House Hunting

The wireless internet is not working in my hotel. :( So this may be shorter than usual, as I am standing in the lobby using the public computer.

I started house hunting for real today! I spent the morning going over four different property websites and narrowing my list of places I am interested in (the internet didn't go out until this afternoon). At first I had like 40 houses on the list, which seemed overwhelming. But then, I found one that was so beautiful it looked straight out of a fairy tale, and I almost bounced off the chair. This reaction made me realize something... I was adding some houses to the list that were just "okay", whether it was because they seemed big for the price or that they were so close to base. That is not what I want. This is probably my one chance in life to fulfill this dream of living in a beautiful English cottage... why on earth would I settle for just okay???

That being decided, I picked my top 3 and made phone calls about them, as well as a few others which agents had contacted me about. I get to see one of them tomorrow, one Monday, and one Wednesday!!! As these appointments were being made, I was getting more and more excited, and really wishing I had a cell phone so I could call my mom and squeal in her ear. This is seriously what I wanted house hunting to be like... I want to fall in love with my house, as silly as that sounds.

As if I wasn't excited enough, one of the agents asked if I wanted to see a house this afternoon. Luckily, it was the one agency who will pick you up, so I did not have to impose on Jose for another ride (like I am for my appts tomorrow and Monday... hoping I can drive by Wed after the class). The girl from the agency was really cool, the wife of a logistics officer at Mildenhall, so we chatted the whole way to the house and then she showed me around the neighborhood afterwards. I wish my internet worked, because I can't post pics on this computer.

So, my honest impressions of the house: I LOVE the back "garden" (yard is really the more appropriate term here) - it is HUGE and has four gigantic beautiful trees which shade most of it. I also love the neighborhood... it is quiet, very old-style, and centered on a gorgeous church with a tower that you can see from the house. Also, it is within walking distance (less than a mile) from the town center, which is (I'm running out of adjectives here) so quaint and full of shops and restaurants and pubs, and there was even an open-air market going on! Also, it is within a 10-minute drive of Lakenheath. I even got to meet the landlords, an adorable older British couple who were so friendly and welcoming.

Did you sense there was a negative coming? Okay, here it is... the house itself is nice. Yes, nice. I did not fall in love with the house itself. There is nothing wrong with it, and I could even consider it kind of cute... but I didn't jump out of my seat when I saw it. Does this make me a completely irrational person for thinking about this when I love everything else about the property? Maybe it does... but I am going to allow myself to be irrational until I see my favorites over the next week or so, to see if they live up to what they seem to be online.

Hopefully the internet will be back tomorrow and I can post pictures... especially after I visit the fairy tale cottage in the morning! For now, I am tired of standing in the lobby, so I'll sign off here. :)