I bought a house!

This week has been pretty hectic- I've been away for a work conference at a hotel which had the world's slowest internet- so I haven't had a chance to update about the house.

Last weekend, having received all of the reports and whatnot by that point, I made the decision that I was happy with the reports and that I wanted to go unconditional. I spoke to my lawyer on Monday, and they informed the vendor's lawyer I was confirming the agreement. On Tuesday the estate agent contacted me and gave me the payment instructions for the deposit. And I paid it and- well. That was that!

There's still the three months of waiting until the settlement date, but essentially, the house is mine!

There were two minor things that my lawyer asked the vendor to fix, and they said they would (very minor, and if the settlement date was this side of the new year I wouldn't have mentioned it, but they're of the 'could get worse with time' type). So nothing much to worry about really!

I'm very excited by the whole thing- I had my first really gleeful moment on Tuesday when I realised it was all a done deal. Since then I've been too busy to really think about it, but I'm now in the daydreaming stage, where I'm planning where the furniture will go, and what colour to paint the walls.

I plan to make some mood boards, which I'll share here if I come up with anything good. I'm also working on some art work for the house, since I can't wait to finally be able to hang pictures as and when I want to, wherever I like.

The road to unconditional

I know buying a house is a little different depending on where you are in the world, so I thought I'd write a bit about what I'm going through at the moment and what it all means.

On Tuesday the 13th of November, I put in a conditional offer, which was accepted, and I had 10 working days (ie, until 4pm on the 27th of November) to satisfy all conditions or pull out of the deal.

My conditions were to have satisfied:

• Finance
• Registered valuation
• LIM
• Building report

Finance is mostly sorted- I was pre-approved by the bank, but they needed the registered valuation to finalise it. It takes ages for them to cross all the T's and dot all the lower-case J's so I'm still waiting to have that confirmed. 

I emailed 5 companies to do a valuation, last Wednesday. Three got back to me. I went with the first one, which happened to be the cheapest (which is not at all cheap! I was shocked by the price!) and because they said they could get it done quickest. Well, they went to the house to do the valuation last Thursday, and she phoned to let me know what value she'd put on the property (a little above what I'd offered, which was a relief!) and said that the bank, and I, would get the report possibly on Friday, but Monday at the latest. In the end, the bank received it on Monday, and I received mine on Wednesday. I was not impressed, especially as they'd dated the invoice Monday, and I have until next Monday to pay. Definitely won't use them again, although the valuation appeared to be quite thorough. 

I ordered the LIM online on Friday, and it was ready to be picked up on Wednesday before lunch. It was $300, which is a lot of money to pay for a few pieces of paper, but it cleared up a few questions I had, and I couldn't see any issues with it. 

The building inspection was done this morning, and the guy phoned me this evening to have a quick chat about it ahead of sending the report. Basically, the house is pretty solid, has a few minor things (roof needs repainting which I knew and had budgeted for) and one thing that I'll need to get the vendor to fix (a leaky tap in the basement which is causing the damp and, really, is something they should have fixed a long time ago, but I've already suspected the vendor doesn't really know much about houses nor do they care about anything beyond the superficial). 

By next Tuesday, I need to tell the vendor whether I've satisfied all conditions. So far, it's looking pretty good! Fingers crossed that the building report looks all okay (my dad, who is in the industry, will look over it and let me know what's up with it) and the bank say the final yes to the mortgage!

Hopefully next week, I'll be posting with some really good news! 

The first step

So, that house I've been talking about? I put in an offer on Friday, they rejected it, and I put in a slightly higher offer yesterday verbally but due to various things I was unable to go in to sign the new Sale & Purchase agreement until today. The vendor verbally accepted the new offer, and the agent was taking the agreement to them tonight to sign.

It's a really, really long settlement date, which is annoying but we've managed to work it so it fits in with our lease on our current place. I didn't want to be here for Christmas, but it's better than being out on the street.

Obviously, there's a lot of work to be done in the next two weeks (and a lot of money to be spent) as I get a valuation, builders report and LIM done, but all being well, on the 27th of November it'll go unconditional and come March we'll have a brand new home.

I'm already looking at home and garden magazines to get ideas for decor, while the back of my mind is thinking about the bigger jobs that need doing eventually.

