Ali C

We actually got shown the house by the vendor and did our best to charm them haha. We were the first people to view it and they admitted that by the time more and more people view it they’ll be less and less excited so we got to talk to them at the best point lol

just found out that my (to be) brother-in-laws partners parents also went to look at the house and I think have put an offer in they recently sold their house for over 400k so can just buy it outright. I'd be pretty pissed if they got it. Apparently they heard that someone has put in a stupidly large offer, not sure how true this is but it's looking less and less likely we'll get it.

We decided we liked the house so much we put in an extra 3k over the home report evaluation...we’re conscious that we don’t want to add to the already insane house price bubble.The house IS a 180k house, once we start getting into 185k+ then it’s getting sketchy and more likely to lose money when we ever want to sell it. The estate agent said they’ve had seven offers on it since yesterday (we were the first to view it) and they’ll close it on Monday. So the good news is it IS still on the market, they haven’t had an offer they couldn’t refuse but I’m so nervous! I’m really hoping that they think we’re good match, I doubt we’ll be the highest offer but we’ve no strings attached being first time buyers and can make the sale quick and easy for them (they’re moving south so HAVE to sell it sooner rather than later). They seemed to like the idea of the house going to someone local who knows the area. we both REALLY want this house (I especially do as there’s another velosolutions pumptrack being built a 5 mins ride away from it) so this will be a nervous wait

viewed the house today, we both love it and will be putting an offer in. Fingers crossed no-one else goes crazy and puts in a 200k offer or something!

This is on the market for £170k but the home report suggested it’s worth £180 so that’s more what we’d be expecting to offer... that’s our absolute max but it doesn’t need any work which saves us sinking money into a new kitchen etc. that’s weird, surly once they’ve had the paperwork done etc star happens to you after the keys have been handed over different matter?

The house I had mentioned previously in Camunnock (not the dungeon sex pit one) has accepted an offer, shame. But the good news is another house has just appeared and it ticks a lot of boxes! Its in a perfect location, not quite the nice fields like last time but it is sandwiched between two parks and while it might not have the views it’s still very easy to escape and be in the woods. It’s also still a rideable distance from Cathkin which is nice. It’s very close (just down the street) to Jane’s brothers house and a 5 min walk to her mums which is something Jane was keen on. The house itself is a two bedroom semi with off street parking (on a very quiet street anyway) and a decent sized garden. The house doesn’t seem to need any work doing and even the way it’s currently decorated/painted actually suites our taste. The home report didn’t flag anything up either. No basement but it does have a loft which is nice. We’ve booked a viewing for tomorrow, it’s still lived in and we’ll be shown by the owners. The advantage of being in Scotland is that the owners have a much bigger say in who actually buys the house, in England (and Wales?) the agent will just choose the highest offer but up here the owners can accept a lower one if they think they will be a better buyer. This house is at the top of our budget but it looks to be worth it, we’ll take a look and try and make a good impression

congrats Mark! I know what you mean about it feeling crazy to commit so much (money and future living) on a place you've only seen twice. I take months to decide whether I want to commit £500 on a new camera let alone £100k+ on a house in an area you've never lived in before. I'm sure you'll love it though, I've rented all my life and I hate the restrictions imposed, plus I find it hard to swallow to pay more in rent to pay off someone elses mortgage than paying less to pay my own off AND have more space. Sure there's a bit more risk but I still think it's worth it. Speaking of second houses and junk, that's starting to become a real issue in Scotland and the islands. Take Skye for example...the locals who have lived there for generations are being priced out because wealthy Elnglish (and Scottish to be fair) are paying way over the usual prices. Jane has some elderly relatives on Skye (both mid 90s) and they've always had neighbours nearby they could rely on if they had issues. Now all their neighbours have sold up and moved because they could get great money for their houses and the new owners just have them as a holiday home and use it just a few days a year leaving them empty the rest of the time. This means her relatives are a lot more isolated than they used to be, the other side effect is that local businesses are struggling because the population is reducing. It's a bit shit.

