We recently bought a house in the “uncertain economy” and my big thoughts on it are essentially that when it comes down to it, money isn’t real (yes we need money and I have to be able to afford things), but the actual home that I live in is this real tangible thing that I get to enjoy every single day of my life. So as long as we can afford to live comfortably on a day to day basis who cares about the economy 🤷♀️ After moving from a small condo to a house, it is absolutely worth the money and I love having more space, our own space, a yard, and knowing that this will be our home hopefully forever.
This was my thinking when my husband and I bought a house this year (in US). As long as the house is affordable for us, whatever is happening in the market doesn't really matter.
@@raenewnham7490 agreed! The rental market/situation is tight where I live and it was the right choice for us to buy even though things are a bit weird here
My parents bought their house in the middle of the 1989 recession, when unemployment was reaching all-time highs, inflation was spiraling out of control and house prices where plummeting. Everyone around them said it was a stupid idea to upsize in those conditions... Well, three decades later and that 'stupid idea' they bought for £60K is now worth £500K and is currently home to all three generations of my family.
I'm a 27 year old single university student in Germany with less than 5k on my bank accounts but I love your mortgage talk 😂 it's really interesting, even though it's a different country and I'm no way near being able to afford to buy a house.
My top tip for moving with a baby - if you can get help, and have one person just on baby duty, do it. My MIL was on baby duty for us, and it was so nice to not worry about him being in the way, or having to make space for his car seat. My son had just turned one. We also had most of his things in open boxes till day of. So we could still access his things, but it was contained and good to go day of. Those were the first things moved, and I stayed behind to unpack his room right away while everyone else went to get the next load of things. He also had spent overnights at my in-laws before, so the first night in our new home he stayed there so we could get more things sorted without him underfoot. One more tip - set up the room he'll be sleeping in the same as it's current set up. If I remember correctly, you co-sleep, so I'd just set up the furniture as if it was the same room. Helps with night wakes if the room looks familiar, and you can slowly move things to their ideal position once baby is used to the new home. Not ideal, as closets may be made inaccessible, or window placement isn't ideal, etc. But - makes the first week so so much easier.
I work for a bank so this is definitely not a boring video for me 😂 I think it’s important for people to hear other people talk about this stuff because it can be so intimidating and daunting. Especially to people who are self employed, some think it’s really difficult to get a mortgage but it’s not always the case. I’d always recommend talking to a mortgage advisor, even if you’re on a fixed rate cause sometimes the fees are not so bad or there’s a way around things to be in a good position to move house 😊 I also actually had a really good experience with my solicitor, they were really informative and processed things pretty quick 😊
Hi Hannah, my family is atheist/culturally Jewish. When my mom got a mezuzah cover as a housewarming gift, she hung it up without anything inside! Just the cover! So that's an option, and a funny expression of atheist/cultural Judaism.
I remember content about you moving into your current flat was some of the first content I watched of yours - it feels like coming full circle! Fingers crossed this move goes smoothly from here!
My top tip for moving: hire movers. We moved one neighbourhood over from a second story flat with the most steep stairs in existence to a house and those men were absolute machines and were able to move all our furniture and appliances in under three hours. We brought over the pets and they handled the rest. Best $600 I have ever spent.
We're completing on Friday (screams in excitement and terror). We only visited one house, we put an offer in, it was accepted. We went from 'we'll look at some' to 'this is going to be our house' concerningly fast, so I guess we're quite decisive too! (August to December). We can't sell our current place though as it has unsafe cladding (boo, the whole situation makes me very angry). Damn I should have asked on the discord before picking our solicitor because I've hated ours! We're hosting new year... it'll be An Experience 😂 We were very very clear about how many rooms it needed, how the space should be organised etc. So I feel you so much on having that criteria. (The housing market crash has been coming for like 2 years now so I also just decided not to listen to those things, we needed the move to have a baby). (I still haven't decided on the Mezuzah. I THINK we might have it on one of the rooms in the house but not on the front door - compromise! But also we haven't decided anything and also thinking about Jews Don't Count (excited for that video!) and your equal unsurity was very helpful thank you. My partner is probably similar to Dan in opinion.)
