A Flat to Let (1 of ?)

Figuring I would take the first week to settle in and have a look around by the time Thursday rolled around I was excited to go find my new abode. Having decided to stick with a metropolis I was looking for a city centre place as I'd be relying on one of the three central train stations to get me to work (and wherever else in Britain). With a relatively clear idea of what I was looking for, a vague understanding of the neighbourhoods, and what I hoped was a healthy budget, I was picked up by my agent for a day of viewings. And what a busy day! She handed me a printout upon which she had arranged 12 timeslots with a few additional places to be slotted in where appropriate. However the package came with a caveat that two of the agencies had called just moments prior to let her know that the flats had already been let. No worries - we'll have time for the extras.

Off we bustled in her Range Rover where we met the first agent and were shown a ground floor apartment obviously lived in by a couple of female students. It wasn't horrid but I didn't get any swelling of excitement either so I was glad when out of earshot of the selling agent my agent confirmed that we could definitely do better. On we carried to the second appointment, however along the way a call came through the car speakers to cancel the noon showing. "Do you have any other similar properties that we could potentially see?" to which the answer was that they'd take a look and let us know but it didn't sound promising. The second place was quite nice - floor to ceiling windows on two walls - but it was a shoebox. Having some free time due to the cancellations we went for a cruise to get the lay of the land although this wasn't so simple as the main roundabout in the city is closed for months of repairs.

In that time a couple more cancellations rolled in off the wires and I began to sense consternation from my agent. We stopped for a coffee (ok, OJ) and then went to meet the next man. Except he didn't show up - we double checked the location and called his agency and waited and waited some more. Fortunately we had the time to spare before the next viewing and this was in a sought-after complex so we did want to give it a chance. Eventually we connected with him and he could not locate the keys but he was still looking. Ok... so we waited some more. Nearly an hour after scheduled date we were ready to give up and move on when he came toddling down the canalside having located the key. Following him over the bridge and around the building he took us back into the exact same entrance as the shoebox we had just seen. Ugh. In the end it was a slightly different layout, with a balcony, but the balcony was only slightly above street level and the furnishings were in disrepair with the apartment itself not far behind. No, thank-you.

Having wasted the hour we were pressed for time and scarfed down a burger, stuffing my pockets with chips to eat on the way (not really) and we were still late for the next viewing. This was a shame as it was the first place I could see myself living in. I had to look past the grime but I could see it. But no time to dwell, we were already late for the next. It was memorable only for the six Turks who joined us and had a powwow on the patio. The final spot was really neat, with a balcony overlooking a churchyard running the full length from bedroom to living room, but it was a one bed and it was pricey. At the end of the day there was nothing I could get excited about and didn't want to settle.. surely I could find something to be happy to come home to for the next two years!