Friday 29 January 2010

Good money after bad

15st 8lb, 2.25 units. I spent most of the day sitting at my desk in Northumberland, looking at the gatepost and my agent’s attached "Under Offer" sign waving gently in the breeze. On the one hand it does offer some entertainment and instruction as a weather vane, but on the other it has been over three months since I took the property off the market, so I suppose I ought to do something about getting it removed. A visitor the other day suggested that I should start charging the appropriate market rent for an advertising hoarding, since the fact that they had managed to obtain an offer for my house provided the most fantastic recommendation for my agents, suggesting that they could sell almost anything. This seemed a little unkind about my much-loved home of 22 years, I must say.

So far, since taking the house off the market, I have identified at least £10,000 worth of essential repairs to the place. I was blissfully unaware of the need for these when I cancelled the sale, but assumed that the prospective purchaser had spotted them, given that he is a qualified chartered surveyor and had pitched his offer well below my asking price. However, he has assured me that the need for them came as news to him, too. And how much will it add to the potential value of the place when I have repaired or replaced all the worn-out windows and collapsing shed roofs?

Yes, I am sure that is precisely right.

Absolutely nothing.

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