I'm not letting myself get excited. People I've told seem puzzled by my calm reaction to the whole thing, but I don't like to count my chickens before they're hatched (chickens! We'll have enough land we could have chickens if we wanted!) so my excitement will come once the reports come back perfectly fine. Fingers crossed!

It means I have to talk to a lot of different people and get estimates of cost and whatnot. I'm no good with that sort of thing as I'd rather be recommended someone really good and pay what they're asking since I know they'll do good work. So this whole housebuying experience is going to be a brand new thing for me!

I'll update again when I have more news. The next two weeks are going to be nailbiting! 

Being a grown up and making grown up decisions

I've spent a good few days thinking about that house, trying to make up my mind. I spoke to a lawyer today (I've never had a lawyer for anything in my life before, but now I guess I  have one?) and it made me feel better about the whole process (I wish I'd ignored advice and talked to her before I made an offer on the Other House). But still...I wasn't sure.

And then the agent phoned me. Not right away like other places have done. Not constantly until I answered the call. Almost 48 hours from my second viewing. It was so low-pressure. She didn't try and rush me into putting in an offer- in fact she made it clear there wasn't much interest in the house and that no other offers were likely to be put in but if someone did she would let me know straight away. And she said she'd spoken to the vendor and that they wanted to reiterate that the price was negotiable. Which I think is a good sign.

And the lack of pressure, compared to the last guy, made something click. My fear of putting in an offer was gone.

I read somewhere that you should make your first offer 10% below asking price. I think in this case it's a bit insulting so I'm going in with what I think is fair, to both me and the vendor. Which I know isn't how these things are done, but that's the way I am.

So. Tomorrow morning I will phone the agent (I told her I loved the house, was thinking things over, and would let her know by the end of the week) and make the offer. And hopefully they will have a serious think about it and then, all being well, accept.

Of course, now that it's almost time for bed, that relaxed, happy and excited feeling is being replaced by one of pure terror.

My utmost concerns seem to be:

What if they accept, and then something bad happens and I get taken to court and sued for everything I have? (which is ridiculous because a) I don't have that much and b) I'm making a conditional offer)

What if I buy the house and then it falls down? (which is ridiculous because I'll be getting a building inspection done which would make it clear if the house was safe or not, and if not I would end the deal before it becomes unconditional)

Why am I buying a house, this is insane and grown up and crazy! (which is ridiculous because the fear of buying a house and being tied into a mortgage for 20+ years is less than the rage I feel whenever I add up everything I've spent in rent in my lifetime or even this year)

Other horrific, make no sense fears that aren't grounded in reality at all (which are ridiculous because I over prepare rather than under prepare and they might not even accept the offer and there are laws that protect me just as much as there are laws that protect them and also I love the house and think it'll be great)

I'm trying to suck it up and get over these fears. And tomorrow I will be a big girl, will lift my chin and make the offer. And then worry about it for the next however long it takes to be accepted/refused etc. 

Second look, still love it

This morning I went for a second look at the hillside house. That's what I'm calling it in my head now.

I took a friend, who, it turned out, knows the agent's daughter! This is such a small city!

We got there a few minutes before the agent and had a look around the garden. It's got a lot of potential, I think, as there's a mass of untouched land that lambs graze on at the moment, that could definitely be established as a garden a bit more.

We got to look in the basement, which has potential for making a lovely workshop/studio for me, which is something I've always wanted to have. The couple bought the house three years ago, and have done up most of it, except for the bathroom, which is liveable but would definitely need updating within the next couple of years. So there's some work that needs to be done.

I asked my friend what she'd pay for it, and she said RV would be very generous. I went home and got a QV report on it, and found out they bought the place for $23k less than RV, and it's unlikely the value increased much between the time they bought it, and when the RV was done. I spoke to my poor parents, who are in the UK so were talking to me at 1 in the morning, about it- my dad is in the building industry so he estimated they spent no more than $20k on the house. So RV is very generous. Plus, to do up the bathroom and basement, and also a few other bits and pieces, like repainting the roof, would cost more than $14k which is the difference between RV and asking price.

