Still Waiting

The Building and Pest reports have come back and are absolutely fine.

The buyer's finance has not yet been approved 😢

It was supposed to be done by yesterday but their bank has decided that they need to have a valuation done on my place. The valuer is coming shortly. The buyer's conveyancer has asked for a week's extension, which both my conveyancer and estate agent have recommended I agree to. So I did. Reluctantly.

You would have thought they might have got around to that before now.

Sigh!

Freyja and I went to look at the Flat with a View after work yesterday. Freyja hadn't seen it before and I thought it was a good idea to get her to look it over with fresh eyes. It's a good size, in a good location and, of course, has a fabulous view. It's a bit tired in some ways. It's had a tenant in until recently and could do with a bit of a spruce up and a couple of (minor) repairs and a coat of paint. It does have new flooring, which is an advantage. The estate agent says the owner probably won't take a low offer because a similar flat on the 9th floor sold for 400k+ three months ago. Which is all very well, but this place has been on the market since the beginning of April and has already had a price reduction and still hasn't sold yet. I shall wait and see what is happening when my place eventually becomes unconditionally sold and I have a mortgage pre-approval. And if it is sold by then, or the owner really won't take a lower offer, then there are other places available. I am not paying lots of money just for a view, no matter how fabulous.

Freyja and I went for coffee at Southern Cross Station and then she took a train to her place and I drove back to mine.

Waiting

The Building and Pest Inspectors came on Thursday, late in the morning. I was expecting serious, even severe people, suited and stern. In fact they were jolly and friendly and funny. They were also thorough. They flagged a couple of small things but did not indicate that there were any major problems. Of course, they weren't working for me so they may not have felt they had to alert me to major problems, but I think they might have given at least an indication.

The potential buyer needs to make the purchase unconditional or pull out by Wednesday and they can only pull out without penalty if their finance falls through or if there are serious defects with this place.

So I wait.

I went and looked at a flat on Friday afternoon. I first notice it online some many weeks ago and had flagged it as being interesting but it was a bit expensive. They've recently reduced the price so I thought it was worth a look - mainly for this:

I could definitely live with this view.

It does have a balcony, which is fully enclosed and also very narrow. It would make a great cat run, and possibly even a morning coffee nook for me

Bedroom with a view:

Freyja and I are going to have another look at it on Wednesday after work. And the flat that Lindsey and I looked at a couple of weeks ago is still available. Plus I've spoken to my mortgage broker and she is going to see what she can do about a small mortgage for me. I might be able to pay for either of the flats outright if the seller would take a low-ish offer. I might even be able to pay outright at the full asking price but it would leave me with absolutely no financial buffer and I do not want to do that.

So I wait.

I do not like waiting!!!

Lindsey and I went out to the Wallace Pub for lunch on Sunday. We haven't been since last October and I cannot tell you why. We like the pub, the owners, the ambience and the food. We just haven't been. It's not even as though it's particularly far. It's a 20 minute drive from my place!

Lindsey in her magnificent cardigan
showing off her lunch

That's not beer I'm drinking.
It's a lemon, lime and bitters 

Sunday roast:
a pork stack

House Under Contract

 

It's not unconditionally sold yet. I'm waiting on a building inspection, which I hope will happen this week. I am not expecting there to be a problem with the inspection but I'm not going to assume it will go through.  Not until the sign reads "sold"!!

It took two weeks from the day the ad went live online!!!!!

I have started properly packing up the house, ready for the proposed settlement on 4th August.

And Lindsey and I went to Docklands on Saturday to look at some apartments. We really liked the first one and didn't like the second two. I'm not sure why I didn't like them. One of them had a fabulous view of the marina and the river and even the sea, but it was right at the very top of my budget and the layout of the flat didn't excite me. You really can't spend a lot of money just on a view. The other one I just didn't like and I couldn't really tell you why. I'm beginning to think it's the building. I've seen other apartments in there and haven't liked them either, for no particularly good reason. Anyway, both apartments are tenanted and I need something I can move into quickly. If the first apartment is still on the market when my sale becomes unconditional I'll go and have another look at it and perhaps make an offer.

