#and then i put my bank account details in to pay for a washing machine to use

[fruitsilly]

Hate and rage and seething

[bathsaltsmcgee]

Hey! I'm sending you a message because I love your fanfic, Beneath The Mask. It's really immersive! Your writing is so impressive, and your Alastor and Charlie feel so real! You really display every part of them so well, from their attire to their mannerisms and inner thoughts. And you balance it with your amazing plot so masterfully! I'm curious as to what resources you use when you research the place and time period. It's because I'm working on my own Charlastor fanfic in the same setting (1920's-1930's New Orleans). You're a writer that I look up to, so I thought I'd reach out to ask you for advice. Thanks!

Aw, thank you! I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying my work that much. :D

Well, odd as it is to say, when it comes to researching the 1930s, YouTube is a fantastic place to start. There are loads of documentaries about the roaring twenties, as well as the Great Depression, uploaded on there that go into great detail about everything from daily life, to fashion, to racial and societal tensions, to even old diary entries, and whenever I'm doing something I don't want to, I'll put on one of those so the grind of vacuuming doesn't seem nearly so monotonous.

However, I would recommend not just listening to the ones about the economy and the stock market crash. While they do play an integral part in what went down back then and are definitely worth a listen, it's vital to take into account the human suffering on the ground level that occurred at the time, too.

Wall Street is important, but Main Street is everything.

People were starving, dying in the streets, and kicked out of their homes because they couldn't pay the rent. Poverty was rampant, loads of families had to uproot across state lines, just to survive, and the dust bowl was sweeping through the US farming country, making it unviable for planting and raising livestock. Civil unrest was all over the place, debt, both personal and commercial, was at an all time high, roughly 25% of all working Americans were unemployed, riots and police standoffs were occurring everywhere one looked, like what happened with the bonus army in 1932 in DC, and brutality and scapegoating were the way of the day, with random acts of violence against one other on the rise every day that went by, regardless of whether or not there was even a reason, be it perceived or real.

So, the human struggle against scarcity, despair, misery and hopelessness that the Depression brought which persisted throughout that time period is essential to take into account when writing about it, as it affected almost everyone and usually stayed with them to some degree for the rest of their lives, even long after the depression itself was gone.

Which is why a lot of old people who lived through it never threw anything away, eschewed any and all kinds of waste, and washed and folded up used tinfoil, among other things.

Another important aspect about the Great Depression and the roaring twenties that proceeded it is that everything is intertwined and connected with each other to an almost disturbing degree. For instance, the release of labor saving devices, shiny new inventions and household appliances, such as electric washing machines, radios, cars and what have you, behooved people to take on a boatload of debt in order to purchase them, which, in turn, put them into a bad financial position when the bottom fell out of the economy and they'd no way of paying their loans back because they were without a job.

The banks going bust and there not being any sort of insurance to cover the financial losses at the time didn't help, either.

Hemlines in skirts also have a way of either rising or falling depending on the state of the economy as well. If it's a bull market, the hemlines rise. If it's a bear, they fall down to the floor.

Also, the YouTube channel, 'Great Depression cooking with Clara', is a great window back into life in the days, so I'd look that up too, if you're so inclined.

As for fashion knowledge, I'd recommend either vintage dancer or glamour daze. They've got loads of tutorials for makeup and fashion from the turn of the century all the way up into the 80s, as well as real life magazine articles from back then, detailing how women, and sometimes men, were expected to dress in order to appear 'smart' in public, as being well groomed was a sign that one still had their act together, if only on the surface.

Hope that helps!

[thelittlesttimelord]

The Littlest Timelord: The New Doctor Chapter 14

TITLE: The Littlest Timelord: The New Doctor Chapter 14 PAIRING: No Pairing RATING: T CHAPTER: 14/? SUMMARY: With the Doctor newly regenerated, he and Elise must now navigate their new relationship. The Doctor is an old man and Elise is a headstrong young woman. She is no longer the scared little girl the Doctor saved all those years ago. Will Clara be able to keep them from killing each other?

Clara was clearly getting ready for another date when Elise and the Doctor arrived.

The Doctor was watching her laundry spinning in the washing machine while Clara checked her makeup.

“The Satanic Nebula,” the Doctor suggested. He stared at her goldfish. “Or the lagoon of lost stars. Or we could go to Brighton. I've got a whole day worked out.”

“Sorry, but as you can see, I've got plans.” Clara gestured to her outfit.

“Have you?”

“Look at me.”

“Yeah, okay.”

“No, no, no. No. Look at me.” Clara flipped her hair.

“Yep, looking.”

“Seriously?”

“I think you look beautiful,” Elise told Clara.

“Thank you, Ellie.”

“Why is your face all colored in? Are you taller?” the Doctor asked.

Clara raised her foot. “Heels.”

