The Searcher Returns

I got back from Winchester yesterday afternoon, having found a suitable place to live. I saw four properties on Monday and one on Tuesday morning. They ranged from £675 to £900 per month. The first two I saw were £750 and pretty ratty. They were also placed on a noisy street, so it would be a lot like the place we're in now. I was a bit discouraged by those two because we were thinking we would just take one of them if it was doable. There was a third one I was scheduled to look at that day, but it was taken before my appointment. So, then I pounded the pavement, stopping in at practically every agency. I landed two more viewings on Monday afternoon. The £900 one and the £675. The 900-pounder was SO NICE! Waaaaaaaayyyyy out of our price-range, but you definitely got a lot for every pence: three levels, high cielings, tons of storage, back garden, attic, very recently remodelled, brand new fixtures in the kitchen, off-street parking, and on and on. We tried really hard to figure out a way to make that fit our budget, but decided that we would be fools to go into something like that as our first step in Winchester, especially since we would essentially only get to enjoy it on the weekends. Later that afternoon, I viewed the 675-pounder. Didn't expect much because the 750-pounders were so crappy. However, I was surprised to find that it actually wasn't that bad. A bit dated with pink bathroom fixtures, green "hotel carpeting" everywhere, and blue carpet in the bedrooms. Despite that, it was no worse than the one we're in now and much better in terms of the size and placement on the street (i.e.- not a main road). Hmmm...

I had four viewings scheduled for Tuesday, but K and I pretty much had made up our minds on Monday night: to go for the cheap one. However, I kept my 10am appointment to see one for £780. It was nicer than the £675, but there weren't enough good points to tip the scales in its favor. So, I went to the estate agent that showed me the cheap one and said, "I'll take it! What do we do now?"

So, we're in the waiting stage now. They're doing a banking check and we need to send them references from our employers and one from someone who has known us for at least 5 years. Assuming that all checks out, we can probably move in as soon as August 19th. However, we may wait until the 27th because it will be cheaper that way. I'll stay in a London hostel for the first two weeks of my job. Then when K is done with the theatre (last day on the 26th) we can relocate to Winchester.

-RP-