Selling a house in England?

Hi.

So, parents of my main protagonist just died, he is in his thrid year of uni and he just got an offer to work in London. He already sold his parents' car and so got some money, the next logical step seems to me to sell the house, since he's beginning a new chapter and needs money.

Unfortunately I don't know anything of the housing market in England, but we learned at school (our teacher is English) taht British don't get attached to their houses that much and that it is not rare to move. So it seems to me it would not be too hard to sell a house (suburbs of Cambridge)? Or would it be better to let it through an agency?

Can anyone tell me if it would be very difficult for a 21-year old to sell a house? Of course with the help of his grandparents and other relatives? I don't need a detailed process, just a general picture so that I can push my story forward.

Thank you.

 

Short answer; not too hard. But, if you want to put obstacles in his way, there are plenty of obstacles you can use!

First thing is to establish probate...that the protagonist is actually the owner of the house, through having been left it in their will. If there's a will, that's usually a shoo-in; if there's no will, he will have to obtain a grant of probate (google Grant of Probate if you want to go this route and want more detail), which means going to the local council and swearing that he is the child of... etc. Takes about a week/fortnight for the grant to be issued.

Getting attached to your house? I'm not sure I'd rely on the word of somebody who was insufficiently attached to the country to stay there for evidence of the AVERAGE population of the UK as far as attachment to things goes! I think I'm right in saying that the average length of time in a house is 7 years. But, as with any average, there are wide variations. I've been in my house for over thirty years; the people who bought the house we moved out of had moved every year for the previous sixteen.

How hard to sell? Depends. Assuming the house is in good condition and in a desirable neighbourhood, it will probably "sell" very quickly - as quick as the same day it's advertised by the estate agent. If there's anything wrong with it - decoration, doggy smell, too close to the motorway - it may linger for months. But that's just the offer being made. After that, there's the legal process, which can also drag on. If both buyer and seller are keen on the sale, six weeks from the buyer's offer being accepted to "completion" is fairly typical. But I've heard of a house where the "seller" was a couple who were splitting up; she wanted the cash from selling the house, he didn't want the trouble of finding somewhere else to live; it took over a year for the buyer to persuade him to complete.

It all depends upon how much of an impact the house sale has on the whole story.

ETA: How old were the parents? Since you mention grandparents helping, I'm assuming it was an accidental death...and both of them died? How unfortunate!...and they were late forties in age. The reason I mention it is that, if they were older, say seventies, they may have let the house go a little; not kept on top of the decorating, not got that plumbing fixed, and the leak then got beneath the plaster on the floor below, etc. So the house would be harder to sell.

Also, how big is the house? Suburbs of Cambridge sounds quite large, so quite expensive, so not quite such a quick sale (loads of people can afford a £100k house, rather fewer a £1million) and also not so likely to rent out; unreliable tenants, who could trash the place. Or - being Cambridge - student digs...easy to rent out, but not what you'd want to do with a posh place.

How wealthy do you want him to be after all this? Rolling in it, or just enough to get by? Decide what you want, and then engineer the house deal to meet up.

 

It's been my experience that people in England tend to get very attached to their houses, actually, especially because it is very difficult to buy a property in England - I don't mean the process but I mean the prices. English properties are expensive! These days a lot of people in my generation struggle to get their own property because even saving up for the 10% deposit takes such a long time, because 10% is a lot of money when the price of the house is high. Many of my neighbours whilst I was growing up had been in their house for 10-20 years, all of my friends were in houses they'd grown up in and had never moved elsewhere with their parents.

So I'd say the Brits are quite attached to their houses.

But then I wouldn't know. My own parents are nomads. They've moved... let's see. 10 times, I think? Most of those times they bought and then sold their property, 3 times they rented. I moved with them 6 of those times before I left home after graduation. (would be 7 times but they made one of the moves before I was born lol) There was once, I changed my bank address to my parents' new address at Christmas, just to have to change it again in March, because they'd moved! I no longer memorise their address, although I do hope their current address shall be their last one. My dad also no longer unpacks everything - a few times I think he kept half the house in boxes because he knew he was moving in a year's time or something. He'd got very skilled at packing and unpacking too lol.

