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Best relocation areas in the UK?

Best relocation areas in the UK?

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Old Jun 14th 2019, 9:58 pm
  #406  
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Default Re: Best relocation areas in the UK?

Originally Posted by spouse of scouse
I've purchased three properties for cash in the UK, the shortest time for contracts to be exchanged was 5 weeks, the longest 7 months.

Just some help with your terminology, the tax you pay on purchasing a property is Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT), not VAT.
3 and 4 weeks for me.
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Old Jun 15th 2019, 3:16 am
  #407  
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Default Re: Best relocation areas in the UK?

Also very important: you need a solicitor to buy a house in the UK. Basically, your solicitor and the seller’s solicitor communicate to finalise the terms of the sale (in England, this is known as the conveyancing process, while in Scotland, it’s known as the missives, and eventually, the conclusion of the missives). You can’t just put a big check on a table at your local title company like you can here in the states.

Not to worry, though: my advice would be to get some good recommendations for a solicitor if you can, and set up a meeting in advance of your house-buying project. That’s what we did last year, and our house purchase in Scotland went off without a hitch.
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Old Jun 15th 2019, 3:45 am
  #408  
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Default Re: Best relocation areas in the UK?

Originally Posted by spouse of scouse
I've purchased three properties for cash in the UK, the shortest time for contracts to be exchanged was 5 weeks, the longest 7 months.

Just some help with your terminology, the tax you pay on purchasing a property is Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT), not VAT.
Just out of curiosity why did it take 7 months? Thanks for the correction.

Last edited by UkWinds5353; Jun 15th 2019 at 3:55 am.
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Old Jun 15th 2019, 4:31 am
  #409  
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Default Re: Best relocation areas in the UK?

Originally Posted by rebs
Yes, you have mentioned before about the draw of London for your kids in general terms - I was asking about how you had selected the specific area within London for the houses you linked to. What was it about that particular part within London (rather than London in general) that you liked.



UKwinds, I can't remember if you are keeping your house in the US, but something to perhaps keep in mind is that there is additional stamp duty (over and above the normal amounts) due if you have other property -
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/stamp-du...rates-apply-to
At this point no particular location in the UK is carved in stone for my family because of the flexibility we have in place. A great area of London for me if that does become our choice would be in a safe fun neighborhood. Not too posh but one that does have great resale value because of the school districts, cultural distinctions, parks would be nice ect. Most of the attributes and amenities that a good neighborhood would have. Once you're living in a large city it's not a problem to access all the various entertainment options there.

Neither my wife or I have plans to work in the UK because our work interest are for the most part performed from a home office and via communication devices. My work does require some on the ground management but that will change shortly And our kids are adults except for our youngest who will be attending University in the States. So we're at a juncture in life where we're not quite free but we do have options. London is not my first choice because I've done the whole big city thing when we were young and living in that stage of life when you are building a future by attending college and discovering who you are and what you want from life. But if a move to London will help ensure happiness in my family then I guess London or any other options we decide on can be a winning choice. At the end of the day you just need shelter.....and maybe a mancave!

Yes, we're keeping our main residence in the States. It's home. I'm sure you know what I mean. We're not happy about the extra taxes we'll have to pay when buying a house in the UK but we'll figure out a way to make that lost up somewhere else.
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Old Jun 15th 2019, 6:13 am
  #410  
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Default Re: Best relocation areas in the UK?

Originally Posted by christmasoompa
Our house is currently on the market (wanna buy it?!), and our estate agent fee is 0.75%. It's a 'normal' estate agent, but you can use agents such as Purple Bricks that don't charge commission too, just a set fee. Unfortunately for Purple Bricks, they valued our house at £400,000 less than all the other agents, so we rather lost confidence in them with that and didn't pursue it. No agent proposed a fee of more than 1% to us.



A relocation agent normally charges a set fee (say £500), and then a 'success fee' of around 1.5%-2%, from which the original set fee is deducted. That's for a house search, if you want driving around areas, schools, help with other stuff, then they usually charge extra for that.

HTH.
Thanks for that information. Will look into interviewing relocation agents. Where's your house located and why are you selling?
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Old Jun 15th 2019, 6:24 am
  #411  
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Default Re: Best relocation areas in the UK?

Originally Posted by yellowroom
The vast majority of houses for sale are listed at rightmove , even other online agents like purplebricks. Many agents list on zoopla too, but the latter is mostly useful for historical searches of house prices. The expectation is that you will put in the legwork.
Hi and thanks for posting. I'm curious are sales history of a property public on websites like in the States?
In the States you can check to see if that property has been listed previously but pulled months later and then relisted to refresh interest in that property, you can view the sales history going back decades, and check the property tax that was levied in previous years and the current tax amount. Pretty much everything that can help the buyer become better informed. Even foreclosure status is public record for that property in the States. Is the UK the same?
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Old Jun 15th 2019, 6:37 am
  #412  
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Default Re: Best relocation areas in the UK?

Originally Posted by PrairieWriter
Also very important: you need a solicitor to buy a house in the UK. Basically, your solicitor and the seller’s solicitor communicate to finalise the terms of the sale (in England, this is known as the conveyancing process, while in Scotland, it’s known as the missives, and eventually, the conclusion of the missives). You can’t just put a big check on a table at your local title company like you can here in the states.

