Property update

If this blog were a child I would most certainly be guilty of neglect! I really need to update more often.

To update on the previous post about being gazumped on a flat, we did find another flat shortly after that and the sale completes this week. Yay! We had a bit of a panic after we lost the last one as there really wasn't anything available in our price range in the area and a shortage of new properties coming onto the market, and we had a mortgage offer that was ticking away. With the interest rates continuing to come down I really wanted to avoid letting the offer expire and having to reapply as a) it was unlikely we would be offered the same low rate again, and b) who loves doing all that mortgage application paperwork?! I spotted a place in the next neighbourhood along (Kilburn, to those in the know) and we considered making the compromise of moving down the road to a not bad but not quite as swanky neighbourhood. The flat is bigger, a 2 bed, and 10 years old so in good shape, with gated private parking and very close to the tube and buses on a nice street. It was priced above our budget but worth a look so we checked it out and decided it would be the right move if we could get them down to our price. It took a few days of negotiations but luckily we managed to knock them down quite a bit to reach our price range. Bless them! Things moved quickly, thankfully, and we exchanged contracts within a few weeks. Such a relief!

We move in next week. We're dreading the packing and the moving but are really looking forward to being there and settling into our new home. It's a nice little flat and as it's so new it doesn't need much work. The owner we are buying from bought the flat new when it was built and is therefore the only owner it has had, and she has kept it in great condition so it really doesn't need much doing to it. Apart from a little paint and cosmetic changes to make it ours, it needs nothing. Hurrah to that!

I'm sure there will be photo and possibly even video documentation of the moving process so watch this space. We have hired movers to do this move though, so hopefully there will be no more falling down the stairs carrying a big box incidents this time!