Glad to see that this Blog still contines to attract interest - over 300 visitors last month alone. Thats far more than have looked around our house which is presently for sale!

Ever tried moving? I started a diary when we first began back in March – hence the reason why the Blog hasn’t been touched and yet here we are nearly five months on, still living in East Yorkshire in the same house with no move in sight.

I’ve totally lost all confidence in Estate Agents. Ours only ever rings when he has someone to see the house. And then why does he bother, as they all seem to be no hopers?

I do love this cosy and warm house, it’s large airing cabinet, bay window and the easy maintenance garden so you may well ask why it is we are we moving? To start afresh, four years into our marriage as we can’t get work around here. We tried, even set up our business but in fifteen months that never became self-financing so once again began scanning the JobSearch sites, knowing we’d be lucky to hear back after we’d sent in their applications forms.

We knew we wanted to live in a village somewhere in Lincolnshire, still with rail access, but preferably with better amenities than here. We need our space, somewhere to safely park the car, living away from the neighbour’s noises, in an area we both love, which is closer to family/friends and has more work potential for the supporting partner.

Ever eager in the first week our property was on the market, having tidied, cleared the gutters and tarted up the paintwork, we had a good explore around Lincolnshire but wasn’t that impressed with the first few houses we viewed or that Sleaford itself seemed closed being a Sunday. From there we then went onto one of our favourite pubs in Tattershall to discuss what we had seen.

By the time our property went online, we began to dream of moving to Lincolnshire in time for my husband’s birthday in August. We have become avid online junkies for a certain well known estate agents website – we probably now know the local market as well as most estate agents!

Keen that first Friday, we returned and fell in love with the village where we seriously intend moving to, if only we can sell this house! There we looked at one property so close to the railway that the house virtually shook whenever the train arrived at the station, hardly ideal for someone who spends many hours writing and wouldn’t want their flow disturbed!

It was then having viewed another property that one particular Close in the village became a strong contender, across the High Street away from the railway. We met some residents at the local pub over a meal who kindly gave us some background about the area and I posted letters to various employers in the immediate area – an idea, which I’m pleased to say, hit the right note with just one potential employer.

More good news - interest on our house with promises of someone coming to see the house over Easter so we began a major tidy, – taking things we no longer wanted to local charity shops, changing our plans for the holidays so that we would be available. Why did we bother?

April began and a month on from the start of our moving quest, we were still no further forward but trying to stay positive. I fought for that first month against having a For Sale board outside but eventually relented, as we’d had no viewings. I found myself cleaning the kitchen cabinet doors just for something to do and reducing the cupboard contents, as having visited other properties, I was aware that I would have to compromise with other kitchens and bathrooms being smaller.

The first of many disappointments came when we still had no interest in our house then heard that the house we were interested in had in fact just sold. Why couldn’t we sell? Our house is ideally placed for shops, school and the surgery and has a refurbished kitchen and bathroom? We decided after our first dismal viewer, to go away for the weekend then it was going to be decision time.

Once again we began to look for work in the local area. My husband had an interview for a job that was shortly moving to new premises further away in Pocklington so we began to search out property in that area and even viewed one house there. That week my emotions were in a jumble, as I knew we’d get better value for money in Lincolnshire and yet my husband had all the skills and qualifications for the job on offer.

Just as he had yet another rejection, I received a positive e-mail from a company in the village we intend moving to, saying there were interested in offering me a job. I later sent them my c.v. Now spurred on, two months in, we just needed to push to sell the house.

Sods law - it went quiet for weeks! In time we had our second viewing, when we discovered just how nosey some people can be and how inefficient some estate agents can be too as the snooper concerned hadn’t even visited his office so he didn’t know what position she was in regarding selling her own property.

The worry began the day the house had been on market three months and a neighbours house went on the market for £6,950 more than us, being end terrace rather than mid. It was that day, after a chat to our estate agent, we decided to reduce our asking price by £1k hoping that would spark notice from first time buyers.

It didn’t help with the news of constant rises in interest rates. I even considered asking if we could do a straight swop for a property we were interested in in Lincolnshire, as a member of my family had successfully done the same thing but unfortunately we discovered its owners too were moving south like us!

Having endured electrical problems, following the local floods in late June, we changed the tatty carpet in the kitchen for some smart kitchen flooring which matched the worktops and tiles in the kitchen, hoping that this would also attract more viewings, as we’d had none in weeks.

So began the disturbed nights, laying awake worrying, as the reasons for our moving became more critical with a family illness becoming more serious, feeling helpless, as we are no further forward moving to be close in case of emergencies.

I did suggest to my husband late one night that we approach the Bank and ask them to buy this property so we can move into one house without a chain before the August Bank Holiday. We could try again for work with agencies but there is no guarantee of permanency/continuity plus they aren’t that well paid – and if my experience is anything to go by, tend to push square pegs into round holes.

Last week we had our third viewing – she even came back a few days later for a second viewing, which only resulted in more disappointment. She admitted she is still to start her new job then will have to wait three months before she can secure a mortgage so why is she looking at property now that is for sale?

I had to hold back shouting at her that we can’t wait until November to move. We need to move now as I have a job waiting me. After a five-month abortive wait, we want to start our new life in a village we have both chosen.

So we are back to Square One. But that won’t stop us viewing another couple of properties at the weekend, we might even consider rental.

Just hope the rain stays off!

1,335 words Ó J Mc 24th July 2007