In conclusion...

Moved in, in December. In twenty years time I'll own this place, unemployment / expiration withstanding.
Until then...

The Things That Happen When You See A House You Like

You don't give a shit about paying a £999 mortgage booking fee. What's £999 on top of the £200k you're borrowing? A drop in a very deep ocean of debt.

You want to get things moving. Get the deal done. But there's red tape as thick as an exterior wall between you and those keys in your hand.

You want second third fourth opinions. So the blame can be halved, quartered, eighthed when the house falls down.

You start obsessing about money. Not spending it. Cutting back. (In other words, you become dull.)

You don't want anyone else looking, sniffing or smelling 'your' house. So you insist the estate agent takes it off the market (and you check their website to make sure they're true to their word).

You start thinking about the vendor. Are they decent? Will they pull out at the eleventh hour after you've spent a fair whack getting checks and surveys done.

You start writing your house buyer's blog again, because you might have something interesting to say.

Waiting Game

Saw a house. Liked it. Waited. Put in an offer. Waited. Rejected. Put in a higher offer. Waited. Accepted. Stomach churned like yoghurt. Went to the bank. Waited for man in suit. Asked for a mortgage. Got grilled like fish fingers for two hours. Waited. Got OK'd for a mortgage. Went looking for a solicitor. Waited. Got one. Paid for a survey to be done. Waited for the results. Hmmm. Some things need looking at. The gas electrics windows. Now waiting for the gas electrics windows to be looked at.

Redundancy Off. House Hunt Back On.

Another bullet dodged. The cull has been survived. So the house hunt is back on. My original September deadline is going to missed by a long way as I've had no viewings for months, no second viewings ever, no offers made.

My problems remain twofold - I don't like any houses that fall within my price range, and I don't like any mortgages on offer for the 15% deposit I've managed to scrape together.

Really looking forward to the next few months then. Hope to be moved in time for Christmas. Ho, ho bloody ho.

Nothing Like The Threat Of Redundancy To Stall Your House Hunt

Hence the lack of entries in this blog. The house hunt is in stasis until I find out one way or another whether I can guarantee a regular income, and satisfy those pound hungry money lenders. I suspect they don't appreciate a man with no guarantee of work coming in and asking to borrow a couple of hundred grand with a vastly inflated interest rate attached to it. I'm still saving properties I like the look of from the emails I'm getting sent, but that's more in hope than expectation. We shall see!

What's This - Mortgage Fees Getting Cut

Seems some lenders are seeing sense and realising that the random payment of mortgage fees is putting people off.

Still don't understand how the fees can be as high as £999. But it looks like some lenders are knocking 50% off what they're randomly charging. It's a start. A step in the right direction...

Affordable rates? They're lost on me...

This article says that first time buyers are benefitting from fairly cheap borrowing rates.

Hmm. Not from where I'm sitting. It does go on to say that a 25% deposit is needed to benefit from the best rates. That's at least 50 grand for the type of houses I'm looking for (and we're not talking mansions here).

Until mortgage companies offer similar low borrowing rates for, say, a 15% deposit, I can't see how many people are going to be able to (or will even bother to) get on the property ladder.

The banks know they are putting big mark-ups on their mortgages, and they're charging extortionate mortgage booking fees on top of that. Time that all came to an end...

Property Prices Down 0.6%

Like a child in a holiday park pool, house prices are on the slide.

Ok, so a 0.6% drop in June is no cause for backflips, somersaults or any other kind of visual celebration. But it's a step in the right direction. A wake-up call to vendors who continue to take the piss by asking for prices they might have got at the peak of the housing market back in 2007, but won't get now.

If you don't like the fact that the roof over your head isn't worth what it was a few years ago, take it off the market and stay where you are. Stop flooding estate agents with ridiculous asking prices that will see your home stay unsold until Christmas.

Holding Out For A Few Less Zeros

It's been a good few months since I've even bothered viewing a property. There's been a couple of OK ones, but to be honest, I'm not blown away by any of the properties that fall within my price range. So I won't lose any sleep when someone else snaps them up for the over-inflated asking price. I'm only going to be offering what I think properties are worth, and that's likely to be a good twenty grand under whatever's being asked. The idea of renting again is getting more and more appealing...

