House Buying Q&A - I Bought A House - One Year House Update
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- Опубликовано: 17 июл 2024
- I can't believe time has passed so quickly! I've now lived in my new home for a year, and to mark the occasion decided to ask my subscribers if they had any questions for me about the process or any reflections. Hopefully you will find today's House Buying Q&A and my personal experience interesting or helpful in some way.
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Over the last few years, I've come to the realisation that whilst a certain level of material things do add to your life, more stuff will not necessarily make you happier. This realisation hit me when I looked around my home that was filled with stuff (so much so I felt I needed a bigger house) and couldn't say I was particularly happier than when I lived in Spain (in 2008) when everything I had with me fit in one large drawer and a very small wardrobe.
These days I prefer to adopt a buy less, buy better approach, with a focus on quality over quantity, removing the clutter, and utilising my money in the best way possible.
WHERE ELSE TO FIND ME:
Instagram - / kirstyloukirby
Blog - www.kirstykirby.com
MAKE UP WORN:
Tarte Clay Play Palette
Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Mascara
Benefit Brow Powder
Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation
Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer
Laura Mercier Translucent Powder
MAC Bronzing Powder in Refined Golden
MAC Blush in Mocha
MAC Lipstick in Viva Glam II
CLOTHING:
Shirt - Joules (several years old)
LIGHTING:
I use natural light (i.e. I sit in front of a window) supported by a ring light on darker days.
DISCLAIMER:
All products were purchased with my own money and this video is in no way sponsored. Should a video ever be sponsored, or should I receive goods for free to review I will always aim to disclose this either in the video or in the video description. My views will always remain honest and my own.
Items marked with an asterisk were received as a gift or as PR.
I do sometimes use affiliate links in my description, these links do not cost you any more to purchase, often you will receive a discount, but I may earn money from these links.
A few things that might add some (potentially useful) context:
My wider family have been in property most of my life, growing up I lived in various fixer uppers as my parents moved up the property ladder so if I seem to speak in a confident way about certain things that is potentially why.
I was also purchasing a property when I was 21 which fell through on the day of exchange due to the vendor being made redundant so I have been through the process before.
In relation to energy efficiency etc, I have added a water meter and a water butt since I moved in.
On SDLT Holiday - I’m sure someone will be along to say it helped them, but on the whole I am of the belief that no one saved anything due to the insane demand pushing prices higher and making bidding wars the norm. I did speak with some people on other platforms from the South who said the SDLT holiday helped them get on the ladder (because the holiday meant no duty to be paid on houses between 300k-500k as a FTB where they would have usually have paid), but I think on the whole it didn’t help but rather hindered FTBs up and down the country.
On trolls - I never used to block anyone, but I’ve learnt now that whilst I’m happy for polite disagreement, some people spend their lives deliberately setting out to write nasty things. I utilise the block button for anyone being threatening or overtly vile to myself or others in the comments. Thankfully I don’t need to do it much but some people are just better off blocked.
On privacy and security-I cut it out of the edit as it was a bit wafflely. I had a very unpleasant experience last year which frightened me a bit. On another social media platform I was targeted by a group of individuals after I wrote something (not remotely offensive) that they disagreed with. They were inciting one another to pile on and as I blocked one, I’d be targeted by another of the group. It was relentless. They also started searching the internet to try and find things out about me and were posting this publicly and inciting more people to attack me, and on multiple other platforms. These are obviously horrible individuals, especially as this was all triggered by one comment, but I actually found the experience quite disturbing and has made me consider what I should share especially as the internet can allow you to do things like reverse image look up, check geolocation of photos etc etc.
Oh and I know Spiders are mostly nocturnal 😂
Omigosh who knew! How utterly horrible some people are. How do they even exist???
@@homebodyheaven6114 it was genuinely awful. I don’t even know how they were managing to find some of the information, but I found it really troubling. It’s probably that experience that’s played most on my mind. If someone could find out certain things in a short space of time, what could they be minded to try and discover and share publicly if they had tried for days on end. They were all people hiding behind fake names and avatars and have attacked multiple people.
@@KirstyKirby the world is run by people like that I’m sad to say.
Follow those feelings on your safety. Be cautious in what you make public. What you share is enough, and your home being safe and secure is far more important than our nosiness. 😁
Thanks so much for the understanding Sarah. It might seem odd because obviously you see some of the house in the background of videos or photos on Instagram, but I’ve become really aware of considering safety especially as my channel begins to grow x
That fireplace is absolutely gorgeous!!!
🥰 thank you! It was one of the things that made me want to buy the house - It is really stunning xx
Wow Kirsty. Your fireplace is stunning.
Regarding rents, one of my sons pays less on his mortgage than he did when he rented a similar sized house five years ago. Rents seem to be rocketing at the moment.
