The start of something big

 (I apologise now for how long and rambling this post is going to be!)

As we all knew, it would only be a matter of time until I fell off the 'one line a day' bandwagon. I haven't written a single line for August. It has been a super hectic month full of plan making and actioning... I mentioned a few times in July's one line a day that we were thinking of moving house... We have been 'thinking' about it for a long time but not really being at the point of actually doing it.

Well at the end of last month this changed. With the UK stamp duty holiday we have decided to get on with it. Not to mention the extra nudge from the super rude, noisy, annoying chavvy neighbours currently living 2 doors down from us. This decision was pretty daunting as we had an awful lot of unfinished decorating to sort out before we could really get on the market. We set ourselves the timeline of getting on the market for the beginning of September, giving ourselves a good month or so to get the house up to standard. This still seemed like a tall order with a kitchen/diner to finish decorating, as well as the hall, stairs, landing and bathroom to finish. Why an earth did we leave so much unfinished for such a long time!??! Well the answer to that is having two kids but even so! We didn't expect progress to be quick as Scott was solo decorating and I was solo parenting! Not so much divide and conquer but divide and survive... It's been stressful.

To begin with the main decorating was done at weekends as Scott was obviously still working during the week. As you do when wanting to move, I spent most of my time scowling Rightmove. First of all, we thought that we would stay in the North Brisol area as we like it here and we have really good friendship networks. However, houses are quite expensive and we have no family support here.. well that's not technically true, they are happy to travel to visit us and have done childcare in the past, but with them being well over an hour away, it isn't exactly ideal. We then thought more about our own childhoods being brought up in the devon countryside and how much fun it was. I know the town we currently live in isn't exactly the hussle and bustle of inner city Bristol living but it's still not the same as home. With Pippa getting ever bigger, she really relishes in the company of her Nanny and Grandad's (and other family for that matter). I feel so bad when a trip to see them isn't just down the road and we are constantly saying 'not today'. This decision to go home was a complete surprise to both of us but now we have made it, it feels very right.

The decision was sealed in our minds when a certain house popped up on Rightmove. This house we know. It was owned by some very good friends of ours before they relocated to France 12 years ago. The house is situated on the outskirts of Uffculme, the village my mum and step-dad moved to when they moved us from Sussex to Devon. I went to the Primary and Secondary School there and then went on to meet Scott at the college in the nearby town, Tiverton. We have fond memories of walking the dogs in the countryside nearby and having a cuppa in the garden afterwards. My second car, the Skoda, we brought off Heather and Terry before they moved out. Although the house is now looking very tired and is in need of updating. It comes with a decent amount of land and a spectacular view out over the mid Devon countryside. We have viewed several houses and nothing comes remotely close to it.

Located close to the Cottage is a Landfill site and Quarry (I know, I know, it's not all sunshine and daisies but bear with!) who has owned the house since our friends moved. There was some talk about them using it for office space but it ended up being rented for the last 12 years. I'm pretty sure the place hasn't been decorated at all in that time and it looked pretty much how I remembered Heather and Terry living there. There is still a rotten old bench outside on the patio which I can remember sitting on (before it went rotten) chatting with my mum and Heather in the sunshine!

Speaking to the bloke in charge of selling the property, the tenant gave his notice and moved out a month or so before it went on the market. The landfill ceased operation at the beginning of last year so although they are bound to manage the site for the next 60 years, it is to be restored to green land and can never be built on (not at least in our lifetime anyway). The company are selling off any assets in the immediate vicinity as they no longer have interest in controlling them. They also own the farmhouse next door which will be going on the market soon. The quarry is still active but cannot be seen from the cottage and doesn't cause issue to either property. The only thing that the guy selling it did allude to was that the quarry company are planning to widen the lane so that the quarry site is more accessible for their lorries. This would only be as far as the quarry entrance which is 0.4mile away from the cottage.

What he failed to mention was that the reason they are wanting to widen the lane is due to there currently being a live planning application to erect an asphalt plant so that they can manufacture and distribute tarmac.

Oh wonderful... That's that then we thought. Dreams crushed... Well the story continues!

