Monday 14 November 2011

Be Careful What You Wish For... (Monday Madness)

Last week I penned a blog called 'A House is Not a Home' in which I outlined how we had outgrown our current house and was starting the long haul search for a new one.  Why long haul?   Well with J1 and his special needs of a house that would suit his disabilities and equipment storage requirements, finding something suitable is far from easy.  I also wistfully wrote about having more family living space and as an extra bonus a utility area and room for a dining table.  A pipe dream.

So I thought.

Once we had found an estate agent that actually grasped the concept of our predicament of having certain things within a house for J1 (and believe me, many will listen and then send you a whole bucketful of unsuitable properties anyway) he sent us a few details to review and they good like they were worth a look.  The first of the 'possibles' we wanted to jump all over, it was a bungalow for a start (quite rare in the size we need) but we both had a nagging feeling that something was not going to allow us to have that property and that was right, another agent had already started the letting process with some tenants.

I was disheartened.  I know how long it took to find this house and suitable ones just are not in abundance.  To have found one so good was a long shot to start with so to lose it was disappointing.  I was not in good spirits when the Estate Agents office sent through another two.  Hubby noted one was a house (so I was quite dismissive to start with 'Hmpf, great a house, unless it has got multiple reception rooms [so J1 can have one as a downstairs bedroom] and still give us extra space then it's not worth even bothering to look - more hmpfing and grumbling') and one was another bungalow... hmmm o.k worth firing up the laptop to look.

I could immediately see that the bungalow was not going to be suitable (with a 'here we go' - months of looking and not even going to view them), as already mentioned, with most bungalows it wasn't going to be big enough.  I thought I would glance at the house details quickly so I could formally dismiss it and we could continue with the search, the Estate Agent had mentioned that he may have a suitable property coming onto the books in January.

As I nonchalantly flicked open the details of the house, did my eyes deceive me I wondered?  This property looked like it could work, I felt a little flutter of excitement, because not only did it look like it had a suitable 'reception' room that would work for J1, but it would give us more family room, a fair bit more and it was a 'period' property, with bags and bags of character (I use this as a 'I know I have hit 30 and 'grown up hood' because I am now loving 'period' properties with 'character'!)

On viewing day I got more excited as the time ticked by to go and see it.  Hubby was less enthused but I just knew I was going to love it.  And love it I did.  We spent time viewing and then working out logistics and then viewing again.  I expect I was an Estate Agents dream, I couldn't hide my excitement.  Once Hubby was on board, we entered the scary phase of negotiating rent and putting in our application to the landlord.  I hate that bit and envision everything possible going wrong, I suppose like for buyers being gazumped, or the chain breaking.

I am still in disbelief that we have managed to find and secure somewhere new to live so quickly.  And thus comes the stressful part... packing and moving right before Christmas.  Madness?  I think so.  I struggle to get the normal day to day stuff done in between school runs and the entertainment committee that J2 requires to get him through the day.  Where I am going to get the opportunity to pack up an entire house, an entire full of stuff house, is a mystery to me right now.  Days are ticking by and I have only just bought up my first lot of bubble wrap.  My aim is to try and do it little and often, a cup here, a drawer there and hope for the best.

But once that is done, all those things I mentioned as a wish list in 'A House is Not a Home', the space for a dining table, a utility room, more room for J1's equipment to live without us all walking into and being covered in bruises, a nicer area to live will be real for us all.  And for that I am very thankful.  And I apologise to anyone that may feel the wrath of the stress of the next month!

To a new home and an exciting new year.

1 comment:

  1. Congrats on finding a new house so quickly. I really hope it has everything you need on your wish list. And good luck packing... (I won't take any of your ranting and raving in the next month or so personally). :)

    p.s. I'm from MBS. pls check out my blog www.storiesofamom.com

    ReplyDelete

I would love for you to quack your thoughts along with me and will always try and quack right back.