I feel like Dan should be a bit more open about you wanting to incorporate your cultural background into your family life, be that putting up a mezuzah or celebrating Jewish holidays (which you mentioned before he was also wary of because he's anti-religion, even though he seems fine with celebrating Christian holidays in a secular way)
I agree! It makes me sad to think that he wouldn't want Hannah to share those cultural traditions with him and their son just because he's anti religion. Most Jews I know express their religion in a cultural way, so there's nothing for him to be worried about, and if he can celebrate Christmas, an extremely religious holiday, in a secular way, he should be able to do the same for Jewish holidays.
As a Jew with a British atheist partner I have no understanding for Dan’s position whatsoever. In my household we celebrate every holiday and everyone has the same right to traditions. So this week we are doing secret Santa and Chanukah. There is no issue. I intend to raise my child (if I have one) in that same way. They will know who they are and enjoy all the traditions. I think Dan’s opinion is frankly uninformed, and a bit disrespectful.
I'm an atheist as well but I also never ever was a person that wasn't open to celebrate other people's cultures. If I had a religious partner as long as they didn't try to force me to convert or anything I would be more than happy to incorporate their traditions into our life much like my own. I'm personally also not a fan of Christmas but I'm also not keeping anyone from going all out as long as they respect how I view this. I'll celebrate with them in my own more subdued way.
I am new to my thr channel and didn’t know you were jewish! We have mixed religions in our family and both traditions are observed unless one spouse doesn’t care at all about his former religious upbringing traditions
I’m watching this sat on the sofa in my first home. I moved in yesterday and am still ferrying things to this house from my old rented one. This was the perfect first RU-vid video to watch in this house. I also had a conversation with a mortgage advisor that ended in me going to look for houses and I very quickly ended up buying this property. I locked in a mortgage rate right before they skyrocketed and I’m in the same camp as you of ‘move now and sit tight in a new place during the housing crash’. Having fixed my rate for two years I feel secure enough that I am able to fix up this house and stay long enough to ride the housing market and in a few years when I am ready to move on as I’ll be in a different stage of life, I know I will be glad of the equity. I completely get what you mean about the mezuzah in terms of religious childhood things that mean something but also realising it is your home and you decide what to do with it.
They aren't moving anymore. She shared a post on instagram where the spare room was turned into Rowan's bedroom. She also answered in the comments there that they no longer plan to move.
I'm so excited for you! This is awesome news. I remember when you were talking about buying the flat and now a house! How lovely is to see you achieve all this things.
My partner and I completed the week after the economy crashed. The run-up to completing was the worst of our lives without a doubt. We had to wait to find out if the bank was withdrawing our offer. Luckily, we ended up completing 2 days before our original fixed offer ran out. It was such a relief because we could not afford the massive interest hike. What we could originally afford when we started looking pre pandemic is not what we ended up with due to the market going mad. The house we ended up buying had nothing we wanted but we fell in love with it.
Mazel tov on your new house Hannah! My two cents worth….we are facing a time now of some of the ugliest antisemitism in 70 years. While that is scary for a young family like yours, it’s important not to hide. You have nothing to be ashamed of for being Jewish and London is relatively safe for Jews. Don’t let misinformed haters put you in the shadows. Even if you are not religious, having a mezuzah on your door is a reminder every day of you history and culture and the people to whom you belong. Rowan deserves to grow up with the pride of his heritage, not shame. I hope a family member gives you a fun and colorful mezuzah that you live so much that you just feel compelled to hang it.
I'm Jewish and my partner isn't and when we moved into our London flat I put up a mezuzah and it's been great for us. I'm from the US and grew up Reform (I think the equivalent in the UK is Progressive? Not sure - but we're definitely more culturally Jewish than religious) and I never had one growing up. I got one first at uni and then when I moved into my first flat with a friend (who was also not Jewish) and I've had one ever since. I guess being from the US I'm less concerned with sharing my Judaism and it's something I've openly shared with people since moving to London, but whenever I see someone else's house with one it makes me so happy. Obviously this is something for you and your family to consider but it's become a staple in my household and is something that my non-Jewish flatmate and now partner never had an issue with and have come to see as part of their household as well.