“What, do you have to reach a high shelf?”

“Right, got to go. Going to be late.”

“For a shelf?”

“Bye.” Just as Clara was about to leave, the phone in the TARDIS started ringing. “There you go, you've got another playmate.”

“Hardly anyone in the universe has that number.”

“Well, I've got it.”

“Yes, from some woman in a shop. We still don't know who that was.”

“Is that her now?”

“There are very few people that it could be.”

“Maybe it’s Kate,” Elise suggested. It’d been a while since they’d seen the head of UNIT.

The Doctor reached out to answer it.

“Don't,” Clara said.

“Why not?” the Doctor asked.

“Because, if you answer it, something will happen.”

“What?”

“A thing”

“Huh. It's just a phone, Clara. Nothing happens when you answer the phone.” He picked up the receiver.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The next thing they knew they were sitting at table, each holding a memory worm.

Clara and Elise screamed.

“Doctor?” Clara asked.

“Don't touch it.”

“Where are we? How did we get here?”

A man and a woman sat across from them at the table.

The man had half his head shaved with computer chips attached. “Who are you? Sorry, what's going on? I don't understand.”

The woman was dark skinned. Her cheeks transformed into the worm’s horns before fading. “Ah! What is that thing?”

“It's a memory worm,” the Doctor told her.

“What happened to your face?” Clara asked.

“Deletes your memories.”

“Did you see her face?”

“How did I get here?” the woman asked.

“The same way we all did, but we've all forgotten,” the Doctor said.

“And who are you?”

A metal case sat in the middle of the table. It played a recording.

“I am the Doctor, a Time Lord from Gallifrey. I have agreed to this memory wipe of my own free will.”

“I am Clara Oswald, human. I have agreed to this memory wipe of my own free will. Do I really have to touch that worm thing?”

“Yes, you do. And change your shoes. Elise, you’re next.”

Elise heard herself sigh. “Do I really have to do this?”

“Yes.”

“This is a bad idea. Fine. I am Elise Smith, daughter of the Doctor and River Song. I have agreed to this memory wipe of my own free will.”

“Okay, you're next, Psi.”

“I am Psi- augmented human. I have agreed to this memory wipe of my own free will.” Psi took a chip from his head and examined it.

“I am Saibra, mutant human. I have agreed to this memory wipe of my own free will.”

The case unlocked and a golden light shone from within. Two screens popped up. A golden K in a circle was shown on the screen before a hooded figure appeared.

“This is a recorded message. I am the Architect. Your last memory is of receiving a contact from an unknown agency. Me. Everything since has been erased from your minds. Now, pay close attention to this briefing.”

A planet appeared and zoomed in to show a bank. An advertisement started to play as the Architect spoke.

“This is the Bank of Karabraxos, the most secure bank in the galaxy. A fortress for the super-rich. If you can afford your own star system, this is where you keep it. No one sets foot on the planet without protocols. All movement is monitored, all air consumption regulated. DNA is authenticated at every stage. Intruders will be incinerated. Each vault, buried deep in the earth, is accessed by a drop-slot at the planet's surface. It's atomically sealed, an unbreakable lock. The atoms have all been scrambled. Your presence on this planet is unauthorized. A team will have been dispatched to terminate you.”

Someone banged on the door. “This is bank security. Open up.”

The video kept playing. “Your survival depends on following my instructions.”

“Open up and you shall be humanely disposed of.”

“There's another exit,” Saibra said.

“All the information you need is in this case,” the video said.

Psi took a chip from his head and plugged it into the case.

“What are you doing?” the Doctor asked.

“Downloading,” Psi told him.

“Ah. Augmented. Nice.”

“The Bank of Karabraxos is impregnable,” the video said.

The Doctor took a device from the case.

“Please stand away from the door. We do not wish to hurt you before incineration,” the guard ordered.

Elise rolled her eyes. How considerate.

“The Bank of Karabraxos has never been breached. You will rob the Bank of Karabraxos.”

Soon, the five of them were running down a corridor.

“Okay, okay, okay. Stop, stop, stop. Far enough,” the Doctor said, panting.

Can’t handle all the running, old man? Elise asked. She received an eyeroll in response.

“Augmented human. Computer augmented, yes? Mainframe in your head?”

“I'm a gamer. Sorry, who put you in charge?” Psi asked.

“You're a liar. That's a prison code on your neck.”

“I'm a hacker slash bank robber.”

“Good. This is a good day to be a bank robber. Mutant human. What kind of mutant?”

“Like he says, why are you in charge now?” Saibra asked.

“It's my special power. What's yours?”

Saibra sighed and took Clara’s hand. They watched as she transformed into Clara. When she let go, she was herself once again. “I touch living cells, I can replicate the owner.”

“Your face, when we first saw you...”