We found out about the asphalt plant plans through the parish council. I emailed them asking about the landfill site and surrounding area as I figured they would be involved in any plans or disputes with anyone living in the area. They confirmed that there was no longer any activity from the landfill but did drop the planning bombshell. A very nice man from the parish council and Mid Devon District council agreed to speak with us and in the end, spent about an hour on the phone to Scott one evening, telling us the ins and outs of all sorts of associated things.

The land in which the asphalt plant is planned for is actually owned by the council. Currently there is a decommissioned composting site there which was only in operation whilst the landfill site was active. Now that has stopped, they are required to dismantle the equipment, demolish the associated building and return the site to it's original landscape. With obvious cost to the council. There is currently an asphalt plant in a neighbouring area and quarry site which is coming to the end of is operating life. This plant is situated between 2 small villages and has had difficulty with access for the lorries in the past. They have designated routes in which they can travel through the villages and it has caused annoyance to the residents. We looked at a couple houses in one of the villages. In one journey we came across 4 or 5 large lorries navigating the small roads. That in and out all the time must be a real pain! The proposed site for the new plant is right adjacent to a main road and is in very close proximity to the M5 so obviously a much better location.

So, with the obvious benefits to both the council and the quarry company, it is very likely that the plans will go ahead. They are already quarrying raw materials needed for asphalt at the new proposed site and transferring it to the old one so yet another reason why it makes sense for the new plant to go ahead.

So that all sounds very bleak.. who wants to live next to a quarry and asphalt plant?! That doesn't sound like much fun at all.  However, a little bit more context; the closest residential dwellings to the old asphalt plant are closer than we would be to the new one. The councillor stated that in all the time he can recall, there has never been any complaints about the noise, smell or pollutions of the plant, they have all been about lorry traffic. He has visited the plant on several occasions and couldn't recall a smell. He informed us that prior to our telephone call, he drove past the new proposed site, up to where the cottage is and considered what he thought might be any issues. He didn't come up with any and stated that, if it was him, he would invest in the property!

Because of the location of the main roads, the existing quarry land and the proposed site, the traffic to and from the site would not need to pass our door and should be far enough away that it would not affect the property. It would be unrealistic to assume that we would never smell it, however they are filtered so well these days that if there was a smell, it would be minimal and only if the wind was blowing in the right direction, which is usually the opposite way. It is more likely that farm smells from the neighbouring fields would be more offensive.

Finally, the councillor stated that companies such the quarry and landfill site like to be seen as 'good neighbours' and often endeavour to ensure that they consider the impact of their businesses on the local residents. He suggested (reading between the lines here) that if we did have issues or concerns, and made our voices heard, that they would be keen to keep us sweet. This somewhat rings true as I remember Heather talking about how they were keen to keep her on side when they lived there and the landfill was active.

There are so so so many things to consider when buying a house. What sort of lifestyle you are trying to achieve, what type of property you want and where you want it to be. Do you live on an estate or would you prefer to be more rural. What will the neighbours be life? Will you find the dream home but be plagued by neighbours from hell your whole life? Are there high crime rates in the area? And then you also need to consider what you need from a house and when can you afford in your chosen area? Or when you do finally find the house of your dreams will the beautiful landscape it looks out onto be at risk of being built on in the future? I guess what I am trying to say is that there are so many things that you cannot control when buying a property. At least the things at Hillhead are known to us and we can take them into consideration prior to moving.. who knows what may come up that isn't known to us but we will deal with that when/if the time comes!

I never would have specifically gone hunting for the 'cottage home' as such. We rented a tiny 2 up 2 down cottage when at university and although we loved living there, the place was forever needing work and would have been a complete money pit to own. However, for the budget we have, in the area we are looking, basically that is what there is on offer unless you want to live in a new build estate. We do not want a new build and do not want to live on an estate again! We have looked at a couple of proper old old cottages and they weren't for me either. Basically we are really fussy buggers and are looking for what most townies are looking for. The rural home with no/few neighbours, a bit of land, excellent commuter accessibilities and good internet! We have written lots of places off because the internet wouldn't be good enough for Scott to work from home. Hillhead Cottage, although a bit of a compromise in terms of its layout, otherwise is pretty great for everything else. It has been extended so has a more traditional feel like an old cottage but coupled with a more modern side too. Now this I like! The new side has wide open windows that make the most of the beautiful views and the whole house generally feels bright and airy.