Ok just went to look, we’re not going to put an offer in... it needs too much work. It needs a complete overhaul inside and needs some roof work done. The garage is old and full of holes and has an asbestos roof which would need professionally pulling down and disposal and a new one built. The basements I was looking forward to would’ve made great storage space for bikes and parts but were no good for a workshop or much practical use as they had very limited headroom. shame really as the location is great and I really liked the view as it’s on a hill and looks directly out onto Cathkin Braes mountain bike trails (although Jane doesn’t like it as it also looks out onto Castlemilk estate which is a real rough area). If the house was ~30k cheaper then we’d be willing to put an offer in but not at the price it is. pictures of the basements included Edit: since coming home I’ve been searching again, I’ve taken a closer look at a house I’ve previously swiped past (mainly because I’ve been greedy and wanted something bigger but also because I thought it would be too far out of town for Jane and doesn’t have a local train station for her to use to get to work, she seems to like it more than I thought though). It's the same price as the house we saw today but doesn't look like it needs much (if any) work doing so I’ll book a viewing, it’s been on the market since November so I’m a little suspicious of why it’s not been sold but we’ll have to wait and see. It’s two bedroom end of terrace, no basement but it does describe having a decent floored loft which I’d happily accept instead. The main selling point to me is a rather large garden at the back which backs up against fields so the view is nice (it’s at a top of a hill) not a south facing garden though but beggars can’t be choosers. Having grown up with fields and hills I have been finding living in a busy city pretty challenging (and depressing at times) so being more out in the country would be really nice. Only two bedroom but they’re bigger rooms, the garden does give scope to a decent sized extension for the future though. Another bonus is it’s right next to Cathkin Trails so no more driving there. The main downside is its more isolated (though only 5 mins away from where we looked today, just straight up to the top of the hill) in Carmonnuck which is the last “village” within the Glasgow district so no big shops or train stations, being at the top of the hill means there’s zero street but I figured unless I live close to the centre of Glasgow I’ll probably be driving to ride street anyway (plus I wouldn't have to drive to get to Cathkin). No off-street parking either but definitely room to include it with some work. I’ll report back once I’ve seen it.

Jane doesn't like the idea of any kind of dungeon so I'm thinking a pit of some kind instead. Related, got a viewing booked for 2:15 today

No pictures of the basements unfortunately. two bike dungeons

Ok so an update: Jane phoned the mortgage advisor and they spent the call going through everything, turns out we have a mortgage in principle application being processed right now... it’s taking a bit longer because we’re both self employed but the advisor says that’s standard and they’re confident it’s going to be confirmed soon. It’s looking to be for a decent enough amount that combined with our (admittedly large) deposit we can afford to at least put an offer in on that house. That’s providing we like it, we’ll book a viewing ASAP and take a look (I really need to see what’s going on with those basements). We suspect that it’ll end up going out of our budget judging by other house prices in the area but we hope that being first time buyers with no chain and the fact it needs redecorating we can persuade them to sell it to us. I’ll update after a viewing if it happens

It's actually listed as a 4 bedroom (not how I'd have it) and it's semi detached rather than terraced...good luck

I'm frustrated. Still no mortgage in principle sorted and a perfect house has just come onto the market. It's exactly in the area we want, close to two parks and Cathkin MTB centre, good access to the motorway to GTF out of the city, it's a three bed terrace with detached garage, it's got a big enough garden for a nice workshop in the back, off street parking in the front and even has a bonus of two (no idea why two) basements which is something I really want but accepted I probably wouldn't get. It also has a loft which I'm really keen on having. It's at the top end of the potential loan we were told about but with how long that's taking to secure I'm not holding my breath we'll get that much. We REALLY want to go look at it but there's no point without knowing our budget...so annoying with how perfect it would be for us

Jane spoke to the mortgage advisor today, they said because we’re both self employed it’s difficult to get a loan which is frustrating... some will flat out not even consider you if you’re self employed no matter how much you earn which is crazy! Surly someone who’s successfully self employed for years is more in inclined to put the work in to make sure the business succeeds than someone who works at McDonald’s (as an example) who could be fired at a moments notice? Anyway, they did find two banks willing to give us a mortgage with the biggest one being Barclays who said they could do a 90-100k loan... this hasn’t been confirmed yet so could go up in smoke but it’s some hope at least.

