u/Zbiffer

Hello!

I’ve only recently started earning a good income (£65–70k) as a self-employed freelancer and I’m looking to build long-term financial security through investing.

I’m currently single with no dependants and am in the process of buying my first house (£257k property with a 95% LTV mortgage). Once I complete and settle into the house, I expect to have roughly £1,500 per month available after mortgage (including overpayments to lower LTV to 90%) and normal living costs.

My initial plan is:

• Build a £10–12k Cash ISA as an emergency fund after completion
• Then invest monthly into a Stocks & Shares ISA, maybe some in SIPP for the tax relief, but keep the portfolio allocation the same as S&S ISA.

Proposed allocation:

• 70% VWRP (global ETF)
• 20% EQQQ (US Tilt)
• 10% individual shares focused on AI/datacentre infrastructure (Nvidia, AMD, Broadcom, Micron, Vertiv, Corning etc.)

I’m 34 and investing with a 20+ year time horizon. I’m comfortable with volatility and don’t expect to need the invested money for many years.

Does this sound sensible? Is there anything obvious I am doing wrong? I am very excited about investing but I don't want to expose myself to high risk, even if that means smaller potential upside.

Thanks!

FTB buying a 2020 new-build-ish house in Warwickshire and just had searches/enquiries back. Solicitor says nothing is a deal-breaker but I’m trying to sense-check how “normal” this all is.

Main findings:

- Property is on a private estate road with management company

- Shared sewage treatment plant for the development (not public sewer)

- Parking spaces are allocated/exclusive use spaces but apparently not actually included within the freehold title itself, only rights granted in transfer deed

- Radon search came back 1–3% probability area

- Environmental search mentions shrinkable clay subsoil / ground stability considerations

- HS2 mentioned in searches but route is over 1.6km away and HS2 checker marked “clear”

- Public footpath shown nearby on definitive map

- No contamination issues, no enforcement notices, lender already issued mortgage offer

- Survey didn’t flag subsidence or structural movement

Solicitor mainly seems focused on:

- management/sewage obligations,

- reporting parking arrangement to lender,

- obtaining final LABC warranty certificate.

Does this sound like fairly standard modern estate, or are there any genuine red flags people here would be more concerned about?

I’m buying a S106 discounted property in England. Mortgage offer is issued and most of the conveyancing seems to be progressing fine, but the current blocker is the council resale approval.

What’s stressing me out is that I can’t seem to get a clear answer to what feels like a simple yes/no question: has the seller actually submitted the S106 resale approval application to the council yet?

Timeline:

• 27 April: I asked the sales progression manager at the estate agency whether the seller already had council approval. He said he would chase.
• 4 May: I asked again. He said the seller told him the S106 was “already in progress” and that he was speaking to solicitors for an update the following day.
• No update came the following day, so I chased again a day later.
• He then said the S106 is “being chased by solicitors” and that he is also chasing the sellers directly.
• I then asked directly whether the solicitors are waiting for council approval itself, or whether they are still waiting for evidence that the seller has even submitted the application. This was yesterday.
• No reply.

I completely understand councils can take weeks to process S106 approvals, and I’d honestly be fine waiting if I knew it had actually been submitted and there was a clock running.

What’s worrying me is the possibility that the seller may not even have applied yet, and nobody seems willing to answer directly.

Am I overthinking this, or would you also be concerned by the vague replies at this stage?