Now moving on, the major crux to this story is that we saw this place was for sale before we had got our house on the market and we still had LOADS to do before it was ready. So before we knew it, Scott was spending every waking moment frantically decorating (in and around trying to work from home at the same time) and myself looking after a 4month old and keeping a 2½yr old entertained also.

Once we finished the kitchen, hall, stairs and landing, we booked a few valuations. The first was pretty unimpressive. The houses where we live were mass produced in the 70s and all are a variation of the same thing. Some houses have better plots, garden size and parking, some have the garages on a separate plot, others at the end of the garden. Some have kitchen diners, others with living room diners. But for the most part they are the same size and layout. With the stamp duty holiday the market seems to have exploded and there has been a flurry of the same houses on sale at the same time. They are all asking for (more or less) the same price so to sell, yours needs to stand out. This is exactly what the first estate agent said, stating that if we wanted a quick sale, then we should market 5-10k lower than the standard price... Bearing in mind our house is well looked after, an end of terrace with new windows and doors, new kitchen, good level of decoration and one of the best plots on the street with a bigger garden and 2 parking spaces (and an adjoining garage). We weren't impressed when they suggested it would only sell 10k less than a lesser standard mid terrace... Anyway we waited for our second valuation and the response was so incredibly different. He parked up outside, walked down the garden, entered our house into the kitchen and said 'well if you haven't sold by the time they get in the garden, get then into the kitchen and you will have an offer!'. He came on a Saturday and stated that they have a similar house in a similar street on for sale which had a smaller garden and worse parking. It had 9 viewings lined up and reconed that if he could get them through our door too then we would get an offer... So we signed a 'single viewing' contract and so it began..!

At this point our bathroom was still a complete mess and only had a day and a half to sort it out. Scott was frantically decorating right up the the last minute; the last coat of paint going on the walls a few hours before the first viewing and then the radiator back on the wall 5mins before we left so that the agents could show people round.

They managed to get 4 buyers through the door and we had 2 offers! We accepted an offer for 2.5k higher than the top valuation that the first estate agent valued. So there we go.. all of a sudden we had sold our house and are good to go for our forever home! We never had photos taken and never made it on Rightmove.

Due to Hillhead Cottage being a unique property it has been extremely popular. When we first viewed it, they had already had several viewings and an offer. It was looking likely that it would end up going to 'best and final offers'. Which is exactly what happened. By the time we visited for the second time they had had over 30 viewings. Best and final offers is where each interested party bids their best and final price they are willing and able to pay for the property. Within the bid, parties provide information to support their offer which may make them a more desirable buyer. Therefore it is not always the highest bid that wins. For example, the highest bidder may not have their house on the market yet and be unable to proceed therefore not as desirable as a first time buyer with no chain. If the house had been sold in the usual manner, we would not have been in a position to offer. However, all of a sudden we found ourselves in with a really good chance and lots of time on our hands, twiddling our thumbs, waiting for the deadline to come! We have sold our house to first time buyers right ready to go so no chain, we have personal history with the property and have done extensive research into the area (therefore won't pull out when the asphalt plant plans are uncovered by conveyancing). We have also bid a decent amount over the guide price. I doubt very much we will be the highest bid but hopefully we will be within ball park and with the other things on our side, stand a good chance of winning. However, on the flip side, because the bidding process isn't transparent, we have no idea how many other bids there actually are or what price other bidders are prepared to pay... Therefore we could be stumping up this significant amount of money, only for all the other bids to be at the guide price or lower.. we will never know but if we win, the price we bid is the price we pay for the property.. unfair right?!

However, like the process states, we have bid our best offer, taking into account all aspects of the property. We really want it and feel that our bid reflects that. But the place isn't perfect and we cannot punch any higher than we have done. When taking into consideration the condition of the property and the somewhat uncertainties in the area surrounding it, I feel that if we do not win then it is not meant to be for us. I am a great believer in fate and that everything happens for a reason. So far it feels like the stars have aligned so maybe it is destined to be ours... But if not then maybe we have dodged a bullet and something better is just around the corner... Who knows but things will come right in the end.

Hopefully soon I can report back but for now we are playing the waiting game!! To be continued...