Househunting is not for the faint hearted... The road to domestic bliss is paved with obstacles and hiccups and I'm not just talking about estate agents that use 'cosy' to describe 'smelly, dark hole', I'm talking about all the stuff that makes renting seem appealing – bonds and 'how much?!?' deposits and paperwork and the heartbreak that goes with not really being able to afford what you want. Over the past month I have run the househunting gauntlet. Why? Well, in the spirit of 100% honesty – Ellie (my 4-month old puppy) needs grass.
Yip, I am eating, sleeping and dreaming about square meterage and North-East elevation because my four-legged 'child' needs to feel the tickle of green stuff on her toosh when she has her morning pee. (Okay, you can stop laughing now. Seriously, you keep gigging like that you're bound to snort)
While my reasoning may seem absurd it really is about time that hubby and I bit the bullet and climbed aboard the property train. If it weren't for Ellie's needs I'm pretty sure we'd sit on our butts in our flat for another year in denial about the fact that we're paying off someone else's bond. You see, we have a great apartment in a great location. It's spacious and airy and light and 20 minutes from pretty much everywhere – the airport, the Wild Wild Westrand, the Sandton CBD and the 'new North' (or the 'old' Fourways). It's also, by today's building standards, a great size – you can actually fit more than just a bed in the bedrooms. We also rent it at a 'steal'... I got a great deal four years ago.
So you see, the idea of moving somewhere that we can afford – smaller and 'out in the sticks' – isn't that appealing. Which is why I am on a mission to find us a great house in a great area at a great price. And, after much online research and a gazillion unsuitable viewings I have found a way to achieve such a lofty objective – the Winderleys are gonna brave it and buy off-plan. Yip, we are literally gonna buy a piece of grass for Ellie and build on it. Not only do we get to save on transfer costs and VAT (you'll be amazed at the bargains available when a complex is 90% built and the last few empty stands are really pissing off the residents) but we get to build a house that suits us... a house that meets hubby's very fussy 'light and airy' criteria and my rather pedantic 'my home is my office and I refuse to work in a dark, depressing hole' standpoint.
I am meeting two developers today – one at 12h00 and another at 13h00 – to further suss out the situation. The first development is stunning but perhaps a little over budget (doesn't hurt to look and steal plan ideas though) and the second is well within budget (a.k.a probably the size of a shoebox and a little more depressing than Bafana Bafana's performance against Uruguay). If the Winderleys are going off-plan than it's no wonder that I'm on a mission...
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