Looking for a new home...

[ezmay]

How did it go? I dont mind house hunting but hate the waiting to not be told we havent got it. Hope your rental market is better than ours ATM.

[JadeAngel]

Day # 3

Took my mother along today for second opinions and moral support as I know from personal experience that she is excellent at giving people whatfor (just kidding, happy birthday Mum)

The first place which yesterdays agent recommended was a letdown (should have twigged when we were the only ones who came to see it) it was up the top of a dingy stairwell and when we walked in we got to play my most favorite rental property game - 'Name that Smell!' (for those playing along at home the correct answer was 'turpentine')

After this we went through my list of eight properties and did a few drive bys rating them on location, price and ratio of blond brick to rusted out cars. Four were immediately struck off the list - worst house on the nice street, directly adjacent to a major freeway, too far away and just no... this left three.

Went to no #2 - looked promising fabulous location, nice block, good price. Waited around for agent, and waited, and waited. Other lovely couple who had just moved down from Sydney finally called agent who assured us she would be there in two minutes. Showed up ten minutes late for a fifteen minute showing, knew next to nothing about the property and, when we asked for an application form she had just run out. Clearly karma was telling us this was not the place so off we went.

After some lunch, off to no # 3 which was in another excellent location right near the beach... very excited, but alas it had my least favorite rental property space saver - ye olde kitchen in the corner of the living room (not to mention right beside the front door - very handy if the door to door sales people arrive just as you are peeling the spuds for dinner, and you'll have something to throw)

The lovely agent who was showing the property took my name down, and some details about what I was looking for and where and how much just incase he came across the perfect property and had the urge to ring and tell me all about it - which I wouldn't mind at all.

So three strikes and I was out - especially after a very trying conversation with the selling agent who actually believed that Jade could be bullied into doing something she doesn't want to do. He knows better know after I pulled out my bitch face (hey, I told him not to make me do it!) and now if he wants to take pictures of my house on Tuesday he's going to send a car to collect me from work and bring me to my house where I am going to let the photographer in and supervise while they move my furniture and boxed items around for the photos and then they're going to chauffeur me back to work and if they're moved to buy me a frappucino along the way for being a pinnacle of fabulousness then I'm not going to say no...

[Kekka]

Sorry...this made me .

I feel for you JadeAngel. Hope the ideal place comes up.

[lucyloo]

Oh god, it sounds exhausting.....anymore properties that you might look at for tomorrow?

[Alexa]

You should do a blog Jade, you have great writing skills and are very witty.

Hope something soon comes along as far as houses though go, must be tough and depressing looking.

[Heather]

Keep this up Jade and the Agents will fall over themselves finding you the perfect place....if only to get rid of you.

[JadeAngel]

Keep this up Jade and the Agents will fall over themselves finding you the perfect place....if only to get rid of you.

As it turns out you are correct... I got a call this morning when I was just out of the shower, twas an agent wanting to discuss my ideal property while I stood there shivering in my towel. Could I at least get dressed before I make any more life decisions? They were asking me to put in an application for the dingy place I looked at first on Saturday, but I told them I wasn't planning to move until the end of the month and it was vacant now.

Then there was back and forth with the selling agent who will be sending a peon in a Volvo to collect me tomorrow for the photography session - I spent the rest of the weekend boxing up stuff so that the space would be relatively clear for the photo's - of course now it's all stacked in my living room, but I'm sure they'll figure it out.

I'll be glad when I find the perfect place quite frankly - so I can kick out all the agents!!

[ezmay]

I hate it when they want to have viewings and the like during my work hours.
We once had an agent show up with 4 couples for a viewing we didnt know about. The place was a mess (a week before we were to move) and I was not remotely prepares to have anyone in my house let alone strangers.
I told him no when I answered the door and he tried to argue that since everyone was already here could they have a look. I told him to try taking one step in the door and I will either call the policy or set the red heeler on him. He left.

I like the idea of being picked up from work and bought coffee. Did they go for it or did they decide to reschedual?

I agree with Heather - the more annoying you are the morelikely they are to help you out just to get rid of you.

[JadeAngel]

They are picking me up tomorrow - the coffee may be optional

In terms of the viewings they don't start for another week and he's not even trying for a mid-week viewing, he just wants Saturday and Sunday and I've told him firmly not before 12pm and no private viewings. I hope to be moved out by the end of August so that they can have the house free to do multiple viewings up until the auction in the first week of September, but we'll see how that goes, because I've also put in an offer to the landlord to stay through sale and settlement if he'll halve my rent.

In which case I've packed boxes for nothing, but I figure I can put them into storage so they're out of the way, which will make the house much easier to clean for inspections and then move them over when I get a new place.

I might have set the cat amongst the pigeons though, the selling agent called my rental agent and asked to borrow the keys to have 'photo's taken', and she contacted me for approval. I just emailed her and said that they were taking the photos on Tuesday and wanted the keys on Wednesday so they could copy them. She's not happy.

[ezmay]

The selling agent sound sneaky. Lucky your rental agent has her head screwed on.