Bucket List Item 16

In less than 24 hours it seems item 16 on my bucket list will be complete! Yes, that is buying a house.

They say buying a house is the most stressful thing you can ever do. They are wrong! I guess it could be stressful if you don’t have everything in place and aren’t ready but who in their right mind starts something without being ready for it?

The only problems that come up during the whole buying process were to do with everything else and not the actual house buying. Mainly the PPI refund on the loan which was needed for part of the deposit and to clear all debts, however with some gentle persuasion to the CEO of Royal Bank of Scotland the refund went through in plenty of time and the debt cleared weeks before exchange.

The only other slight hiccup was down to the fact the house was being sold by a building contractor who had taken it in part exchange on a new home. This meant it was not lived in by the sellers for at least 6 months prior to sale which is a sub-sale (see my other entry on sub sales for that). But all was fine, it just delayed exchange until the day before completion (i.e. today)

So it looks like 29th October 2010 is the day that item 16 is crossed off the list. Just in time to ignore the trick or treaters and to set off some fire works :-)

Sub-Sales? I’d rather have a sub-way!

Seriously, is my solicitors phone broken? After a month of this going through they didn't bother to tell me that the house I am buying is a "sub-sale" and Halifax have strict criteria on purchasing sub-sales... i.e. they don't let you!

If the seller hadn't phoned me asking to see if I can pay my deposit sooner so the sale goes through smoothly I wouldn't have ever phoned the solicitor. But when I did, and asked if I could pay the deposit (I must be the only person ever to want to give someone £13,000!) they simply told me that its not ready yet due to a query with Halifax... they didn't even give up what that query was until I asked!!

Panic strikes. I've paid out money, spent a lot of time and turned down a lot of work and missed out on the other house which would have done so I can get this sorted out. Then I'm told that Halifax don't allow sub-sales. Great! Just what I need to sort out when I have 2 weeks work to do in a week and a half.

Anyway, a bit of searching and up comes Halifax's Intermediaries website which lists the criteria Halifax fail to give to those applying for a mortgage... scroll down to "Sub-sales and Back to Back transactions" and it says this...

Sub-sales and back-to-back transactions are not acceptable.

A sub-sale occurs when a property is bought and then sold on within six months, i.e. the borrower is buying the property from someone who has themselves bought the property less than six months before. The date of registration at the Land Registry is how we determine the length of ownership.

This means that the current vendor must have owned the property for at least six months before we can accept an application to purchase that property.

Brilliant, it's not acceptable. But surely the solicitor appointed by Halifax would have known this, as would the mortgage advisor from Halifax? There must be something!

5 hours later (which included an hour break for food and watching a bit of Friends) I eventually notice this little bit hidden after the "back to back" criteria (same section, if only I had read it all to start with!)

The following cases are exceptions where it is acceptable for the property to be sold on within six months of acquisition by the seller.

Where sales are by:

a personal representative of the registered proprietor; or

an institutional mortgagee exercising its power of sale; or

a receiver, trustee-in-bankruptcy or liquidator; or

a developer or builder selling a property acquired under a part-exchange scheme.

So, hopefully Halifax will get back to the solicitor very soon and say yes. If not, someone is looking at getting one hell of a shouting at and possibly something so that I can get back the money I've paid out for everything so far, plus the loss of earnings, plus the inconvenience caused...

So anyway, let that be a lesson to all. Halifax are fucking shit. And always ask about "sub-sales" and "back to back sales" if buying a house which has not been lived in for at least 6 months by the seller.

Yes this really is the most "exciting" thing that's happened to me for the past few weeks... I really need to get out more!

Oh, and the criteria they don't tell you is at http://www.halifax-intermediaries.co.uk/criteria/default.aspx

Latest Qualifications…

As mentioned, I have recently gained qualifications. Here are my nice certificates just to prove it to all…

IOSH Managing Safelt

WHT Legionella Awareness

Not sure what’s next on the list. Possibly go after my NEBOSH but then I struggled with the IOSH so that may not be the best plan of action…

Update time…

OK, I have a little spare time now while I watch Kick Ass for the second time in 3 days… so time for a little update on everything.

