Aqua

I was sent for my first scan and it turned out I was only 11 weeks pregnant. I had to go back as apparently they couldn't see the head properly (or parts of it were not formed at that point, I'm not sure), so had to go back a few weeks later for another one. Apparently for the first scan you should be at least 12 wks pg. Contrary to popular belief the first scan isn't just for dating purposes, they look at the health of the baby and check everything is ok, and if it's too early they can't see everything they need to. Did you tell the hosp you'd only be 9 weeks and if so, what did they say? x

I used to go there - just cancelled my membership as it's ridiculously expensive. I was on diamond membership and it was £41.95 per month but if you pay on a month by month basis I think it's around £47 per month or even more. I liked it there as the facilities are great but it just wasn't worth the money in my opinion, esp in the current climate when my money is better spent on more essential things. I'm about to join Fitness First and will probably use both Ponds Forge and Don Valley gyms. It's only £24 per month, and if you pay for 12 months upfront it works out at £21.66 per month. Bargain. Hope that helps. A x

I have a Honeywell controller on my central heating, which allows either heating up the water, heating of the radiators, or both at the same time. I set it to come on/off twice a day but for the past few weeks it isn't coming on at the right time. For instance I set it to come on at 5.40am and go off at 8.10am, but it's been coming on around 4am and going off around 7am. Same in the evenings. I think the timer needs replacing. My ex replaced the timer when we moved in 7 years ago as we couldn't get any water or heating at all, so think it needs doing again. Can anyone give me some advice, or perhaps even a rough cost for doing this? Thanks, Aqua

The CSA still exist, so apply to them. I would recommend chasing them with a phone call every few weeks otherwise they 'forget' about you. Get the name of your caseworker and their number if poss and call them regularly. If you still don't get a result then write to your MP. That's what I had to do, three times, before the CSA got their arse into gear and started pushing my case. I still haven't had any money though, lol! But my ex should pay for his son so I'll never stop chasing them until my son gets his money - the vast amount of £10 per week he'll receive *wow*!

Regis at Crystal Peaks sells Paul Mitchell.

I'm glad your son is now happy with his new 'old' bear! I know how you feel - I left my son's teddy in the Asda trolley yesterday and didn't realise until we got to Crystal Peaks and he said 'Mummy where's my teddy?'. Cue trip back to Asda, stomach in mouth, only to find his bear upside down in the bin next to the trolley bay with his legs stuck out of the top - honestly, I almost cried with relief! Thank god the bin was full otherwise teddy would have gone to the bottom and I'd never have seen it! Not sure what the people round about thought about me getting a teddy out of the bin though... A x

I understand it may not be the most secure role, but the fact that they are advertising for this job perhaps means they are starting to recruit again? The reason I wanted to get an idea of the salary before applying was so that if it's way less than what I earn now, I wouldn't waste my time or theirs by applying. I just wish all job ads would put the salary range on them... A x

I've seen a job advertised in last week's Star and have always fancied working in an estate agent, however it doesn't state a salary and I have an awful feeling it wouldn't earn me anywhere near what I earn now (and I don't earn a lot!). Does anyone know what the salary might be? It's working for Bundells. Also, would there be room for moving from doing this to eventually becoming a valuer? Full time - Conveyancing/HIP/Survey Administrator If anyone has any idea about this, I'd be really greatful. A x

I want to have a single 600x600 radiator in my small bedroom (no radiator in there at present) and TRV's on all the other radiators in my house except for the dining room which already has one on and the towel rail in the bathroom as I don't think it needs one (unless I need to put one on that too). This would be for 4 radiators (main and second bedroom, downstairs hall and living room), not counting the new one that would be fitted in the small bedroom. Does anyone have any recommendations of people to do this, and roughly how much it will cost? Thanks, A x

Would you be able to pm me then please? Thanks.

Could you post his name, business and contact details please?

I've lived in Richmond for 6 1/2 years and it's lovely - never had any trouble and the people are friendly. I currently have a house for sale on Lathkill Road if you're interested? A x

Around £105k - I think I have about a 75-80% LTV ratio.

In my house I have an old back boiler (Baxi, but can't recall exact model) which is situated behind a pretty old fashioned gas fire in my kitchen/dining room, with a water tank in a cupboard in the second bedroom. I believe the boiler is around 15 years old and I know it's completely inefficient as my utility bills are pretty high. The boiler also sounds like a plane taking off while it's on and interferes with my DAB radio and my son's baby monitor, which is really annoying. I seriously expect it to give up the ghost any time, so would like to look at replacing it before that happens. Ideally I'd like to get the boiler replaced with a combi, and have the water tank removed to free up the cupboard space. It's a 3 bed semi - does anyone have any idea how much it would cost to do this? I could also do with some recommendations of people/companies to get quotes from please. Thanks, CC x