Hex

I'm now officially out of the flat I shared with Danny and Duncan for the past 7 years, as much as that place sucked (rotting floors, uninterested landlord, 4 flights of stairs and no lift, busy traffic and rough area) it was sad to see it go. I'm currently staying at Jane's mum's house, it's a small two bedroom place but they've been really accommodating. It's still quite a change up from having a 4 bedroom flat to myself like I've had this last year with Danny and Duncan escaping the city for lockdown. Jane has a call with a mortgage advisor later, we've sent in all our numbers and are waiting to see what kind of loan we can get. It's quite nerve wrecking as we're not exactly prime candidates for the best loan with us both being self employed and not big earners and myself never had finance or a loan before so my credit score isn't the best it could be. The only plus is I have saved a decent amount last year plus my parents have given us some money towards a deposit which will be a massive help. I've been looking at what's available and it doesn't fill me with hope. I don't really mind having a smaller place but all the cheaper houses are so depressing and in such shit areas, I'd hate to live in a house/location that I hated. Fingers crossed for a decent loan and a house I actually like.

Glasgow is a stupid city where everything is made of granite or metal and gets slippery when wet, why can’t they use concrete like normal cities and allow us trials riders to ride in all conditions?? Grrr

I’m just waiting on my accountant to get my taxes finished and then I can send my figures off to the mortgage advisor. pretty nervous as I don’t earn much and neither does Jane (especially with the recent lockdowns) and we’re both self employed with average credit ratings (I’ve never had a credit card, loan or any finance other than my phone...annoyingly saving up to actually afford stuff has bitten me in the arse). The last mortgage advisor who we gave some really rough figures to said it’d be a stretch to get a 60k mortgage. That’s pretty depressing as that really means we could only afford to live in some pretty shitty areas and in a small house, a real downgrade from what I’m in now. The good news is my parents said they’d help me with some money towards a deposit so we’ll see how that effects things...I guess getting on the property ladder no matter how shitty will help for future mortgages so it might be a case of sucking it up and taking a less than ideal place and look towards moving again when we can.

Jane’s Ivermectin turned up in the post the other day, she’s hoping she won’t have to use it but will if she ever rests positive.

I honestly don’t know how Danny (and others) can ride with vertical levers... it puts my entire body weight on my thumb area on my hand and when on the front wheel it’s very uncomfortable. i run mine closer to 45 degrees or maybe even flatter, it changes my weight to be fully supported by my hand which feels much better for impacts etc

I don't fully know her opinion of it, my understanding is that she thinks they have our best interest at heart and adverse effects are certainly not guaranteed but from all the positive results she's read about Ivermectin she'd rather use that than a rushed out drug, even if it's had all the money in the world thrown at it.

I think that’s the key, I don’t trust the government at all... they’ve proven to be liars, make shit decisions, appoint lunatics in high power positions etc. not sure what her plan is, I’m assuming only taking it if she gets sick

How is it contradictory? She’s following her own advice from the research she’s done and avoiding an unproven drug (in the long term) for one that’s proven safe.

The virus has actually muted a few times, it’s not that unusual for it to do that... the government are leaning heavily on this story though to try and get people to listen to them. Without a scare tactic the public would probably just ignore instructions and carry on with Christmas as usual, it takes something more serious to make people skip their Christmas traditions and playing on the mutation story (which isn’t necessarily false) is a good way to get people to pay attention. whether it’s a good or bad thing for the government to do is up for debate but the mutation isn’t perhaps as serious as they’re making out (yet).

I’m certainly not taking any vaccine that doesn’t have solid history. Jane has ordered some Ivermectin from abroad, whether it’ll clear customs we’ll have to see