Do I need to fall in love?

[just john]

[quote user="Cathy"]you really must adore the house you acquire here.

Following on from my last post, a couple of years ago,  [/quote]

Blimey Cathy it's been a long time and you were missed, but not that long,[:)] I trust all is well?

I agree about adoring the house, I really couldn't live in something that I couldn't have a love affair with,
all our houses were like one of the family.

[Gardengirl]

We've never fallen for any of the houses we've owned. But gardens and woodland are a different matter! We moved just around the corner into our present house in UK; we'd bought a house about 35 years ago in gazumping time, and had lost several houses already. We just grabbed one in an area we liked, with nothing about it we liked otherwise; we'd moved south, had a toddler and a baby and were in rented accommodation.The one we moved to was not in a style we liked, and was on a road we didn't like much, but had more space, a big garden and the remains of ancient woodland behind, still in the area we liked. So we jumped at buying it, never regretted it and still live in it for 6 months of the year. We still love everything outside such as the garden, trees, birds, foxes etc, and just accept the inside, improving it as we went along. I've always been more into gardening than dusting, and cooking, eating and having a good glass of something than tidying, so anywhere that feels like home is fine with me!

[mint]

I so remember the first time I walked into the last house we lived in before coming to live in France.

I'd been watching the house for months; the price was way above anything we could afford.  Then, the recession came (just like this one) and I watched the price drop several times.

When I thought we could just stretch to it, I made an appointment to view.

Within 10 seconds of walking into the hall, I knew I wanted to live there.  Every room after the hall was just an improvement on the last room seen.

Back in the agent's office to talk money and, when he told me that he'd had an offer but that the time of acceptance of the other people's offer expired that very afternoon, I asked whether I could have the house at the price these people had offered.

I couldn't believe it when he said "yes"!  Nor could the OH when he came home and I told him we had to have the house.  He made me ring the agent for the agent to repeat the price to him....men!

Got a fab bargain and what did OH do?  That's right wouldn't believe me.....[:'(]

Anway, I quite expected to only leave that house feet first but here I am, having left and still alive!  Now, that's a nice story, isn't it?  

[mint]

Well, I did think I'd fallen in love.  Lots about the property that weren't how I'd like it but, even so, I was prepared to embrace it, warts and all.

Have even been finding out about adapting the fosse to conform (thank you, Pachapapa) and about paying in sterling (thank you, Stan Sreason).

Thought we ought to take a second look, to be sure and to be on the safe side.  And, guess what, the owner reckons he has others interested and has expressed his reluctance for us to view a second time so soon after our first viewing!

Crazy or what? 

As far as I'm concerned, if I don't get a second look, I don't buy.  Didn't realise that requesting a second look could be held against you.  It was surely not an unreasonable request?

[buelligan]

That does sound utterly bonkers Sweet!  Stick to your guns.  Remain calm and keep looking.  He'll probably do a quick about turn when he realises you are not to be toyed with.  Best of luck![:D]

...actually, I remember when I bought this house, I asked for a second view a week after the first one.  On the day of the visit, the agent rang me and told me the house was sold - I was rather cross that they had wasted my time.  After about 4 months, they phoned me and asked me if I was still interested.  There's nowt so queer as folk as they say....[8-)]

[suein56]

[quote user="sweet 17"]

Thought we ought to take a second look, to be sure and to be on the safe side.  And, guess what, the owner reckons he has others interested and has expressed his reluctance for us to view a second time so soon after our first viewing!

Crazy or what?[/quote]

Not as far he is concerned. As you are, possibly/probably, the only fish he has on his hook ( though he would deny this), he is very aware that you are an astute person and therefore someone who will make an offer. But, and this is a big but, he would prefer s.o. who offers the asking price; and this 'person' you are, very patently (and sensibly) not.

[woolybanana]

Please memsahib, what mean "astute"?

[mint]

Well, if you don't know what it means, you clearly are not it, are you?

Sue, Bue, many thanks for your replies which have helped to soothe my ruffled feathers somewhat.

It was like making a pass at someone and they just rejecting your gesture of interest, you know?

It was his prerogative not to sell to me, I suppose.  But it's also my prerogative not to buy from him.  So, it's quits, isn't it?

Ironically, I'd come round to the point of giving him his full asking price, if he'd sort out the fosse.

Still, the course of true love, etc? 

