Things are likely to be a bit a hectic for Sue and I for the foreseeable future. After giving it much thought, we have decided NOT to move house, mainly because we cannot find one that is suitable in the local area for adaptation to my accessibility needs, but also because the cost of moving house (e.g. having a survey done, paying estate agent’s fees for selling our existing house, hiring movers, and paying the Stamp Duty on our new home) is estimated to be around £50,000!
As a result, we have made the decision to declutter our home. In other words, have a big sort out and rationalisation of our current house’s contents and to dispose of stuff that we haven’t used for some time and/or are not likely to use in the future. This is going to be quite some task and I suspect that my wargaming and blogging are going to be affected until we have finished. I’ll try to fit some in as and when I can … if only to give me some sort of break from sorting and visiting the local charity shops and tip!
.jpeg)
Having cleared and empty my Mothers house with over 20 full car loads to a charity shop in Hereford Bob, there is something
ReplyDeletecathartic about decluttering.
Willz.
Trebian General (Willz),
DeleteI absolutely agree about the process being cathartic … and I’ve already found several things that I thought I’d lost.
All the best,
Bob
BOB,
ReplyDeleteI was wondering what you were doing regarding moving. Deciding not to sell is worthwhile as it'd cost to much to move. Yes, finding a house that best suits your needs is difficult. All the best and good luck with the decluttering. Cheers. KEV.
Kev Robinson (Kev),
DeleteWe’ve been trying to find somewhere to move to and several times were thought that we had found a new home … but when we went to see them, they weren’t suitable without having to have expensive changes made to them. In the end we decided that we were better off staying where we are and making the necessary changes to our existing home.
All the best,
Bob
Best of luck with the project. It's something I also badly need to do.
ReplyDeleteMark Cordone,
DeleteWe began doing this two years ago … and then I broke my leg and I developed axonal polyneuropathy. We would have had to do this if we were going to move, so it makes sense to complete the process before making the changes we need to make to our existing home.
All the best,
Bob
Think what you could do to the house with 50k… I’ve got to declutter my mum’s house as she may be going into a home soon. It’s just scary finding simple things like dessert bowls I ate out of in the 70s.
ReplyDeleteJeffers,
DeleteThat's one of the reasons why we made the decision. If we spend £50,000 on our house, it will certainly increase its value, but if we spend it on fees etc., its lost to us.
Good luck with decluttering your mother's house. I've had to do it twice, and it was quite some job.
All the best,
Bob
That sounds like a very sensible plan, Bob. Better to spend on adapting your existing home than throwing money away on estate agents, solicitors and Stamp Duty. And you will save yourself a great deal of worry, stress and frustration too.
ReplyDeleteEvelyn recently viewed a house nearby that has the benefit of off-street parking - something she much misses from Wimbledon - and a garage, but as it cost far more than our present home and was in the highest Council Tax band she realised moving would gain us little and cost us more in future.
I'm beginning to think seriously about reducing my military library; looking along my shelves I can see many good books that I enjoyed, but if I'm honest am unlikely to read again.
I wish you and Sue all the best in your endeavours, Arthur
Arthur1815,
DeleteYou are absolutely right about why improving our existing house will be a lot less stressful and economically sensible than moving. Staying where we are is a win-win solution.
I can see why Evelyn might be attracted by the house with off-street parking and a garage (we have the former but not the latter) ... but if it is significantly more expensive to buy and its Council Tax is much higher, staying where you are makes lots of sense. We looked at a bungalow in the next door, Conservative-controlled borough ... and its tax bands were far higher than they are in Royal Greenwich for equivalent houses.
I am also looking at my book collection and will probably be culling it quite extensively. Some books will be kept for sentimental reasons, but if I haven't looked at a book for several years, it will be considered for disposal.
All the best,
Bob
Fifty thousand quid JUST to move house... ye gods! If they'd be charging more you'd be running out of arms, legs, eyes, teeth and firstborns toot bally sweet! Rationalising and decluttering won't be easy - never is - but at least you can carry out the process in a more leisurely/ less pressured manner. And there's the added bonus of finding stuff you thought long vanished!
ReplyDeleteAll the best, Bob -
and I hope still to be seeing your blog from time to time...
Ion
Archduke Piccolo (Ion),
DeleteThe average house price in my part of Southeast London is £800,000 and the Stamp Duty (i.e. Purchase Tax on the house) is £35,000. Add in estate agent fees for selling the house - which is about £9,600 - and the cost of hiring movers ... and the total soon hits £50,000.
We can do a lot to our house for that much ... and it will increase its value as well! As far as I can see, it's a win-win situation.
All the best,
Bob
Yeah, sometimes staying put is the better decision. I came to that decision myself a few years ago. Couldn't find a better option after house-hunting for a while. Really, I'd be trading down, so better to stay here. I can always make improvements over time if/when time and money call for it.
ReplyDeleteFitz-Badger,
DeleteBecause of the cost of moving, we would probably have had to trade down as well, which is another reason for staying where we are.
We bought our house in 1985, and since then we have added a large conservatory and had a loft conversion that added two bedrooms (a double - which is my toy/wargame room - and a single) and a shower room and WC. If we stay here, we want to get the garden made more accessible and to add some outdoor storage.
All the best,
Bob
Decluttering is something we seriously need to do. As for the wargames side, I could get rid of half my figures without it affecting my games capacity... and it would free up a lot of cash! But actually getting around to doing it ...
ReplyDeleteRob Young,
DeleteOver the past three days I have discarded six large black sacks full of rubbish (e.g. cardboard and bits of wood that I'd kept 'just in case') and made one trip to a local charity shop with a carload of stuff that they can sell. The whole process was very tiring ... but the effect was very cathartic and has freed up lots of space that will be put to good use.
My next task is to go through my bookshelves and sell off books that are surplus to my requirements ... and then I will probably cull my figure collection.
All the best,
Bob