₦airaland Forum

ReesheesuKnack:
My only issue with CeX is their exploitative tendencies.
CeX will buy an iPhone for £100 from a customer, and sell same for £250.
I would still prefer Facebook marketplace (with eyes wide open and only pay after I have collected and tested the item, never ever ever bank transfer). Or eBay.

Bought A Note 10+ almost three years ago from FB market place, Still enjoying it till date. Seller even brought it over very close to mine. If you shine you eyes well on FB, you will dig up good deals

missjekyll:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/meat-products-sell-them-legally-in-england#types-of-meat-you-cant-sell

The law may have changed on this. My local shop in Kent has skin-on goatmeat . It's got fufu too.
I recommend Kent to anyone looking for diversity.

abeg which of the shops? put me on biko? what part of kent?

hustla:
Yeah Lolak Afrique is in Peckham too, there is Enish just a stone throw from that Alhaji suya too though ... so you can kill two birds with one stone.

The area is a bit rough though.. If you like Lagos vibes, you'll like Pekcham

You need to try the Suya and Jollof at Suyahut in Barking, na A1

Bros you be connoisseur for this naija street food level oo,.

Heard cases of people developing running stomach after Lolak amala, was that your experience? Made me refrain from going there when I was in the area.

profemebee:
thanks for this..

I will consider all these.. cant be paying both places ooo..

Hopefully, any mortgage lender i use will not immediately expect mortgage payments..

I understand you get like a month or two before repayments start to kick in,

Solumtoya:
Solicitors recommended by the developer. I hoped they would have all the experience, documentation, etc needed for that development since they may have done it for 100s of my other neighbours. Overall, had no major issues with them, of course except, I noticed late that their price was very high.

Even my Mortgage broker was from the developer and that turned out super helpful. The brokers negotiated a good incentive for me since they had a relationship with the developer. My previous request for the incentive was declined but the broker basically told the developer: "this guy's eligibility is great and all he needs is this incentive" and in minutes, developer approved.

Many people advise against it saying "the broker/solicitor might protect the interest of the developer instead of yours" and I understand that opinion.

Did you converse with you neighbours before firming up on your place? I have been thinking of chatting up with the neighbours in the development just to get a general sense of their experience, so one can draw experience from. but in this land of mind you business, I dont know if its a good Idea.

Solumtoya:
My Solicitor's fee was definitely high (even though it includes about £500 for Land registry and Engrossment, still high). I noticed late so I just went ahead. If I changed Solicitor, I would have saved over £1k.

Short Answer to Snagging: Yes, it was worth it.

Long answer: It depends on how perfect you want your house, how much you trust your builder and how much you truat yourself.

My Snagging Inspector came with a drone to check the roofing sheets and found a few issues (cosmetic). Came with a Heat Sensor to check for insufficient insulation and spotted a few. Loosened the bath tub covers to check the pipes beneath and legs and spotted a few issues. Used a Spirit Level Plumb to check straightness of walls, found a few wonky walls and stair poles. Checked the soil beneath the interlocking and turf, etc.

These and many more are things I would never have thought to check so yeah it was money well spent. In 99% of cases like mine, they find nothing so serious. So many of the issues she spotted are being fixed while others are things I don't mind and won't bother stressing over.

So, yeah, 99.9% of people will just pay that money to be told the house is okay apart from cosmetic issues but I didn't wanna risk being the 0.1% who had a major issue.

P.S.: They found about 85 issues, the site manager and I agreed to ignore about 20 and the remaining 65 or so are mostly already sorted now

@Solumtoya Did you go with the solicitors recommended by the developers or you sourced yours yourself? If you got your solicitor yourself? What did you look out for in getting it. Need to get a conveyance but I dont want to go with the developer recommended. Currently going through comparison sites but I would have preferred one from someone with positive experience.

ukay2:
LISA... Maxed out

Waiting for 6th April 2024 to continue £100 weekly contribution with money box.