So like them, the idea of settling into a single house still feels foreign to me

But then my parents are from Hong Kong so they're not definitive of typical English folks lol

 

Not entirely...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/house-prices/house-price-growth-jumps-highest-since-march-despite-weaker/

But, this is only a story, @Poziga can tell pretty much whatever he wants; all he wants is a plausible scenario to put his MC into whatever position the plot demands. 1/ Rolling in money and blowing it all gambling? His parents were good earners who invested wisely in property, cleared their mortgage and he makes a fortune on sale. 2/ Poor as a church mouse? His parents did their best, but they were late getting onto the housing ladder, bought at the peak of the market, and spent years struggling to get out of negative equity; now, there's only just enough to pay off the mortgage, and MC's left footing the lawyer's bill out of his own money. 3/ Somewhere in between...

 

You all made some good points. I'll try to read as most about housing that I can, but this is really just a little issue to push the story forward. But, of course, I don't want to make any foolish mistakes.

The reason he wants to sell the house:
the house means basically nothing to him. He grew up there, yes, but his father was an alcoholic who at one point threw a beer bottle at his mum and broke her collar bone. They divorce afterwards, father moves out, mother remains in the house, the protagonist goes to Nottingham to study. Mum mentioned a few times it's harder to upkeep the house, because since the divorce she is the only source of income.
Some time later, the father contacts the mother again, said he has changed. She is in quite a bad mental state, feels lonely and feels a different tone in his voice. She considers giving him another chance. She tells that to the protagonist who is at first against him, but then gives him, because he also start imagining his life with a sober father and not a drunken one. When the father picks her up from work they have a car crash and they die. That means there is no will, os I guess he would have to establish that probate you both were talking about.
The protagonist is of course devastated, but is offered his dream job in london (a very famous producer offers him to co-write a screenwrite for a movie). when his parents die it is december 2015, he is in his third year of university. He decides to finish it, then move to London to give that screenwriting thingy a try. But London is expensive, that's why I came to the idea of seeling everything except the objects dearest to him.

So the house was in a normal state, because they did not plan to move. As for the house itself I was thinking about the lieks of these. I guess the first ones are quite expensive, eh? I have to emphasize that this really is not important for the stor, what kind of house does he (suddenly) own. He just needs to sell it to have some money to go to London. I reckon the second one would be easier to sell, right?

 

The basic idea of selling the house to raise funds is OK, the question is how much do you want him to have for the purposes of the story, or whether you even need to mention it. Most stories don't focus on the economics of day-to-day survival for the hero; it's just assumed he's got enough. Only when it's specifically mentioned does the reader get drawn into this. Most "Sam Spade" detectives are continually moaning about how broke they are, and then go around spending as much money as they need.

 

The story is set in his uni years, from second to third year to be exact. After he finishes undergraduate he moves to London. The last 15.000 words are about him thinking about what he'll do, but I'm not going to dive too much in details, because the focus of the whole novel is his relationship with his friends, parents and himself. It's still a first draft so I'm jsut writing whatever pops into my head, that's why it's better to have a broader picture. I can still delete it later if I figure out it doesn't have a specific impact on the story.

