While I got off to a later start than I'd have preferred, I have accomplished all the flat-related stuff I set out to do today.
With the new bank account set up, I have closed two sets of savings and had the balance transferred to the new account - one in the form of a cheque, the other electronically. Both should be cleared by the end of next week, if not sooner.
Of course, progress is still in the hands of the solicitors, and it transpires that the information my solicitor is waiting for has been posted by the vendor's solicitor, rather than faxed.
In other news, while it's been reasonably sunny, I have managed to do a fair bit of photography, so it's only my laziness that has prevented either website updates (yawn) or images popping up in here. Let's see if I can change that today...
I have one or two other tasks to which I should attend, but I may be able to drop some pictures by later...
Friday, 6 June 2008
Thursday, 5 June 2008
Phase One
One quick visit to the bank later, I have a new account set up to be my collection point for the deposit. My initial question was whether one of my existing accounts was suitable. When the Customer Services woman said "Ooooh, that's an old account" I knew the answer was basically 'no'.
They were quick to offer an alternative, however, and equally quick to get it set up. Not only that, but the first amount has already been transferred, so the beginnings of my deposit is ready and waiting.
The next step would be closing one of my other savings accounts. I phoned up that bank and told them what I was intending to do (minus the details about it being for a flat purchase... I shall scream the very next time someone asks me "Do you have a mortgage?"), and was told that I'd have to get my bank to close it for me. They have to write the letter informing the savings account provider that I'm closing their account and wish to transfer those funds into this new account. Being done by snail mail, that'll take about a week.
The good news (if one can call it that) is that I had a follow-up call from the Estate Agent asking if my solicitor had received the remaining paperwork. I cheerfully informed him that they had not, so the Estate Agents are going to bother the vendors solicitor again.
Fun and games.
They were quick to offer an alternative, however, and equally quick to get it set up. Not only that, but the first amount has already been transferred, so the beginnings of my deposit is ready and waiting.
The next step would be closing one of my other savings accounts. I phoned up that bank and told them what I was intending to do (minus the details about it being for a flat purchase... I shall scream the very next time someone asks me "Do you have a mortgage?"), and was told that I'd have to get my bank to close it for me. They have to write the letter informing the savings account provider that I'm closing their account and wish to transfer those funds into this new account. Being done by snail mail, that'll take about a week.
The good news (if one can call it that) is that I had a follow-up call from the Estate Agent asking if my solicitor had received the remaining paperwork. I cheerfully informed him that they had not, so the Estate Agents are going to bother the vendors solicitor again.
Fun and games.
One of those days
OK, so waking up at after 10 in the morning was never going to be a good start to the day.
With my flat purchase seemingly progressing another notch, my mother has been making suggestions. Yesterday there was more confusion than was warranted over which slice of my savings I should put into my deposit (eventually settling on closing down an ISA and one whole savings account, and funnelling the results into either an existing savings account or a new one set up for the purpose).
Yesterday, she wanted to talk detailed financial logistics before I'd had breakfast.
This morning, while I was still in bed, she knocked on my door and 'suggested' that it would be "good to get [the ISA closed down] this week". I agreed - it's not as if that was something I hadn't considered and, in actual fact, I'd planned to do it today. All I needed, as is standard with these things, is my passport and a bank statement or bill as means of identification.
Sometime later, she announced that she was off shopping, just as she has every other day this week - one trip per day for her mother, possibly followed later by another for our own household shopping. She'd not normally be out long for either.
After I got out of bed, got showered and dressed, I went downstairs and found a note stuck to my ISA's account book, to the effect that I'd need to take that, my passport and a bank statement or bill as means of identification.
Well, duh. That sounds familiar.
Awkwardly, I have no idea where my passport is. They're all stored together (or so I thought), somewhere in a mess of overstuffed drawers that I have no hope of ever navigating.
I tried anyway.
I noticed that my mother's passport is not stored with the rest. It was actually out of the drawers, as she was in the midst of getting the passports ready for updating, because they expire this year.
And, typically, she's been out shopping far longer than normal today. She may well have her cellphone with her, but she's not going to be able to tell me where the passport is because those drawers are completely crammed in no particular order. Even though she knows, broadly speaking, where they are, she still has to look for them herself.
So, basically, I wasted a couple of hours of the morning sleeping, and she's wasted three more hours of my time - so far - because she hadn't either indicated where the passport is, or just got it out and ready.
I could have done all kinds of other stuff with my day so far, and I've just spent it getting progressively more annoyed that, on the rare occasion she communicates with me, she communicates only the most useless crap.
With my flat purchase seemingly progressing another notch, my mother has been making suggestions. Yesterday there was more confusion than was warranted over which slice of my savings I should put into my deposit (eventually settling on closing down an ISA and one whole savings account, and funnelling the results into either an existing savings account or a new one set up for the purpose).
Yesterday, she wanted to talk detailed financial logistics before I'd had breakfast.
This morning, while I was still in bed, she knocked on my door and 'suggested' that it would be "good to get [the ISA closed down] this week". I agreed - it's not as if that was something I hadn't considered and, in actual fact, I'd planned to do it today. All I needed, as is standard with these things, is my passport and a bank statement or bill as means of identification.
Sometime later, she announced that she was off shopping, just as she has every other day this week - one trip per day for her mother, possibly followed later by another for our own household shopping. She'd not normally be out long for either.
After I got out of bed, got showered and dressed, I went downstairs and found a note stuck to my ISA's account book, to the effect that I'd need to take that, my passport and a bank statement or bill as means of identification.
Well, duh. That sounds familiar.
Awkwardly, I have no idea where my passport is. They're all stored together (or so I thought), somewhere in a mess of overstuffed drawers that I have no hope of ever navigating.
I tried anyway.
I noticed that my mother's passport is not stored with the rest. It was actually out of the drawers, as she was in the midst of getting the passports ready for updating, because they expire this year.
And, typically, she's been out shopping far longer than normal today. She may well have her cellphone with her, but she's not going to be able to tell me where the passport is because those drawers are completely crammed in no particular order. Even though she knows, broadly speaking, where they are, she still has to look for them herself.
So, basically, I wasted a couple of hours of the morning sleeping, and she's wasted three more hours of my time - so far - because she hadn't either indicated where the passport is, or just got it out and ready.
I could have done all kinds of other stuff with my day so far, and I've just spent it getting progressively more annoyed that, on the rare occasion she communicates with me, she communicates only the most useless crap.
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