Keep making more of your videos, you talk so much basic common sense and when I listen to you it feels like I'm having a chat with a friend over a coffee.
Thanks Carol, it is beautiful isn’t it? It was one of the features that made me want to purchase the house, really is amazing. Yes it can certainly cost less on a mortgage depending on what you buy and how big your deposit is, rents are incredibly high at the moment.
Will do, just had a few days to focus on the job search a little more and to distance myself from a bit of nastiness I was receiving. I’m so pleased my content feels nice and relaxed to watch 😊
Thank you for the video. Loved it. Looking forward to your upcoming videos.
Thanks so much for watching Belinda!
Love your channel and the content that you share Kirsty, you are very relatable and authentic. Go at your own pace and share what you feel comfortable. Positive Vibes to you!💃🏽💛
Aww thanks so much!!
Thank you, this has been really helpful.
Really pleased to hear that 😊
Gorgeous fireplace 😍
Thanks Gill 😊 x
Great video Kirsty, such natural unscripted content is definitely the way to go. You have a lovely period home and that fire surround is a stunner👌. Enjoy your Bank holiday Monday x
It certainly is a wow feature and one of the things that made me want to buy the house! Have a lovely day too!
Thankyou foe the advice you have provided Kirsty, I will address my gambling issue before thinking of saving for Financial Mortgage Deposit,
much appreciated😊
Good luck
Great video thank you🤍Your hair look great, so shiny😍My husband and I are building a detached house🏡I know exactly what you mean, I am so so excited NOT to be able to hear neighbours anymore🙏🏻🙏🏻 (we currently rent an apartment)
Oh wow that sounds amazing, what a fabulous thing to be able to do. Yes I know the pain of noisy neighbours well, I left my first flat due to noisy neighbours and it made my life miserable! X
You're so right, Kirsty. I've been wondering whether I should remove my new house tour video from my channel and this video sealed thr deal for me. It may be our forever home, so I need to be careful about putting it up on RUclips. (I've now made the video private as it showed the outside of the house). Thoroughly enjoyed this video!! Really insightful. I may do a similar q&a on my channel if you don't mind! Kirsty inspired! x
Firstly, huge congratulations on your new home! It’s such a hard one, I think the likelihood is that most of us could share these things and there would be no impact on safety, but it has been playing on my mind, especially when I think about some of the RUclipsrs I watch and how much they have shared. If I know their address, plenty of others do too.
I’m not saying I’ll never do one, and if I moved to a fixer upper at any point I’m certain I’d document and share the process, but I definitely think considering safety is important, and I think it’s a really good idea to not show the front of your home online.
Hi Kirsty. I really enjoy your videos and you have encouraged me to re-evaluate my clothes and makeup. Your home sounds lovely and I think you are very wise to keep your private information private.
Thanks MaryEllen. It’s a weird old time with people being so open, and I would bet 99% of the time it’s not even an issue. But I guess it only takes one.
Great video Kirsty. As much as I would love to see a house tour I totally agree with you about sharing too much I formation on RUclips. You need to keep it secure 🥰x
Thanks for understanding. I'd love to do one but I've become really aware of how potentially dangerous oversharing could be, especially after a previous odd experience with trolls and as my channel grows. It's sad that we have to think about these things, but lets be real, 10 years ago we would have thought it quite mad to announce to the world that you were going on holiday and were away from your home for example, for quite obvious reasons, and yet now people share this on social media all the time!
@@KirstyKirby Totally agree with you. Even now I cannot understand why people post on social media that they are sitting In Airport/ car/ ship etc for the start of their holiday! Then continue to share things they are doing on holiday. Holidays are family time and in my opinion not to be shared till you come back. ( if you want to share) To me it's just telling everyone your home is going to be empty for the next couple of weeks! 🙄x
@@teresa275 absolutely! Especially on platforms like Facebook where you probably have people on there who know where you live already! I think it’s really odd myself, post your pics when you get back!
You are correct, some people share far too much information on their channels! Please don't share more than you are comfortable with. I know that people are naturally curious, and most have good intentions, but it only takes one. Oh the spiders!!! Especially the one in your bed. Nooooooo! haha.
We were also very lucky to buy where and when we did. I had a short list of "wants" and this house had all 3, screened in back porch, attached garage and a large window over the sink in the kitchen. We bought in 2018, and made it our focus to pay it off fast. It took 3 years. (It was only 50,000) but it was before the pandemic and before the airbnb housing shortages. I count my blessings every day about that. No one in this formerly low cost of living area can find housing now. Thank you for your content. It's interesting how different countries have handled the recent crises. Hopefully we all make it through this intact. ❤
I find it quite odd how much people share sometimes. I think it’s because, as odd as it sounds, the more of you and your life you are willing to share, the higher the earning potential.
But yes, you’re so right, it only takes one.