My husband is also an Atheist and was very anti-religion when we met. I was never going to tolerate it; the irony of so many Atheists seeking to avoid religious bigots is that they become bigots themselves. I was working in Interfaith Relations when we met so I brought him along to a lot of the projects I was working on and he got over the nonsense. He's still Atheist, and my cultural, not religious, identity is still steeped in Irish Catholicism and Irish Paganism, but now he plays Samhain games with me and he bought me a nativity set when we first moved in together around Christmas. Dan needs to embrace all of you.
This is so exciting! Congratulations! Also, definitely down for "adult" conversations like this going forward so no worries. I'm 28 and this is all stuff I'm thinking about/working towards, etc.
Exciting!!! What are you most excited for in the new house? (Also, why doesn't Dan want a mezuzah?) I moved house just about a year ago and I'm still not even halfway done decorating, lol. Time, energy & money are sparse
Just thinking have u got a hotel near where u can all stay for few days n family members has R there. So u move on Fri n u all stay there from the mon when u got main rooms set up. I would recommending a packing n unpacking services (if u only go for one packing service coz there know how to pack n can be pretty quick) so there pack everything n u put sticky note on what there r unpacking etc so u can at least can kitchen living room n main bedroom set up only idea n maybe ur assistant can help with vlog even if it’s main things like handing keys in n getting new keys. I love scrapbook but I think u need to do a book of pictures n memories of what has happened in the flat especially for ur son xx
Good luck on your move, hope it goes smoothly! By the way, our upsizing process was also super fast, and I know a lot of people who also bought the second/third house they looked at.
I’m so happy for you! My partner and I weren’t so lucky; we were trying to buy our first place together, a small 2 bed flat, and we got our mortgage application in just before the interest rates skyrocketed but then Liz Truss ruined it for us and our mortgage was one of the thousands that got rejected
I’m a full time conveyancer so happy to answer anyone’s questions or queries! I know it can be super stressful and overwhelming, even without the changes in the current market! 🧡
Congratulations on this big moment! If I were in your position, I would start packing right away to prevent the stress once you have your move-in date.
I just moved into an apartment on my own for the first time (renting). It’s a very stressful time money wise for so many people, myself included. And yet it’s the first time in my life I can afforded my own apartment after years of flatshares. I’m so so lucky and privileged to have parents who can still financially support me until I finish my studies in summer. But there’s also so much that went into getting where I am now. I’ve never been more stable mental health wise than I am now. Managing a full time bachelor’s degree in social work and a part time job as a social pedagogue. Being so busy and still living in a pandemic is isolating but now I get to have my own space that I can invite my friends and partners to and have my home be a home to my people too. It’s exciting, taking your own life and goals and needs and wishes seriously and taking risks in caring about and putting so much work into something. Congrats on the house, Hannah! Fingers crossed that it all goes over smoothly ❤
We also just bought a house, with help of my parents and it's wild, how quickly it can go. We should get the keys abotu two months after the wieving o.O Also it's the first and only one we went to look at, becouse we're really picky :D But we don't have kids and might never have, because nature, so I was wondering why haven't you bought bigger flat when you knew, you want kids? We're buying big enough to acommodate potential kids in the future.
Thank you for doing the explaining mortgages thing at the start! My brother bought a house last year and he was terrible at explaining it 😂 Not looking forward to buying a house in the next 5-10 years
Not sure why, but just so you know the audio on your videos is usually a lot lower in volume than other videos on YT, and also sounds a bit stuffy or muffled - but that may be because you're a little congested 😅
Aren't three bedroom houses costing £500,000 and above in London now! I'm sure some of them go for up to a million depending on where exactly they are!
I'm German, a lot of people here rent a flat their while life and I saw myself going that route because I don't like the feeling of being strung down by a place, if I want to move. Also house maintenance can get very expensive. Also I enjoy the community and energy savings of living in a block home, I don't have to use the heater that much. Anyway, I recently talked to someone from Dublin and he explained that renting a place for more than a year is considered weird in Ireland. How is the culture of renting Vs buying in the UK? Growing up, I thought that owning a place is something only middle-to-upper-class-people can afford, but my horizon is broadened that it's very different in different areas and countries.
Mainly because rents in Ireland are absolutely insane money, and a mortgage is much much cheaper. Also, landlords are horrible and won't let you paint walls/have kids/have pets/sometimes even put paintings/pictures up (because it would "damage the walls"), and so a house you own is just much better with a lot more freedom. Landlords also often let the place "furnished" but it's just full of the crap furniture they chucked out of their own house, and you have no choice but to try to decorate around the most disgusting black leather sofa you've ever seen.
