Change of Career

[Richard]

Wishing you all the best, you will be busy for the next few months. Start making ‘to do lists’ ASAP with all the little details, for address changes, not forgetting driving license, vehicle address and all the other wonderful(?) items.

[Dave Rice]

Good luck. I guess you’re used to being asked what farm you live on by now.

I’ve always had a good time in Manchester on work visits.

At least they have a tram but they still can’t get properly integrated transport sorted. I have no idea why we Brits just can’t do it.

[Drezha]

Estate agents.

Urgh.

That is all.

"Everything looks interesting until you do it. Then you find it’s just another job" - Terry Pratchett

[Richard]

Oh yes, estate agents. We were looking for a place large enough for a family of four the last time we moved. The number of one bedroom places about which we were sent details was absurd. Place miles from transport, no problem they were ten a penny and so on. I realise that they can only report what is on their books but if they have nothing suitable say so for heaven’s sake.

Here is a hint, look at the customer’s brief and ONLY send details within their ‘desire band’. If the customer says up to about £ 200,000 that does not mean a £20,000 garage nor does it mean a £2,000,000 mansion.

[Bob Williams]

I posted our details a few years ago on Right Move. Bungalow only, minimum 2 beds, max 3. Unsub’d about 6 times since we decided to stay here, the ads keep coming into my mailbox.

Houses with 3,4,5 beds. Flats/apartments with 1,2,3,4 beds. What is the point of the boxes that we check, to state our requirements?

Definitely “urgh”. In the same box as lawyers and politicians. :yes:

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Ed P]

Good Luck Drezha – House Hunting  is a major pita.

My own personal experience is that the first priority is to find yourself some acceptable rented accommodation that you can use as a base for an extended stay, then give yourselves plenty of time to look around the area and figure out in your minds where you would really like to live. Chat with HR – they can often help in pointing you in the right direction for housing. If your new company has a good deal with a serviced apartment grab it with both hands as a base. Take your time, and chat to your new work colleagues about the best areas to live in. (the two of you should both do this).

Avoid getting to the point where you have had enough and want to grab the first moderately acceptable place from the estate agents. Unless you are VERY lucky it can take at least three to six months to exchange contracts, and sometimes even longer than that. Far longer in fact than the time spent looking at properties.

[Drezha]

Yeah. The issue we’ve got is then if we do that, we end up paying the mortgage on the place down here, rent up there and then all the other stuff. So I’m looking at flogging mine, paying the additional fees that will occur (early repayment charges) and then do as you’re saying. However, we’ll start looking now in case something comes up.

The company has been helpful and I’ve friends up there from my old firm that can help as well.

Having bought my current place, I know what you’re on about (I was chain free buying from a landlord and it still took 3 months).

"Everything looks interesting until you do it. Then you find it’s just another job" - Terry Pratchett

[The VFM Addict]

I’d be inclined to set up a new dedicated email address for EA’s to supply possibles for this house search only and then ditch the address once the job was done.

I always do that whenever there is a chance of getting emails for ever.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

During the Covid-19 Epidemic I will be wearing a mask and goggles while posting so that if I become infected I won't spread it to you.

[Tippon]

Drezha wrote:

So I’m looking at flogging mine, paying the additional fees that will occur (early repayment charges) and then do as you’re saying.

My brother’s got a contract with an estate agent where he pays a fixed fee of about 10 – 15% and they manage the property, including guaranteed rent. Obviously he’s got the option of increasing the rent slightly to cover the fee too  :good:

[Drezha]

Tippon wrote:

Drezha wrote:

So I’m looking at flogging mine, paying the additional fees that will occur (early repayment charges) and then do as you’re saying.

My brother’s got a contract with an estate agent where he pays a fixed fee of about 10 – 15% and they manage the property, including guaranteed rent. Obviously he’s got the option of increasing the rent slightly to cover the fee too

Not something I want to do really – we’d prefer to just pay the mortgage off. It’s looking like that it may be cheaper in the long run to pay off and get a new mortgage as I got mine when the rates were higher.

"Everything looks interesting until you do it. Then you find it’s just another job" - Terry Pratchett

[Richard]

With the recent tax changes and the promise/threat of more to come I would recommend that plan as the tax you will pay on a new home purchase will be reduced back to the base level and not be ‘enhanced’ so with the possibility of a better mortgage rate, (for the moment) it could turn into a double win. Some other good advice, yes take your time, yes find a suitable area, yes do not buy the best house on a crap street, but if you are so inclined the worst house on the best street can be a reasonable idea – but only if you can live with the level of work that might be needed. Though I align with Ed’s comments I would not take overly long for the heck of it. Usually you get a feel for a location or house quite soon so do take account of those feelings and be ready to act. Do get your ducks in a line so you can be ready to move and do make sure that any solicitor you use is up to the task – not all of them are. One we used delighted in the tale of his handling the 294th sale on a new estate. He found defects in the deeds that the other 293 cases had not picked up.

However, you have a brain and experience so I sense that we are all preaching to the converted and that you know enough to take all careful steps you need, good luck and a successful and happy move forward.

[As I went to press sub,it my office chair leaned over and almost collapsed as the seat pressed the height release – someone is sending me a message. I will now shut up!]

[Ed P]

Some companies offer bridging loans in your situation. It depends how much they want you. Again chat with the HR folk as any company with more than one operational base has to have procedures for moving people around.

[Drezha]

I have a relocation allowance 😉 I just submit expenses to them. Think I can claim for solicitors, moving, trips up there for house hunting etc etc.

It’s a very small company (14 people – 11 of those are engineers) so they actually outsource the HR(!)

If we had some time, we could possibly use the H2B scheme – through my girlfriend as she isn’t named on this mortgage.

"Everything looks interesting until you do it. Then you find it’s just another job" - Terry Pratchett

[Richard]

One point that I think may be new is that there is a current simmering row about ground rents and leaseholds on what at first appears to be a normal property sale.

Some ground leases have stupid renewal arrangements that can allow the ground rents to double at quite short intervals producing a deadly geometric progression from ‘high’ to ‘absurd’. It is a hot topic at the moment but one that does not appear to come up when it needs to when buying a property, solicitors have been less than dynamic in noticing the effects of this arrangement. Sadly when places were built the developer might have held the lease, but then sells it on on new terms to a new lease owner who introduces the new terms; action is promised to stop this abuse but some flats and houses are becoming unsaleable when potential buyers spot the issue.

[Drezha]

Not an issue in my case as the council own my lease and at least one of residents is still a council tenant.

"Everything looks interesting until you do it. Then you find it’s just another job" - Terry Pratchett

[Author]

Posts