Buying a House
Eighteen months into a five-year fix
1 July 2026Our mortgage rate is fixed until 2030. What we check each year, the small overpayment we started and why we try not to watch rates every week.
What we told friends who are buying in Sheffield
24 March 2026Two sets of friends started house-hunting this spring. What we told them over a brew, from viewings to searches, and what we left to their solicitor.
A year after exchange: what we'd do differently buying again
6 January 2026Twelve months on from exchanging contracts: what we'd keep, what we'd change and the question we wish we'd asked at the second viewing.
What buying our first house actually cost, line by line
2 July 2025The deposit was the big number, but it wasn't the only one. Every cost of buying our £187,500 house, from the survey to the man with the van.
Completion day: keys at 2.40pm and a £22 kettle
4 February 2025The money moved, the estate agent rang and we finally had keys. Our first afternoon in our own house, and how a supermarket kettle named this blog.
Exchange day: one phone call, one bank transfer and no going back
16 January 2025We exchanged contracts on a Wednesday afternoon with completion booked for two weeks later. What actually happens on the day and what we sorted first.
Coal mining reports, flood maps and the other searches our conveyancer sent
8 January 2025A 60-page search pack landed in our inbox. What the local authority, water, environmental and coal mining reports said about a house in Walkley.
Tenants in common and the money talk we'd been putting off
21 December 2024Chloe put in more of the deposit than Matt. A declaration of trust, a slightly awkward evening and why it was worth doing before we owned anything.
The £1.85 a year in our deeds: meeting a Sheffield chief rent
14 December 2024Our conveyancer found a chief rent from 1936 in the title. What that is, why Sheffield has so many of them and what we ended up doing about ours.
Getting a 90% mortgage as two first-time buyers
7 December 2024From an agreement in principle to a five-year fix at 4.84%: what the broker asked for, the paperwork, and why we chose the version with no fee.
Our survey found five problems, so we asked for £2,500 off
30 November 2024The Level 2 survey flagged old electrics, damp readings, loose roof tiles and more. How we used the report to agree a lower price without losing the house.
How a Lifetime ISA paid for most of our deposit
23 November 2024Five years of paying into a Lifetime ISA, a government bonus of £3,620 and the withdrawal rules our conveyancer had to handle for us.