Congrats on being mortgage free!
Great video! Wow that fireplace is gorgeous! We have lots of spiders here and centipedes 🤯🤢so we hire a fumigator type company to come every 3 months. If we miss a season😣 they show up mostly near water sources and it’s no fun to hear shrieks before our morning showers that a large spider has been found in the tub - IN WAIT 😳
Thank you! It’s lovely isn’t it, I will certainly miss it if I ever move it’s gorgeous and would have been very expensive to install I would imagine. Oh dear my spider situation isn’t that bad - in fact I’ve been pleasantly surprised this year, not too many at all! Xx
Glad you’re playing it safe. There are psychos out there. But I don’t think showing the interior of one room at a time would be a danger. We can’t live in fear.
I also knew when I saw my apartment that this has to be mine! Made an offer immediately and got it accepted later that day. It was maybe a lil' hard to look at cause it needed full renovation, but I saw the potential! After reno, it's exactly what I dreamed of, when I started looking. 😄
Aww how lovely! I considered a fixer upper and thought it was probably what I would buy, but this one came up and I thought it was just the right one and thankfully the vendors taste was very similar to mine. 😊
@@KirstyKirby yes, I think you were very lucky! 😀 Also the renos are not what they were some years ago (with material cost, workforce cost and availability, etc), so you saved yourself a lot of headaches! 😅
@@Alexandra_Gavrila I couldn't agree more, in fact I made this very comment on my 'I Bought A House' video back in Dec/Jan. Once upon a time fixer uppers were a real bargain, and if you were prepared to do the donkey work yourself, you could not only create a home exactly the way you wanted it, but also make some money in the process. (My parents often bought fixer uppers in years gone buy and this enabled them to move up the ladder) But in recent years I've noticed there is often not all too much price difference between turn key and fixer upper properties and you need to do your sums VERY carefully and not get carried away. The last two years with material costs rising, tradesmen charging more due to demand etc, the figures have been even tighter. I initially thought I would but a fixer upper, but if you can find something that's turnkey, similar to your taste, and not wildly expensive - there's a definite value to simply moving in and living straight away.
Aww Coco is adorable 🥰 The expected energy prices you mentioned completely shocked me 😱 Our electricity bill is about $100 a month here, we’re a family of four. We do have solar panels and water tanks that do help to keep costs down though.
He’s a little terror a lot of the time but he looks cute I’ll give him that!
The energy prices here are becoming quite ridiculous, we are going to have an absolute disaster on our hands with poverty. Quite disgusting really for a supposedly rich country. With bills at the level they are it’s estimated unless you earn around 45-50k you will be classed as being in fuel poverty. With the median average salary being only around £26k - that’s the majority of the public here, an estimated 45 million people in fuel poverty. I think I shall have to do a video on it it’s that outrageous!
@@KirstyKirby that’s criminal really Kirsty. I really hope they don’t get as high as predicted. Prices of electricity are also going up here but no where near that high.
@@RosesandBlingPapercrafts I honestly don’t know how people will cope. The other day I purchased a heated throw to be able to use when sat working or watching tv, and both myself and my parents are considering installing log burners! It’s not even just the poorest in society that will be affected with this, it will be an awful lot of people who ordinarily would be considered as doing ok financially.
I can totally understand that you have doubts to do a house tour. Three RUclipsrs from Germany I watch, had the problem... They really kept the information very minimal, showed only parts of the house but there were people who find out where their houses are and came to their houses.
OMG really? That's just awful! I just recently started thinking about how dangerous it could be, mainly as I found it quite bizarre how much I know about some YT/Instagram users homes and lives and how that could be used by someone so inclined. I'm incredibly flattered that anyone is even interested, and I know the vast vast majority of people are just supportive, but it's really troubled me how much someone could find out from little snippets. Thank you for your understanding. x
Yeah , I managed to humanly catch a spider in my house , that was in the kitchen one morning when I went downstairs. It was s big , I didn't think just putting it outside in the garden was a good idea , so I drove it out to the woods and left it there . Hopefully it won't find its way home! 🤣
Oh I know that type well now! They make me shudder! Good plan to put it far away 😂
I save bugs and carry them out. But any spider in my house is trespassing and fair game! Yuk!!!
Hey Kirsty great video thanks for sharing! I can relate to many of your answers on this!
One thing I am curious to know (just to see how other homeowners relate). In regards to a possible recession and maybe even house market crash on the cards - do you feel confident that house prices would drop then bounce back again? Personally I feel quite worried if house prices started to drop rapidly and perhaps even nudge people to consider selling up and cashing out or risk ending up in negative equity. Of course I could be wrong as this might not even happen! I just feel with the predicted market that I can’t be the only one who is a little anxious about it. Would be interesting to hear yours and others views on this x
Hi Harry, before purchasing I spent a very long time thinking about this.
