From exchange to completion to moving in 10 days

I almost titled this entry "shits gettin' real, y'all" but then thought better of it; though it describes how I feel about what's going on in my life, it doesn't really explain the journey we've been on over the last four weeks.

When last you heard about our house, I was giving you the update that we heard bad news regarding the property. At that stage, we had no idea whether we would even go through with the purchase or whether we would have to start back at square one with the house hunt. It was demoralizing, sad, and really really difficult to process. I mean, we had already picked out potential kitchen units for a refurb taking place two years in the future! We were emotionally invested.

So the only way to deal with our disappointment was to stop all home-buying processes in their tracks until the situation was resolved. No packing, no shopping, no plans, nothing. It was coming up to our week in Ireland, and still no word on what was going to happen so we mentally decided to give it until we returned – 31 July – and then start pressuring the seller to make a decision. 

But we finally got word the Friday before our trip that a plan was in place to enable the sale to go through, and we had to make some quick decisions. We had to decide whether we a) still wanted the house, and b) could stick to the originally agreed timetable for completing the sale by Tuesday the 7th. After much discussion, stress, and tears, we went to the lawyer during lunch the day we flew to Ireland (much stress!!!) and signed all of the necessary paperwork for exchange. Then on our return from Ireland, we went to see the house again and agreed the dates of the sale with the seller – exchange last week and completion this Friday the 10th.

So what does all this mean? It means that last week I emptied a few bank accounts, Monday my dad sent me a large sum of money in the form of a loan, yesterday I sent more money than I make in a year to a lawyer, Friday afternoon The Irishman and I will get keys to a house we own together, and Saturday we will move in! 

This process has been so complex and emotional, I can't even begin to explain it fully. I will write some posts soon about the house buying process in England and how we (sort of) survived it, but in the mean time it's all about the packing. It's a good thing, too, because we're running out of spaces for boxes for stuff. Phew! It will all be worth it in the end.