Try join if you're less than 40 years...

Sent you a DM

Solumtoya:
Townhouses are great, they have their pros and cons. I chose a Townhouse for the same reason: more space. The whole selling off thing doesn't bother me so much, I actually hope I don't have to sell it even when I move, I'd rather just rent it out and add to my portfolio. They have several other pros: better heating, better separation of rooms (no visitor can wander into the top floor unless told to), better view from the top, etc.

The disadvantage is obviously the stairs. More stairs means more cleaning, more stress, more room for accidents especially with toddlers and elderly. I love the stairs as it helps with fitness. Another downside is that the loft will be much smaller typically.

Great Insight. You actually highlight some advantage I had not considered.

I am considering getting a Town house (3 floors) , as it has more space/rooms as against a 2 floors home (one storey), at same price point . But I understand that when it come to reselling it might be more difficult to sell off. This is going to be our first purchase, I know somewhere in the future we would move to our forever home, am hoping before the 10 year NHBC expires. So I definitely would need to sell at some point but I just wanted to find out if anyone has experience with selling off town houses or pro/cons of living in them.

Lexusgs430:
So those very occasions you're around, when you finished your shower and your MIL is still in bed....... Where would you change your boxers and cream your naked body..........😂😜

Part of your requirements for a successful visa application, is accomodation suitability......... You would also have to submit your tenancy agreement, to support MIL application....... I don't think the accommodation, in its present form is suitable....... But what do I know........😀

Abi you wan dey explain to home office, you go explain you go tire ...... No evidence.......😄🌹

I did not add tenancy when my MIL applied. she got the visa.

Solumtoya:
I have someone in this same situation. She applied for Graduate visa on Monday, and got COS the next day. So she's applying for Tier-2 now. All she has to do after applying for Tier-2 is to cancel her Graduate visa application, right?

Yes..Simply cancel her Graduate Visa application

rowon:
Hi everyone , can I get a full refund of IHS and graduate visa fee if I get COS before decisions is made.

I got full refund of IHS and graduate visa fee as I had not received a decision on the graduate visa before I made in a new application and cancelled the graduate visa application.

Pearlyfaze:
Some give a 5% deposit and all of these other benefits you wrote here.

Our developer gave us a 5% deposit for New Build, We exchanged the Contract on the 4th of January for LTV 80%. We provided 15% and the builder 5%.

The same kind of house is now 15k above what was sold to us. I don't know if it's a good sign.

So it depends on where and Who.

Perssimon Gave my friend 5% also.
We are in the North East of England.

Thanks for this info..also came across someone who was given 5%, flooring and kitchen upgrade, I plan to take this up with the developers we are speaking. Hopefully we come out fruitful. We no gree for anybody this year

Pearlyfaze:
Some give a 5% deposit and all of these other benefits you wrote here.

Our developer gave us a 5% deposit for New Build, We exchanged the Contract on the 4th of January for LTV 80%. We provided 15% and the builder 5%.

The same kind of house is now 15k above what was sold to us. I don't know if it's a good sign.

So it depends on where and Who.

Perssimon Gave my friend 5% also.
We are in the North East of England.

Oshey!!!

would act on this info...all these developers in south east just dey strong face.lol

Mamatukwas:
How did you manage to get the wifi extenders please? I need them but reaching virgin to request has been such a hassle.

Bought a wifi extender a while ago on amazon £17. worked wonders

Solumtoya:
Yes, ideally it's just before Exchange of Contracts but can be anytime till Completion. Because my LISA was not 1 year yet by Exchange of Contracts, I got a waiver to exchange without paying deposit and paid just before Completion.

The Solicitor really just holds the deposit till Completion but they want to have it by the time you Exchange to avoid stories.

Thanks for the clarification. I appreciate.

Viruses:
Omo...£17/month, 250MBps with 3 extenders.they gave

Virgin Media is not available in my area I would have cancelled my talktalk sharp sharp because I'm still in the cooling off period.

