Aren´t we all moving ever closer to God.
Last week, exactly 6 months after we arrived here, we had a bid accepted on a house. Nothing to do with the offer of full price we made on another place that has never been accepted (owned by an off-islander, boo), but this time owned by a couple who came to the island to work, but the jobs just didn´t delievr what they expected so they decided to leave - despite having bought a brand-new house.
We had actually seen the place for sale on many occasions as it is on the road between Casteltown and Douglas - and we had even been down into the newest part of the estate, which is still being developed (and rejected it out-of-hand). The house is actually on the top-end corner of the deleopment, so doesn´t have passing neighbours or a through road - perfect for an anti-social "B" like me.
When put against our initial list, it fitted most requirements :
We thought that the perfect place would be:
1 Bungalow <550k£
2 3 beds and 2 baths.
3 Good condition
4 Central heating / double glazing.
5 2 car garage and parking
6 Mature shrubby front garden and pref paved rear / minimum maints. No nearby large trees
7 Fibre optic in or available
8 Near public transport.
9 Proximity to shops / bars / restaurants.
10 Nice neighbouhood, not estate, no Airbnb letting around
11 Sea front / view not necessary,
12 Pref away from tourists and neighbours other than other owners / residents
but caveats and deviations are :
it is a 4 bed / 3 bath house within the budget (who ever mentioned downsizing?)
it is 18 months old and still in 10-year house-builders certification and in perfect condition
it has gas central heating, loft insulation and has double glazing
a single garage (bit of a pain, as it is a small saloon car size garage, but plans are afoot for a summer-house shed)
plenty of private standing parking at the front
grassy garden (no trees, but garden which will require a few more shrubs)
fibre-optic is installed
on the same bus route as we are now (Douglas to Port Erin)
nowhere on the island (except the centre of Douglas) is near shops bars and restaurants - so learn to live without them
nice neighbourhood, edge of new-build estate, no Airbnbs on map (yet)
unnecessary, but you can see the sea from the front door, and lots of fields (ok, and the main road)
tourists are for the TT, but we are nowhere near the course
Anyway, the owners have acccepted our offer (after a brief negotiation). Apparently they were struggling to sell as it is next to the "main road"and had already considerably dropped the asking price from what they paid, and I guess most people who buy houses like this have families and pets - but we know that the estate will have a by-pass around Ballasalla within the next couple of years- and we can live with the traffic after what we have at our current house.
On the completion front, the common expectation here is that completion takes 2 or 3 months, but we shall see what happens when buyer and seller are chain-free and ready to go. We still have 6 months lease to run on the current house, but definitely need 3 of those, then we will negotiate (or have a vacant house to use!)
There is no "deposit to seal agreement" as there was in Spain - so the sale is actually in a box with Schrodinger´s cat until the final signature by both parties. A bit nerve-racking, but we have done everything so far on hope and fate, and so it will continue!
Now the dog days of planning (and, of course, buying. We have already been out and ordered essential furniture for the lounge, dining room and bedrooms).
Maybe add prayer to hope and fate.
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