I've had my house on the market for seven months but have just pulled it off due to the stagnant housing market. I still want to move, and am planning to put it back on in the next 6-18 months. I currently have a 2 year fixed rate repayment mortgage at 5.44% which runs until June 2010. With all the interest rate drops I was wondering if I’d be better moving to a tracker or variable rate one until the rates start to rise again, even though I’d have to pay an early redemption fee on my current mortgage. My current mortgage stands at just under 90k and with the fee I’d have to pay back around £92k. Ideally I’d also like to take out a bit extra (around 8-10k) to do some home improvements to make my current house more saleable, but would only do this if I could comfortably manage the monthly repayments. Is changing my mortgage worth doing? A x

I currently get my broadband and phone line, inc line rental, through Talk Talk. It's their free broadband service for about £20 per month. However they are absolutley sh*te as my internet logs out literally every 30 seconds (am having to write this at work!). Everytime I ring they just tell me to check the same things I checked last time I rang, then tell me someone will call me back to sort it out, which they don't. I'm not in contract so I'd like to change suppliers. I'm currently in S13 but my house is on the market and I hope to move to S8 at some point, so need something that I can transfer when I move. My current house isn't in a cable area, but I believe most of S8 is (not that that will help me at the moment!). Any ideas? Was thinking of going with Virgin but as I don't have cable I'd have to get a BT line again - very annoying as hardly ever make calls using the landline. Any suggestions welcome! A x

Thanks everyone, will speak to my current lender and mortgage advisor if it comes to it - just need to sell mine first before I can look at doing this anyway! A x

My house is on the market for £109,950, but I'm willing to accept quite a bit less should I get an offer. My mortgage is currently at £89k and I've seen houses for sale in my preferrred area for £80-90k. I'd love to lower my mortgage and subsequently, the monthly payments - if I were to sell mine for say £100k, would I be able to buy one for say £85k? I know that I'd need a certian LTV ratio, so would buying a property that's cheaper than where my currently mortgage is be possible? Or would I have to buy a more expensive property purely to keep my LTV ratio high? Hope this makes sense, any advice appreciated! A x

Well after the contradiction in those two posts I'm more confused than ever!

I'm thinking of changing estate agents - I'm currently with one at Woodseats and think this could be hampering the marketing, as I think that most people will be looking at agents in roughly the area they want to buy in (I'm in Richmond, S13). Can anyone recommend one in Gleadless or Crystal Peaks? A x

My house has been on the market for 3 months, in which time I've only had 2 viewings and no offers. I've dropped the price twice - from £119,950 to £114,950, then last week to £109,950. I don't have a lot of equity in the property so I'm keen to sell before house prices drop so much that I can't afford to move, or even worse, I'm in negative equity – I have genuine reasons for moving, to be nearer to family. As it's unlikely I'll be able to buy another property in my preferred area due to lack of equity to use as deposit, I'm seriously considering renting, but my issue is like most people, I’m struggling to sell. I thought about putting my house up at auction, but I understand it’s around a 2.5% fee which would pretty much eat up the equity I’ve got left so that’s a no-no. So now I’m wondering whether to do a bigger price drop and put it on at a fixed price, say £102,000 or even £100,000. I’ve seen this in the property guide a few times and always wondered whether it works or not. Would this put buyers off, because it’s fixed and therefore non-negotiable? Or would it be a positive, because they would definitely get the house if they offered that, there would be no possibility of a bidding war and everyone would know where they stand? The main issue I’d have with this is if it didn’t sell at the fixed price, where would I go from there? Any advice would be appreciated. My property can be found at the link on my signature. Thanks, Aqua

I'm thinking of replacing my living room carpet but my house is on the market so I don't want to pay a lot. I could get a room sized off-cut but how easy would it be to fit? The room is roughly square but has a hearth and a bay window. Do you think it's something me and my dad could do? Just in case, does anyone know of good carpet fitters that would do it quite cheaply? Thanks, Aqua

Thanks for your reply but I'm already aware of that and to be fair, that's not what I asked - I just want to know which estate agents people are using and how they are finding them. If anyone has any comments on this then I'd be really grateful. Thanks. A x

I'm considering changing my agent to give a fresh approach to marketing my property but not sure who to change to, so I'm interested in which agent you are currently using and what deal you've got (i.e. what % of sale price are you contracted to pay them, are they no sale no fee, do they offer free ads in property guide and if not, how much are you paying per ad, are there any other costs, how much notice do you have to give to remove from market etc). Also, how are you finding them - are they proactive in marketing your property? Have they suggested ways you could improve your home to market it? Do they actively seek people to view your property or just wait for viewers to ring them? Any other comments? Thanks, Aqua x

I had my HIP report done independently at the start of July and my house went on sale at the end of the same month. I'm thinking of taking it off the market for a while then putting it back on with a different agent. Would I be able to use the same HIP report? I understood they lasted for a year from the day you have them done, but my agent says that if the property is off the market for so many days, then the HIP is rendered invalid and you have to have another one done (although she couldn't tell me the exact details of how long it has to be off the market for this to take effect). Is this true? If so, what's the longest it can stay off the market that will allow me to use the HIP I've already had done? Thanks, Aqua