How come I didn't see this deal in comparison sites, did you negotiate with them directly or it's been long you got the contract?

I believe this might be one of those deals where you pay half price for the initial 6 months and full price later(i might be wrong), I got BT for £16 initially and eventually turns to £28. Although I haven't paid a dime in the past 15 months as they gave me credit as it took several months before they came to setup .

Solumtoya:
About 1 week or 3 days.

Around what point is the deposit usually transferred to Solicitor. is it usually around exchange of contracts, or usually at completion. I understand it might be different with each application. But just want to have an overview.

profemebee:
From my experience, None!!!!!

Cashback is the negotiating tool they use.. and that can be used for whatever you want

Na wah for them ooh...Anywayz we move!!!

For those that purchased recently or have experience buying new builds from developers, Do they usually discount on the price, (asides the cash back they would give towards completion i.e flooring, kitchen/bathroom upgrade etc). Cos me I dey always ask for discount ooh but none of them have bulged so far. Would be nice to know if anyone was able to secure a discount in the asking price of their New build property.

Lexusgs430:
The moment I saw the link ....... I dropped it here ....... I no dey chop alone, I no wan die alone..........😁😜

People don buy am finish........😄

Abeg drop the link again ooh, even if e don finish. One can use it as a template/idea to get something similar.

aragbaboy:
Hello,

Please can suggest any organization that does training for Salesforce Admin. Thanks.

Unfortunately I am more of DIY kind off person. Thats why I pointed you in the direction of trailhead where you can get all you need. Some one else highlighted trailhead too. After going through trailhead you can signup on clicked, where you will do practical salesforce projects. Get grouped with other people around the world and do hands on projects.

Lexusgs430:
Una dey enjoy o ....... But we enjoy 0% deposit mortgage......🤣😁

Baba..cut soap for me

ukay2:
LISA... Maxed out

Waiting for 6th April 2024 to continue £100 weekly contribution with money box.

Try join if you're less than 40 years...

Halfway through mine for the year

sent a DM on your recent acquisition

Congrats once again.

Viruses:
Another option is to buy a 3 bedroom house for yourself (not BTL), stay in one room and rent out two rooms. As family expands, you reclaim more rooms. This will help you avoid some of the pitfalls Ticha pointed out.

The money you're bringing from Nigeria should be in your account like one year before. While you'll be asked for 6 months statement, further inquire/explanation may require statements from previous months which will reveal the deposit from Nigeria if it's not further back in the statement. Explanation of the deposit from Nigeria will make you reveal you had a property (what other explanation would you give), this will make you loose your first home buyer's status and will then require you to pay stamp duty which is at least 5% of purchase price. This will be around £12,500 if the house is £250,000 . All the money you bring in from Nigeria don pass stamp duty go be that 😀

.

THanks for your insight on this, been grappling on how to bring in funds and its impact. Your post address this directly. Thanks

Mamatukwas:
How do you guys save useful posts like this for later?

Personally I just copy the relevant content into my one note (microsoft) for future reference under relevant topic. I have different topics, Driving, Car purchase, ILR application, Mortgage etc.

elengine:
Do you people want to wait until I buy the car before you give your opinion. I will make sure you all bear the cost if I buy eba oh.

I do not have experience with car but I will ask; Have you done an HPI Check?
You could use totalcarcheck (dot) co (dot) uk used to be about £8.99 or £14.99 for their premium package, 3 checks I believe.

Here is a checklist someone posted some time ago on this forum

Buying a car

- Ensure during your test drive, upon set off, the automatic gearbox is not jerky
- Check the spare tyre well, is dry.
- Check the rear mats area is dry
- Ensure no bangs and knocks from suspension is observed
- Check MOT history from government website
- Conduct an HPI vehicle check
- Check that AC is blowing cold......

