April 27, 2021

Why Does Buying a House take So Long?

Most house selling experts estimate that selling a house should only take three months. But does this take into account the time taken to get your dream home? Others unexpected delays include hurdles of the mortgage application, survey complications, among others. Also, the revenue authority has given a temporary reduction

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Issue 324 : Jan 2025

April 27, 2021

Why Does Buying a House take So Long?

Most house selling experts estimate that selling a house should only take three months. But does this take into account the time taken to get your dream home? Others unexpected delays include hurdles of the mortgage application, survey complications, among others. Also, the revenue authority has given a temporary reduction on stamp duty, making eager buyers try to move before the deadline. This is expected to course further delays before you get keys to your dream home. Here you will learn the process of buying a house and what you can do to speed up the process. Please continue reading to learn more. 1. Start By Finding your Dream Home This is one of the complicated stages of owning a new home. Generally, most people take 8-12 weeks to locate their new homes, depending on the type of property that you need. The timescale also depends on your search area and the local property market. To avoid this delay, you can seek the services of chartered surveyors, conveyancers, or local estate agents. They have details of different home categories and where to find them, and therefore they will be able to fix you with your dream home quickly. 2. Make The Offer Some people experience difficulties before agreeing on the best price of the house with the house vendor. In most cases, other buyers are also interested in the same house, and therefore, the buyer takes long before deciding the preferred buyer. Always ask the vendor to offer the best price to avoid hurdles. This way, you can quickly move to the house that you can afford. 3. Get A Mortgage Very few people complete the process of owning a home without getting a mortgage. What can I do to speed up the process of getting a mortgage? Simple! Get the paperwork done before starting the house searching process. Yes, it is possible since you already know the price of the house you need. You can browse online to see different mortgage lenders and their calculators. You can consult the services of a mortgage broker if you are dealing with a complex purchase. However, it is better to wait until you settle for a certain house before applying for a mortgage principle since it will be valid for only six months. If you miss the six-month timeframe, you will get a credit check which will significantly affect your credit score. You will be surprised that your mortgage application will not go past 40 days if you have a good credit rating. 4. Exchange Contracts You need to get information about your vendor and the property you want to purchase before exchanging any contracts. Your conveyancer, together with your vendor’s conveyancer, should initiate the process by conducting local searches and seeking information from relevant authorities such as local councils, Land Registry, and other external parties. If you do not get any complications, the process will not take more than four weeks. To speed up the process, answer all the queries asked promptly and provide as much information as possible. 5. Complete the Sale It is the final stage of buying a property. By now, you have already paid the property deposit, exchange of contracts cost, and any other necessary cost. Thus, this stage involves paying the remaining property fee and any other outstanding fees. However, the process can be affected by the vendor’s timescale and if they are able to move out quickly. You will have to wait longer if there are chin of vendors. In normal cases, this process takes between one to four weeks. You can do everything correctly, but you won’t have an easy transition if you fail in planning. Thus, get the best removal company to assist you in moving before completing the buying process. Thus, you will save time and money. Also, the removal company will assist in moving delicate stuff that you might end up destroying if you move on your own. Don’t wait until the last minute since the best removal companies usually get booked in advance. If you wait until the last minute, you may end up with a company that might end up doing a shoddy job. If you follow the above steps, you will end up getting your dream home quickly. However, if it takes longer to sell a house in your location, you will get delays in owning one. This is particularly if you want to sell your house to get your dream house. You have to wait to get a buyer in order to buy another property. It is therefore important to contact an agent to help in the selling and buying of property. You will save both money and time. But never plan to move without allowing yourself plenty of time.

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The Importance of Logistical Planning At a Construction Site

A construction site has a lot going on all at the same time. Some of the workers are busy mixing cement, some are working on the structure, some are operating the heavy machinery, and so on. Given how many tasks are simultaneously going on at a construction site, there are a lot of things that can go wrong in an instant. Hence arises the need for proper logistical planning at these sites. In construction, the term ‘logistical planning’ refers to the utilization of all the resources (materials, equipment, and manpower) in a planned way. This sort of planning is very essential to any type of construction work. To understand its importance, here’s a short discussion on how logistical planning can help things run a lot smoother at a construction site. Staying on schedule Construction work is very time-consuming. Even a small-scale project, like building a stretch of road, can take months. Larger projects, like the construction of buildings or bridges, can take years. Hence, time is very valuable in such construction projects. Even the slightest of delays can set you back by days or weeks. To make sure that your project is on schedule, you need a proper logistical plan and stick to it. Otherwise, you’re bound to run into delays and have to keep extending the project deadline. Your construction equipment needs to be at the site before the arrival of your workers. The arrangement should be such that the construction workers need not sit idle and wait for their equipment to arrive. Workers must also maintain a work schedule of their own that aligns with that of the project. They need to complete their daily workload before the end of the workday. The only exception for which delays should be considered is bad weather. Since nature’s force is out of your control, you can’t do much about it other than pushing back the project deadline. Selection and maintenance of construction equipment Different projects require different types of construction equipment. And while some of this equipment is common in almost every construction site, most of the equipment varies from project to project. Diesel generators, for instance, are used in almost every construction site. A diesel generator benefits the project in a lot of ways. They have a low maintenance cost, great fuel efficiency, and service, and can continuously supply the construction site with the necessary power for hours. Apart from the main diesel-powered generators, the site should also have a backup generator for emergencies. On the other hand, heavy machinery, like cranes, diggers, etc. is chosen based on the type of project. For example, you won’t usually need a steamroller for the construction of a building and a crane for fixing a road. Maintaining the equipment also falls under logistical planning. Since most projects are bound to take weeks or even months, you have to find a way to keep the equipment at the site. You also need to provide overnight security for the equipment and make sure that they’re operational when work resumes the following day. Cutting down on unnecessary expenses A study by McKinsey suggests that the construction industry can save almost $1.7 trillion annually by boosting productivity. That there’s a lack of planning in construction sites which eventually leads to unnecessary expenses. A lot of these expenses can be saved by ensuring proper logistical planning. This includes maintaining a strict work schedule, bringing in the right type of equipment, proper maintenance of the equipment, and so on. Sometimes, the expenses increase after the project is over, and that’s also due to poor logistical planning. This happens mostly because of using poor construction material and low-end tools. As a result, once the project is completed or nears completion, certain problems start popping up here and there. Besides, due to poor planning, workers might even make costly mistakes that need to be fixed before you can hand over the project. For instance, they might have mistakenly fitted an 8-inch pipe instead of a 12 inch one. Thus, when the problem is discovered, not only do they need to replace the pipe, but to do so they need to break the plaster and redo it. If the plans were properly followed and the workers were working efficiently, this scenario wouldn’t have existed.

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