Moving Towards My Dream
As I wrote about in my last blog here, I have made the decision to sell up and move to North Wales in pursuit of my dream life. In that article I shared how I was keen to get on with things and my plan for the process and dealing with the stress of moving house. After many trips up and down I eventually found an idyllic place. It was a quaint 17th century property with a separate cottage adjacent and a substantial plot of land. It was perfect! The property ticked all the boxes I had in my head for my new home and lifestyle. There was even space for some animals.
Of course, the next phase is the negotiations with the sellers. After a bit of back and forth, a price was agreed. Relations with the sellers were good and they were patient and took the time to answer any questions I had, which is an indispensable necessity to a person who likes to make informed decisions. When meeting the owners, I expressed my intention to be up front with them, to always communicate what I was doing during the process and act in an open and honest way with them. I have seen too many stressful situations caused where a simple conversation would have addressed and resolved the issue early on. When I expressed this, they vigorously agreed.
If only it was that easy...
“Are you aware that there is an ongoing legal dispute over boundaries?”
It turns out, unbeknownst to me, the sellers had been in a legal battle for over two years. What’s more, the estate agents selling the property knew about it! Part of my checklist covered in the early stages was asking about access, boundaries and rights of way. Neither the sellers nor, more importantly, the estate agents had seen it fit to volunteer the dispute information to me.
This was a material piece of information which would have stopped me making any offer on the property. As someone who actively tries to avoid stress and strife, I would never have knowingly walked straight into some. Once I was aware of the situation I phoned the third party and ascertained the facts of the lawsuit. I then phoned the estate agent and withdrew my offer.
What's My Next Step?
I am very meticulous and keep a record of each step in the transaction process, which came in handy in this instance. Within a week the estate agent admitted their breach (with plenty of excuses as to why) and agreed to reimburse me all the expenses I had incurred thus far. And so, my search has to begin again. But am I disheartened – not a jot!
Things seem to happen when they are supposed to and that’s the attitude I have adopted when it comes to most situations. This situation has meant that I have had to alter my overall plans as my own home has now sold. In the worst-case scenario, I simply move out and rent somewhere up in Wales short term. The advantage of this is that I’ll be there when appealing properties come on the market and I’ll be a cash buyer who’s not stuck in a chain. The stress of moving house has tried to hit me, but I am moving on from this experience and feeling positive about moving forward to achieving my dream.
So really, in the house-buying market, I have just become the equivalent of the Holy Grail!
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