I wouldn't say that's true that people don't rent longer than 1 year. I'm in my late twenties and have been renting (housharing) for the past 4 years and that's very much the norm. Rent in Ireland has always been expensive but recently it has gone off the scale, but so have house prices to buy as there is a lack of supply for both. So people are stuck between a rock and a hard place. But renting a place for more than one year is definitely very common and not weird at all. The only thing is that people don't tend to rent for life in Ireland, it's far more common and seen as the norm to buy eventually
Hi, yay love moving/Reno videos, more please.(floor plans are my crack lol 🥰) questions: could you give us the floor plans or a rough walkthrough and a bit more info on the other two properties you saw (and the notions, and notes and thoughts you had on them) curious to know if time had gone by and you hadn’t found anything else you remotely liked would you have revisited the other two options and tried to make it work I.e extensions/remodelling, doing up certain rooms as needed, lodger friend, extra mortgage from family, what would have been your plan b in that scenario? Don’t know if this is the right place to ask the Q’s if not could some friendly person point Hannah in it’s direction please. To any one reading I hope you are doing good and having a nice week, stay safe, happy and healthy and have lots of fun and a life full of love. (And let’s all please try to be kind to one another). Lots of love. Kelly
in France here, so our mortgage rate is fixed for 20 years, lol, though we can break it at any time. But we got in right before things started going south, and we got maybe the best interest rate we could possibly get, I mean minus building co-op fees and utilities and stuff, our mortgage is around what we were paying for a small 1 bedroom, and we have a 2 bedroom now with a humongous living room, I feel like if we don't have any kids we'll be staying here until we die, lol, because it's so far met all of our needs. Now I just gotta make it so that everything is up to date and more comfortable that a basic white rental box, lol
I was going to ask if you'd consider sharing the location of your current flat because I'm just super curious but when you mentioned you're staying there, I understood. 😁 I'm a bit envious but so happy for you. And looking forward to more videos about settling in! 💛
Interesting. The sellers of our flat used the Partnership, and my god, we couldn't have had a more different experience than you. Not that our solicitors covered themselves in glory, but the Partnership were something else. Just goes to show how different peoples' experiences can be (mind you, this was three years ago now).
I’ve watched so many videos and read so many articles about mortgages and I still don’t know a thing. It just doesn’t click for me. I definitely wouldn’t be accepted anytime soon due to my credit score - but I don’t want to rent forever 😅
I love (no) the fact that if you can't pay your mortgage you pay fees BUT if you can pay your mortgage in advance you pay fees. 🙃 We really need to dismantle banks and the finance system
If you are upsizing, it does not make any difference whether the market crashes or not. You need to sell your flat anyway and put the money towards the new place, the only thing that will matter is the price difference between the old and the new! Congratulations are in order, very excited for the moving vlog xxx
I just upsized myself in preparation for having a family. It was a journey full of ups and downs. The one piece of advice I will give is pay people to move your belongings. It was 400 euro for two guys to deconstruct all of our furniture and do all of the lifting etc, we had packed away our actual things but they did all of the rest and it was the best money I've ever spent. My back and my sanity thanked me for it!
My spouse and I bought our first home in 2021. It's in a co-op in the US, which is like a condo...which is I guess like a flat in the UK? Anyway, after over a year in our home I finally put up a mezuzah, and I'm so glad I did! My spouse isn't Jewish like me, but he was totally supportive. It reminds me of home growing up, and especially my dad and my grandmother, who have passed away. It's also not the only mezuzah in our building, which is a lovely feeling of community. Really looking forward to your chat with David Baddiel--I'm reading his book Jews Don't Count now, which I first heard about on your channel! I'd love to hear an update about the mezuzah decision when you move :)
Hannah this is so helpful! I could of done with this video 2 months ago when I was remortgaging! It’s so hard to get a clear break down of how it works and I hope this video helps other people going through this stress ❤️
Having built and bought and sold several houses in my lifetime, and lived through the ups and downs of all kinds of housing markets, I think your ideas are spot on. Your concerns should be: Can I afford this mortgage? Is my income stable?, things along those lines. This house is not meant to be a financial investment, it is meant to be your home. Yes, it's nice if you can make money in the long run, but who knows what is going to happen in 10+ years time. The market could go through a few ups and downs during that time. Best wishes on the process! Looking forward to any moving and new home content you decide to produce!
