I may be insane

Totally_Baffled · Post by **Totally_Baffled** » 15 Apr 2011, 20:07

Back the thread topic, Andy I think I may have followed your lead.

I haven't purchased woodland, but I have sold up to buy a house with a garden big enough to plant an allotment, fruit trees bushes etc.(I can even get a greenhouse wahoo!)

It means having a mortgage again, for 5-6 years or so - but I think its worth the risk.

If it gets so bad in the 5-6 years that the firm I work for has gone bust, I suspect mortgage debt will be the least our worries(in other words we will be at the point where we are fighting off starving hordes of zombie chavs)

vtsnowedin · Post by **vtsnowedin** » 15 Apr 2011, 20:48

Hey Totally baffled? If you're buying a place where you can plant an "allotment" just how big is that in square feet. I've picked up the concept from reading here on PS but I don't know how large an area is contained in one "allotment".
Note to all: In addition to the differences between accepted British spelling, usage and structure vs. American there is the fact that my spelling debilities are only exceeded by my lack of typing skills. I use spell checker on every post but it is set for the American dictionary and can not tell one correctly spelled wrong word from another. I never use such things to deliberately irritate any reader and never presume to correct anyone else's spelling or grammar as it would always be a case of the kettle calling the pot black.
Point out my flubs if you wish and I will not take offence but I am more concerned about the thought content of any post and am not claiming to be a master of the Queens English or a critic of it.

Andy Hunt · Post by **Andy Hunt** » 15 Apr 2011, 20:54

Eloquently put, vtsnowedin

Nice one, TB!! you know it makes sense. In the timeframe we are talking about, the difference is no difference at all.

I was out in the garden today and discovered half a dozen hazelnuts on the ground underneath my sole hazel sapling. I hadn't even noticed that there were any in the autumn!

At least a couple had split and begun to germinate, so I have potted the lot and watered them. I can plant them out in my woodland surrounding the camping area I'm going to make. There are already hazel trees there but these will be symbolic and the first planned additions.

Rock and roll

Totally_Baffled · Post by **Totally_Baffled** » 15 Apr 2011, 22:52

Hi Andy/Vtsnowedin

The house I am buying is the same size as I have at the moment, but I am moving purely for the extra garden.

To our American friends the square footage of the garden is probably small beer, but by British standards it's good, especially for the very expensive south of England.

The garden is 150ft by about 30t (4,500 sq ft) - this doesnt include the front garden.

It's a lot bigger than the allotment I currently rent (which is only £12 a year - bargain) but this is a couple of miles from my house, and I feel a bit of hypocrite driving to it!

I really want to put into practice some of the stuff I have learnt from these pages, and I want to learn more! Having this on my doorstep will make it all the more easier!

snow hope · Post by **snow hope** » 15 Apr 2011, 23:49

Nice one TB! Get that orchard in!

vtsnowedin · Post by **vtsnowedin** » 16 Apr 2011, 02:13

Just one tenth of an acre?!! I'm embarrassed by the acres I have let get overgrown though neglect while I have been distracted by other work. But anything is less then nothing. Bring every square foot or yours into it's highest productivity and then look for more to buy or lease. Best wishes on your project.

Janco2 · Post by **Janco2** » 16 Apr 2011, 10:09

Great news TB.

hardworkinghippy · Post by **hardworkinghippy** » 16 Apr 2011, 11:35

Sound great TB !

Every house move I've ever made was to get a bigger garden.

You can do a hell of a lot in 4,500 sq ft - I bet you've already got it all sorted in your head.

When will you know the place is yours ?

Totally_Baffled · Post by **Totally_Baffled** » 16 Apr 2011, 11:39

hardworkinghippy wrote:Sound great TB !

Every house move I've ever made was to get a bigger garden.

You can do a hell of a lot in 4,500 sq ft - I bet you've already got it all sorted in your head.

When will you know the place is yours ?

Haggling on price at the moment - if it all goes to plan I will be picking PS members brains that is for sure!

I will be skint until about xmas time, but then once recovered I think there could be potential for solar too - so I will asking the experts on here for advice that is for sure.

Will keep ya posted

Totally_Baffled · Post by **Totally_Baffled** » 01 May 2011, 09:02

Shit! It all fell through - the vendor wanted too much money (circa £300K or circa $500K US) and the house needed 30K of work on top.

Tried to negotiate - but the vendor is in no rush and is holding out for the full amount so its a bit rich for us.

Thats 3 houses lost out on (which all had 4500sq ft+ gardens) - not sure we will find anything now before our buyer gets fed up waiting.

Post by **clv101** » 01 May 2011, 09:17

Totally_Baffled wrote:... not sure we will find anything now before our buyer gets fed up waiting.

Sorry to hear that. How does selling up and renting for 6 months sound? I know a few people who have done that and it's worked well for them.

vtsnowedin · Post by **vtsnowedin** » 01 May 2011, 10:18

Tough luck on that. I'd hate to let a willing buyer go. Renting for a while could work out nicely if housing prices take another down turn but nice houses with garden space will hold up better then most. A lot depends on the commuting distance for any house and the future price of gas.
Are you a betting man?
And another thing to consider is that if you sold and had your equity in the bank you would not be in the pressured position to buy and might have an easier time haggling if they can't see the desperation on your face.
How long can you sit on the equity before the tax man wants a slice of it?

Totally_Baffled · Post by **Totally_Baffled** » 01 May 2011, 14:58

As far as I am aware, you don't pay capital gains tax if you only own one house so the renting thing is an option, if not that attractive with a young family (the interest on the equity wouldn't cover the rent though which is a bit of a bummer)

I am hoping that our first time buyer will hold on, we are in direct contact and he loves the house and he says he is prepared to wait and has told us "not to rush", which is encouraging.

I just would really love to get something which would enable to put into practice some of the stuff learnt on here!

Wish me luck - will keep you posted!

vtsnowedin · Post by **vtsnowedin** » 01 May 2011, 18:30

Best of luck with it of course.
Interest rates on deposits are in the dumpster so the interest on your equity would not be much help but you were not hoping to move into a new place without a good stiff payment plus property taxes each month even after you applied the equity from you present house. As long as monthly rent is equal to or less then that new monthly payment renting is not a loss for the short term. A roof over your head at reasonable cost is all that is required.

Andy Hunt · Post by **Andy Hunt** » 21 May 2011, 23:33

Just got back after 48 hours surviving in my new woodland. In terms of mind-altering experiences it has to be one of the strongest ever.

Absolutely exhausted. A huge amount of lugging around of heavy stuff, stumbling through difficult undergrowth being ambushed by marauding rhododendron, slipping on moss-covered rocks and generally putting myself through it, I feel like I've done more like 4 days than 48 hours.

After having to carve a level tent-sized footprint out of the least precipitous rocky outcrop I could find with a pick mattock and battling against the wind to winch a tarp up amongst some trees before pitching the tent, and then painstakingly carrying all my camping gear from my van up to base camp along the same tortuous route and back again, home seems positively palatial.

An incredible experience. I am utterly exhausted, aching all over and yet my mind feels absolutely bursting with energy. To go to sleep and wake up with the sounds of a forest around is just mind-blowing. I heard sounds I never imagined could be made by wild creatures.

One thing I have realised though is just how much work is ahead of me. 4 acres is a lot of trees, and these have been doing their own wild thing for decades by the look of them. The only work which has been put in is a bit of rhododendron control, but even then there are plenty left.

Far out, man.