The hunt goes on!!!!!!!!

BTW, Sue, I looked up your location on my large scale map and it looks a really, really lovely spot.

[Gardengirl]

Oh, Sweet, what a shame! Fancy finding a place you could happily live in despite some problems - and being spurned! One wonders what the owner has to fear or hide. Has he really got others rushing around to buy it? This is beginning to sound like an episode of Dan Dare or Dick Barton.......... tune in to next week's exciting episode! - but I'm not making light of it really. It just smells wrong to me. Hope it gets sorted for you, or else you'll be back to square one.

[mint]

You're right, GG.  It's the smell that's fishy!!!

Doesn't matter, truly...........plenty more fish in the sea, as they say!

And the right one will be along soon.

What's that thing the Americans say?  SWSWSW?

Some will, some won't, so what and..............out there someone is waiting [:D]

[woolybanana]

Let the guy stew a bit Sweetsastute

[mint]

Don't worry, I will.  Not even going to bother answering his email.  I've never heard of anything so ridiculous as someone refusing to let you look at a property for a second time.

You'd think prospective cash purchasers grow on trees, wouldn't you?[+o(]

[Cendrillon]

Sweets

Maybe you have had a lucky escape and that house was not meant for you.[;-)]

Act in haste repent at leisure[8-|]

[woolybanana]

That airport worries me as well as the TGV line. And maybe the story you were told is not true either?

[mint]

I think the story was true.  It was corroborated by the couple (the chap's friends) who showed us round and who seemed perfectly genuine.  Also evidence of the story being correct around the house itself.

Airport sounds a good idea though.  Don't know that there will be a TGV line but I guess that's likely.

Not too bothered at all, Wools.  It just seemed such an outrageous thing to do, refusing us a second visit.

Clearly, he can't be that desperate to sell the house after all[:D]

Cendrillon, nice to see on here again.  Look after yourself [kiss]

[just john]

Sounds like she was a bit of a coquette Sweet, (one who endeavors without sincere affection to gain attention and admiration[:)]) otherwise known as a bit of a tease, certainly not worth chasing even if she begs you to come back! plenty of more worthy suitors out there![8-|]

[mint]

Well, JJ, if I were to be "begged to go back", it would be MY turn to play hard to get, won't it?[:D]

[mint]

Reader, we are now living happily for what I hope is "ever after"!

I told GG, I'd come back to revisit this thread and I have had such fun re-reading all the posts:  some funny, some sad, some inspiring, some informative, some heart-warming...................just like the people on the Forum.

Well, we have now moved in all our essentials.  It took months and months of looking at the internet, at agents' windows, following up all possible leads, driving miles and miles, staying in hotels and gites, running up massive petrol and toll bills  BUT all the heartache of offers being refused, houses being withdrawn, watching the sinking exchange rate, worry, determination, all the gamut of emotions, have been TOTALLY WORTH IT!

It was exactly like many of you have told me about:  just complete serendipity, out of the blue and totally incredible.  I wanted to see just one more house before I left for my walk to Compostela.  I found it on the internet, I rang the owner (who was selling privately) explaining that if I liked it, I could only afford to pay x amount.  She said "no" and I prepared to forget all about the house and concentrate on preparing for my pilgrimage.

Then, a few weeks later, the house was back with agents at a vastly reduced price!  We went to see it, I looked at the views, I walked through the front door and I really didn't need to see any more.

By then, it was less than a week before I had to leave for Spain.  I explained my circumstances to the agents:  they pulled out the stops, we sneaked in one more look before signing the compromis 3 days later.  I arranged for the deposit funds to be transferred from the UK and the following morning, I left Bordeaux by train with Gemonimo.

Like the best Love Stories, the rest doesn't figure on the last page but the end is really the beginning.  I am now here; happy, enchanted, content and feeling just like a round peg in a round hole [:D]

I have noticed that there are a few posters who have just moved or are planning to move and I wish them the same sort of wonderful experience that I have had.

If anyone else have their own love stories to tell, I'd find it very interesting to hear them....

[Cendrillon]

Pure Mills and Boon ! [:)][8-|]

[just john]

Faint heart ne'er won Fair Lady, I'm sure you'll be very happy together . . . [:)]

[Pads]

When we went out to france with the intention of buying a holiday home we said to each other we wanted some thing totally different from the house here in Cornwall which we love but we are in the middle of no where with no shops or bars to walk to, in fact nothing here except lots of country side to walk in ... We hunted around all the largest villages we could find but some thing was wrong with all of them, at the estate agents we spotted a nice looking house and asked him to add it to the list of ones we would see that day ...no he said thats not for you its everything you said you didnt want ...I twisted his arm and as it was on the way to another house he said ok... It was the first on the list of a long day , none of which I remember now , we talked all day about this house and when we left him at the end of the day we drove back to the village and just sat out side on the wall and soaked up the sun and watched the village life go by ...or not as was the case , it was so quiet but we did meet a few cats ... from the house we walked down the lane to the lake and sat there watching the wild life ....then walked back to the house and rang the estate agents sand asked him to come again and let us in ...he wasnt very happy as it was his tea time but he came, unbeknown to me hubby had brought his electric meter torch and other manly things , handed me a tape measure and said , keep him in here measuring the size of the rooms while I check the place out ..... off he went up in to the attic down into the cellar came back 20 mins later ...said he had seen enough and we were off, we talked all night , neither of us could sleep, we went through all the whys? what if's? what about's and by 7am had decided what offer we would put in and started to ring him finally got him at 8am and placed our offer ....we hung around our new village all day like a pair of demented souls waiting for the answer, checking hubbys mobile every 5 mins to check it was working ...Then we got the call and our offer was excepted, it was a whirl wind of excitment trying to get all the legal side sorted before we went home ... on our last day we signed the paper work and drove back up to the village with a bottle of fizz and just sat by the lake ...after the first glass my hubby said to me " you realise we have just brought the exactly same house as we live in in Cornwall ? Yes I said great init ....yes he said .... guess you do have to follow your heart. no point trying to change to be practical... 5 years later we still love the house and the village and will live there one day ....

[just john]

Reading these posts again, I do wonder how many times the choice of house is the womans decision?

[woolybanana]

Best if it is otherwise you get the long sighs and the odd slammed door![:P]

[Manon]

We fell in love with both our French houses - one of which has been a holiday home for 16 years and the other ' money pit ' which will be our next permanent home .

When we saw the mill ( the holiday home ) it was love at first sight and we said ' either we buy this or we stop talking about a French house because it's perfect '. We bought it on a wing and a prayer and have never regretted it - it may fall into the river one day but we still won't regret buying it as we have so many wonderful memories of time spent there.

Having then fallen in love with the area and the people we spent 10 years looking for a property to renovate. Someone once told me ' you can change anything but the site / location ' and we looked at what seemed like hundreds of properties without success. We were about to buy a building plot when I spotted an interesting photo in a local estate agent's window. This was on a Monday. On Tuesday we couldn't get hold of the agent but we went to see the house on the Wednesday and it was the 'coup de coeur ! 'We made an offer the next day, it was accepted and we signed the Compromis de Vente on the Friday, at which point the agent said ' and the 10% deposit ? ' and we said 'ah' having totally forgotten about that !

We started a full renovation 8 years later and and hope to move in this summer after 3 years of chasing builders. Every so often we look at the scale of what we are doing, not to mention the bills, and ask ourselves if we are completely mad, but then we look at the house and the view, and we walk around our land and we are just bowled over by the beauty of the place.

I very rarely regret things I have done but I regret far more the things I didn't do - and this is something we have always dreamed of doing. We are so looking forward to sharing it with family and friends, all of whom have followed our progress either in person or via email and photos.

Like one othe poster, I couldn't live somewhere I didn't love.

[mint]

Pads, bravo for telling it in such gripping tones!  I can feel your anxiety, excitement, dread, hope...ooh, it were a good story awright!

Strange when you fall in love with a house and that feeling of you've just GOT to have it, isn't it?

I mean a HOUSE, not even anything animate; not like an animal or a person.  We must all be completely bonkers!

Other thing is, there is also, as you say, the situation, the village, the feel that you have found the one.  Therefore there must be something more to it than pragmatism.

I wasn't sure what sort of house I was looking for.  Just not like the one I already had and now I feel that everything is just comfortable and all my worries about finding a house and when and where have disappeared.  Also, I have a lot more time to do other things than looking through all the internet sites every single day to see what "new" properties had been added overnight.

It became like a compulsion, an obsession with finding a house so it was just as well that I have found it.  Else I would definitely have been slamming more than the odd door, Wools.