What’s Going On

For those confused about the ‘Luck Of The Irish‘ post be confused no longer, here’s what’s going on.

First a little history. After our annual inspection last year we received a phone call from our agent asking if we’d be interested in buying the house ‘should the owners think of selling’. Of course he said there was nothing to worry about and it was just a question for later reference but it made us a little uneasy. Last week an appraiser came to look over the house, ‘probably for insurance’, which is a laugh when you consider a block and half with a humpy on it just up the street sold for half a million dollars. With alarm bells ringing we thought we’d test the waters and ask for another 12 month lease under the pretence of wanting to change Rae’s surname. No response.

We’d already been investigating options to buy or build our own house but our deposit at the moment (or more to the point, lack of it) would have meant we would be stretched to the limit financially and any rise in interest rates would have had us in trouble. It could be done, but better not to so we’ve had no choice but to head back in the rental shark pool one more time.

We went to an open house last Wednesday at a place that was livable and suited us. There were so many people looking through we only gave it a quick glance thinking our odds were slim at best but we took an application from the lovely Stephanie and faxed it in that night and left it at that. Friday the kids and I went to visit Rae at work for lunch. We were standing there when her phone rang. Rae scribbled something on some paper and handed it to me. “We got the house”.

So gentle readers, on April 1 we are on the move. The new house isn’t as attractive as this one but it has its pluses. There’s a double lock up garage and a car port, an undercover area outside where we can have our bbq permanently set up, a cubby for the kids, storage space, a great kitchen (with dishwasher!), it’s cable internet ready, has evaporative air conditioning, the kids will have a room each, the land lord is great (he wanted to meet the successful applicants before signing off) and we’ll finally be able to have our surround sound set up properly – and all for over a $100 less per month than we are paying now, which will go straight to the house deposit. Of course we have to go through the horror of packing this house up and all the hassles associated with moving but that will soon pass.

Perhaps the best thing though is this new house is, literally, at the other end of our street. Yes, we’re moving two house blocks up the road. Just far enough so we can’t lug the couch between the two, but not far enough to have to worry about movers. We’ll also be closer to our favourite cafe so we may have to put aside a little of the savings for more coffees. It’s a small price to pay for peace of mind and a quicker path to our own house.