Dharmie02:
I want to say thank you to that bros that encouraged ppl to apply for civil service jobs. I got AO at dwp last month. A lot of information on this thread has been so useful and wonderful. I appreciate everyone that has made this thread worthwhile.
Tech bros and Sis, pls I need your advice. What do you think about being a salesforce admin.? The goal is to go into salesforce consulting. Sometimes, it feels like most salesforce jobs are more in the US than UK and many of the vacancies in London (lol). I would really appreciate your thoughts. Thank you

Salesforce Admin is a very good route into Salesforce consulting. Lots of organisations are transitioning into Salesforce(even the NHS) so lots of opportunities. If you get good into the salesforce admin role, you can get remote roles. Salesforce Trailhead is a great way to learn salesforce for free regardless of the salesforce path one wants to go into.

Lexusgs430:
All of your that missed NL, are simply suffering from a mild form of addiction.........

You all need to see a shrink or go for therapy......😜

Baba no dey disguise, Join us in our Nairaland AA meeting. Infact I nominate you as leader of the group 😜

lavida001:
I heard they will automatically log you out if your location changes?

Well my location has definitely changed and they haven't logged me out in the last 2 years.

Lexusgs430:
We android lovers use, Spotify,Deezer & Audiomack.......🤣😜

Deezer user here, I still pay N900 monthly through my Naija account, Netflix- N4,400, Youtube premium- N1,100 (activated this when I went to naija recently). Wish I can do same for Amazon prime and disney plus.

Viruses:
Been waiting to share this, wanted to have my keys first.

So after exactly 2 years in the UK, I got a house on a mortgage, new build.

Process took 2 months from when I identified and decided on the building, could have taken less but I intentionally delayed it because I needed the next salary to complete the deposit and I applied for the mortgage like a month before the 2 years would actually complete.

I don't know how to write plenty, I'll just drop whatever information I think is useful so if you have any questions, ask.

You need like 2 years residence history to stand a chance of mortgage approval.

Mortgage Advisors play a role, one advisor said Barclays can only give me for 40yrs duration, another advisor gave me the same Barclays for 30yrs.

It's difficult to decide on 2 or 5 yrs fixed term so do your research, I went for 5 yrs but at a point, I was thinking of changing to 2 yrs but I guess we've passed that step now.

If you are planning on bringing in huge funds for the purchase, bring it well before hand to avoid plenty explanation, six months statement is usually required but sometimes, while you're explaining an inflow, you may be required to bring statements dating further back.

It's OK to negotiate rates, sometimes if the lender does not hear back from you on time, they will contact you and reduce the rate without you asking, perhaps they thought you have not responded because of the rate.

For new builds, beside the decision on whether to do 2 or 5 yrs and the choice of house, I don't think there are any special skills or knowledge required, advisors will be doing their thing and giving you update, solicitors will be doing their thing and giving updates, if they require any information they will reach out. Your own is to read and sign documents and ask questions as they arise.

While your income play a role in how much you can borrow, your outgoing play a role in your affordability. The lender complained about my outgoing and the mortgage advisor advised that I reduce my son's days in school to reduce the fees. So I just told them to remove the school fees entirely and explained that he will stay with his aunty, whether I implement that does not matter again. Other options will be to pay off can insurance for the year to reduce the monthly outgoing or pay part of the car loan to reduce the monthly payments.

If you haven't, start your moneybox journey, I got 4k free from moneybox. Me 2k, wife 2k.

If it's a new build, you can buy towards the time when most of the houses are sold, as the houses are getting sold, they begin to introduce discounts and cashback. I was lucky to buy the show home although the furnitures were removed, some other items like curtains and decor were left.

There are lots of schemes available especially for new builds including first home schemes and shared ownership, depending on your money, you can explore these. I didn't use any scheme because I could raise the deposit.

There's hardly a right time to start the process, just get an idea of the area and cost of the building you want, raise some money and approach a mortgage advisor and things will begin to unfold and become clear.

My appreciation goes to everyone who have contributed to mortgage issues on this thread, I learnt alot and the information gained were useful.

Congrats!!!