30
Jun
2018
By Calvin at 09:51 GMT, 5 years ago
Back on 3rd May I announced that Julia and I had put our house on the market in order that we could move down to Cornwall (via Devon). At the time we knew that the market was depressed and this concern was confirmed by a much lower number of viewers than would normally be expected. Fortunately one of those viewers, a lovely young woman and local General Practitioner, loved our place and put in an acceptable offer. We’re now just waiting for her building society’s surveyor to visit next week to point out all the problems with the place and ask a lot of impertinent questions – all said with tongue in cheek as I doubt (hope) he or she will find much wrong.
Although the agents did show a few potential buyers around I expressed a preference to do it myself as I’m here most of the time and could answer their questions better than any agent. I must admit this did become a bit of a drag. We had to keep the house and garden totally clean and sparkling; I got through tons of coffee maker coffee and baked about eight loaves of bread! The worse thing though was the stupid questions I got asked and here are a few examples:
So, I’m stood in our beautifully landscaped garden (even though I say so myself) with all the water features doing their stuff and the various Jasminoides scenting the garden when the lady said “Are you going to leave your garden furniture?” Astonished I replied: “What do you mean? Do you mean our extendable hardwood table and eight matching chairs and the cushions and the polished granite bench seat?” “Yes”, she said. “Well what do you think? I replied sarcastically. “Do you honestly think that I would leave all this behind so that I might spend two-and-a-half thousand quid on new stuff”. It was at that point that I realised she wasn’t going to and probably couldn’t buy the house.
Then I was up in the loft showing some bloke the pressurised water system when he asked me why I was selling my house for so much money. Almost speechless and in a state of disbelief I mumbled something about him looking at places he could afford rather than wasting my time. He left shortly afterwards.
Then we had someone who lived locally, but right on the busy Uxbridge Road who wanted to move to a quieter location. Our house backs onto a nature reserve managed by the Wildlife Trust and so couldn’t be quieter and we’re just one-and-a-half miles away from the said Road. According to the rather bemused agent this couple reported back that we too far away from the Uxbridge Road!
So, if any of you are thinking about selling your home and don’t want to be bothered by time wasters and silly questions can I suggest you leave it to the agent. Ours, who’s been excellent by the way, has hardened skin to protect himself from all this nonsense.
Anyway, so long as everything goes well with the surveyor next week we should be gone from here by the middle of August and then we shall start looking in Cornwall. Then the fun will begin and I will make sure I refer to my own crime prevention guide about buying a new home.
There are lots of things you need to consider when viewing new homes and its vulnerability to crime is something that not all of us will think about. Please be different and click on the link below. You can print off the guide to keep with all your other house moving paperwork.
You know it makes sense!
Moving Home and Security https://thecrimepreventionwebsite.com/home-security-assessment/680/moving-home-and-security/