Lindsey and I went for a wander around Docklands, which she wasn't really familiar with. She was excited to discover that The District shopping complex has a UniQlo, Kathmandu, Skechers, plus quite a large food area. We had lunch in the Japanese restaurant. We walked back around the marina to the Victoria Quays side and inspected the library and the river. It was a good day.

Lindsey in UniQlo

Wedding party in The District

Saturday lunch
(I had a sandwich in the evening)

View from the library window

I spent Sunday morning packing boxes and thinking about what to do with all the furniture in my house, almost all of which won't be coming with me to my small apartment in Docklands (whichever I buy, it will be small).

Then Lindsey and I went to the Buninyong Pub for lunch. I had managed to get a table by booking it early in the week. It's lovely. Light and bright and spacious. Much, much lighter than its previous incarnation. You could actually see what you were eating. And the food was delicious. My barramundi was perfectly cooked. We will go there again.

Redesigned interior of the Buninyong pub

Sunday barramundi, with lemon sauce,
crushed potatoes and veg

House Progress

There has been quite a lot of interest in my house. Someone came from up country to look at it on Monday. Someone else came to look at it on Tuesday and yet someone else on Thursday. There were FIFTEEN registered viewings at the open inspection on Saturday.  I think that's more viewings in just over a week than the entire time that the house in Tupton was on the market. And I believe that there are also some online investors who have expressed a wish to see a video walk through. We didn't do a video walk through when the people came to take the photos but I expect one can be arranged.

Some of the people who have been through seem to be interested. I had a look on the real estate website and found that mine is the only place in Mount Helen that comes in under $525k. If you expand the search to include Buninyong there are a few more, and even more if you include Mount Clear. But if Mount Helen and Buninyong are your target, you don't have a lot of choice at the lower end of the market.

You never know. My place might actually sell in less than the three years it took to sell in Tupton. And there is the advantage here that once you put in a proper offer, you  have a three day (I think) cooling off period, pay a deposit and then you can't withdraw without forfeiting that deposit. You can, of course, make your offer conditional on something else happening but once that happens you can't withdraw. Much better than in England where a buyer can withdraw with no notice, at any point, up until contracts are exchanged.

I thought it was cold at my place when I dropped down on Saturday morning to check it over before the open inspection. And it was:

It was even colder outside

It was also foggy and damp. Outside, not inside!

So I put the heating on and turned on the lamps throughout the house.

Fortunately, by the time of the inspection the fog had cleared and the sun had come out. My place does look good when the sun is shining. It is bright and light.

I was in Daylesford yesterday for lunch at Gillie's house with the Sunday Lunchers. We had a delicious lunch which included parsnip and orange soup. I am not a huge fan of parsnips - I find them a bit bitter. But paired with orange the bitterness disappears and the soup was lovely. It was followed by a traditional British fish pie and then a peach and raspberry trifle.  All very delightful.  It was good to catch up with everyone and to hear Irene and Gillie's travel adventures.  A very good afternoon.

A Winter Weekend

The first open inspection of my place was at 12:30 on Saturday. Four couples came to look. One couple (apparently) liked it but the lounge was too small - so no, thank you. Another couple showed interest but had other places to look at. 

The estate agent had been hoping for six couples but I thought four wasn't bad when the place had only been on the market for three days. Plus it was very cold and gloomy on Saturday so people may have been put off by the weather.  The agent might have been disappointed but I was quite pleased. It was a long, long time after we put the house in Tupton on the market before anyone showed any interest at all!

In the meantime, Brandy, Whiskey and I have moved up to Hill House for a couple of weeks while Lindsey and Ian are away.  I must say, I am not looking forward to moving the cats to Melbourne. They howled all the way here and it's only a five minute drive.

They were a bit puzzled when we got out of the car and all their things came in. But they seem to have settled in quite well

Fascinated by the glass walls

We have commandeered Rupert and Hugo's feeding station

They found their cosy beds

and the actual bed

Paws tucked under -
must be feeling relaxed

Found a cosy bed on a comfy chair

I've got them confined to the kitchen end of the house. They are VERY curious about what is behind this door! (Piano room, lounge room and bedrooms - they can explore them in a few days)

I didn't do very much over the weekend, apart from clean Tani's floors, sweep leaves up from the patio and little lawn and move up here. I'll go back down to my place later this morning. There's an inspection at lunch time and another mid-afternoon and it's still very cold in Ballarat. I'll sweep the floors again and this time I'll put the heating on and make a pot of coffee so the place feels warm and inviting.

