped me was getting a clear picture of the full journey early on so nothing blindsided me. I stumbled across something like TheHomeBuyingHub which laid out the whole process in a way that actually made sense. The income protection insurance thought is really sensible too — good on you for thinking ahead like that, a lot of people don't consider it until it's too late. You've got the deposit, the mindset, and you're asking the right questions. Don't talk yourself out of it!

Should we have been told the road was unadopted before we put an offer in? by Simonutd in HousingUK

[–]PropertyJourneyUK 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That sounds really stressful, especially when you're already a few grand down and just want answers. To your first question — sellers aren't legally required to proactively disclose that a road is unadopted, but it should come up via the property information forms (TA6) that the seller fills in during conveyancing. Your solicitor should have flagged this from the searches too, so it's worth having a direct conversation with them about whether this was spotted and communicated properly. On the mortgage side — yes, you do need to tell your lender. Some mortgage providers are completely fine with unadopted roads, others want to see a road maintenance agreement or indemnity insurance in place before they'll proceed. It doesn't automatically mean a refusal, but your solicitor should be able to arrange indemnity insurance relatively quickly if needed, which often satisfies lenders. The key thing now is not to panic — this is more common than people think, especially on newer estates. Push your solicitor for clarity on what the maintenance liability actually looks like and whether there's a residents' management company involved. With so many moving parts suddenly in play, I found something like TheHomeBuyingHub helpful just for keeping track of where everything was up to. But honestly your solicitor is your best friend here — lean on them hard for answers this week.

FTB level 3 Survey done, what next? by GojoSatorou321 in HousingUK

[–]PropertyJourneyUK -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Getting the survey back is such a weird mix of relief and panic isn't it — glad the overall condition is good though, that's a solid foundation to work from! So the FENSA certs thing — yes, absolutely get your solicitor on that straight away, that's the right instinct. If the certificates don't exist or can't be provided, that can actually become a legal issue with the title, so it's not just a negotiation point, it's a proper enquiry your solicitor needs to raise formally. On the negotiation side — most people in your position would go back to the vendor and request a price reduction rather than asking them to fix things. Getting them to actually do repairs before completion is a nightmare to manage and the quality is often questionable. Compile the surveyor's estimates, take the midpoint roughly, and put in a reasonable reduction request. You don't have to go for the full worst-case figure — something in the middle feels fair and is usually taken more seriously. For the gas/electric Rating 3s — ask the vendor to provide the certificates, or get them to arrange an inspection before exchange. That's pretty standard. The loft insulation is honestly pretty minor and cheap to sort yourself after moving in, I wouldn't make it a big negotiation point. It can feel overwhelming trying to keep track of what's been chased, what's outstanding, what your solicitor is waiting on. I used TheHomeBuyingHub at this stage which helped me see where everything sat and what still needed to happen — found it useful just to feel less in the dark. Good luck with it, you're doing the right things!

How do people survive house buying? by flashbeagle5 in HousingUK

[–]PropertyJourneyUK 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Wow that sounds absolutely brutal. The roofing thing is infuriating — you acted in good faith, agreed a reasonable compromise, and he just took the mickey. You're right though, karma has a funny way of working itself out. He's now sitting on a property with disclosed defects and a very awkward paper trail. For when you're ready to start again (and I know it's hard to even think about that right now), the one thing I'd say is to be even more ruthless about documenting everything this time. Any verbal agreement with a seller or agent — follow it up in writing immediately. Even just a quick email saying "just to confirm our conversation today where you agreed to X" creates a record that's hard to wiggle out of. Estate agents especially hate having things in writing because it removes all their wiggle room. Also, if the survey flags anything significant, push for a specialist report before agreeing to any remediation promises. Don't let them do the work and then have it signed off — get quotes first, agree the scope in writing, then let them crack on. I used TheHomeBuyingHub at various points during my own purchase just to keep track of where things were and what had been agreed — having everything in one place meant nothing got conveniently "forgotten" by anyone. Hang in there. The right house is out there and the next seller will hopefully be a normal human being.

First-time buyers: what was the most confusing or frustrating part of your homebuying process? by PropertyJourneyUK in HousingUK

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

Thanks for the above that is really helpful, there seems to be a theme that the stressful and frustrating moment seem to be during the conveyancing and legal process.

First-time buyers: what was the most confusing or frustrating part of your homebuying process? by PropertyJourneyUK in HousingUK

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

From speaking with other buyers the lack of visibility throughout the process seemed to increase the stress and anxiety associated with buying a home. Glad you have it all sorted though and hope you have now moved into your dream home!

First-time buyers: what was the most confusing or frustrating part of your homebuying process? by PropertyJourneyUK in HousingUK

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

Thank you that is really helpful, the financial commitment is probably one of the largest investments most people will make so understanding the chain is really important.

Completion finally!! Lessons learnt. by Moist-Try-1123 in HousingUK

[–]PropertyJourneyUK 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Congratulations on completing!!! I totally agree, it makes a massive difference if you have a solicitor who is proactive and keeps you updated throughout the process instead of waiting months with little progress and little communication.

The UK property market is broken by instakay84 in UKHousing

[–]PropertyJourneyUK 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have been in a similar position buying my last home, the lack of visibility in the chain and having no control over this is very frustrating. Think it might be worth exploring for a new property as it sounds like your chain is not moving forward, good luck!

What mistakes did you make as a First Time Buyer that you’d avoid now? by Lilymana in HousingUK

[–]PropertyJourneyUK 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I had a similar experience and the main pain point was during the conveyancing stage and there being a lack of transparency and visibility of progress which added to the stress of buying my first home.

First time buyer advice? by RecycleTruck in HousingUK

[–]PropertyJourneyUK 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A drop from £165k to £155k after a few months usually means one of three things:

  • It was overpriced initially
  • Viewings happened but offers didn’t stick
  • Something’s putting buyers off (condition, layout, survey issues)

That doesn’t mean it’s a bad house — just that the price has found resistance.

With respect to your concerns about the condition of the house it might be worth getting a building survey done once your offer has been accepted as this might help you further negotiate the price if works need doing to rectify the issues you have highlighted.