The New Home

Hi Everyone,

Yer I know three blogs in one day but what can i say practice make perfect and I have a lots of events to make up for.

Yer the new house, well it wasn't the best of starts their was a few times we thought we weren't going to get anywhere, we kept getting beaten on the housing bids. Oops sorry I better back up a bit for those of you don't know.

Claire and I decided four years ago their was no way we would be able to buy a house again with the housing market in the trouble it's in and the country so we decided to apply to the property pool. In Liverpool there is no such thing as council housing as Liverpool City Council sold all of it's housing estates to independent housing companies.

The Council they stuck them all together to join the property pool. People apply and they bid with on properties they would like to live in. You bit with your circumstances the more dia you are the higher rating you get. The top bits get to view the house the top bit get first offer and so forth.

Well we kept getting letters and calls to tell us about potential houses and this was going on and on for months we kept going to see house after house then we got offered two at the same time one which was not even on the property pool and one we really didn't want. The catch is that you are only allowed to turn down three offers then you have to go back to the beginning and fill out all the forms again.

The first one we didn't want it was not in a real good place and it was a small terrace house with no gardens. So we declined. The second was from Cobolt housing what the companies can do is keep back half of the houses and distribute them to whole they want and they wanted us.

A working young mature couple planning a family. They showed us a three bedroom semi with back garden and front drive. The only problem it is in a roguish area. This is Cobolt's master plan move the trouble makers out and move new people in and change the area.

We came to see the house and it was gutted the workmen were in and ripping everything out. We were a bit unsure a first and really didn't like the attitude or language of the housing officer. She talked down to us both in a really pants manor. We went away and had a think weighing up are other options (none and one vote left) so we did a few drive byes at diffrent times and it seemd not to be too bad. So we accepted.

Next thing to go wrong was the handover dateit got put back twice then sigining day the housing officer told us to meet at the house and we waited and waited and she didn't show so we rang her and she said we had to meet at the office and she was sure thats where she said (NOT do you think i'd go there if it was here!). Anyway signed for the house got the keys and drove round to see it.

It was bear, needed a lot of work. So we started to measure up and work out colours for the rooms. We started upstairs and had help from Mum, Amander & Peter. Then we started down starirs and all hell broke loose. We found some rotten skirten board called out the repair team and they discovered that it was rising damp. A specialist came out and decided we had it on every wall they came in and ripped all the plaster off every wall drilled holes in them and filled them then came back and replastered. This took weeks of tooing and frowing and many many phone calls and visits.

The the walls were dry the caprenters, plummers, gas fitters, electricians could all come back in. Then eventually we could start decorating again yes everything we had started downstairs had to be redone. But luck was on our side and Dad was at hand.

Dad is a time served painter and decorator and offered to help even though he had offered before but got a cob on as we were helping in every spare moment. So we left him too it. He has done a wounderful job on the down stairs and mum and dad even bought us a carpet for our living room which I fitted.

It was a month and a half over due but we finaly moved in on the first of November. We are settling in slowly and still have a room full of boxes to unpack but at least we have the important items unpacked and setup (Xbox 360, PS3, Wi-Fi, Sky+HD). Although the Wi-Fi took a month to get live as there were issues, it was only suppose to take ten days.

We have had Claires mum and new dad come and stay for a long weekend and Justin came for a lads night in of beer and Xbox and crashed in the spair room. So we are starting to get settled in and the house is starting to feel like home. As the saying goes your home is what you make it.

TTFN Ray