(And if you're reading this and thinking now would be an ideal time to head to Tani and clear it out - my neighbours are keeping an eye on the place. And so am I!)

It's suddenly got properly real!

 

The sale is live on realestate.com.au

There are inspections and viewings booked in.

I may have to actually move!

(I haven't told the cats yet!)

It's a glorious morning. But very frosty

Long Weekend

Yesterday was a public holiday across much of Australia.

And in Ballarat, the weather was awful pretty much all weekend. Winter most definitely came out to play.  It rained with enthusiasm. It was windy. It was foggy. It was COLD

Sunday's weather forecast from the BoM:

Monday morning:

 My place, pretty much all weekend:

I did go out, a bit, but no garden tidying got done. Lindsey and I  didn't go to the Bridge Street market on Saturday, but we did go to Wilson's and Petstock  and then had lunch at Oscar's. We don't go to Oscar's very often and we aren't sure why. The food is good and the place is handy for Central Square. I think it's because we usually go out for lunch on Sundays, and then usually go to pubs. We should go more often. I think it's two years or so since we last went in.

On Sunday we went early to Stockland so Lindsey could get a hair cut and then went for a wander around.

Yesterday I only went as far as Mount Clear, to get some firewood at the IGA.

It was a very relaxing long weekend but I didn't get a whole lot done. I really should get some things done - I am expecting the first open inspection of Tani on Saturday and I would like it to be shiny and beautiful for any people who come to look.

House Photos

Two photographers came on Thursday afternoon, one with a machine to make a video tour and floor plan, the other with a camera. They were here for around 45 minutes. I'll get their photos and video for approval on Tuesday or Wednesday.

I cleaned the house as thoroughly as I could before they came. And for the record - here are my photos:

(The cats on my bed are not included in the sale!)

Busy

I've been quite busy this last week or so.

Things have been busy at work. We are preparing for an accreditation visit in August or September. We have appraisals and meetings and training to organise, plus absolutely masses of paperwork to get done. (I originally typed "asses of paperwork" which I might not disagree with 😂), not to mention all the usual activity of the business.

I have been busy at home. The initial stages of the proposed sale of my place are underway.  A handyman has been and is coming again this morning to finish those few things that needed doing, such as painting a couple of kitchen cupboards and touching up some paintwork on the walls. A photographer is coming at lunchtime to get the advertising underway. Then the estate agent and I will talk on Tuesday and the first open day will happen the following Saturday.

The house is pretty much ready for the photos. I need to do a quick tidy, sweep the floors and hide the cat bowls and general paraphernalia, such as the oil bottles in the kitchen. I might even set the dining room table so it looks like a dining room table and not like a desk.

I have done quite a bit of work in the garden but there is still lots to do. A lot of it will be done by the time the first open inspection happens. But gardens are never finished. I will do my best.  I have planted more pea and broad bean seeds out the front and taken down some of the bamboo canes. I have cleared the little flower bed out the front ready for next season's planting. I have been weeding along the back garden bed, which isn't finished but will be by Saturday week. I have not really tackled the back walkway but definitely need to. Oh - and I should really sweep the patio before the photos!

I am quite pleased with this bed. It has a Bramley apple tree, a Tahitian lime tree and a miniature peach tree, plus various bedding plants. There is an asparagus bed behind it.

There has been time for a bit of fun as well. Lindsey and I went to the Red Lion for lunch last Sunday. We haven't been there since we went with Stella a couple of weeks before she died. So a year ago! I'm not sure why we haven't been since. They do a good Sunday roast, with  lots of roast meat and lots of well cooked vegetables. We still have the Buninyong pub on our list, but you need to book well in advance for a lunch table on Sundays. We tend to think about Lunch Out much closer to the time.  We'll get there.

Had I been in  Tupton rather than Ballarat I would have been very suspicious of these clouds, which were travelling south to north, rather than the more usual west to east

Fortunately, they delivered nothing more exciting than some icy drizzle. I am looking eastward towards Lindsey and Ian's hill. They may have got more than drizzle.

