Not everyone knows but I own a 3 bed, end terrace house with garden and two-car driveway in Northampton.
I always knew renting was a waste of money and I’ve always been sensible with my money. Some people called me tight for not choosing to go on holiday or out on the lash every week.
I always wanted my own space to do my own thing, I didn’t want a middle man to get in the way and slow things down; at the end of the day if I’m paying £500+ on rent a month I’m not saving it. Albeit my parents were kind to put me up until a year or two ago, but I always knew that I wanted to spread out and have my own space.
Why Northampton? You can’t get a 1 bed flat in for £114,000 within 20 miles of Hitchin… I could have opted in for the Government’s Help to Buy scheme, but the initial outlay was always a lot more. I had worked for 15 months doing shift work (4 days on, 4 days off) which enabled me to save a shed load. My parent’s were kind enough to match what I had saved, and that enabled me to take out a standard mortgage. I found a mortgage advisor (will update with details of the site I used), who was very helpful and got me a good deal. That is very important. Ultimately I am paying less per month at the minute than it costs to rent a similar sized property in the same area.
Since moving in it has been a nightmare to manage paper work. I am not going to lie on this, I am still updating details with various companies.
I found out around 8 months of moving in that I could be fined up to £1000 for not having the most up to date address on my driving license. Stuff like that people don’t tell you…
I am getting there now, but even after a year and a half I am still selling/throwing out/rehoming belongings that I had from my parent’s house. You soon realize how much junk you keep hold of.
I am beginning to settle in now, my girlfriend has moved in and it’s starting to feel more like home. Next year we’ll look to decorate and start modernising the place. Since moving in I had the storage heaters removed and gas central heating installed (not everywhere has this as standard, even though the house was built in 1985 – so remember to keep that in mind when looking). I let my girlfriend get a cat, but now the house is around as big as can be, and for me personally, a garage would be a necessity for the next one as I am currently renting one in the area.
So have I grown up too fast? Maybe, maybe not. I know I have full control of my living space and can’t be kicked out by the landlord, that’s for sure. Am I short on cash? Yes, quite a bit, no home is perfect and you soon realise that everything costs a lot of money. I would probably have a little more if I wasn’t a petrol head too (see garage)!
There’s probably a whole load I’ve missed, so I’ll wrap up and add bits when I come to think about it. If you have any queries feel free to ask me, and I’ll do my best to get back to you.
For anyone else who thinks saving is boring, check out what these “kids” did: