Some of you may know that I've been on the lookout for a flat in London lately. Oh, that's right. I'm going to be a property owner. Well, to be perfectly honest, I'm going to own a tiny fraction of a flat and the parents and grandparents are going to own the majority of them. I'll be repaying a teensy tiny mortgage and paying them rent. Along with the person who will be renting the other room (hi Heather!).
So, I've been doing searches for properties, and figuring out what things cost and having a look. This will likely surprise many of you, but I'm looking at south London. That's right, Alice Never-ever-crosses-the-river-ever is going to move south. It's a wild and crazy time, I tell you. Wild and crazy.
I've seen quite a few flats, and I have to tell you - it's pretty depressing. I've learned quite a few things in my flat hunting time.
1. People have horrible taste. I would fashion avenge them, but it's far far far too depressing. One of the flats I looked at yesterday had orange velour curtains. In 2005. Floor length orange velour curtains. Sweet Jesus, why?
2. It turns out I'm very specific in what I'm looking for. Who knew I'd be so fussy? (Shut up.) It turns out that I'm quite particular and I want a garden. Not that I'm a gardener, mind you. I'm what's known as a "Plant Killer" in the horticultural sphere.
3. I have virtually no money. Which is even more depressing when you realize that I'm looking at spending what could buy you a three bedroom house in downtown Toronto. And I'm looking at two bedroom flats, the largest of which has been around 750 square feet. And I still have no money here.
4. Not getting a property is very distressing. It's like a personal insult - why didn't they want meeeeee to have it?
5. I'm going to put in an offer on another flat tomorrow. Hopefully that'll go a bit better.
I do like the flat hunting procedure though. Especially when the owners aren't home. You're supposed to snoop around to see how big closets are and how much storage space there is. It's not sneaky or anything! But you can feel a bit guilty about doing that when the owners are in, so I always recommend a non-supervised viewing.
And I like the planning - figuring out how much furniture will be required, and if the kitchen needs to be re-done, how much would it cost, and all that kind of thing. Delightful!
I'm hoping the offer tomorrow goes well. With any luck those orange velour curtains could be mine. Score!
2 comments:
Oh baby, its exciting but I always thought of owning property as wearing a millstone around your neck. You know me, the fast get away woman. Good luck on your offer dude and be sure to have someone check out the blodoy roof.
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