SOLD!

Oh how the world of buying and selling property has changed since I last moved house 20 years ago.  Gone are the never-ending phone calls to estate agents and solicitors as thanks to the technological revolution everything is now done online.

Still can't believe its happening

Set aside half a day, a jar of coffee and a mountain of snacks to complete your online conveyancing.  You’ll need a caffeine boost every hour and brain food to wade through the plethora of online forms that need filling in and the uploading of documentation to confirm everything from your knicker size to bank details.  My finger tips are bleeding.

Are we nearly done?

Filling out the lengthy Fixtures & Fittings Questionnaire, you do begin to wonder what kind of people there are out there judging by some of the things being asked.  Are you going to leave behind the light switches?  Duh!  Can I really be bothered to unscrew every single one just to save a few pennies?  Well of course I’m leaving them behind, you legal Llama. My name is not Scrooge McDuck!  (Although I’ll probably take the lace nets if I can shorten them to fit the new windows).

Do people moving house really take light switches with them?

The surveyor phoned to confirm I’m not buying a pup which is just as well because at £349,000, it’d be the most expensive dog in history.  (Technically it isn’t as according to Google a golden haired Tibetan mastiff once sold for around $2,000,000 a few years ago – what?) 

A survey may seem like a superfluous expense when you’re already shelling out hundreds but I can’t stress the importance of getting one done before you commit to your purchase.  Not cheap either.  Be prepared to part with anything from £500 to £800 for a random geezer to poke about in your particulars.  Just make sure they’re professionally experienced and qualified before you wave bye bye to your dosh. 

Luckily, ours has flagged nothing major on our new Chichester home but imagine if the house of your dreams was riddled with rising damp or subsidence?  Better to find these things out up front before you sign on the dotted line.