Houses… Well, I put in an offer on the bungalow I looked at, a cheeky offer however with the amount of work it needed, the location, the size and the current prices it wasn’t really that cheeky. £93,000 for something worth around £95,000 in my opinion. It was rejected. I increased it to £98,500 in the end but that too was rejected as the seller is under the misconception that it’s worth closer to £120,000… So scrap that idea. I will not use that estate agent again either as he undermined my offers before putting them in and pretty much demanded I increased it before he put it in. A slimey little fucker too so time to say goodbye to them!

Looked at a load more houses since, two really stand out. Both are identical except are on opposite sides of the road and one is a mirrored layout of the other. To decide which to go for will ultimately be decided on the price however the favoured one is the last one I saw as it has decoration more to my liking and comes with cooker (and ceramic hob which I have always wanted!). With some luck it will also have a south/south-west facing roof so I can go for some solar energy to cut my costs (£12,000 of free photo-electrics or pay for 50/50 electric & hot water… undecided yet) but I am yet to look on google earth to see which way it points.

Offer will be going in Monday I would imagine, unless I feel impuslive tomorrow at my mortgage meeting…

Mortgage meeting, all set up for tomorrow at 11. Should hopefully find me a great mortgage deal at 90% LTV and a good fixed rate. I have a mortgage in principal with Halifax which seems like a good deal and has FTB incentives too including £500 cash back.

I’m also happy to say that I now can be called Rich Pyke IOSH… I passed my IOSH Health & Safety which I was really worrying about. It was done just after Gramp died and while Gale’s dad was ill and died so my head was just not with it. It didn’t help that I was still a little drunk on one of the days either. But I somehow managed to pass it.

Love life is still a non starter really. While I gave up chasing Gale a while ago after realising it was game over, I haven’t really been looking since. There are a few on Plenty of Fish that I have been messaging, well, two… and a few I sent messages to recently but have not yet read or replied to them. But I have bigger fish to fry no pun intended).

Work wise, I am back on to 40 hour weeks at B&B now. Which means less time for Rich Pyke Computer Services stuff, but since Holland’s have still not paid the last moths invoices I have put a hold on their work for now. Ecovision on the other hand are the most awesome client I have.

What else, I have my awesomeness back again. Life is generally going well so I am happy. I was exceedingly happy on my way home from work and I have no idea why. Let’s hope I stay this way :-)

I’m sure there was something else but nevermind, I’ll thing of it later…

In other news…

The bucket list is all well and good but let’s take a quick break from it and catch up on events since 13th June (the last proper entry).

A couple of days after that entry something great happened. I met up with a girl from the internet dating site I started using. Although the first date went really badly as I was incredibly shy her friend convinced her to give me a second chance. And I am so glad he did! While it has ended up as just friends and not the romantic relationship I had hoped for, I have made an amazing friend, Gale.

i wont lie, I liked her as more than a friend and for the first 6 or so weeks I was crushing on her like mad and had developed some feelings for her. Unfortunately for me those feelings were not reciprocated and so we have ended up as just good friends. That is better than nothing at all so I am happy with it.

However, with good news, comes bad new. I guess it balances out the universe. Unfortunately in late June I lost my grandfather. He had been ill for a long time so I guess it wasn’t really all bad, and at least I went to visit him only days before he went to hospital. I chose to escape from it and ignore it all until his funeral, I was out drinking and just away from home for most of the time between his death and his funeral (thank you Gale for helping me escape). I didn’t really start to grieve until after his funeral, on the Thursday and Friday, and then escaped it again on the Saturday.

This is when further bad news happened and Gale’s dad fell ill and eventually died a few days later. As Gale was my rock throughout Gramps death and after it this was quite a blow to me and this is when the grieving really started. Not only did I have no where to escape to, but my rock was upset, I was upset and everything was very emotional. I wouldn’t be surprised if I had ended up getting on Gale’s nerves by asking how she was daily and constantly offering to help her. However I had a hidden agenda… I needed to get away from everything, although did genuinely want to help her as she helped me.

Due to these two deaths I have drastically re-evaluated my life, hence my bucket list and actively attempting the goals on it. It has also had a huge effect on my work, so much so that my own work has suffered and jobs which should have been done are still not done, invoices have been delayed by a month and I still, to this day, lack the enthusiasm and desire to do it. However, I hope that soon I will get back on to it but it will not be as often as it was. I now have a life I need to take care of, friends to see and activities to do.

