13 February 2008

Looked at a couple of houses

Last week I looked at some websites showing rented accommodation and signed up with some Estate Agents for newsletters. I got one a few days ago which showed a few places that looked reasonable on paper.

Yesterday we decided to go and have a look at some of them (only from the outside) to determine what I could have for my money. I was horrified when I saw the first one; a terraced house in Shelton. It wasn't the cheapest property as it was approximately £400 per month, but it was hideous. I felt really defleted. There was absolutely nowhere to park and the whole street looked a complete dump.

We then proceeded to another terraced house in Hanley. The house looked okay and although there was still no driveway; it did seem to have plenty of room for parking in the street. I thought it might be walking distance from work but it wasn't really close enough.

I decided to forget that one and move on to the cheapest property on the list; a three bedroomed semi in Abbey Hulton. In the eigties Abbey used to have a reputation for being a bad area but over the years a lot of the council houses have been bought by the tenants and the area has improved enough for me to want to have a look.

The first house in Abbey Hulton was £350 per month and seemed great from the outside. I could see that it had a consevatory built on and the front garden looked quite neat and so did the windows. It captured my interest enough to ring the Estate Agents and make an appointment to view it.

The appointment was at one o'clock today. We got there first and shortly after the agent turned up along with a load of other prospects. To my disappointment the place was hideous on the inside. It was mingingly dirty and the floors had badly fitted and badly marked laminates which I hate. The bathroom had no shower and was shockingly pink. The kitchen had a really weird layout and extremely plain and dreadful. I thoroughly hated the place and could never see myself living there.

Lucky for us, the guy had made an appointment to go and look at the other house in the Abbey. I rejected that one yesterday because I thought that I would be paying nearly hundred pounds a month more for just a driveway.

We tagged along and had a look at that one and wow....what a difference. The bedrooms were a bit smaller but otherwise that place was fantastic. There was a greenhouse as well as a shed. The bathroom was upstairs and had a champagne coloured suite with a shower. The kitchen was large and modern with plenty of space for a dishwasher, washing machine and tumbledryer. The cupboard doors were made to look like hardwood. The sink was a proper 1 + 1/2 bowl kitchen sink located in front of the window overlooking the garden. There was even a huge larder.

It's really sad that I'm not really in a position to be able to take it up yet but at least it gave me a good idea of what is available and what it will cost. I was already feeling sad that it's time to go home tomorrow but now I feel slightly worse.

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