That sounds nice

13 August 2016

You’ll just have to believe me when I say the Wellington housing market is a special kind of crazy. I don’t understand it entirely – don’t really want to – but I can tell you that the estimates put out by council and those put out by the agents are all wrong. And not just a little bit wrong. Hundreds of thousands of dollars wrong. We sold our house way back in April for more than we thought possible, but of course, we are buyers in the same market. Kinda takes the shine off it.

For months, we have been looking for something that suits us. And I do mean us, not just me. Over time, we’ve come to realise how valuable accessibility is. The house, of course, but also the neighbourhood. What is the point of being able to get outside if there is nowhere to go? In Wellington, the challenge is multiplied by terrain, unfriendly weather conditions and an occasional lack of engineering forethought for pedestrians and wheelchairs alike. We ruled out whole suburbs based on terrain and inexplicable interruptions in footpaths. We ruled out streets based on traffic and the safety of the furrier members of our little family.

We looked at more houses on the internet than I could bother counting, drove past many that were ruled out without going inside, attended open homes nearly every Sunday week in and week out, participated in one auction, one ‘price by negotiation’, one possible private seller that we made contact with through a letterbox drop and two tender processes. We’ve basically had at least one builder, one lawyer and one occupational therapist on retainer.

At long last, here she is.

Cute, eh? 1950’s built, loads of windows and light, northwest facing. A 500m flat stroll to the Roxy cinema and la Boca Loca, a few metres more to the local library and the supermarket. If we round the corner for a stroll in a different direction, we’re only a flat 500m to Cafe Polo and Lush Puppies. We’re also a flat 400m or so from the Hound Lounge – Friday’s favourite doggy day care spot. Nearby is also the Larder, a low-key but locally famous (award winning) resto, and La Rotisserie du Canard sets up on the roadside where we will pass it nearly every day. There are dog baths, movies and potatoes roasted in duck fat in our future.

For visitors, there is the Weta workshop and the beach at Worser Bay. Plus the airport is less than a 15 minute drive away.

All upsides.

On the downside, it is on a battle-ax block (also called a ‘rear section’ in NZ), so it is surrounded on all four sides by houses. Everywhere you look, house. The section (or block, or allotment, or yard) is small. The house itself is 3BR and 1BA with a smallish separate kitchen and a smallish separate laundry. There will be changes. We’ll be working with the ACC and their contracted architects and builders and occupational therapists to make changes to the garage and the inside. There will be a new ensuite with a wet area shower that I can roll into unaided (yay!), a kitchen design that suits my working height, and hard surfaces throughout for me to roll on with pleasure. We’ll also be working with landscapers to do something with the block so that we aren’t looking out to other houses or even just to fences. There will be double glazing and a good heat source. There will be covered areas so we can get in and out of the car in Wellington’s worst weather conditions.

Ideas and suggestions are welcome (that means you, Karen).

It will be months yet before we can move in, but we are so happy and relieved to have a new house that we can make our own. And as happy as I am for me and us, I am doubly happy for Steve. The man has a need for roots, and the lack of a place to call home has been heavy. It is so good to see the smile on his face and the weight off his shoulders. We are blessed and lucky.