Work, as in the full time job at B&B, has been quiet. So much so that I have been dropped to a three day week. It has been mentioned that they are thinking of getting me to do other jobs around the office to get me back to five day weeks and I hope this happens soon as I will need the money if I am to buy a house and pay a mortgage.

I have started to drink again. I had 5 years of no drinking but the time has come for me to fall off the wagon and enjoy alcoholic beverages once again. While alcohol may not be that good for me it does mean I need to walk for 40 minutes, at least, every time I go to the pub, so it does get me some exercise.

And that’s about that… new friend, lost family but gained more family in the process and a new outlook on life to sum it up in a few words.

Buy A House [Bucket List Goal #16]

The time has come to put some serious time and effort in to this goal. House prices are going down a bit, the PPI refund on my loan should be going through soon and should pay off the remaining balance at least, and I have close to £12,000 in savings to use as a deposit (which means my 10% deposit can be on a house worth £120,000).

I found a few recently which would do. One being a 1 bed flat but it’s not really big enough for me to live in and work in, plus I think it was literally directly below Gale’s flat and that would just be too weird and stalker like so it’s been ruled out.

I did find another which was basically an extension to another house, about half the size of a house, width wise. Again small for everything and while tempting, I didn’t like it that much.

But, I have found a cool 1 bed bungalow, 5 minutes from mum & dad (free dinner, washing, ironing etc.) which would be perfect provided the loft space can be used to chuck my PC in for working. It’s within my budget at £120,000, and in a great location except for the railway which may be quite close, and possibly overhead power cables which, if it is under them, it will rule it out.

So now, I need to have a word with Howard at the Halifax, plus a few other people at a few other banks and building societies. Maybe have a viewing of the bungalow, just for the hell of it if nothing else. And then see where it leads.

My only problem is it could have an impact on my trip to America which I have planned and am determined to do. Chances are I will have to cancel plans for the 5 week coast to coast trek and change it to a 4 day, 7 day, 10 day or something trek around a smaller part (more on this in another post once things are figured out, as this is goal #1 on the bucket list).

Swimming [Bucket List Goal #2]

As the bucket list has just been put on here (although written about a month ago after Gramp died and I decided I’ve sat around too long and not enjoyed life like I should be) it’s probably a good time to post a bit of an update on some of the items on it. Or in this case one of the items on it… item 2, swimming.

Today was the first day of tacklung this goal again in about 8 years, if not longer. I can’t remember if Kirsty ever attempted to teach me or get me to swim, if not then it was probably Tony when we were on holiday so over 10 years ago.

Gale had kindly offered to teach me to swim so today we went down to the swimming pool and attempted it. Not as easy as it looks!! But I do think we made a lot of progress, I have certainly never swam at least a meter from the edge of the pool to the edge of the pool without my feet touching the bottom before. But today I did :-)

I struggle kicking and moving the arms in a breast stroke at the same time, and am a bit worried about not being able to breath, about going under and all that. But I will get there. Practice makes perfect and all that.

I do feel knackered now but also somewhat better for it. Kind of paradoxical as how can one be both knackered and feeling good?

Now to arrange the next lesson and try some more :-) Well that is if my panicking frog impression didn’t put Gale off being seen with me in public again.

The Bucket List

1. [ ] Visit America

2. [ ] Learn to swim

3. [ ] Learn to cook

4. [ ] Drive from Land's End to John O'Grotes

5. [ ] Get over my fear of spiders

6. [ ] Earn £1,000,000

7. [ ] Build my own house

8. [ ] Ride a horse

9. [ ] Ride a camel

10. [ ] See KISS in MSG, New York

11. [X] Save someone's life

12. [ ] Go on an aeroplane

13. [ ] Have children (maybe)