Another week off

I had last week off work as well. I was intending to carry on clearing out the house and tidying up the garden. The weather was perfect for working in the garden, if a little on the cold side.

Alas. My knee and therefore my hip continued to be very unhappy following the boat trip a week before. I bought a new knee brace which has worked well. It's a double brace so wraps around both over and under the kneecap. That helped, but I didn't think it wise to annoy my knee even further by weeding and digging and planting. However, it is a lot happier now. The weather is also holding firm - for now. I have plans for my little vegetable garden and for the beds along the back fence.

I have until Thursday of next week, when the photographer is coming to start the advertising of the house.

The handyman came on Friday to assess a couple of little jobs. He's coming back at the beginning of next week to do them.

I ordered some curtains for the little bedroom and have now hung them up (which more or less hides one of the little jobs that needs doing).

I have continued turning out cupboards and wardrobes. 

I have done all the usual, day-to-day things.

And this week I head back to work.

But I've got to stop watching Selling Houses. It's very dispiriting when I look at the finished houses and then look round at mine and see all the things that need doing and which I possibly might do if I were planning to stay. Or not. Probably not 😂 

The outside spiders were busy while I was away. I had de-webbed many of the windows before I went away. They need doing again. Not quite as badly but even so. I don't mind spiders. They are useful creatures. But I wish they weren't quite as untidy.

The cats have been enjoying the late autumn sunshine

He gets combed almost every day
You wouldn't think so, looking at his curly belly

They enjoy the heated couch blanket as well

Right. It's almost 9:00. I am not dressed yet. There is a lot to do today. I had better get wriggling

Home Again

We had enough time yesterday morning to head back into the village to visit the bakery for breakfast supplies and coffee.

We packed, tidied up and got organised.

The shuttle van came at 10:15 on the dot and took us to the airport (which is small enough really to be called a fancified airstrip 😁)

And then we flew home, direct to Melbourne this time. 

We had a late lunch/early dinner at the airport and then Freyja and Simon took a taxi home and I waited for the airport shuttle bus back to Ballarat.

An almost two hour wait 😢

There is almost always a very long wait for the next shuttle, or I have to absolutely leg it to the bus station and catch the shuttle by the skin of my teeth. I do not much enjoy either of these things.

I wonder how much it costs to park in the value car parks at the airport. I wonder why I haven't thought to wonder this before.

It costs $12 a night in the value car parks. The shuttle costs $90 return, plus $30 for the taxi home. It would have been cheaper to park the car at the airport, even taking fuel into account. Not to mention that by the time I got onto the shuttle I would have been almost home had I been in the car. For longer trips away, the Skybus to the city and the train home would be cheaper, even including a taxi home from the station, and might even be quicker.

I might have to abandon the airport shuttle.

It has been something of a shock returning to Ballarat,  temperature-wise. Winter decided to pay a visit while we were away and the temperature plummeted. It was 2℃ when I got up this morning. It is a beautiful, sunny morning but it is still definitely on the chilly side. I was positively cold in bed last night. This morning I put the winter quilt on the bed.

Time to go home

Snuggled up next to me 
on the electric couch blanket

Monday - Last Full Day

We started the day quite gently, back at the little Wildlife Park for a keeper tour. We visited the pademelons, koalas, wallabies and dingoes. We also walked past and greeted the crocodile but she didn't do a talk about him.

We went back to the resort area and I went for a swim. It's the first time in a VERY long time since I have been in a pool just for a swim!

We went on little tours in our buggy of bits of the island we hadn't been to

We stopped for a glass of wine in a wine bar at the lookout over "Wildcat Island"

We saw wallabies, birds, a possum, a huntsman spider.

We went to Coca Chu for dinner. Dinner. At night. In a restaurant! They have a separate menu for vegetarians/vegans and the food is very delicious - although Freyja and Simon accidentally ordered pretty much the same thing three times. The crispy tofu they had for their entree was very much the same as the tofu platter they had for their main and both came with the green vegetables that were on the vegetable platter. The menu is really a sharing menu, but I was the only person who could eat my chicken and noodles. No sharing for me! (Although I did get to share some of the green vegetables and a bit of the crispy tofu)

Today we are going home, back to freeze, rainy, wintery Melbourne.

It is very tempting to stay here in our summer and beach clothes.