Is it Sold - or not!

I have been trying to complete on the sale of my house for 4 months. As a previous seller of numerous houses I can say with knowledge that this sale has been very unpredictable.

My buyer has gone from being a) not involved in a chain to b) there may be a small delay as I am now getting divorced to c) my buyer has promised to exchange in two weeks so I will be ready to exchange contracts the day after.

Did I pull out of the sale? Did I heck! Not one for quitting I decided to stick with it, the smell of success seemed so close. Re-marketing was in my mind however, so I invited 3 new estate agents to view the property, now empty, freshly painted, clean and dressed in a minimalist fashion. If my worst fears materialised and my buyer let me down completely, I would be ready to put the house up for sale quickly.

Estate agents are not everyones cup of tea. I once had a brief foray into the business of being one myself. Two years was all I managed before deciding the life wasn't for me. The business would be okay if you didn't have to deal with the prospective sellers and landlords, which of course is what I am at this moment, an irate seller angry at my agent for finding me a rubbish buyer.

True to form my 3 new agents arrived, viewed the property and gave me their expert opinions. Have you noticed how there seems to be no 'standard' for valuing a house for sale? My 3 agents gave wildly differing opinions. There was £25,000 between the top and bottom estimate. I realise that when you are selling a £1million property £25k is neither here nor there, but at the bottom end of the market £25k is a lot of money. They all saw the same house, on the same day with only a half hour between each visit. The only comment they had in common was that they loved the house, would love to have it on their books and felt sure they could do it justice - and get me a quality buyer quickly - for their realistic recommended price! Now I am not stupid but really ....

For several reasons, e.g. Christmas/New Year break and my annual 2 week holiday which is always taken between December and January, I decided to stick with the existing buyer, but I would set her a deadline. That was 4 weeks ago and the deadline I gave my buyer was 28th February - tomorrow.

My solicitor updated me 4 days ago. The 2 other solicitors involved in this small chain of buyers, are now ready to go. The first exchange will happen on Monday 27th. My exchange will happen as I planned on 28th. Let's see how long I can hold my breathe......

Fiona 27/2/06

Snowing in Cornwall

Today Cornwall woke to a ground covering of snow. This was the second time in 4 months. The first time it happened Cornwall came to a standstill, ground to a halt with the excitement of the first flurry. Drivers abandoned their cars on the A30 and took shelter in cottages and old buildings. Mothers abandoned their children in schools because they couldn't take the chance driving in bad weather conditions. In the end Cornwall was completely cut off, for 6 hours, and the locals will live on the experience for generations to come!

I came to live in the South West mid 2000 having met my now husband over the internet. As my mother said at the time 'is that wise!' - but as it turned out it was. A story for another day, possibly.

I had been led to believe that it never snowed in Cornwall. Certainly the weather is generally warmer, but it is also damp. A perpetual mizzle drifts across the headlands drizzling from one coast (the Atlantic) to the other (the English Channel). There are several spots in the South West where from the top of a hill you can view both coasts at the same time.

Exotic plants grow naturally wild, summer flowers bloom late into the autumn and daffodils, despite the present day snow, can be seen in full bloom during February in many of the surrounding fields. The one thing that it never does is snow.

The inhabitants of the South West are generally completely unprepared for the eventuality, hence the previous standstill. Today however, we coped better. The sun came out, there was relatively no wind, and the few centimetres of snow quickly disappeared.

I tell you all this as I am beginning to think I am a SAD person. Certainly I don't function as well in cold weather. My brain refuses to get itself in gear for more than a few meanderings. And here you have todays offering. Not a lot - but from little acorns ....

Fiona 25/2/06

At The Start

Welcome to my blog.

My intent is to create an online log of my work - to act as a 'shop window' - and to provide links to published articles, links to other sites that I have found beneficial in my writing and my creative advise for fellow writers.

I will try to respond to other bloggers who post in my log - I am aiming for daily updates.

I hope you enjoy your visit and please feel free to offer your feedback.

Fiona 24/2/06