“I touched the worm.”

“You can replicate their clothes too?”

“I wear a hologram shell.”

“Like Christmas,” Elise said, even though only the Doctor and Clara knew what she was referencing.

The Doctor pulled out the object he took from the case. “Human cells. DNA from a customer, maybe? A disguise to get us in?”

“We're actually going to do it? Rob the bank?”

“I don't think we have a choice. We've already agreed to.”

Saibra sighed and touched her thumb to the object.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Elise had to admit that the bank was beautiful.

“How long can you maintain the image for?” the Doctor asked Saibra.

“For as long as I like.”

They entered the bank.

“Question one. Robbing banks is easy if you've got a TARDIS. So why am I not using it?” the Doctor asked.

“Question two, where is the TARDIS?” Clara countered.

“Okay, that probably should be question one.”

“Hopefully it’s not having a temper tantrum this time,” Elise said.

The Doctor turned to her. “At least we’re not stuck on a pirate ship with a murderous mermaid.”

An alarm started going off and security grills came down around all the exits. “Banking floor locking down.”

“They know we're here,” Saibra said.

“Banking floor locking down.”

A woman entered with two men dressed in suits. They walked up to a man with a briefcase.

A monster wearing an orange jumpsuit and a straight jacket entered. It had two eyestalks and was led by two armed guards.

Elise, instead of being scared, just felt sorry for the poor creature.

“What is that?” Saibra asked.

“I don't know. Hate not knowing,” the Doctor said.

“Excuse me, sir. I regret to say that your guilt has been detected,” the woman said.

“What? That, that's totally ridiculous,” the man said.

“Is it, sir? Well then, we will certainly double-check. The Teller will now scan your thoughts for any criminal intent. Good luck, sir.”

The man put down his briefcase.

“Interesting,” the Doctor said.

“What is?” Psi asked.

“The latest thing in sniffer dogs. Telepathic. It hunts guilt.”

The creature emitted a high-pitched noise that caused the man to grab his head in pain.

“What about our guilt?” Clara asked.

“Currently being drowned out,” the Doctor told her.

“What's he doing?”

“If he has a plan, he's trying not to think of it.”

“Ever tried not thinking about something?” Psi asked.

“No,” Clara said.

“You may have to,” Saibra said.

The creature roared.

“Ah, criminal intent detected. How naughty. What was your plan? Counterfeit currency in your briefcase, perhaps?” the woman asked.

“No, not at all. For God's sake,” the man said.

“It doesn't really matter, we'll establish the details later. The Teller is never wrong when it comes to guilt. Your account will now be deleted, and obviously your mind. Suppertime.”

The armored guards held onto the creature’s chains as it moved closer to the customer. It’s eyestalks came together and a ray was focused on the man’s head.

“It's wiping his mind. Turning his brain into soup,” the Doctor explained.

Elise felt tears well up in her eyes.

“Your next of kin will be informed, and incarcerated, as further inducement to honest financial transactions,” the woman said.

The man started screaming.

“We've got to help him,” Clara said.

“He's gone already. It's over,” the Doctor told her.

“He's in agony, look at him.”

“Those aren't tears, Clara. That's soup.”

The creature pulled it’s eyestalks apart.

The man stopped screaming and one of the suited men caught him. The front of his head was caved in.

“Account closed. Take him away. He's ready for his close-up. Apologies for the disturbance. Everyone have a lovely day.”

Elise was right. This was a very bad idea.

[blackbrian6-blog]

The Financial Confessions: “A Scary Roommate Situation Left Me Nearly Homeless”

This post is brought to you by Wealthsimple.

Screwing up your finances is one of the most horrifying things that can happen during your adult life. Although nobody is perfect, the reality is that one misguided decision can have a tremendous effect on a person’s future. And when the negative outcomes of those decisions spiral out of control, it can lead to some dangerous situations. For instance, I’ve made many, many money mistakes in my life — several of which I’ve written about on this site. But none of those mistakes haunt me as much as one decision from several years ago that placed my financial stability and safety at risk.

The story begins back when I was a college student on the hunt for housing. I desperately wanted to live with my good friend, Kylee*. Initially, Kylee suggested we share an apartment together for $2,200, but I couldn’t afford to spend $1,100 on rent. I felt discouraged by our apartment hunt and considered applying for student housing instead. In retrospect, this would have been a smarter long-term financial decision. But, of course, my 20-year-old self was far more concerned with satisfying my social needs than my practical ones.

One day, Kylee came to me with an idea: Instead of going with an overpriced apartment, we would go bigger. The plan was to rent a house and fill it with more people to make living expenses cheaper. She pitched it to me like it was going to be one big, happy reality show. And while I’m pretty embarrassed to admit it, I was immediately sold on the idea. (To be fair, Jersey Shore was also really popular at the time.) We would do our homework while sipping wine outside in our beautiful backyard. There would be barbecues all summer that we’d talk about for years to come. Plus, we were going to save money! What could possibly go wrong?