Not to worry, though: my advice would be to get some good recommendations for a solicitor if you can, and set up a meeting in advance of your house-buying project. That’s what we did last year, and our house purchase in Scotland went off without a hitch.
Some very good tips. I appreciate that. It should go well but first we need to be in the UK and get a good idea of the best place for the family. Once we conquer that hurdle then the house selection process should, cross our fingers, go well. Famous last words!
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Old Jun 15th 2019, 6:44 am
  #413  
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Default Re: Best relocation areas in the UK?

Originally Posted by UkWinds5353
Thanks for that information. Will look into interviewing relocation agents. Where's your house located and why are you selling?
We’re selling because we want a property with more land and equestrian facilities. My comment was a throw away one though, as it absolutely wouldn’t be suitable for a family looking for city life. It’s a Georgian farmhouse in Berkshire. Got the kerb appeal you want in spades but also surrounded by fields and not a single amenity within walking distance. My idea of heaven but I suspect your family’s idea of hell

Originally Posted by UkWinds5353
Hi and thanks for posting. I'm curious are sales history of a property public on websites like in the States?
In the States you can check to see if that property has been listed previously but pulled months later and then relisted to refresh interest in that property, you can view the sales history going back decades, and check the property tax that was levied in previous years and the current tax amount. Pretty much everything that can help the buyer become better informed. Even foreclosure status is public record for that property in the States. Is the UK the same?
Some of that info is public yes, have a look at the Zoopla website mentioned above.

HTH.
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Old Jun 15th 2019, 9:12 am
  #414  
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Default Re: Best relocation areas in the UK?

Originally Posted by christmasoompa


We’re selling because we want a property with more land and equestrian facilities. My comment was a throw away one though, as it absolutely wouldn’t be suitable for a family looking for city life. It’s a Georgian farmhouse in Berkshire. Got the kerb appeal you want in spades but also surrounded by fields and not a single amenity within walking distance. My idea of heaven but I suspect your family’s idea of hell



Some of that info is public yes, have a look at the Zoopla website mentioned above.

HTH.
You're awesome. Thanks to you and the other poster for the Zoopla mention. Will research it for sure.

Someone will grab that property just a matter of time and the right buyer. And I knew you were joking. I actually do love the countryside but mostly on holiday. My family permanently away from city life would be a case study in sociology.
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Old Jun 15th 2019, 9:38 am
  #415  
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Default Re: Best relocation areas in the UK?

Originally Posted by UkWinds5353
I actually do love the countryside but mostly on holiday. My family permanently away from city life would be a case study in sociology.
My family would be the same if living in a city. Maybe we should do a house swap one day, could be interesting.
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Old Jun 15th 2019, 6:24 pm
  #416  
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Default Re: Best relocation areas in the UK?

Not all things in London are desirable.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-48646922

Just sayin'...
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Old Jun 15th 2019, 7:04 pm
  #417  
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Default Re: Best relocation areas in the UK?

Just looking on Rightmove for properties in Windsor, Ascot etc. Certainly get a lot more for your money than you do in Toronto, more substantially built too
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Old Jun 15th 2019, 7:12 pm
  #418  
 
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Default Re: Best relocation areas in the UK?

Originally Posted by BuckinghamshireBoy
Not all things in London are desirable. ..... Just sayin'...
That's hardly unique to London, sadly. .... Just sayin'.
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Old Jun 16th 2019, 1:55 am
  #419  
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Default Re: Best relocation areas in the UK?

Originally Posted by BuckinghamshireBoy
Not all things in London are desirable.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-48646922

Just sayin'...
We're going to do one heck of a job researching all potential areas before buying. Safety is my number one goal in finding a new home for my family. NYC has certain no go areas and I'm sure that is true of every major city in the western world. But with a little life experience and some street smarts it can feel safe living in a big city. Definitely not as safe as living in the suburbs. But this process is really only in the early stages. We've lived in NYC, Los Angeles and Houston just to name a few. NYC is actually one of the safest big cities in the world. Not sure about London.

What I find sad about the incident in London was how our criminal president Trump used what took place, to troll the London Mayor. Like who would waste their time doing crazy stuff like that.
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Old Jun 16th 2019, 3:41 am
  #420  
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Default Re: Best relocation areas in the UK?

Originally Posted by UkWinds5353
We're going to do one heck of a job researching all potential areas before buying. Safety is my number one goal in finding a new home for my family. NYC has certain no go areas and I'm sure that is true of every major city in the western world. But with a little life experience and some street smarts it can feel safe living in a big city. Definitely not as safe as living in the suburbs. But this process is really only in the early stages. We've lived in NYC, Los Angeles and Houston just to name a few. NYC is actually one of the safest big cities in the world. Not sure about London.

What I find sad about the incident in London was how our criminal president Trump used what took place, to troll the London Mayor. Like who would waste their time doing crazy stuff like that.
Only Trump! Yes, he is a nightmare. We (at our house) can’t wait until his presidency is ancient history. He’s just awful.
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