Real Estate in the UK

We’ve been searching around for another flat. 

There are many perks with the one we’ve had in Islington since Oct. 1, but the rent is going up £500 ($650) when our lease expires May 15. That actually is not a bad a price for what we have, but we’ve thought all along that we would move for a less of a big city feel than Central London. 

We don’t want too far out because there’s still much we want to do here, and our friends are here. But a small village would give us another UK lifestyle to try out.

On the Richmond Bridge, open since 1777.

So let me explain a little about the real estate market here. We’re getting familiar with rentals. The market here is every bit as hot as in the U.S. He who hesitates, is lost. I have two websites I use to find rentals: Zoopla and Right Move. To see it, you email the estate agent handling it.

You meet the estate agent at the property.  This means I have to figure out how to get there, the time it will take -- including the public transportation and me walking in areas I’ve never been to before. Recently, I went to Chiswick, about 30-40 minutes from our flat. Once I got off the tube, I called Matt so he could give me the walking directions from the tube to the flat. I got there but ended up waiting for the estate agent. Oops, I was at the wrong flat! The agent was about a mile away at a different flat (both were her listings). I gave up and started home. 

Taking the tube back was difficult as the line I came out on was now closed for some reason. I had to punt and figure out another way to get home. I made a few mistakes, got lost, my phone died and I didn’t get home until 7. Lucky me, Matt had Manhattans at the ready when I walked through the door. He comes with me to see possible flats when his school workload allows. 

It snowed March 31 during my
second visit to Chiswick.         

Flats are very small in London. We looked at a 550-square-foot flat in Richmond Upon Thames (still in Greater London and where the TV show "Ted Lasso" is set). We loved the location right on the Thames River with a view. They called it a 2 bedroom but the second bedroom didn't really have room for a bed. It’s three stories above a fish and chip shop. We couldn’t decide if that was a plus or a minus. But the location enamored us so we made an offer.  Yes, you make offers on rentals. In this market some people are willing to pay above the price listed or make other concessions. We made an offer but rescinded it after consideration. 

We made an offer on another property in Richmond Upon Thames but didn’t get it. Wanting furnished and having a dog -- albeit a show dog like no other --narrows the search substantially.

We did make a selection. I'll tell you about it next time.