The reason he wants to sell the house:
the house means basically nothing to him. He grew up there, yes, but his father was an alcoholic who at one point threw a beer bottle at his mum and broke her collar bone (1/I don't believe this. The collar bone connects the shoulder to the neck, and the chief cause of breakage is a fall upon it. Blunt-force trauma - as in striking with a beer bottle - would need to be VERY specifically aimed at it, and delivered with considerable force. Make it another bone. 2/ Alcoholics don't usually do it on beer - it's a very inefficient source of alcohol. 3/ Just because his father was an alcoholic doesn't mean the house/growing-up environment wouldn't matter to him. An alcoholic isn't necessarily an abusive parent, he may well have been a great father in sober times; and children of abusive parents are frequently VERY attached to them.) (1. Yes the bone type is not really important for the story, the essential part is that a bone breaks. I planned on asking a doctor friend if it is possible, but didn't do it yet. 2. the whole story is very much autobiographical (not the collarbone part, I swear), and my father's fix was beer, always beer with occassional whiskey and I still remember how he was like. He's sober now. 3. I lived my whole life in our house, 23 years, it means a lot to me, all my neighbours are my friends, but if I was in the same situation, I would sell it. I Also asked my brother, he would do the same. If not else, just because I wouldn't have money to upkeep it. As for the abusive parent I understand that and I agree. The important point of the story, as I pointed out below, is that they consider the father giving another chance. The protagonist does this solely on the fact that there are also some good memories. Thanks for these points). They divorce afterwards, father moves out, mother remains in the house, the protagonist goes to Nottingham to study. Mum mentioned a few times it's harder to upkeep the house, because since the divorce she is the only source of income (In the UK, since 1993 the Child Support Agency has been responsible for ensuring that the father supports his children, by extracting money from him) (Even if the child is of full age? The divorce happens when the protagonist is 18).
Some time later, the father contacts the mother again, said he has changed. She is in quite a bad mental state, feels lonely and feels a different tone in his voice. She considers giving him another chance. She tells that to the protagonist who is at first against him, but then gives him, because he also start imagining his life with a sober father and not a drunken one. When the father picks her up from work they have a car crash and they die. That means there is no will (Why? Many people - me for one - make a will at a relatively early age - especially if children are involved.) (I see. But both would work? Having the will or not, because it's a personal choice if you make it, right? But what's the practice in the UK, usually people make wills at a younger age?), os I guess he would have to establish that probate you both were talking about.
The protagonist is of course devastated, but is offered his dream job in london (a very famous producer offers him to co-write a screenwrite for a movie)(Why? Why would a famous producer offer him a job screenwriting? Has he just written a best-seller? Even then, for a not-yet graduate, they'd probably hire in a proven talent. Ye Gods! Your protag must be good if he can say "Yeah, I'll take the job. But you've got to wait six months until I finish uni.". You are rather making him a CHOSEN ONE. You might do better having him a shit-hot computer programmer, and dropping out of uni because this job offer comes up.) (Ok, I shouldn't have written "a very famous". But he's a good producer. And why did it happen in the first place? Because it's literally what happened to me, God I'm thankful for that. And since it's very autobiographic...
I once asked a relative who's in the movie industry in my country if they needed a screenwriter. More as a joke than anything. A few days later I met with a director who has just started a project for which he wants it to be the most watched movie in Slovenia. And he picked me as one of the screenwriters, no experience, nothing. Just a desire on my part. In the novel however, the protagonist is more active in the movie industry. He has a reviewing page and he was good enough that Nottingham TV (I made that up) invites him for morning shows to talk about movies (that's what happened to a real friend of mine - has his own internet page, was then invited to the morning show). One time this producer is also there, because the anchorman is his friend so he's doing him a favour of appearing. The producer likes the protagonist after a quick chat and asks him to send him his stories. You know, he keeps an open mind, you never know. The producer doesn't call for six months. The protagonist's parents are already dead when he replies. By that time he doesn't know what to do, he is very confused, he abandoned the idea of maybe going to London to make a movie, his girlfriend is the only factor keeping him above the water. But 6 months later - in May - the producer writes him an email that the stories are like, nothing special, but his dialogues are very strong. So he invites him to co-write a movie he began workin on. That's when the novel ends. The protagonist finishes the undergradute, then moves to London where he finds a place to live with the help of the producer. Good people still exist.
The only problem that I see here is that we don't have these big studios in Slovenia, so directors are more free to do what they want. In England they have studios. So maybe I should not use my protagonist as a screenwriter, but as an assistant of the producer or something like that) . when his parents die it is december 2015, he is in his third year of university. He decides to finish it, then move to London to give that screenwriting thingy a try. But London is expensive, that's why I came to the idea of seeling everything except the objects dearest to him. (Yes, London is expensive. But why would he move there? - Especially as your experience of the UK is uni in Nottingham - writing about London isn't something I'd be too sure of doing authentically Yes, as I wrote above, the novel ends with him moving to London, so that's not a problem. . And what is he going to do with this house proceeds? Buy another house - good luck with that - London house prices are crazy more than the rest of the UK! Or just use the proceeds to fund his rent and living expenses?) (on this I also replied above)

