The keys are handed over to us

The day finally arrived when we were to officially check over the house. We packed the car with some boxes of things to put in the loft and everything we needed to make a cup of tea. I also had a measuring tape to measure the rooms so that I could make a plan for moving day. The former tenants were to be there too. It was only our second visit to the house and this time it was empty and spotlessly clean.

As we went over the house we asked a lot of questions about electricity and water consumption, how things worked. We made sure that the papers were marked with any problems and things like cracked tiling. The whole visit, handing over the keys and printing out of papers to be signed took 4 hours.

 Once we were alone, I made our very first cup of tea in our new home and then Mr. Sosie and I set about putting the first boxes into the loft and measuring the rooms. We shut the house up with heavy hearts and went back to continue sorting out and packing the other end.

The big clear out

This time a year ago I was busy trying to sort out 25 years worth of accumulated junk. To start off I was pretty strict, but as soon as we knew that we would have a large loft to store things in I started to keep more and more. It was a mistake really and I know that one day I’ll be cursing myself for keeping so much.

 I discovered that a local charity would collect furniture in reasonable condition and electrical equipment in any state to be stripped down and renovated or used for spare parts. I had to let my electric cooker go and the freezer in the garage needed throwing out anyway. There was also a chair that was too big for out new home. I took apart some of the furniture which was past its best and we took it to the local tip.

Despite all of my hard work there seemed to be so much to take with us and so much to do. I’m not fond of housework so there was 25 years of dust and memories to clear away and clean. I found one missing earring and wondered what happened to the other.

The home we were leaving suddenly seemed to grow in size as the time went on and it was de-cluttered.

Paperwork

As arranged, the following week we went to the agent’s office armed with all of the paper work we thought would be needed. Everything was fine as regards renting the house.

We also had some questions. Was there a supply of electricity to the garage - in the loft? What were the dimensions of the rooms? How was water heated? …and so on. Everything we could think of. The meeting passed well. All we needed to do now was await confirmation of the viewing of the house with a solicitor so that any problems and faults with the house could be noted.

It made sense to check the house with the out-going tenants present. A date was arranged for the end of April.

The visit: Upstairs

The staircase was pine, a beautiful honey colour. At the top of the stairs were 5 doors. The bathroom, a cupboard for hanging clothes and two bedrooms. The ceilings were high and followed the roofspace. Both bedrooms were a good size and looked out over the farm across the road. There were hens roaming in the farmyard and all of a sudden I was at my grandmother’s house as a child looking out into the garden. The house was nothing like my Grandmother’s home, but I just had an overwhelming feeling of nostalgia. The bathroom, or rather shower room was beautiful. Tastefully tiled and very recent, with a huge mirror above the washbasin. The fifth door led into the loft. What a loft! It was as large as the bedroom below it. It couldn’t be used as a room because of the low slope of the roof. There was also the ventilator and the exit pipe for the gas boiler passed through. For us for storage it was perfect. The tenants assured us that it was perfectly dry and weather proof. Reluctantly we had to leave the inside to look at the small garden and the garage. The garden was small, but there was room for a small vegetable patch and there was an old well which added interest. There wasn’t much else as non of the previous tenants had stayed very long and had not invested time planting flowers or shrubs. The garage was built from stone and was very old. It was very large, perhaps two small cars would fit inside. I was fascinated by the stones and old beams. It had been a workshop in the past. I wondered who had worked there. It was obvious early on in the visit that we wanted to live there. The agent explained to us that she had another couple who were coming to look at the house immediately after us. She didn’t want to put them off as they had travelled a long distance. She was going to show them around anyway, letting them know that normally the house was let. I was walking on air as we left, but Mr Sosie, was worried by this information. We also had to submit details of our salaries to make sure that we could afford to rent the house and the cost of running it. We had an appointment at the agent’s office the following week.

The visit: Downstairs

The house was spotlessly clean and had recently been renovated. All of the walls throughout were painted white. All of the rooms were full of light from the windows which faced east and south The main room was smaller than we would have liked. There was a huge fireplace. It was blocked off as the laws are strict on certificates for insurance of the sweeping of chimneys in use once a year. The kitchen was small too, but very well designed. It would mean that I would have to have a new cooker (I didn’t mind!). Above the sink, there was a large opening with sliding doors into the main room. So the kitchen could be part of the main living area or not. The first bedroom was on the ground floor, it was large and narrow – would we have to go back to a standard sized bed? Everything I saw just seemed to get better and better. Under the stairs was a small cupboard just the right size for the washing machine!

March 26th 2011

Can you imagine how the time dragged until the time we could visit ‘our house’?

On the morning of the 26th March 2011 we woke up bright and early. During the drive we decided that we should be prepared to be disappointed with the inside of the house. It still seemed too good to be true.

Needless to say, we parked our car beside the church half an hour before the arranged meeting time. We went for a short walk to pass the time, even walking past the house. The agent was on time thank goodness. I think I might have burst if she’d have been late. She was very friendly and put us at ease straight away. As soon as we walked through the front door I knew I wasn’t going to be disappointed. The agent and the tenants who would be leaving shortly showed us around.

Just like a dream

I was beginning to worry if we’d find somewhere in time. We didn’t really want to live in the house we had seen, so the following morning saw me back online searching for somewhere to live again. Suddenly my heart began to thump. There was ‘our house’. The agency had put it back on line as the tenant-to-be had dropped out. Within 6 minutes I’d phoned the agency and made an appointment for Saturday morning. I wanted nine o’clock but settled for 9.30. I had to keep pinching myself to make sure that I was awake.