Hey Hannah, love your videos! Not sure if anyone else has noticed this, but the audio on your videos seems to be quite a lot quieter than anyone else I watch. Not a problem, just an observation!
Why wouldn't Dan want the mezuza ? You already seemed to say he thought it would be "weird" to do jewish holidays with your son. Doesn't that seem intriguing ? What if you were from another culture/background, would anyone accept the fact that he's so disturbed by it ?
It's his right, and just between you two, However, a big subject like Faith would, I thought , have been discussed prior to marriage ( sorry, i dont actually know if youre married or not) or definitely having children. As a Born Again Christian I always knew I could never marry anybody who didn't share my beliefs. Its in the Bible that, like the oxen in the field we are to be "evenly yolked". Meaning we are to evenly share all aspects of life, each putting Jesus, The Word of God and prayer first, and sharing all decisions based on this Faith. Happily my husband and I met, and fell in love instantly at 19. We've been together and happily still in love 37 years, married for 33. We are Blessed to know God indeed brought us together. If we hadn't met, I wouldn't have married an unbeliever, because I cannot envision relying on God to guide my steps through this life whilst sharing it with someone who just doesn't live that way. It just wouldn't work for either of us. I hope you and Dan come to a peaceful solution, whatever you both choose ,regarding all aspects of your Jewish upbringing and Culture.( and it is only you two who can decide how you approach your lives together) It doesn't appear that you have a strong Faith yourself, again that's absolutely your choice., but its something that will keep arising unless you make clear both of your needs and expectations. Otherwise you won't be equipt when / if family try to influence you. Both enjoy a long, happy, Blessed life together ♥ God Bless you both and your future children 🙏
Hey Hannah sure your well aware of this but one thing that really can bite you financially was all of the post moving costs. Solicitor fees, estate agents fees, house moving fees etc etc we were so lucky we got advise to add this into our mortgage amount else would have never have afforded it. Really not an insignificant amount. Good luck with the move always going to be a very stressful time but sure the new family home will be well worth it all 😁
I consider myself fluent in English despite it not being my first language but there were... SO many words I have genuinely never heard before in this video haha! So interesting to hear your process so far and wishing you the best of luck with the new house
Congrats! I am first-time buyer at a similar stage in the process to you. The uncertainty of timing is absolutely killing me! Your solicitor sounds fabulous, mine disappears every two weeks! Thought this topic was so boring before but now I'm in it I'm obsessed!
Several family members are in this process at the moment so I am like weirdly educated on a thing I am years away from ever being able to afford 😭 my partner is an ECT science teacher and I am a freelance artist, so you can imagine that doesn't exactly produce a crazy combined income, even taking into account we both still live with our parents. One day maybe
it's interesting to see the differences and similarities between your and Lucy Moon's processes of buying a new property around the same time. I think it's a good insight into the london market at the moment imo.
We moved right at the beginning of the pandemic. It was our 1st home, so it was relatively easy. I think, we put in an offer, and it got accepted within 7 days of the property going on the market. I was sceptical until the moment we picked up our keys that everything would go smoothly, but it did! I was particularly scared because we had put in a notice on the flat we were renting and we don't have any family in the UK, so we would have been stranded if anything had happened lol
This is super interesting to me, so don’t worry. :) we are on the same timeline as you but with a 2 year lag :) our mortgage for our 2BR flat will expire in 2025, and we’re gonna try for a baby soon. 😅 so if everything works we will be in the same position in exactly two years! We also bought with HTB, partially inspired by you. Feels like we’re growing up together 😭
Hannah, if you and Dan, in the near or far future, need good architects, hit up Jeff Kahane Associates, especially if you are situated in North London. I am not only saying it because I work there, but the director is the most kind and knowledge architect I have met. As for contractors, MH Costa are the best. They are like the solicitors you linked, in terms of organisation and precision, but builders (they have instagram, pinterest and a website).