So the house was in a normal state, because they did not plan to move. As for the house itself I was thinking about the lieks of these. I guess the first ones are quite expensive, eh? I have to emphasize that this really is not important for the stor, what kind of house does he (suddenly) own. He just needs to sell it to have some money to go to London. I reckon the second one would be easier to sell, right? View attachment 9217 View attachment 9218
Personally, I'd prefer the first house; it's got a drive to put my car on and a bigger front garden, and fewer cars parked outside, and the general area looks nicer. Hahaha this is weird, both pictures are the same street, one is left and the other is right side of the road!! It's the street in Notts where I lived, but I reckon the details don't really matter since the only thing the readers know is that he comes from Cambridge and that he lived in a house. Suburbs are more or less the same in every city, right?

As for the autobiographic part... This Side of Paradise by Fitzgerald is the biggest influence.
Thank you for your input and sorry for so long replies!

 

OK, it's semi-autobiographical so I can't argue with what happened!

As far as making a will, some people will, some won't. Make his parents responsible and they make one; make them irresponsible, and they don't; make them irresponsible, but one drunken night they wake up to find they've gone and made a will (my favourite)! What do you want to cover in your story? Either is credible, it's just how hard you want to make it for him to get at the money!

Child Support Agency...I'm not sure how long it lasts, probably not after 18...but the mother was short of money before he went to Uni, wasn't she? The parents get back together round about then?

 

No, they didn't have money problems before the divorce because tha family had two incomes; mother's and father's. When they divorce she suddenly has to take care of the house by herself
and she can't make it with only her income. The parents come together when he is in his 3rd year of uni, which makes him 21 years old.

 

Hey, sorry to revire this thread, but I've moved forward with the story and there are some novelites.

Since the parents were divorced, father moved out, as I already mentioned, but to his old place in Plymouth (which I didn't mention). He was sobering up and he occupied his mindy by renovating the house. The protagonist gets this house as well and he sells it (I guess it's not that hard to sell a medium-sized house in a coastal city?). So I'm thinking about this house in Cambridge... If he sold the other one and also a car, he has quite a lto of money. Wouldn't it be better to let the house in Cambridge to students? He is a student himself so he's aware of them market slightly...

If you sense any inconsistencies, don't be shy to point them out.

 

One issue: If his mother had trouble with affording the house, that suggests that there's still a mortgage on it--just maintenance and taxes isn't usually that much. I'm not saying that it's nothing, but most of most people's housing costs are the mortgage or rent, not the maintenance. (When I say "most people" I guess I mean working class or middle class full-time-employed people in the US. Not really "most people". )

If there is a mortgage, I don't think that he'd be allowed to take it over. He'd almost certainly have to get approved for a new mortgage (unlikely given his age and employment status), pay off the existing mortgage if he inherited a lot of money as well as the house, or sell the house, pay off the mortgage, and pocket the difference.

If his parents had decent life insurance, that might pay off the mortgage--that's part of what you get life insurance for.

The father's house might similarly be mortgaged.

 

You never mentioned the "old place in Plymouth"...this implies that the parents owned two houses, one of which they'd allowed to fall into a state that needs renovation??? But two houses going into a marriage I'd expect either one to get sold, or rented out PRIOR to their deaths, in which case the money problems become ???

Taking @ChickenFreak 's point about the mortgage; in the UK it's usual - if not obligatory - for the mortgagee's life to be insured, so that upon their death the mortgage is paid off. That would mean that the house would become his, free and clear.

