Today we took the biggest step on the journey towards making our American adventure a permanent undertaking. Bright and early, we got up to meet a realtor (that's estate agent to you, mate!) and start looking at some houses.
Funnily enough, the first one we looked at is just around the corner from where we live now, has been empty and on the market for at least 12 months, and we (kind of) fell in love with it straight away. There are some issues with the inspection that need sorting out, but it's just what we were looking for - still in Tom's school catchment area, in excellent condition, enough room for Linda to have a stamping workshop, and - most importantly - not too big. So many houses around here are just obscenely huge - they call them 'McMansions' - and quite apart from the cost we couldn't afford, we often struggle to wonder how anyone keeps these things clean, and how on earth people can afford enough furniture to prevent them feeling like empty warehouses.
This house was manageable, had some interesting corners and different levels, and enough potential for us to think about remodeling in the future.
In coming weeks we will discover how to buy a house the American way, and probably have lots to say about the differences between here and the U.K.
