25 July 2014

TWO WEEKS TOO LATE

The next house we saw had nothing much to either recommend it or not.  It was an ordinary bungalow in an ordinary suburb.

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There was nothing much wrong with it, nor anything very exciting about it.  It’s the sort of bungalow my dad would like and that we might like ourselves when we’re much older and want a house that’s easy to look after and maintain.  You could even walk to the shops for a baguette.

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It had a reasonable kitchen, a good sized garden with an outbuilding of sorts, a garage and storage beneath the house, and several small, identical blue painted bedrooms.

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I was beginning to think that the agent simply hadn’t got any idea of what we were really looking for and that he was just showing us everything he had on his list in our price range.

I said something flippant like “haven’t you got anything with a turret?” and he said “oh yes” and marched us a couple of hundred metres up the road.

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We couldn’t believe our luck as we peered through the gate at this gorgeous house.  There was nothing ordinary about this one.  It had a turret, was set beautifully in its own grounds and had open views over the valley below.

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It was just a few thousand euros above our price limit but I had already made my mind up that this was “the one”.  Budgets are flexible and for the right house I was prepared to make other sacrifices.  Such as food.

When I asked him when he could get the key and show us round he mentioned that unfortunately he had sold it to someone else just two weeks ago.  But the compromis de vente was yet to be signed so if the sale fell through we would be the first to know.

This was the point at which I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.  I have heard so many people tell me that “it’s a buyer’s market” in France at the moment, with house prices falling in rural areas and lots of property for sale.  It therefore seemed to me that fate had dealt us a cruel blow and we were just two weeks too late !!

Bon weekend !!

16 comments:

  1. There's nothing like being in the right place at the right time...or not! Besides the choice between food and shelter is a difficult one to call.

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    1. Gaynor, I reckoned we could live on the contents of our freezer and larder for a while, then we could save money by growing our own food and bottling cheap wine into bottles with good labels, making our own jam.........then we might have to do the dog's grooming ourselves instead of taking her to the parlour for her expensive six-weekly do. Although a poodle with a home hairdo wouldn't quite suit a house with a turret!

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  2. Oh, no! The trouble is that the good houses at good prices DO tend to sell, even in a poor market. I can see just why it appealed to you.

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    1. Perpetua, you're exactly right!
      In boom times everything sells. In hard times the buyers are more choosey but if a house is unique and gorgeous, like this one, it doesn't take long for someone to buy it.

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  3. Oh darn! I can see why you like it --the turret is cute!

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  4. I always fancied a turret too - it wouldn't look right on a longère though

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    1. Pauline, nor does carpet on the walls or wallpaper on the doors but that doesn't seem to stop people!
      I'd sacrifice tradition for a turret any day!

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  5. I have a feeling that this will have a happy ending ... the ones who will be signing the 'compromis de vente' will be you ... soon, but only after you've seen the inside of the house. It wasn't fair of the agent to take you there when he knew that it had already been sold ... unless he knows that the deal may be called off. Keeping my fingers crossed!

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  6. Oh what bad luck! But I am sure that the right house will come your way soon. Meanwhile, it is ever so interesting reading about your house hunting experiences!

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  7. Well, heck! Since you've been looking for a while, it seems like your agent should have/could have shown you this one 2 weeks ago! But... maybe he now will have a better idea in his head of what you're looking for? :)

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  8. Jean, you haven't seen the inside of the house. It might be in ruins but not visibly from the outside. No regrets...

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    1. Ken, typically, it was still on the agent's website even though it was sold.
      I couldn't bear to look at any pictures of the interior, just in case it was fabulous, so I will never know!

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    2. I'd love to know how to look this house up on the Internet and see photos of the inside...

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  9. I had a feeling there was going to be a catch to that turret. But, I agree with Ken. There's no telling what it looked like inside. It doesn't look like it's been very well maintained. Your day will come!

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  10. Oh, dear. There was house just behind us in a previous location. We were thinking of buying it, but it wasn't structurally sound. So we didn't.

    Blessings and Bear hugs!

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  11. two weeks late - how frustrating.

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