As far as him selling one house and renting out the other; quite plausible. There are plenty of estate agents who would act as landlord's agents for him; advertise for a tenant, collect the rent, deal with a lot of the day-to-day of being a landlord...you must know plenty about this, being closer to studenting than me!

 

Assuming all the legal stuff regarding his inheritance of the house is sorted, it's not difficult at all. He'll list the house with an estate agent. They'll recommend a solicitor. I assume he isn't trying to sell the house, and use the funds to buy a house at the same time, as part of a chain? Chains are more complicated. If he is just renting somewhere, then the estate agent and solicitor will do most of the work. He'll need to fill in some questionnaire forms regarding the home, where drains are, improvement works done to the house. Also, a form stating what is included in the house in the way of furnishings and appliances. He'll need to visit the solicitor to sign some documents, but that's pretty much it. The sale could fall through if there is a problem at the buyers end, but then he'll just wait for another buyer.

 

Heh sorry @Shadowfax I wrote above that I moved on with the story, which means new stuff arose. I came up with the house in Plymouth afterwards. The house wasn't in a BAD shape, it was just that the father was curing from alcoholism and he occupied his mind by renovating the house a bit, modificating it.

Damn it, mortgages aren't that common in my country, so I don't know much about them. But considering there is now a new house in the game, I can delete that part of the protagonist's mother having financial problems, and sell the house in plymouth, while renting the mother's in Cambridge. But then the problem that @Shadowfax pointed out - why would a family have two houses - arises? Maybe a weekend house at the beach?

The good thing is that all of this is a backstory, so I don't need the tiny details, I just need to know what options are plausible so that I can finally move the story to its end (currently at 91.000 words).

I think a short summary of the problem is best:
- it comes to divorce 4 years prior to the parents' death
- it comes to divorce because Dad is an alcoholic who loses control one night
- four years later Dad contacts Mum again and confesses how he misses her, that he doesn't drink...
- in the meantime, the protagonist (an aspiring writer) meets a producer who tells him to show him some stories that he wrote. The protagnoist gets his hopes up to be involved in the movie industry
- after a lot of discussion the family members agree to have a trip to see how things go. Dad picks Mum in Cambridge on his way from Plymouth, but before reaching Nottingham, they both die in a car crash
- the son establishes the probate, since he's the only child. Aunt on Dad's side demands some money from sellign the Plymouth house, but Grandpa tells her to shut the hell up.
- There is grieving, of course... He doesn't think much about the houses, except that one will have to go
- In May, right before uni ends (he's in his third year) the producer contacts him and invites him to work with him on a movie, but he would be an assistant, since it's his first job. (He studies translation, but doesn't want to be a translator, he applied for that course to learn languages. So that when he gets this offer, he really really wants to take it)

That's why, to me, it sounds sensible to sell the house in Plymouth and let rooms in the Cambridge house. From the house in Plymouth he gets capital to move to London, from the Cambridge house he receives passive income.

That's a rough summary of the last twenty thousand words.

 

Nothing much wrong with that.

1/ A beach house in Plymouth isn't favourite; Plymouth is very largely the naval base at Devonport (home port of the flagship of the Royal Navy), so is quite industrial...

 

Yeah, I was googling about beaches in England, but that doesn's make sense because those lists are usually meant for tourists. Can you perhaps recommend me a place that would be plausible for a Cambridge family to have a house at. Preferably southern, so that it makes sense for the father to pick up the mother first.

 

Do you need this part? Because it's complicated. Why would she be entitled to any money? Either the protagonist is the heir, or he's not. If the aunt is not an heir we don't need anyone to tell her to shut up; she could just be ignored.

 

No, it's not necessary. I just liked the idea of showing family relations for a bit. Can scratch it out in a second.

 

It's not a bad thing, it just implies questions: Was she in the will? Was she going to contest the will? On what grounds? Or is she just a greedy person who's used to getting what she demands? What led her to be that way? And so on and so on. You don't have to describe any of that in the book itself, but you as the author should know, IMO.