Mercury retrograde house shopping trip

Just returned to London after a wonderful 5 day break in the west country (Devon) where I needed to view a property before it got sold. Despite the so-called recession it is not a buyer's market as there are still too few houses being put up for sale, and anything half decent gets snapped up straight away. So in full awareness of the adverse astrological conditions, with Mercury being retrograde until 11 May (can't wait that long!) and therefore not favouring short journeys or signing contracts, I bravely booked a greyhound bus to Portsmouth only to realise prior to my arrival there that it should have been to Plymouth. This was after delays in London and calls from the driver to the mechanic as the bus wouldn't start. After I arrived in Portsmouth I had to pay an extra £50 to make the 4 hour train journey to my true destination, via many different counties en route.

I really felt like just turning around and going straight back to London, but I had made appointments with two estate agents and one guesthouse booking, so I reluctantly continued my journey after having fish and chips at the wrong port. When I got to Plymouth I needed to get the bus for the last 30 min leg of the journey, but I had missed the last bus by a few minutes at around 6pm. A local girl told me there were two other buses I could get, but not from the station, and as she was getting one of them herself I just followed her on the other buses and eventually made it to my destination. It's amazing how a friendly helpful local is always there in the right place when you need one.

The guesthouse was really nice and friendly, yet in keeping with Mercury retrograde affecting electrical equipment malfunctioning the TV in my room didn't work. The owner did kindly deduct £3 per night for this inconvenience, and although I don't possess a TV at home and haven't wanted to own one for some years, it would have been handy for when it rained all day on the Thursday and I had no computer with me nor the headphones to listen to music on my iphone, nor the eyesight to squint at the internet on my phone. The effect of Mercury retrograde (which I always assume I can override) became a distant memory by day two, and I enjoyed two glorious sunny days on Tuesday and Wednesday.

There were only 3 houses to view, and the first one I liked straight away but needed to see the other two (or I'll always be wondering), the last viewing being at 4pm the following day. In between house viewings I went on walks to discover the local area, shops, the riverside, cafes and a particularly magical walk following the canal which went on forever through pretty woodland. It was on that canal walk that I just knew I had to move to this area, even though I had already subscribed to Cotswold Life magazine when I thought I was definitely moving to the southern Cotswolds. There had been no suitable properties there really and the house I would have gone to view there was already under offer within days of it coming on to the market. So on this trip I knew I had to act quickly.

The following are some photos from my walks around town, both by the river, and also following the canal out of town.

RIVER RUNNING THROUGH TOWN
PLENTY OF SEATING BY RIVER IN TOWN

THE MAIN HIGH STREET
START OF THE CANAL WALK

FABULOUS VIEWS FOLLOWING CANAL OUT OF TOWN

After my last viewing appointment I decided to buy the first house I saw. The agent said someone else was interested but that they needed to arrange the finance first. So I was in a stronger position, plus didn't have a place to sell first, and also offered the asking price as it seemed reasonable to me especially as the owners had just reduced it by another £5,000. While I waited for the agent to talk with the owners, and the wife had to also confirm with her husband at work first, I went to the bar to await the agents phone call - it was the most emotion charged wait I ever had.


I wasn't even sure if the bar would be open that early in the morning, and as I walked through the doors of an empty bar asking if they were open, "for what?" he enquired, "well, a drink of course" I replied puzzled, "I'm waiting for an estate agent's call". He said "yeah, they have that affect on people". So I sat there sipping my lager and finally got the call confirming they accepted my offer!

So, although I'm not counting my chickens until they are hatched, I'm pretty sure this house purchase will go smoothly now and quickly. It was worth all the hassle of getting there. And Mercury retrograde can kiss my arse.