The next morning we hopped in the car and drove the mile from our current home to have a look. It was unexpected to say the least, a modern late 90's Cul De Sac and then at the end Pond House.
The estate agent photos couldn't really convey the size of the pond. Coming in at around 122ft x 130ft it was, as our daughter exclaimed, not a pond but "A bloody lake!" It was also full of ducks and Moorhens. It was love at first sight.
We eagerly called the estate agent who was unhelpful to say the least. Eventually, after much badgering, they told us there had been no interest in the property and the owners had decided to let it for 12 months. We were gutted. We asked the estate agent to pass on our details to the owner. They refused so we turned detective.
We returned to the street, quizzed the neighbours and found the owner on Facebook. Steve tentatively sent a message. We imagined we probably came across a bit loopy, "hello, we want to buy your house", but fortunately the owner was quite lovely and recognised our love for the place. She explained she had purchased the house some years ago but then moved away with work. From then on it had been a short term rental for many years and she had sadly just let it again for a year.
12 long months passed. We looked at other houses but would both say "its nice but it's no Pond House". I'm not a patient person so the wait was agonising, and at the end of that 12 months the owner was still unsure whether to sell it or carry on renting. An agreement was made to meet in the local pub for a chat. I'd never been so nervous. Over coffee and cake we agreed to buy a house we'd never actually set foot inside and we were thrilled.
We got the keys in August 2018, 18 months after first spotting it. And then the fun started....
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