Thank you so much for talking about this!! I'm not going to be in a position to buy any time soon but it's so valuable to normalise talking about personal finances, and for me to have resources like this to get some awareness into my head at a time when I don't neeeeeed to know it. I don't have parents or any grown up to ask, so I so appreciate you being open about your experiences - thank you!!!!
Watching this video is like living a nearly parallel stage of life, but in a different country. We also have a baby (just turned 8 months old), and have just listed our house for sale and are house-hunting with intentions to upsize (baby stuff takes up SO MUCH space!). I am definitely nervous and worried doing this process in these uncertain times, and also struggling to manage being a mother to my baby while packing/cleaning/etc. There is just SO much to be done and only so many hours in the day. 😮💨
My husband and I (Canadian) bought a house last summer in the craziest market Canada has ever seen (at least in our area). Houses were moving so fast, and for more than double their listing price before even being listed online. We viewed our house on a Thursday. We offered Friday morning, all offers were reviewed at a set time on Monday and we officially bought a house on Wednesday after a VERY rushed home inspection. I appreciate the stress you’re going though. Congrats on the almost new house :)
This will be my exact situation next year! Currently pregnant and due in April 23 and want to move end of next year even though we are in a fixed term mortgage until 24. Feel like this video was made for me haha! But seriously I think it is great to see videos on mortgages and finances because you only really learn about it when you are experiencing it and also it changes all the time.
Don't mention the Liz Truss/ Kwasi Kwarteng "kamikazé" "disaster" budget! Although I live in France and originally from London, I followed the news very closely when the $£€& show happened with that disastrous budget between Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng and I have to say, I was embarrassed, shocked, beside myself, outraged and offended by the disastrous budget! It was such an embarrassment, I don't even want to think about it anymore and I can only imagine the eye watering shocking reaction of all of you back in the UK when that budget was announced! I was shocked and couldn't believe the $£&€ show myself, despite living in France! I'm glad that disaster got stopped in its tracks very quickly although I feel so sorry for all of you that were offended by the budget
I'm so happy to hear you like your solicitors! I work as a trainee property solicitor and we so often just get people complaining despite us obviously doing everything we can!
I bought my first house in Fall 2020 when things felt very uncertain but interest prices were super low. I'd been tentatively looking, but since I wasn't spending money all spring and summer, my down payment built up much faster than anticipated. The actual process of looking at this house went insanely fast, but it was the first place that fully completely felt like mine and like it was a space designed for my needs.
We just moved right before Christmas with a 2 year old and a 4.5 year old from a rental house to a house we just bought. We had previously sold our other house the year before when the market was really high here in the US. So, we moved with an almost 1 year old and 3 year old then with a 2 year old and a 4.5 year old....it's a LOT. It's stressful. I feel for you. But, it's also SO worth it to end up in the house/place you want. :) This house is our forever home and the kids (and our dog) have more space and love it!
Hard relate on the nervous energy. I also bought a house whilst Liz Truss was bombing the economy, and also will have an 8/9mo baby when we move (also a 3yo). We'll be moving in February. I'm a big ball of stress. Please give me alllll the house moving content for me to watch so I feel less alone in it lmao
My husband and I had a similar experience this summer, it all happened pretty quickly and we’ve been so happy to be in a home, we’ve chosen to be childfree but it was time for more space for us to be able to comfortable cook together, work from home and to add a couple of new pets to our little family :) I’m happy to hear that things are coming together so nicely for you all!! Will definitely be on the lookout for an announcement that you’ve got the keys! Congratulations!!!🎉
Unrelated, but I would love a video about your current favourite feminist/LGTBQ+/sex-and-relationship shows! Thanks for this video, Hannah, it's always nice to hear a relatable woman openly talking about their own finances! :) xx
Congratulations! And I hope the process will be as smooth a s possible. Let me know if you need an architect (I'm a fully qualified one) for renovations or extensions or just design ideas. :-)
When Hannah says 3 months might be a bit fast.... From the time my place was listed to when my offer was accepted was just 72 hours. I moved in a month later....
In the UK do they not have 15 or 30 year fixed? (like the whole thing is fixed) That's all I'm used to here in the US, though I asked my husband and I guess we also have ones that do part fixed and part variable.
