we’ve been going back and forward between looking for a place to rent and place to buy.
if we could find the right house in the right neighborhood at the right price that would be ideal, but a home search here in wellington is much harder than any place i’ve bought previously. there are dramatic differences from one street to the next. sun & wind exposure, age & condition of house, amount (if any) of insulation and heating (most houses have neither), type of street (some are narrow twisty routes up mountainsides), local amenities, distance to the cbd, dog friendliness, etc.
we had looked at probably 20 houses or so over the span of a month but it became clear that we wouldn’t have time to feel confident about any decision, and it was logistically challenging with the jboss in the states and me here, so we switched to focusing on finding a rental.
the initial week of the rental search was very depressing with few places that would consider dogs, and few of those that would were places that i would want to live it. the small number that passed those 2 tests were all very pricey and were gone almost immediately. there was a bit of stress since we needed to have something lined up by the time that gromit returned from his holiday in quarantine in mid november. i had seen a few places that weren’t horrible, but i was really hoping that that wouldn’t be the benchmark.
jackie passed along a new posting of a nice looking place in island bay, but it said no pets. so i wrote my nicest possible email explaining that we had a well behaved dog, and that we would put down additional bond (deposit) & have the house professionally cleaned when we left if they would consider waving their no pets criteria. i wasn’t optimistic that i would get a yes so i went off to look at other potential places.
fortunately they called me and said we wouldn’t have to give gromit away, so i rushed over to confirm the place measured up to the listing. it was actually better than the listing so i told them that i was very interested but would like to confirm with my partner back in the states. the owner was very generous and said that she would consider us first in line and allow me get back to her the next day. fortunately i was able to connect with the jboss soon after and was able to call back the owner and said we would like to take it. another bonus here was that the owner then said the place was ours pending a deposit, a lease and employment verification. most rentals here just accept applications and then pick the best from the stack.
after an exchange of paperwork (and money – once again all electronic, no dirty cheques here) we had a place to live as of october 27th.
small bonus. the owner sent me an email asking if it was ok if they left the fridge and washing machine. nice to avoid that expense for a while.
gardens (yards) are surprisingly uncommon. many of the island bay sections (lots) have been subdivided surrendering all their green space. gromit’s bedroom (with a guest bed for slumber parties with his new friends from the neighborhood). great views.
southerly view of the ocean (island bay) out the bedroom window.
25 Tiber Street, Island Bay
3 bedroom house with 2 bathrooms.
Simply stunning family home.
Be welcomed into the famous Island Bay community!
Luxurious yet practical and comfortable. Super sunny, light and warm. All day sun with french doors opening front and back, and gas central heating to warm you cheaply through the winter.
Stunning polished floors downstairs, stylish new carpet upstairs. Kitchen with modern European appliances and stunning concrete bench. Open plan kitchen/dining/living, with additional separate lounge.
Two double bedrooms, one single bedroom and office/kids’ playroom. All with internet/phone connection points etc, sunny, seaviews and open outlook. Also floor to ceiling wardrobes/shelving.
Upstairs bathroom has luxurious family sized bath/shower.
Flat, sunny and sheltered backyard with swing set, sand pit and herb garden. Entertainment deck, amazing indoor-outdoor flow and wonderful entertainment options indoors and out.
Fully fenced and child friendly, located in a quiet cul de sac 200m from two good schools and 400m from kindy.
Enormous storage options throughout house.
today we shared all this with one family + dog and a classic group of pensioners having a picnic out of the trunk of their car.
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