After touring the location once and meeting only three of the seven potential housemates, we agreed to sign the lease. $7,200 per month. To be honest, I’m not sure how I deluded myself into believing that shelling out $850 to occupy half of a bedroom was “a steal.” However, in effort to pretend like I was a responsible adult, I used my lump sum financial aid check to pay ahead for three months of my rent. I continued this pattern for the rest of the school year. This meant I never really “felt” that money disappear. Plus, I remained optimistic by justifying all the perks that came with the house. I was now within walking distance of my campus. I had a view of the ocean. And best of all, we had our own washing machine.

But eventually, on any given day, the general vibe of the place was somewhere between an unkempt hostel and never-ending spring break party. In other words, it wasn’t a functional place to live — and it didn’t take long for things to take a turn for the worse. Around December, tensions were rising among all the housemates. Of course, that’s to be expected when cramming nine twenty-somethings under the same roof, but believe me when I say the situation started seriously getting out of hand. Some memorable issues included people having sex in the only downstairs bathroom during most hours of the day and night. There were other problems too, like people smoking cigarettes indoors, neglecting to clean up their messes and, the most criminal of all, stealing food. I wish I could say we all handled these disputes like rational adults. But after my car was mysteriously scratched days after sending a text asking about a missing container of hummus, I knew it wasn’t going to go down that way.

I was finding it increasingly difficult to justify staying there. I constantly joked about it with friends to convince myself it was fine. Yes, I had to remember to label my hummus immediately if I ever wanted to eat it, but hey, I was saving $300. (Technically, that money went directly toward my other bills, so I never actually saw that savings.) And it wasn’t like I was totally alone in the house with a bunch of strangers. I had Kylee, who had a patience level I could only hope to develop over a lifetime of serious meditation. All I had was a fear that I had paid close to $8,000 to hide for nine months spent in one small corner of an entire house.

There were just over two months left on the lease when everything came crashing down. One morning, two police officers greeted me at my doorstep as I was leaving for class. It turns out one of my housemates had been accused of a serious crime, and they needed to interview the rest of us as witnesses. (For the sake of privacy, I won’t go into details about the exact nature of the crime. However, I’ll say it was serious enough to make me realize there was absolutely no way I could stay living in that shitshow any longer.) That evening, I stuffed my suitcase with as much clothing as it could fit and headed for my friend Maya’s* place, six blocks away. I spent about a week sleeping on the floor of her bedroom before her housemates rightfully became annoyed with my presence and asked what my plan was. Of course, that was the problem: I didn’t have one.

Remember how I had paid my rent up front every three months? Well, I had no way of getting that already-paid money back. And my part-time jobs weren’t going to make me enough money in time to put a deposit on a new place to live.

I returned to my former home one day to chat with one of my housemates, Mason*. He was the guy responsible for collecting the rent money from everyone. I explained to him that I had been gone for the week because I didn’t feel safe anymore. I also mentioned that I wanted to find a subleaser to take over my spot for the final two months so I could make up my loss. He laughed. “I don’t really get why you’re worried since he (the roommate dealing with the police) hasn’t technically been convicted of anything yet,” he said. “There’s only two months left on the lease. If I were you, I’d just stick it out and avoid him.”

Avoid him. I was at a loss for words. Mason’s advice was to continue hiding in my own house. Nevermind that one of the women who lived with us had already placed a deposit on a new place because our problematic housemate made her uncomfortable. On top of that, Kylee had started sleeping over at boyfriend’s so often that I rarely saw her. She wasn’t even around when the chaos ensued. I didn’t have those options.

Despite what Mason said, I tried to find a subleaser anyway. I put an ad on Craigslist and hoped for the best. No bites. Not one. I was caught between two terrible choices: stay and potentially risk my safety, or walk away from $1,560 that I would never see again, with nowhere to go. My savings balance was barely above the threshold where the bank starts charging fees for having an account. For lack of a better word, I was fucked.

Eventually, one of my coworkers noticed I looked severely stressed and exhausted at work. After nearly breaking down when explaining my situation, she graciously offered to help. I slept on her couch for an entire month and a half before I had enough money to stand on my feet again. Between all the double shifts I picked up that month, I must have worked between 25 and 30 hours during the weekends alone. The only time I went back to the house was on move-out day to retrieve the personal belongings I left that I felt were worth keeping. And once I found a new roommate whose personality and livelihood was a better match for me, I paid my friend back for her kindness and never looked back.