So. Right now I'm thinking I will wait a day or so- I'm not being rushed into anything, like I was at the last place!- and then put in an offer at RV. And then wait and see what they say. And then I'll see what happens from there.

Hopefully the next time I update my blog, I will have news! 

Take two.

Only two houses viewed this weekend.

The first, on Saturday, was very close to where we're living now, next door to a house I'd already looked at (and dismissed, based on how much they wanted which was ridiculously overpriced). The bedrooms were nice, and it was pleasant to walk into a house with even floors! The garden had a lot of potential. But the kitchen was cheap and nasty and the bathroom needed redoing- and possibly had a leak issue.
I spoke to the agent- who is the friend of a friend who stopped me from wasting money on the falling-down-house before- and the vendor wanted $45k over RV! For what I'd consider to be an unfinished house! You'd spend $20k at LEAST to do up the kitchen and bathroom, and that would be on the cheap. So $65k over RV to make it a decent house? No thank you!

So I was feeling quite despondent when we went to look at the second house on Saturday. It had been on the market for a couple of weeks, and I must have dismissed it for some reason, or missed it. It's in my ideal suburb so I'm not sure how I missed it!

Well. It was very quiet. One couple was leaving as we arrived and, 10 minutes later as we left, another couple turned up. Very different from the 15-40 people we've had to contend with at other house. I wasn't sure if that was a good sign or not! The house is a back section, which a lot of people don't like. But I'm not opposed to it. It comes with a ridiculous amount of land, which is laughable for me since I have the opposite of a green thumb! Apparently there's a nearby farmer who grazes his sheep on the land- and it's only 15 minutes to the city! The house itself was wonderfully looked after- well decorated and warm and dry. Not a spot of mould. The bathroom wasn't to my taste, and the kitchen/dining/lounge was probably smaller than at our rental place. Two doubles, and one single bedroom. And considering the size of the land, not the biggest usable garden, since most of it's on the side of the hill.

And yet. I loved it. I walked away thinking about how our furniture would fit into it.

Then I purposely didn't think about it for the rest of the weekend. This morning I woke up and thought "I hope no one else has snapped up that house!". And still, I took it slow. I didn't rush to call the agent. I've just done that, and it's 4pm. I left a message and am waiting for her to get back to me so I can go and have a second look tomorrow with a trusty friend who knows about houses. I'm hoping she gets back to me soon!

The asking price is $14k above RV and, despite not liking the bathroom, the only thing that really needs doing is redecorating to my tastes and the garden!

I'm hoping that it's too small for most people- for me and my bestfriend/flat mate, and my parents to visit, and 6 budgies and whatever other pets we'd accumulate, it's big enough! The usable garden is a little small for people with children, and being a back section is apparently very unpopular! I quite like the way it felt rural, without actually being rural!

So. Here we go again, maybe. Wish me luck!

The hunt continues

Another weekend, another bunch of open homes to view.

Today we looked at 5 houses, all in the same range of RV.

The first house obviously had some issues with the flooring or, worse, the  piles. Every room was uneven, had sections that gave a lot under your feet when you walked over it...basically, it was worrying. They wanted $5k under RV, but it would cost so  much more to fix if it was the piles. And fixing something this serious isn't high on my list of things I'm willing to do when I get a house.

House number two was locked, and so the estate agent broke in by reaching in through an open window to unlock the back door. Which didn't give me high hopes as to the security of the place. It was nice enough inside, although the bathroom would need to be completely redone, and there was a lot of mould and damp in the ceiling. Also, it's rented to students who have not looked after the place.

House number 3 had an advertised open day of 1.45. We, along with a dozen other people, got there at about 20 to 2. It was funny, because by now we began to recognise other people who were also seeing the same houses as us. We waited until quarter to, then walked up to the house- no sign of the real estate agent. Everyone was standing around at this point. I'd say around 30 people were there. At 5 to 2 she showed up, took her time getting out of the car, then turned around and instead of apologising for being late she said, "Come on then!" and walked up into the house. That turned me off immediately, moreso than the rundown look of the house. The steps leading up were ridiculously steep, and the last step, onto the front porch was very high, even for me (and I'm a smidge under 5 foot 8). The house was nice enough inside, if somewhat run down, and the estate agent didn't even bother handing out flyers with information- she was too busy having a chat with someone she knew. We had a quick look at the garden, but the dead mouse on the lawn - and the horrified look on its face- were enough of an omen. We were out of there!