The sun is high in the sky. And prices remain sky high.

House prices rose again in June. But only by 0.1% this month, according to this report. Hardly anyone can be arsed to buy by the sounds of it. What with the football on and the weather good and the prices as high as the temperatures.

Searching has certainly been on the backburner for me as England disgraced themselves in South Africa. Word on the street, avenue and cul de sac is that the ending of HIPs has made more potential sellers want to put their house out there to see what they'll get for it. Many of these probably aren't serious sellers unless they get an offer that's too good to refuse.

They won't be getting anything of the kind from me. I'm determined to have my first offer laughingly rejected.

My word, there's a lot to do.

Moving from A to B isn't easy. Was looking into all the stuff that needs doing before, during and after moving house, and my, oh my, there's so much to remember. So many things that can go wrong. So many people who can put a spanner in the works. So many others who need paying for doing their bit along the way. How do people put up with it? Surveyors. Conveyancers. Estate Agents. Solicitors. Milkmen. They all seem to need to know what you're up to at some stage of the moving process, and you can bet they'll all want paying.

Ten Grand Lopped Off

Ah, that's better. One of my saved properties has had ten grand knocked off by the vendor. A sign that some common sense or desperation is creeping into the market? Or just a one-off? Time will tell, but that loss of ten k certainly makes the whole deal more appealing.

A Home For Under A Hundred Grand

Just been offered one via email. Obviously we're not talking top of the range. It's a mobile home in fact. But still, the novelty of a five-figure price tag is worthy of a mention. I won't be getting on my mobile to arrange a viewing though...

House Price Inflation On The Up

Not what I wanted to hear. The rate of rise is up to 10% according to this report. That's about as welcome as next door's rabid cat. How are bricks in mortar increasing in value when there's no money about and spending cuts on the horizon? Grumble. Grumble. Back to the football...

Two Up. Two Down.

That's basically all I can afford to buy when I do finally take the plunge. A narrow house with a narrow garden. Maybe a parking space out front, but probably not. Maybe a shed out back, but probably not. Maybe an upstairs bathroom, but probably not. I'm really not excited about getting on the property ladder, simply because the ladder feels about three rungs high. I don't think I'm gonna be proud of whatever house I end up with. It'll have two up, but will leave me feeling very down.

Quiet Week (Yawn)

Nothing new has floated my boat this week. Getting mails featuring the same old unsold, overpriced houses that have been on the market all year. Yawn. The best mortgages still require a 30% deposit. Double yawn. The likelihood of a double dip recession seems to be on the increase (triple yawn with a little anxious yelp thrown in for good measure). Still, at least the World Cup is on.

Another Mortgage Disadvantage

I've only ever paid contents insurance in my time as a renter. Of course, as soon as you enter mortgage land, the delightful world and extra cost of Buildings insurance enters the fray, as welcome as a wasp's nest in your shed (not my shed, I don't have one).

You know, with all these extra costs, I'm surprised so many people readily agree to get mortgages. 'I want to own my own home' they tell me. 'But you don't own it,' I tell them. 'The bank does until you've paid them back.'

A Two-Bed For£36,000

Several times I've been sent emails with properties that have asking prices for £56,000. Or better still £36,000. Now, I know this is an error on the part of whoever compiles these mailings, but it doesn't stop me clicking on the photo and taking a look to see if the offer is for real. Always on the look out for a bargain, me.

World Cups and House Hunting

I don't think the two are happy bedfellows. One involves a lot of shouting, drinking and moaning. The other is the biggest sporting tournament on the planet. The need to find somewhere that will provide me with a roof over my head for the next few years will have to play second fiddle to my need to watch a football fest. Holland to win it.

Leasehold law too complicated? What a surprise.

Just like nearly everything involved in the house buying process, it's either too expensive or too complicated. Leaseholds fall into both categories if this report is anything to go by.

Once again, it's an example of how the unscrupulous can use the housebuying process to make a quick buck at the expense of the homebuyer who doesn't want to wade through pages of dull legal waffle. As I've said before, there's just too much outdated, complicated crap involved in the housebuying process, and leaseholds are just another twist in the maze. It all needs looking at.