I share this story because that year would have ended differently for me if I didn’t have a friend who was willing to save me in that moment of crisis. I know not everyone has the privilege of help, and every time I reflect on this experience, I realize how lucky I am that I didn’t end up living on the street. But more importantly, I know now this situation could have been avoided had I been more careful with my decisions — especially when they involved my finances.

The truth is I didn’t pay several months of rent ahead of time to prove to myself that I was responsible. I did it because I didn’t want to think about it. I lived like I was destined for this negative, self-fulfilling prophecy, wherein I would always struggle financially. If I ever came upon what I considered “extra” money, I spent it. To be honest, I didn’t even consider saving to be a real possibility for people who weren’t already wealthy. I thought I had to have all the resources in place first — the right career, a degree, a certain amount of disposable income — before I could even start feeling like I was allowed to form a long-term plan.

But in reality, there is no rulebook that says you have to be at a certain point in your life to start thinking strategically about your finances. I started getting serious about saving immediately after I left that scary situation, even though I hadn’t yet secured a new home. Years later, I make sure a portion of my income goes toward developing a fund that allows me to make those adult life decisions with confidence. If you’re interested in taking that step to better prepare for your own future, Wealthsimple makes the process super easy and stress free. It takes less than 15 minutes to start building a personalized investment portfolio on their platform that lets you connect with money experts who can help you reach your goals.

Remember, the scariest things that can happen to your finances might not be some expected. Whenever I look back on this horrific situation, I feel an immense gratitude for what I have today. It’s so easy to say paying for things we don’t want to pay for sucks, especially emergencies. But when you have specific funds set aside to comfortably care for yourself — whether it means buying a tire when yours pops on the freeway, or securing a deposit on an apartment — suddenly paying for those things isn’t so annoying. It’s as if the very act of paying for an emergency on your own becomes a constant reminder of how far you’ve come with your money, and to a greater extent, your mindset.

Learn how you can protect your tomorrow by investing today with Wealthsimple. *Names have been changed.

Savanna is a freelance writer in Northern California whose hobbies include all things theater and dog-related. She hopes for a world where avocados will be included in the price of her entrée and a 12-step program is widely available to people who obsessively collect air miles. Follow her on Twitter here.

Image via Unsplash

Source: https://thefinancialdiet.com/the-financial-confessions-a-scary-roommate-situation-left-me-nearly-homeless/

[acceleratehomes]

What Documents Do I Need To Sell My House In The UK?

There are an awful lot of things that go into selling a house, and there are a whole lot of things that you actually need in order to even begin selling, including a number of documents and paperwork.

If you’ve never had to sell a house before, it can be incredibly difficult and confusing when trying to figure out what exactly you need document-wise when selling.

However, as much of a pain as this can all be, it’s certainly worth looking into in great depth so that you can be completely prepared for what’s to come and what you are going to need along the way.

So, if you’re thinking of selling your house, or are in the process of doing so, here’s all you need to know about what documents you need to sell your house in the UK.

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Documents Required For Selling A House

Proof of Identity

This one is pretty straightforward.

You will need to prove your identity to your solicitor and estate agent, which will be requested by them from the very beginning.

In order to do this, you will need to provide a copy of a recent bank statement or utility bill as well as photo ID to accompany it.

A driving license or passport will be accepted as photo ID, so make sure you are prepared for that.

Keep all recent bank statements and invoices for bills handy if you’re thinking of selling your house soon as they will really come in useful.

Shared Freehold Documents

If your home still has a share of the freehold (as in, you’re still paying your mortgage, for example, and thus the bank still owns a part of your house and it’s not completely yours), you will need to provide documentation for this.

If it is a company involved in this, then they should have given you a Share Certificate. This is the adequate documentation, so do find it, or get in touch with said company to rearrange getting another.

Be aware, though, that if your house is leasehold, you will instead need to provide the equivalent documentation in the form of the lease.

Do allow several days or a few weeks for leasehold information to be given to you as it generally depends on the speed of the landlord and/or estate agent and their efficiency.

Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)

It is required by UK law that whenever a house is sold, an EPC is included in the sale.

An Energy Performance Certificate can be obtained with the help of the estate agents, but it’s basically the assessment results on how much energy a house uses and the CO2 output of the house.

Ensure that you have one of these sorted out by the time your house sells in order to avoid any bumps in the final road of the sale.

Also, make sure that whoever you get to give you your EPC is qualified and registered (again, this can be done alongside the help of the estate agent, so do ask them for a hand).

Property Title Deeds

Not everyone has the property title deeds to their house at hand by the time they decide they want to sell up, but there’s no need to worry if you’re one of those people.

You can get the property title deeds sent to you again from the solicitor you used when you initially applied for a mortgage or bought the house.

However, sometimes you can’t get hold of the document, and so you will have to apply for a ‘title absolute’ from the Land Registry.

If your house has not been sold since 1986, the Land Registry is unlikely to have a copy of the property title deeds, so you’ll have to apply for the title absolute.