And on to the fourth house. It was in a lovely location, at the bottom of a quiet cul-de-sac. But as soon as we stepped in it was obvious the photos were very old, and the rooms were tiny. They were what I'd call a UK double- you could fit a double bed in to the room, but that's about it. I want a NZ double, which have room for a double bed and a tonne of furniture or, even like the room I have here at our rental, which could easily fit two double beds and still have room to move around. I wasn't impressed, overall, and it just seemed incredibly dinky for what they were asking, even despite the wonderful view.

My flatmate, B, remarked that maybe we were saving the best until last. And when we walked up to the 5th house, I knew she was right. It was, quite simply, amazing. Same beautiful views, but huge rooms, well maintained, not a spot of mould anywhere. The garden was smallish (which suits me fine) but the rooms were huge and the kitchen and bathroom lovely. The downside- we overheard the agent talking to one of the 40 or more people who were there, and they were wanting $50-80k over RV. Which is insane even though it was beautiful.

So. A wasted day in many respects. I walked out of the last house feeling incredibly dejected. When will I find a place that's right for me, in the right price range? I don't want much, not really. Just somewhere that isn't damp and isn't falling apart.

Next weekend. It's a mantra I keep telling myself. Next weekend, it'll turn up, the perfect house for me. 

The practice run

I'd barely finished writing the last blog post when the estate agent called to say that someone was putting in an offer on House A. He said if I was still interested I could go and have another look yesterday afternoon. So we zoomed round, a well-experienced friend in tow, and had another look round.

The agent was...not very pleasant. But I liked the place and after a lot of talk with my friends and a long thought process, I called the agent last night and put in an offer, under the asking price. I'm not good at this negotiating type business so my friend advised me on what to offer, and I'm glad I took her advice! She gave me an important piece of advice, which is the most useful thing I've heard or read so far.

She said: Either go into a house purchase thinking sensibly or emotionally. Either is fine, just know what you're looking for. If it's your dream house, bid emotionally- place a higher bid to ensure you get the place, and if it's your ideal home, you won't think about the money you could have saved if you'd bid lower. But if it's not your dream house, bid sensibly- figure out how much it'll cost to make the place liveable and also resaleable a few years down the line. And use that figure to help you figure what lower-than-asked bid you're willing to put in.

And so I decided to be a sensible bidder. It certainly wasn't my dream house. So I put in an offer 10k under asking price. I went to the agents this afternoon and signed the Sale and Purchase agreement. I felt a bit...not bullied, but strongly led by the agent at times, and I didn't like his whole attitude. It meant that although I made sure the conditions and clauses were what I wanted, I had to stand up for myself more than I'd have liked. So I was more nervous than elated when I left the agents.

He said he was going to call the vendor as soon as I left and put forward the two offers he'd received (he'd expected three but only two ended up being signed, which was interesting). I got home and about 10 minutes later the agent phoned.

The vendor went with the other offer. The agent said that they'd offered slightly more than I had and that there wasn't much in it. So I'm quite happy that I offered what I did.

The strangest thing was that, overall, I'm not all that disappointed. I didn't like how rushed everything was as I much prefer to sit and consider than dash into something literally overnight. I think that if my offer had been accepted, I would have been a nervous wreck every day until we had possession, worrying.

Now I feel like I can sit back, keep looking, and that I know what to expect from making offers and signing agreements. So I'm calling this house my practice run.

Who knows what'll happen next! Maybe the perfect house is just around the corner!

The hunt- is it almost over?

I've been house hunting for a couple of months now. I know that in the grand scheme of things that's hardly any length of time at all, but it feels like forever.

Possibly it's the impending deadline of our rental house lease being up at the beginning of December breathing down my neck, but I'd hoped we'd have found somewhere by now. I had pictured it all in my head- find a house by the beginning of October, move in by December.

A few weeks ago I thought I'd found the perfect place- decent enough looking, great location, few minor things that needed to be fixed, but it had a lot of character. Luckily we managed to get hold of the building report from the last time the house had been sold, a year or so ago (it's not what you know, it's who you know!) which made it clear that the house was basically falling down and would require more money than I could ever afford to make it safe and liveable. Typical of me, really, to find a house like that and like it.

