I could understand his point of view. We already knew that there were no properties we were interested in in Buckfastleigh and following our previous foray in October we were, thanks to Rightmove, keeping an eye on other areas we were interested in. We knew there was nothing forthcoming at the moment, also that looking for properties just before Christmas, there might not be the choice. Having just lost the property we had thought was our 'dream home', we were a little sore.
While Alan had a doze that afternoon, I picked up the laptop and, expanded the search area from Buckfastleigh a little. To my surprise, quite a few properties came up; some in the village called Liverton. One in particular caught my eye that I instantly liked the look of. Lumbering into the loved one's napping area, I showed him what had caught my eye. Loved one wasn't best pleased at being woken and told me to go away, but shouted as I went to save these properties I was interested in so we could talk about it later.
Cue for a virtual wander around an area about 4 miles from Newton Abbot, which until now we didn't know existed.
Later that day, we looked at what I had discovered. There were some properties worth investigating in Liverton. So we made the decision to pay another visit after Christmas to Devon, this time staying in a small hotel, which fortunately accepted small dogs, the Furzeleigh Mill Hotel, a charming place with just the right amount of 'quirkyness'. With at least 4 properties to view, our hopes were raised that maybe,we might find one that suited, or even one that, is not completely satisfactory, would be OK to use as a base until we found one better, as part of a five year plan.
It was a rather tense but postive couple (plus Jessie) that made their way down to Devon at the beginning of 2016 . As we came closer to that county, inevitably the excitement built up. We had arranged viewings for the following couple of days that we were in the area, so had no need to rush down. But, having made good time, we were able to visit Liverton beforehand to suss out what the surroundings where three of the properties were, was like. What we saw impressed us, the small estate encircled by fields, woods and hills. Of more importance to my loved one was the fact that there was a local pub, which we visited to refresh ourselves and to gain further information about the village.
As we arrived at the hotel situated near to Buckfastleigh, I switched on my phone to find I had a message from one of the estate agents. Apparently he had been waiting at one of the properties we were to view. In all the rush to sort things out I had agreed the wrong date. Fortunately, we were able to book another viewing for the following day, but it was not a good start.
After a surprisingly good night's sleep, we headed off to our first viewing, a 4 bedroom 'status home'. And it appeared, as with our choice of estate agents, that there was going to be a fairy tale element to it all. This first one was judged to be too big with a garden that was tiny; the second, a really lovely bungalow with a very striking exterior was judged, to be too small. After a quick pub lunch, we viewed the first property again, and found that from Alan's point of view, it really wasn't going to suit.
So it was with a sinking heart that we parked outside the last property of the day. Alan first words as we stopped were, "Well, this is more like it." And throughout the viewing he continued to enthuse about the layout and what a lovely bungalow it was. I did find out later that it was because it reminded him of his mum and dad's property, while they were still alive. Whatever the reason, it did evoke very strong emotions for him. He, in effect had fallen in love.
From my point of view, I was initially horrified. It was all electric. The third bedroom, used as a study was tiny. I could see the amount of work required, but when I started to mention the faults, I was hushed up. I hankered for the first property, believing less work would be required. In its favour, however, was the size of the other 2 bedrooms and the layout of the living room, dining area and kitchen, which was pleasant.
Returning to the hotel having made an offer on the first property (for my benefit), we also decided to make another offer on the third 'just right' property. This offer took into account the amount of work required and was what we both termed, a 'silly' offer. We had nothing to lose really and went to bed after one of the most intense chats of our marriage with no idea as to whether we would end up with a property at the end of this trip.
The following morning, I woke with a splitting headache and feeling generally rotten. Not being able to lift my head up from the pillow without feeling nauseous, we agreed that Alan would keep a final viewing appointment that we had agreed in Buckfastleigh and I would rest. There had already been a phone call refusing our offer on the larger property, and we had arranged, whatever the response to our 'silly offer', to view the other property we had made an offer on in the afternoon. So all I could do was rest.
On his return, when we were just discussing his last unsuccessful viewing, the mobile rang. It was the estate agent from the 'just right' property, to say that our offer had been accepted! And on our 2nd viewing, I have to admit, I could see the benefits. It was a lovely bungalow that needed updating. It is a funny thing though; you can spend hours agonising over a minor or cheap item for the house, or on a trinket or piece of clothing. Yet the biggest purchase you can make is all decided in relatively few minutes.
Returning to Sussex the following day, we were keen to get everything started. From our point of view, it seemed fairly straightforward. But the question still hovered in the air - would we actually get to Devon and realise our dream?
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| The 'Just Right' House |