During the application process for this, you have to prove that you are the legal owner of the house and that you have the right to the freehold of it too.

As well as this, you will have to prove that you’ve had possession of the property for a period of 15 years straight.

This can be a difficult task, so if you have any more questions or difficulties about it, it’s best to contact the Land Registry for help as they will be able to give you the guidance you need.

There’s a lot of paperwork that goes into securing a title absolute, so you’ll probably have to put aside a lot more time and put in a lot more effort than if you were trying to just get hold of the initial property title deeds necessary for selling your house in the UK.

Fittings and Contents Form (TA10)

This document is one that specifies what is incorporated in the sale of your house, so it’s pretty important that you get it right and read it more than once before you sign your life away with it.

It can include furniture if applicable, and also outdoor assets such as garden sheds, garages, greenhouses and even trees.

Remember it may also include washing machines and tumble dryers and the like, so make sure to discuss it properly with the solicitor and estate agent.

TA10 forms also break down the house into rooms and make it clear what is included in the house sale from the kitchen to the bedrooms.

It is also a good idea to ensure that any potential buyers are aware of what’s included in the fittings and contents form so that they can agree on it and there won’t be any huge issues down the line when you’re finalising the sale.

That would be a true pain if it were the case.

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Property Information Form (TA6)

All house sellers are required to fill in this form which provides a thoroughly detailed account of the property, similar to the TA10.

The property information form concerns itself with a number of things, including any complaints or disagreements with the neighbours, the boundaries of the garden/house and which neighbour is responsible for the upkeep of certain hedges and fences.

There is also a part on the planning and alterations on the building – if there has been any recent substantial building work done to the house, such as a loft extension or new windows being installed, it is important that this is disclosed on the TA6 form.

Also included on the form should be parking arrangements as potential buyers will want to know whether or not they can park in a designated area owned by them, or if there is no such spot.

Other things included on the form are warrantees and guarantees on certain things that have been installed, such as new windows or solar panels, as well as any proposals and notices from the local authorities about proposed planning or building in the local/surrounding area.

It’s important that any new buyers are warned in advance about this as it could be a potential problem further down the line if they feel misled by the seller when building work begins that they had no idea about.

It is also important that environmental matters are included on this document, such as any risks of flooding or the presence of unwanted substances like Japanese knotweed.

Moreover, there has to be an insurance declaration which gives the potential buyers an idea on how much it will cost to insure your home, taking into account any irregularities with the house that need some form of special insurance.

Moreover, the TA6 also includes services which means the condition of the electrical wiring and central heating – two things that are vitally important to anyone thinking of buying a house.

Ensure you’ve had all of this checked over so you can fill in this document with accuracy so that your back is always covered in any event after the sale of the house.

If you are intending on buying another house, you should declare this on the transaction information part of the form. This is where you can and should also specify any moving dates you have in mind so that the potential buyers are on the same lines as you when it comes to the end of the sale.

Acceptance of Offer Form

Once someone has made an acceptable offer on your house, you will be required to fill in yet more documentation. This will be drafted for you, and then later you will have to sign a Transfer of Deeds form which will be overseen by your solicitor.

This document will include the sale price, the date of the sale’s completion and any legal restrictions that may be imposed upon this.

Once the document has been signed, it officially becomes legally binding and thus if either party withdraws from the agreement, they will owe the other some financial compensation.

Make sure that you’re happy with everything before you sign the document and there shouldn’t be any problems.

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Japan Spring 2017

Going to Japan with my architecture studio!

We flew Japan Air; I would recommend. The food on plane was amazing, especially for airplane plane food. There were many small side dishes and even Ben and Jerry ice cream! The bathroom had toothbrushes and mini-toothpastes so you could freshen up during the flight. 

When we arrived at the airport though, contrary to expectations, the immigration line was so unorganized and semi-chaotic. There was no clear line, or there were multiple lines for the same destination. Chinese people were absolutely cutting and stations for you to fill out your documents were located at the end of the line. Let it be known that if you fill out your documents with poor handwriting or colored ink that isn’t black or blue, they make you redo it. 

After the airport, our group needed to get train tickets to Kyoto. It was a long wait to process everyone. Then we also had to get subway tickets to get to the train station before we could even start that 4 hour train ride. Then we still had to subway to our hostel. I think after two days of traveling we were finally reached our destination from Boston, and we could finally sleep! 

I had imagined that, because Japan was a highly developed country, most places would take card. It turns out, though that Japan is still a primarily cash economy. Maybe it’s because the vending machine is also very popular and prevalent - machines for coffee (hot or cold!), drinks, cigarettes - are all over in the streets. At some restaurants you also order from a machine, you put money in and push the button with your menu item of choice. I hadn’t anticipated this cash-only issue and thus didn’t have enough in my Charles Schwab international checking account so I also had to draw from my Bank of America. And during this trip I also learned my BoA account charges a fee for each transaction I made at an ATM. Lessons learned. 