14. [ ] Own an Aston Martin

15. [ ] Be a healthy weight

16. [ ] Buy a house

17. [ ] Get a doggy

18. [ ] Go to a casino

19. [ ] Go to Vegas

20. [ ] See the Great Pyramid of Giza

21. [ ] See Latin America

22. [ ] See the grand canyon

23. [ ] Visit Australia

24. [ ] Visit New Zealand

25. [ ] Learn self defence

26. [ ] Stay in a 5 star hotel

27. [ ] See Hollywood

28. [ ] Meet Gene Simmons

29. [ ] Meet KISS

30. [X] See a KISS concert

31. [ ] Learn to play the guitar

32. [X] Fall in love

33. [X] Have sex

34. [X] Get very drunk

35. [ ] Perform a miracle

36. [ ] Ride a mechanical bull

37. [ ] Be fluent in another language

38. [X] Get a tattoo

39. [ ] Fire a gun

40. [X] Build a computer

41. [X] Shoot a bow & arrow

42. [ ] Get letters after my name

43. [X] Own an MR2

44. [X] Grow my hair long

45. [X] Be popular

46. [ ] Make a difference in someone's life

47. [ ] Make my parents proud

48. [ ] Visit a strip club just for the sake of it

49. [ ] Go to the cinema at Cineworld (never been, it was the odeon last time I went!)

50. [ ] Get struck by lightning and live to tell the tale

51. [X] Go a year without drinking alcohol

52. [ ] Do a kind deed for 5 people (i.e. help an old lady across the road etc)

53. [ ] Get a butler named Geoffrey

54. [X] Dance like nobody is watching

55. [X] Sing like nobody is listening

56. [ ] Have a session with a psychologist (I'm sure there are things wrong with me lol)

57. [ ] Have the guts to get my moles checked out and removed if necessary

58. [ ] Break a world record

59. [ ] Get fit

60. [X] Start my own business

61. [ ] Freerun

62. [X] Climb a tree

63. [ ] Climb a mountain

64. [ ] Climb up the outside of a building and enter through a window like spiderman

65. [X] Take a shit at work

66. [ ] Visit Chichen Itza

67. [ ] Visit the Colosseum in Rome

68. [ ] Walk the Great Wall of China

69. [ ] Watch the Northern Lights

70. [ ] Stand at the top of the Statue of Liberty

71. [ ] Learn to dance

72. [X] Learn to moonwalk

73. [X] Witness a solar eclipse

74. [X] Solve a Rubik's Cube

75. [X] Solve Rubik's Clock

76. [ ] Donate blood

77. [ ] Sell something I drew/painted/photgraphed to a stranger

78. [ ] Breathe Fire

79. [X] Ride a roller coaster

80. [ ] See the Empire State Building

81. [ ] Discover my life's purpose

82. [ ] Learn to say no without feeling guilty

83. [ ] Own my own island (I shall name it Richtopia)

84. [X] Create a web site

85. [X] Have a video on you tube have over 1,000 hits

86. [ ] Milk a cow

87. [X] Race my car on a race track

88. [X] Be on TV

89. [ ] Become famous or a recognised person in my field

90. [ ] Grow my own veg

91. [ ] Sell something on ebay for more than I paid for it

92. [ ] Invent something

93. [ ] 100% complete Green Grass & High Tides on Expert Guitar on Rock Band

94. [X] Buy a car and pay with cash I own (i.e. no loans)

95. [ ] Car surf

96. [ ] Hand-glide

97. [X] Donate to charity

98. [ ] Run a marathon

99. [ ] Eat something exotic (crocodile, ostrich, kangaroo or something)

100. [ ] Complete my bucket list

Time for an update?

OK, so a fair amount of time has passed since I last blogged. I think the last real blog was when I booked my KISS tickets (not including the video of KISS I took).

Well, I’ve seen KISS live now. It was awesome, the best thing I have seen ever. I need to see them again now though, the plan is to see then in New York at MSG. No plans for a concert there yet though so will have to wait and see.

Also, joined the KISS Army now, so I am officially a member and have a number and everything which kicks ass!

Work is slow, we the 9-5 is. My work is hectic and rarely have chance for a break. Work has been piling up and been taking me 3 weeks to get on to! And I also need to cut down on that so it’s probably only going to get worse but I have little time for myself.

Car passed it’s MOT once 2 new tires were fitted. It’s only the roof which needs fixing on it now but for the £400-500 it’ll cost to be fixed I will put up with having to give it a little bit of a hand.

Life, well, on a few websites now to see if there are any fishies out there for me. A few who look interesting but nothing yet solid so we’ll see. (Feel free to tell me if you are interested by the way!)

Now certified in Water Hygiene. So that’s nice I suppose. And have an IOSH Health & Safety course coming up next month. So more strings to my ever growing bow which is looking more like a harp every day.

Other than that, it’s been quiet.

KISS - Firehouse - LG Arena Birmingham 05/05/2010