More viewing

Dropped by the estate agents for a further viewing of both properties at midday today.

I remain unconvinced about Ashley Road, it hasn't grown on me, so I'll have to give that one a permanent miss I think.

However, I think I may have fallen in love with Stapleton Hall Road, this place is so big an roomy, it has a lovely bit of decking at the back of the house to sit out and enjoy the air with, the rooms are huge, there is loads of space, it's all looking good. I'm going to have to com back and see the place in the evening, and see how it plays upto scrutiny in the dark.

There are a few things wrong with the place, the en-suite shower room on the top floor has flooded at some point, and this has damaged the wooden floor there, the ceiling in the kitchen has been repaired where it came though, the area over the door in the kitchen needs to be painted as a result too, and the floor in the kitchen needs to be revarnished where I guess the ceiling came down. Finally there is damp between and underneath the bay windows in the living room which I am informed has been fixed, and just needs the cosmetics doing to it. As ever I shall take expert advice on this from a surveyor if we get to that stage. Only a fool would trust the word of an estate agent, he is after all a man employed by the vendor not the buyer!

I shall have to get the whole mortgage thing seriously underway. And that means getting a contract sorted out sharpish. (I'm an IT contractor for investment banks in The City.) This isn't the best time to be looking, but I'm sure something will come up. (Keep positive!)

Once I have a job signed sealed and delivered, I think I'll be putting in an offer for this place.

Who would have thought that the second place I saw would be the one? I was honestly expecting to have to go and see tens of places maybe even hundreds. I guess sometimes you have to strike lucky.

The rest of the day was spent contacting ex-clients looking for work, and scouring the usual job listing sites and applying for consideration for contracts. About 12 applications in all I think. I'm pretty hopefull that one will come up.