All that to say, at the hostel we needed to pay the whole group’s bill upfront with cash, even though we had made a reservation online with a credit card. Of course, none of us, having just arrived, had enough cash to spot but our host kindly covered us in that moment. Our host was a former student of the architect co-teaching our studio. We felt bad for him because it seems the architect asked him as a un-negotiable favor to show us around. Indeed, he did. I don’t know how our group would’ve survived without him. He would pick us up from the hostel in the mornings and lead us, a group of almost 20 naive, distracted foreigners, around the city, on and off trains, getting to places on time. He basically dropped a whole week of his life for us. In the end, though I hope he grew to enjoy being with us and as repayment probably the architect helped get our host a teaching position at the university. 

Japan is very strict about taking shoes off, so at the hostel the front door is lined with everyone’s shoes. The lower floor had a common space where you sit on cushions on the floor with low tables, and co-ed/male bunks and upstairs had female bunks. The bunks were wooden boxes with curtains on a long edge for privacy. Inside was a small bookshelf and lamp and a mattress. The toilets had all kinds of buttons with pictograms and the back of the tank had a sink. Water would run when you flushed the toilet! So efficient. But it seemed weird to wash your hands before exiting the stall. I did try the bidet function and it wasn’t as terrible as I was expecting. It does seem more clean than just wiping. 

There were two breakfasts places nearby adjacent to each other and the meals were so cheap! Maybe $5 or $6 for fish, soup, seaweed, and unlimited rice to eat it with. And their rice is so good - round and sticky. It also comes with a raw egg which you typically mix with your rice but I put mine in the soup. The Japanese apparently have a thing for slimy food textures. One morning I tried natto, per recommendation of B as a traditional dish. It’s fermented soybeans mixed with some soy and mustard. It’s so sticky, also has a slimy texture, and tastes strong and a little bitter. Apparently a lot of Japanese also don’t like it. 

We only had two days in Kyoto. The first day the whole group together visited temples all over. There is an unbelievable amount of temples in Kyoto. I learned that palatial temples had wood cedar shingles while monk temple roofs had tile. I think when a royal emperor sort of defected and became a monk, the buildings roofing was changed to reflect that. We went to the Silver Pavilion first, and we did not visit the Golden Pavilion at all because it’s apparently overrated and you don’t get to see as much and it was redone. Silver Pavilion grounds were so beautiful. The plants and moss are so deeply green and everything is composed perfectly - literally. Workers actually apparently arrange patches of moss and pick out leaves so that it is all perfect. You realize this when you realize there’s no debris of any kind anywhere. For all the trees there are no dropped leaves or twigs. Nothing in nature is natural!  For some reason, I noted that all the fancy luxury cars are in white.  Walking on the street is a different experience because there’s no raised sidewalk, and sometimes no sidewalk at all. Buildings and houses will open right onto the street with no grade change.  We went to this neighborhood that is meant to be traditional, with old-style buildings and little shops but it’s also incredibly touristy. A lot of temples are free if you wear traditional attire, an effort by the city I suppose to encourage locals to maintain their culture, but instead tons of tourists rent outfits. So you have all these Chinese people walking around in the streets with Japanese fancy attire. The temple in this area was also packed. It was under renovation so the outside was covered in scaffolding unfortunately, but workers were way up there with out harnesses. Crazy! We had a group dinner at Asahi brewery but the food was lame - a poor effort at already bad American bar food. So afterwards, a group of us went and found a tsukemen shop and walked through the shopping district. Japan is noodle heaven because oftentimes you can get any size bowl of noodles at no extra cost. So larges for me all the way! The next day, I tried natto at breakfast, a very traditional dish but quite unappealing. It’s fermented soy beans with mustardy soy sauce and it’s SO slimy. The Japanese love slimy food so much.

For lunch, after much deliberation and walking back and forth trying to find  a place that could accommodate our group, we got seats at a soba shop. I picked out a bowl that had tofu, which Kyoto is known for. It was very smooth tofu. We also had a Kyoto dessert, but I don’t remember its name.  We took the train from Kyoto to Tokyo and walked from the station to our capsule hotel. Each guest had their own box, with a curtain at the foot of the bed. Inside your capsule, you had your own TV, some nooks for your belongings, and different lighting settings. It was incredibly cozy. Certainly small, but it’s nice to have everything within reach, all while you’re chilling in bed. Unfortunately, we only stayed at this hotel for one night. The architect had, for the rest of the night, booked us in a youth hostel with a curfew, upsetting much of our group. There we all bunked in two room - guys in one, girls in another