To me at least, the economic situation we are now facing was obviously going to happen. You can’t print insane amounts of money, fritter funds away on silly schemes, disrupt delicate supply chains etc and not see rampant inflation and other issues. Unfortunately warning about these things two years ago was met with utter disdain. I’m certain more people will die from poverty than (very sadly) died from Covid.
With prices rising so fast again I was certain they would fall back at some point. My decision to move forward was quite simple - I need somewhere to live, no matter what. Thankfully with a deposit of over 20pc, negative equity will only be an issue if we see really large crashes (which as I’ve covered in my recent property market video I’m not convinced of yet) - a recession is highly likely (I talked about this back in April on my channel when the media and politicians were still saying there was no chance!)
I didn’t borrow the maximum amount I could have and was careful to not overextend (I thought interest rates would rise so needed to give myself some room).
Ultimately house prices do bounce back over time, if you wait long enough, and even taking into account various rises and falls, they tend to outpace inflation.
Now I have purchased then to a certain point I’m not too worried about house prices. At the LTV I have the prospect of negative equity is not too concerning (bit of an issue for those on 95% deals though), the repayments are affordable and it only really matters if you NEED to sell. If the market has dropped when you want to move, so has the house you want to move on to so you aren’t really losing anything, to a degree it’s all hypothetical money you never had anyway.
Given I’d spent over £80k in rented accommodation over the years and some would say I’ve left with nothing (I’d argue I had a home which offered flexibility which suited my lifestyle & allowed me to funnel money into other opportunities) again I’m not too concerned. If in 5 years time I decide to move on and the value has dropped by say 50k, that’s only what I would have spent on rent (probably less) so whilst I’d not be happy about it, I’d just view it as like having rented from the bank.
Too many of us forget that our houses are predominantly a home and not simply an investment.
Hope that helps!
Thank you for explaining your own experience on this Kirsty it has been a great help! 🙂
@@HarryLane awww brilliant, so pleased it was helpful.
Would love to see a House tour...
You’ll be the first to know if I do, but as I say in the video I have my concerns around oversharing online.
In the US I buy the Roach Hotel traps on Amazon or at the hardware store. We don’t have roaches but they DO catch spiders! They crawl in and are too stupid to figure out how to crawl out.
Good idea not sure if they sell them in the U.K. as we don’t tend to get roaches. Tbf the big spiders only around for about 3 weeks when they come out to mate, but I’m not a fan at all lol x
I think there must be a influx of spiders this year.
We had loads of the same sort.
They really don’t bother me.
My daughter on the other hand well you think she was being murdered😂
She uses extra hold hairspray to spray them with!
I can’t lie, and I feel really bad saying this, but a few that have come near me have met their demise courtesy of hairspray 🙈🙊
@@KirstyKirby haha she got a can in every room
@@XxxJaneXxx 😂😂😂😂
It hasn’t helped any first time buyers down south, it completely blocked myself and most of my friends out of the market due to the price increase and demand. It may have damaged an entire generation+ to be able to be home owners now.
I’m so incredibly sorry to hear that Kat. I was screaming at the TV every time he said that it was helping FTBs, I did get a few people over on other platforms say they had been helped as a FTB in the South as they were purchasing in that 300-500k bracket but I wouldn’t remotely be surprised if they were the exception and not the rule. The rise has been utterly ridiculous. I really hope things improve for you and your friends to be able to buy. Alternatively if you would ever consider it, it’s not as cold or as grim up north as people make it out to be 😉 xx
There is what seems to sound like a weird voice at 30:30 , talks over you ? What is that ? I played it back a few times on a higher than normal volume to hear it better . Maybe it's your dog talking ? Lol
Possibly a ghost 👻 It’s a very old house! 😂
I didn’t hear a thing. Maybe the ghost is in your head.
When we moved into the house we live in now we got a nasty shock the first time we used the kitchen tap, the water draining away seemed really loud so we opened the cupboard underneath and there was no pipe works. The plug drained right into a bucket. That was the first but not the last “quirk” we found in this house. 4 years on and we are finally moving onto cosmetic changes yay!!
Omg! Sorry but that made me laugh! I can just imagine the mindset of someone thinking ‘pipework? Nah a bucket is fine!’ 😂
My brother bought a house he renovated and I got no end of photos sent to me of weird things he found behind plaster and other stuff. My parents house was a ‘posh shed’ as we called it at the time and it had a random shower in the corner of a bedroom (this was a shower tray and pipework up the wall, no tiling 😂), so much woodworm in the bathroom we were amazed how the bath stayed in place for the months before it was discovered, under the brambles was a big pond, one of the bay windows was almost hanging off, you could put your fingers into the room below, one room had so many fleas no one could go in it for a while whilst it was treated - I could go on! It was a Drs house previously 🤣