I feel a ping pom comming on , could anyone advise of any decent UK real estate sites ? I need to get the feel of what I might be dealing with.

And --what is 'shared ownership' is this like the Australian Strata Title system ?

Cheers,

Hold on, I'll Google that for you:

www.rightmove.co.uk

Funny-- did that and came up with a load of crap.

I use Zoopla

Shared ownership helps buyers onto the ladder in that you buy part of the property and rent the rest. Can't tell you if that is similar to the strata system as I don't know what that is

Right move is the main one here in the UK.

Do you mean you're moving back for good?


Are you thinking North or South?

If you are thinking North I may be able to help with temp accommodation, until you get sorted.

Thanks for the reply, 'shared' is a completely new one to me, is there then an option to buy the rest of the property , can you buy 100% up front or is it just a type of lease purchase ?.

Strata Title is (simply) --eg a block of 10 flats where you purchase a single flat which includes a 1/10th share of the rest of the property--and the shared costs of the running of the said property known as 'Body corporate fees'.

The running costs of the unit you own are yours alone.

The overall property is generally run by a committee of elected volunteer owners known as a Body Corporate Committee (amongst other less complimentary names in some instances) in conjunction with a strata title manager .

Thank you for the reply , most helpful.

I am considering a permanent move, I have just retired.

Thanks for the offer of maybe temp accom , however I have a step sister in Buxton who I haven't talked to in years who I may impose on--she owes me big time.

I'm thinking of South Wales and West country at the moment , price will be a factor whatever.

Shared ownership:
I had a friend who bought a place that way. She was able to get a mortgage to buy a 25% share in a flat, and paid rent on the other 75% which remained owned by the council or share group that does this. She had the option to buy further shares in the flat when she was able to get extra finance.

Loan repayments and rent though did add up a lot.

It is an option for those who can afford it, but can't get a full mortgage.

They're unlikely to let you buy 100% upfront as the idea is to help the less well off people get on the property ladder. They are normally linked in some way to Councils and Housing Associations so lack of funds has been proved.

The UK's No.1 property website didn't have anything that you like?

Fair enough

See below for an explanation of shared ownership from the National Housing Federation website (http://www.housing.org.uk/):

What is Shared Ownership?
Shared Ownership is a long-standing, affordable and sustainable option – and an ideal way of helping people realise their home ownership dreams.
People can buy an initial share of between 25% and 75% in their home, using a deposit and mortgage, then pay a reduced rent to a housing association on the remainder.
It is primarily aimed at first-time buyers, who can afford to sustain home ownership but are unable to afford a suitable home on the open market. It has successfully helped almost 200,000 households into home ownership.
As more people are priced out of buying their home on the open market, demand for shared ownership is growing rapidly.

The closest thing to strata title in England and Wales is commonhold, but this was only introduced by legislation in 2002 and hasn't been widely adopted: leasehold is still the most common form of tenure in blocks of flats in England and Wales.

Hilarious, again , did you study comedy or does it come naturally.--

We found Zoopla really good. If you are looking at South Wales or tye West Country seriously look into Herefordshire. We had never even contemplated this part of the country but so glad we decided on it. Its one of the least populated counties, the weather is mild generally, the people are friendly, the countryside is beautiful and you get a lot for your money.

In the interests of pedantry, a body corporate has been known as an owners corporation for some time, in Victoria at least, not sure of other states. An OC is similar but not exactly the same as a BC was and has to follow new OC's legislation. We have a 1/4 of a block of townhouses so we are in an Owners Corporation which represents the 4 owners and attends to things like repairs and maintenance which apply to the whole block as well as insurance of building etc.

http://www.consumer.vic.gov.au/housi...rs-corporation