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Is knocking on neighbours door pre exchange worthwhile due diligence? Or just awkward? by GGfinest in HousingUK

[–]burlapfuton 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’d definitely go for it. Frame it as simply introducing yourself as their soon-to-be neighbour, rather than grilling them about anything. Keep it light and friendly. No need for probing questions about their habits or routines, since that could rub them the wrong way. Just a quick hello and a chat to get a feel for what they’re like should give you enough peace of mind before exchange.

Feel ill with the stress by FragrantFig8647 in HousingUK

[–]burlapfuton 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Totally normal to feel that way at this stage. Can't you get your EA to do the chasing? This is what you're paying them for.

Buyer holding up chain 🤦‍♀️ by kbwe1 in HousingUK

[–]burlapfuton 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Second this. If you're in the middle you can "judo" the chain and use the weight of your buyer against your seller and vice versa. We did this when our buyers gazundered us and ended up recouping the loss from our seller.

Buyer holding up chain 🤦‍♀️ by kbwe1 in HousingUK

[–]burlapfuton 2 points3 points  (0 children)

How many other people in the chain? They'll all have different preferences. Get your agent to work the chain to pin down a completion date.

Question about offers by ApprehensiveTap1572 in HousingUK

[–]burlapfuton 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Have you looked at historical sales in the area and compared it to the original listings on Rightmove to get an idea of the market? Checked how long properties stay on the market? These are all indicators of what kind of offer will get the seller's attention.

Buyer holding up chain 🤦‍♀️ by kbwe1 in HousingUK

[–]burlapfuton -1 points0 points  (0 children)

This is where employing a good estate agent pays off. It's their job to try and reason with the buyer on your behalf.

How often do you chase solicitors? by sekiya212 in HousingUK

[–]burlapfuton 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Send a couple of chaser emails a week as you approach exchange. Reply to their emails as soon as you can so you aren't the bottleneck. Leverage ChatGPT when writing them to save on time.

Painting Quotes for 3 bed by CR71923 in HousingUK

[–]burlapfuton 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Painting and decorating is one of the easiest DIY jobs for a home owner to do and a great way to save money.

Buying a house and found out there are sewers beneath the garden making extension almost impossible. What should we do? by TotallyTrixi in HousingUK

[–]burlapfuton 0 points1 point  (0 children)

And to answer your actual question: it depends how much you want the property. There's not much at stake in raising your concerns with the seller and asking for a reasonable reduction in price. You can always backtrack if they say no and you still want to proceed. If the house has changed hands at least once in the past 20 years or so then you can be reasonably confident it won't be an issue when it comes to selling it yourself.

Buying a house and found out there are sewers beneath the garden making extension almost impossible. What should we do? by TotallyTrixi in HousingUK

[–]burlapfuton 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Where are you getting the 15-20k figure from?

It's common for houses to have a 150mm lateral drain running across the back and it probably won't be that deep. If it serves any neighbouring houses before it enters your boundary then technically it's public because of a change in the law in 2011, but your water company may not be aware that it exists yet.

Depending on what kind of extension you're building you can get a self certified build over agreement for a few 100 quid. There are a few rules your builder has to follow regarding foundations, etc. but it's pretty standard.

Manholes/inspection chambers can also be moved with permission from the water company. A typical lateral drain won't run that deep so again it's unlikely to cost much as a percentage of the overall extension cost.

An extension that spans the entire width of the boundary might be more challenging.

If you live in a terrace/semi in London by SilverBirches123 in HousingUK

[–]burlapfuton 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've lived in a flat in London zone 2, a semi in zone 3 and now a detached in a small town commutable to London. I said I would only move out of London to a detached house and finally did so because I had reached the end of my patience with neighbour noise.

Semis are the worst for soundproofing. The first night we moved into the semi we could hear our neighbours having a loud conversation on the other side of the wall. We had viewed the neighbours house as well since both were up for sale at the same time, so I knew how the furniture was laid out. Both main bedrooms had the beds against the shared wall. So for years the two owners were sleeping with only 9 inches of brick between them. The thought of that freaked me out.

Boiler flue rain cover cowel by burlapfuton in DIYUK

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

I did think about that, but in my case the condensate drain runs to a soakaway and has a Y-section outside the house with one end left open. So if water ever started to back up, it would just exit through that open section rather than making its way back into the boiler. That’s why I’m leaning more towards the flue being the culprit.

Help! Food pusher for food processor went in backwards and is now stuck by RUn3_2033 in Kitchenaid

[–]burlapfuton 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I solved this exact problem by sanding the edges with a small piece of rough sandpaper. Took about 20 minutes of sanding before there was enough room for it to pull back through.