Finally own our croft house!! yay!

Esther.R · Post: # 102951Post **Esther.R** » Wed May 14, 2008 2:55 pm

We have been renting an old croft house for the last year and earlier this year the landlord decided to sell - after a horrible evening facing the fact that we couldn't afford to raise the deposit (like most of Scotland it was going for 20% over the valuation price so the mortgage would nowhere near cover the asking price) - then my lovely parents stepped in with the offer of a loan for which we will be eternally grateful!

After a complete rollercoaster of a sale which included the seller having to build a whole new gable wall inside the house as it turned out the gable was built on nextdoor's land

the sale actually completed a couple of weeks ago but it has only just sunk in!

So we are very happy

and now own an original croft house with walled garden and kale yard (same size/shape as an allotment behind the house, was used by the crofters to grow all their veg).

Spent last weekend getting sunburnt and repainting the outside back to its original white as it hadn't been painted for at least 20yrs. It needs a lot of TLC but is structurally sound and has a new roof and windows so it is all cosmetic, and we have lived here for a year so know its habits!

We can now settle properly up here and live the dream that we came up following, and our new baby (due Sept) can have a proper home from the start unlike poor Beth who has moved twice in her two years.

ina · Post: # 102954Post **ina** » Wed May 14, 2008 3:00 pm

Brilliant news! I'm really glad for you.

I've been looking at houses again (been having problems here

) - there's an old croft house for sale in Shetland at the moment that would be perfect for me...

Now I'd just need the job to go with it.

Esther.R · Post: # 102955Post **Esther.R** » Wed May 14, 2008 3:04 pm

I'm in the same boat with jobs Ina, I have been up here two years (well only looking for work for one of them) and am still unemployed (well not officially because my husband's salary- teacher - is too high for me to be 'officially' unemployed!). I was looking for part-time work but have drawn a complete blank so far as I am 'overqualified' for all the jobs I have applied for

Employment is very high here but a lot of it is fish processing so it depends how picky you are

I think it'll be the supermarkets for me once this new one is old enough - ironically they seem to be the only source of p/t work I am apparently not overqualified for

Great place to live though, very very friendly.

mrsflibble · Wed May 14, 2008 3:15 pm

really good going and I'm really happy for you.

theabsinthefairy · Wed May 14, 2008 3:16 pm

Congratulations on all fronts Esther.R

ina · Post: # 102964Post **ina** » Wed May 14, 2008 3:16 pm

I know the problem... Overqualified for just about everything - no interest in (or experience with) fish - don't want a management job, either (for which I probably wouldn't be overqualified

) - so it would be the checkout! I did once get an offer from Sainsbury's.

possum · Post: # 102992Post **possum** » Wed May 14, 2008 6:15 pm

brilliant news, we came here because we couldn't afford any land in the UK, so I know what it feels like to own your own place at last.

Esther.R · Post: # 103018Post **Esther.R** » Wed May 14, 2008 8:07 pm

Yes....how much would you get in the mainland UK for Â£75,000?

Thats what our little patch of Shetland cost us! In most of the UK that wouldn't even buy you a flat in a dubious area let alone a 2 bed victorian cottage with 1/4 acre of land! Mind you the prices are going up here as well and there is a huge fight over most properties, we were lucky to snaffle one before it went on the market (still paid 20% over the valuation but didn't have to enter into the scrum that seems to accompany cheaper house sales here at the moment). Mind you 2yrs ago Â£75k would have bought you the whole croft...we just missed the boat a bit on that one sadly as we had to wait for a job to come up for my husband and so the property prices doubled

tim&fatima · Wed May 14, 2008 8:08 pm

possum wrote:brilliant news, we came here because we couldn't afford any land in the UK, so I know what it feels like to own your own place at last.

Long way to go for some land.

Where about in the uk were you from?
Was it a hard decision to make?

snapdragon · Wed May 14, 2008 9:23 pm

Congratulations EstherR

Lovely News

red · Post: # 103043Post **red** » Wed May 14, 2008 10:15 pm

congrats Esther

possum · Post: # 103047Post **possum** » Wed May 14, 2008 11:24 pm

tim&fatima wrote:
possum wrote:brilliant news, we came here because we couldn't afford any land in the UK, so I know what it feels like to own your own place at last.
Long way to go for some land.

Where about in the uk were you from?
Was it a hard decision to make?

I tell people I am from here there and everywhere, but spent most of my life in the North of England, I grew up in Sunderland and spent the last 10 years before we emigrated in Yorkshire (with a few places and countries in between)
Lifestyle it was not a hard decision to make, but we both do miss my inlaws as they are great family. Other than that, I don't miss the over population or high crime rate or the general hassle of living in the UK.

Millymollymandy · Thu May 15, 2008 5:54 am

Congrats Esther - really great news!

Esther.R · Post: # 103119Post **Esther.R** » Thu May 15, 2008 8:52 am

Thanks all, we are very happy now it is sinking in!

possum - we were NEers as well

I used to work in Sunderland Museum at one point and we lived in Northumberland until we moved up here.

Wombat · Post: # 103127Post **Wombat** » Thu May 15, 2008 9:20 am

Esther.R wrote:Thanks all, we are very happy now it is sinking in!

possum - we were NEers as well I used to work in Sunderland Museum at one point and we lived in Northumberland until we moved up here.

We are in northumberland at the moment!

Well done Esther!

Nev