We moved from a 25msq cabin to a 3 bed house over the last weekend of October. We have a baby also and my biggest recommendation is if you can at all, get someone to mind the baby OUTSIDE the flat, ideal for full days, while you’re packing and cleaning! Babies are very distracting 🫣
We moved house in September. Did one day of viewings, fell in love with the third house, put an offer in the next day and we're accepted. We were only under contract for something like 45 days, had all our inspections and etc, got the keys August 30 and had to be out of our apartment September 30. It was insane and the housing market honestly was not favorable, but talking to our realtor we decided now was the time. The housing shortage in the US is going to take decades to resolve, so honestly even if inflation chills the fuck out buying a house isn't going to get any easier for a long, long time.
We are moving and offered on our house 8th September, then had to sell our house quickly too after, as we'd tried doing it twice before selling our house first and the market has been crazy. So yh we've experienced the whole Liz Truss stress situation 🤦♀️
Myself, my partner and my bump are looking to move out of my in laws house outside of London. We feel if we don’t get on the market now, as first home buyers, we will miss our opportunity. Will it happen before baby comes? Most definitely not, but it’s been fun looking!
literally the opposite to you... moving out of my rented flat back to my parents so that i can afford things again! and hopefully be able to start saving to buy in the next couple?few? years
Re whether or not to place a Mezuzah... I expect most of your new neighbors won't know what it means unless they're Jewish themselves. You would know much better than any of us what Dan's position is likely to be, but... it might be fair to say that the decision to place one is on the same scale as the decision to get Christmas trees or put a wreath on the door. Yes it's full-time rather than seasonal, but it's also quite a bit _smaller_, and most people won't notice it if they're not looking for it. The main reason I don't have one myself is that I rent and installing one properly has the potential for it to become a point of conflict with my landlord.
I feit the same as you, we also went from 'having a look' to 'oh shit we bought a house'. We went looking on a saturday at the beginning of october, put in an offre on monday and moved in on the 2nd of december!
Just from the perspective of living and working in London, I would be interested in hearing what level of closeness to central London you have managed to buy. Obviously, not asking for the details of where you're living but just a gauge of distance from the centre. Would love to buy in London but obviously its hugely expensive and everyone says its impossible on a normal salary!
Hannah, I’m in near enough the same position as you (moving from a new build flat to a 3 bed Victorian terrace, with a mortgage offer that went through JUST before the mini budget fiasco, and will be moving with our newborn in Jan 😅)! We have similar concerns about the housing market, but our thoughts are that a lot can happen during 10 years. Sure, we could be paying top, top value for it rn, but even if the value drops tomorrow, it won’t matter so long as we can afford repayments. Living with enough space and making a family home with our son is really important to us. That’s our priority. I’m mainly feeling super grateful that everything went through before it all went to shit with Liz Truss’ stint as PM! So many friends now can’t afford to move. Good luck with the rest of the process!
We are in a similar position, our house is sold,offer accepted on our next, waiting currently for the people selling to find their next. We are forced to move by bad neighbours but also thought it we can afford it now then let's do it. If the market changes all houses change in the same way so might as well be happy when it if they do right
So I know Nothing but it seems to be that if interest rates are just going to go up and up (which is seemingly like the case), and if the market is abit scared so perhaps prices are at least stable or if anything going down, plus as u said the factors with your income etc, then it is probs the best time as it's going to be do make the jump 👍🏻 Best of luck! I am living overseas at the moment so not in a position to buy a place but so keen... currently living in a 1 bdrm apartment with a bubba and just making it work 😋
Happy Hanukkah! Good luck on the house move. So stressful but hopefully it will all be worth it. Also moving house hopefully, it has ben super stressful.
I know what you mean about not listening to what else is going on, recently had to make an expensive decision about my mortgage and still regretting it. But I’m a few weeks it might seem like it was a good idea. Previous house I would have paid off the mortgage by now. Instead I owe more on this than I ever owed on the other. Gulp. Didn’t actually have a choice as it was the only way I could see to get a mortgage that goes past then end of my current job - we got our funding cut. So I solved my crisis by spending all my money. Makes no logical sense.
I moved 5 times before my daughter turned one... get movers/man with a van. Just get all the stuff from one place to the other as quickly ask possible. Then worry about making it liveable 😊
