We knew, when we took the lease on Tani no uchi, that the unit was on the market. We knew that our 12 month lease was safe, so any new owners couldn't chuck us out until March 2019. We were also aware that the estate agency was marketing it to investors rather than to private buyers.
Alas, the investors weren't all that interested and in the event the unit has been sold to a private buyer. We have been given written notice to quit at the end of the lease plus written notification that if we chose to leave earlier, with 28 days notice, the new owners wouldn't argue.
We like living where we do. We like the unit, but we also like the area. Mount Helen is a fairly quiet place but it is only a tad under 3 km to Mount Clear in one direction, and to Buninyong in the other. It's 2 km from Lindsey and Ian's place. It's an easy drive into Ballarat. It's not a difficult drive into Melbourne.
I was listening to someone the radio the other day saying that people are buying or renting in the new developments on the edges of Melbourne and Sydney because housing is more affordable but that then people get there and find that, although there might be bus stops, there aren't actually any buses yet. There are no local shops. Commuting to work is expensive. You can afford the house but you don't get the lifestyle. In Mount Helen you get a lifestyle that Jim and I enjoy and we can afford to rent there.
I didn't want to sleepwalk my way into February 2019 and find that we had to find somewhere new to live in a hurry, so I started looking. And there was a unit round the corner that looked very similar to where we are living now. Jim, Lindsey and I went to look at it. I think it may have been built by the same developer, but it is older and each room is a bit smaller. We left thinking that we aren't in any hurry and it wasn't quite what we were looking for.
A day or two later, Jim and I went to look at an actual house much closer to central Ballarat. There were LOTS of people looking at it. We came away thinking that it was a nice house and we would consider buying it if we were looking to buy but it wasn't for us as a rental (the kitchen and bathroom had both been fully renovated but the rest of the Victorian building had not. I would want to do the rest of it!).
The unit in Mount Helen had another viewing on the Saturday, so Jim and I went to have another look at it. I think if we had seen it before the place we're currently living in we would have thought it was perfectly satisfactory. It seems less so because it is 7 years older (and it has purple carpets but they would seem less dramatic if there was furniture to divert the eye).
We put in an application for it. And yesterday it was approved. We pick up the keys next Saturday. I must remember to arrange to have the gas, electricity, internet, water transferred there. And to give our 28 days notice on Monday. It's only a 5 minute walk from where we are now. We should be able to shift most things by car or on foot.
Now all we need to do is to sell our place in the UK. We are exploring the auction option again. But with a different auction company. Unless you fancy buying it? We could be persuaded to arrange a mate's discount :-D
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