Countdown to Spring

The winter weather is just about hanging in there - we’ve just had a very blustery few days – but we’re all very aware now that Spring is just around the corner now (just a week away, officially).

I recently managed to win meal for two at one of our favourite south coast cafes (The Bach Cafe), so we went for a very luxurious, cozy Sunday lunch yesterday, and then spent the rest of the afternoon at Lyall Bay, where the beach was empty and the waves crashed in and the wind blew sand in our eyes and we were reminded a little of the old days at Surf Bay...

But it’s almost September, the daffodils and hyacinths are out in the garden and the evenings are lighter for longer. Molly is as busy as ever and Alfie is permanently outside on the deck with the hosepipe and a large bucket of water. 

Meanwhile, Spring being so near means house hunting season is about to begin again. During the winter hardly any new houses are put on the market, with people preferring to sell during the drier, sunnier months when their homes look more appealing. Not that it's stopped us: since March I've viewed 64 houses (with my 65th viewing due tomorrow). 

This is our 3^rd time purchasing a house but it’s proving to be the most difficult. Perhaps it’s because we’ve become more fussy over the years, and there are now 4 people’s needs to consider (both our previous house purchases were made pre-children).

Or perhaps it’s just Wellington’s unique market. Wellington is a small city so there’s not as much choice (our previous homes were bought in Auckland and London). Only a handful of suitable houses are listed each month. 

Each property is individual and unique so it’s hard to compare prices – unlike London where there were whole streets (if not entire suburbs) full of terraced Victorian flat conversions, all identical and all similarly priced. In fact more often than not there is no price here - auctions and tenders are popular selling methods instead.

And just to make things super tricky there’s the city’s topography to consider. So many houses here are on the wrong side of the mountain or road and hardly see the sun, and it's so difficult to tell which houses they are when you're on a 15 minute viewing.  Thank goodness for iPhone apps: we're using a great one which tells us exactly where the sun rises and sets in relation to the property we're looking at. 

We're all looking forward to the day when we can move. There's certain things you can't do in rental accommodation. The kids are desperate to plant strawberries and get a pet. I am desperate to buy new furniture and hang our paintings up, and Jake is just desperate to stop paying rent / somebody else's mortgage. 

Wish us luck - it's got to happen soon!