Still, I wasn't broken hearted, just dejected. Week after week we'd view houses, and none of them were the right ones. And I began to realise that there was a difference between my Dream Forever House and my Dream For-A-While House. So I started to reconsider my Must-haves list.

Two months ago I started out with this list:

Must  have:
Three double bedrooms
Modern kitchen and bathroom
OSP
Reasonably sized garden (not less than 400sqm total)
Be in a certain area of the city

Would prefer, but not deal breaker:
Open plan kitchen/dining/living
Second toilet
Easy care garden

And now, I've found a house that ticks some of my Must Haves (location, OSP, garden size and ease) but fails to meet them for the kitchen and room size. And yet I love it. I adore it. I could immediately picture us living there and it's all I've thought of since.

The house has two double bedrooms and one single, but they have built in wardrobes. It has a decent sized lounge, and an open plan kitchen and dining room, leading into an adorable little conservatory. It has a separate laundry (you have to go outside to get to it) with a second toilet, and an even more separate office/workspace. The garden is a postage stamp, but adorable. The decor is older than I am. And there are cracks in the walls and ceiling that I'd have to fix. At least one section of the roof needs replacing asap.

And yet. I'm in love with it. I can imagine curling up in the conservatory reading a book. I can imagine what the bedrooms would look like with our furniture and painted up the way I like. It could be amazing. It could be home.

I had a feeling, as the weekend approached that this would be it- that one of the houses I'd planned to see this weekend would be The One. I suspected it would be house A, the one I've fallen in love with, which had just gone on the market on Friday, or house B, a house that had been on the market for awhile but had dropped 10k in price. House A was the last place we looked at yesterday. But to make sure it was the one, we went to look at a couple more today- one was lovely and well done up but didn't entrance me the way house A did (or at least, not in a way that wasn't related to the light fixtures which I've taken photos of as they would look amazing in house A. And house B was just...not right. I walked in and thought 'meh, whatever'.

And to me, that's made it clear that house A is the right one.

Which means, on Tuesday (since today is a Bank Holiday) I have to:
Arrange a second viewing
Talk to my mortgage advisor at the bank
Hire a solicitor

All so I can:
Make an offer on a house.

I feel a bit sick just typing that. Like that feeling you have at the top of a theme park ride, before you drop twenty storeys.

Fingers crossed this is all going to work out!

Ah, the first post.

My name is Becca. I'm a 30 year old university teacher who has finally come to terms with the fact that it's about time to stop living like a student, and start living like an adult. Or at least, my idea of what an adult should do.

For the past 10 years, I've moved from place to place for school and work and when I haven't been living back at home with my parents, I've been in rented accomodation. Until I moved back to New Zealand last year, I didn't even own any furniture (something that had to change very quickly once it became clear that 99% of rental properties come unfurnished here). Suddenly, literally overnight, I owned a bed and a dressing table and a lounge suite and bookcases-that-are-full-of-DVDs. It was a pretty big step and it's taken me about a year to come to terms with how permanent having furniture is- I can't just pack up and run away anymore. Not that I've ever actually done that, but it was nice to have the option, if I'd wanted.

And now that I've gotten over the whole idea of buying furniture, I'm starting the process of trying to take an even bigger step- buying a house. It's a natural progression, since I have a very secure job and I'm earning enough to shell out a fair amount in rent each month. New Zealand house prices are low enough- at least where I live- that the mortgage would be less than my rent, so it makes sense. Logically, I can see that, and it's exciting. But that doesn't stop the thrill of fear that runs through me when I think about it too long.

I started this blog to chronicle my journey of discovery- both of a house that I can call home, and also of myself, as a grownup.

I've called the blog 'The Birdhouse Project' for a couple of reasons. Firstly, because the name is a bit of a pun on my family name. Secondly, because I have six budgerigars who I adore very much and who I'm sure are very excited by the prospect of a new place to fly about. And thirdly because the budgies, my bestfriend/roommate B and myself will  be creating ourselves a little nest and feathering it as we go.

Here's hoping it's a smooth but entertaining journey!