For dinner, we went to a Tsurutontan, which serves giant bowls of giant udon with giant spoons. Their menu was also big - like a whole book - with all kinds of toppings and flavors.  Tokyo so different from Kyoto, like New York on steroids with stories of lights on up and everyone is bustling, but it’s really clean and no one’s pushing past you. Also, everyone walks in single file lines through subway station. There are all different, independent train companies operating in Japan, which means that you can have a train pass but it only works for certain lines though they all share a station. It’s incredibly confusing. Our class had a JL pass for our whole time, which I think included inter-city trains and subways, but I needed different passes to use different lines when getting around the city with my friends. And you can also fill a metro card but I’m not sure which lines that covers.  The architect took us to have sushi for lunch at a place near his studio. Real sushi! We had two parts of tuna (red melt soft and white), shrimp (tender) and egg (sweet and smooth), eel (soft and taste the sea) and roe (stiff texture and crunchy). Roe and urchin (buttery), roll with salty bitter roe, red fish and scallion (great). The chef also made cherry blossom bread with cream cheese nuts, which was salty, sweet, and sharp, and a fig and cashews bread. For dessert we had strawberries in matcha sugar. I really wanted to just eat a whole bunch of that sugar by itself. 

For the majority of our time in Tokyo, we were on trains to and from the university and the architects’ projects. It was nice visiting his projects. They are all fairly simple but very well-detailed and create unique spaces despite the simplicity. So Japanese. But being at the university was torture as we had days of presentations and desk crits and were expected to work all night. 

They did cave and give us one free afternoon to be in Tokyo. We split up in small groups led by Japanese students and most people went shopping. I went with our trip host who offered to do an architecture tour down Omotesando St, which is like Fifth Avenue with all the luxury brand shops. But it’s also full of starchitecture. First he took us to his favorite ramen place that made yuzu ramen. I think it’s the best ramen I’ve ever had, definitely in terms of flavor. It’s ctirusy but also cozy, warming, umami brother, and mine was also a bit spicy.  Near a train station and one of the architect’s kindergartens, I saw bike racks with alternating heights so adjacent bikes’ handlebars and pedals don’t get in the way of each other and you can pack the bikes in more tightly. Smart!

For our last night with the architect, he invited us to his home for dinner. A very kind gesture, but also a little bit to show off his home I think. It was all homemade food -soup, veggies, rice- which was nice. There was a sticky, crunchy kind of rice pancake that you put sauce on which I really enjoyed. 

Luckiest of all for me, my friend N and her bf were also in Tokyo then! So after our classes’ last scheduled evening I planned to meet up with them, stay with them (and avoid the hostel’s curfew) and hang out our free day before our flight back. We had agreed to meet at Shinjuku station by a specific shop. Easy enough, right? While on the train our trip host asked “Which exit?” and I said “What do you mean?” “Shinjuku has hundreds of exits... good luck!” I also didn’t have any data or wi-fi access, just a pre-downloaded map and, while walking up and down and in and out, realized I might not find my friends. I was so close! But not quite there and didn’t have a way to reach them! Amazingly, they spotted me! 

We walked through one of the tight, narrow old-style streets and then went to this izakaya place that had a drinks special, eating and drinking and catching up. We reached the time of the last train going back to their place and there was a massive crowd trying to get up the steps to the platform. We thought we’d never get to the train but somehow the people started flowing and we squished on. Like really really squished on. Finally the crazy Tokyo subway squishing experience. There were so many moments when I thought, “Okay, that’s the maximum we can pack it in. No one else can get on,” but people continued to get on. Never before have I been so aware of how human bodies are just bags of fluid that can be squished in. I started getting light headed during the trip, partially from drinks perhaps but mostly I think because of all the people consuming the oxygen I wanted so I knelt down. It felt like there was more room among people’s ankles. 

My friends were living a bit farther out, and the next day we walked along the river in the neighborhood to get to the train station. They forgot their portable wi-fi at the house, so M ran back and N and I walked along the banks watching people set up for the cherry blossom celebration and some people trying to kayak upstream. In the city, we had limited time but visited shops - like the famously giant stationery store Tokyu Hands and took silly photobooth pictures. They edit it so much I don’t look like myself at all! We ate noodles by this big park and then walked through to see all the cherry blossoms. So many people were picnicking under the trees with huge spreads and lines of bottles of alcohol. They aren’t allowed to bring furniture but people create all sorts of makeshift tables out of foamcore or cardboard. Even some more solid things that are questionably not furniture. 

Finally I had to catch the train for the airport. There was a moment of panic where I didn’t know which way to go and didn’t know how to get the right answers in the rush. Luckily, M realized I went the wrong way and he ran to get me while I ran having gotten a general direction from a stranger. I just jumped onto the train with a minute to spare.