Our last visit to Portugal...

This Sunday we will have our last visit before we move full time. We're being brave and going to stay at our house despite the weather being pretty miserable and the house will be cold to the brick. However we do have two electric heaters and a fireplace in the kitchen. We're going to buy a good quilt and new bedding on our way down, oh and a couple of sun loungers for evening use.

We've been getting some prices for removal firms and it has now become apparent that my car will have to be sold to keep the costs down, hey ho I love that car so much but it's time to be growed up and realistic, their will be other roadsters at a later date.

We're both looking forward to getting back over, to actually staying in the house and plotting and planning and planning and plotting and getting more and more excited! Yes there were a lot of ands in that last sentence ~grins~, I have that child like and, and, and feeling like a six year old who is asked what they would like for Christmas. I can't use the words 'our house' enough.

Many practicalities lie ahead but I can enjoy the bits inbetween can't I?

So what's happening...

I guess we're in limbo right now, plotting and planning things we want to do with the house, that new kitchen I have never had and like wise new (indoor) bathroom, more of a very stylish wet room really and the out door bathroom, shower with a slightly sunken pool/bath built in a garden setting, possibly Moorish in style. Ideas galore for the landscaping of the 'field',the yurts and facilities, ideas for outdoor kitchens, planting fruit trees. Deciding what goes where, which bedroom to have.
I have (I think) decided on which kitchen I would like, we have decided that after a month of settling in (could be less) that we will repaint the house exterior, I'm toying with the idea of painting the shutters blue, then a repainting of the interior. We have to find a way into the roof space to see if it is insulated, where the wiring is (I need lots of sockets in the new kitchen). What solar power too, we know we want a water system but how much energy will we get off solar panels? Is it worth the outlay? What is the outlay? Can we get a grant? The front edge of the veranda will be a herb garden, the fence will be planted with climbing flowers, vines and vegetables. The veranda it's self will be adorned with wind chimes and hanging fish and guarded by Gabriel.
Veranda

Fish

Gabriel

As you can see I have ideas for making things attractive thank goodness Phil has more of a leaning toward the practical details ~grins~.
So much to do before we can go, lots of things to arrange, a van for moving the household stuff that Hazel is having, a carrier to take our stuff to Portugal and possibly my car too (does it stay or does it go), an exit strategy for the house, cleaning, carpets cleaned etc, sorting through clothes do I need or do I get rid of... I'm sure I'll get brain ache at some point!

It's official...

I'm bad at blogging! And I now, officially own a house in Portugal!

I promise to try and be better! So November 12th arrived and we drove down to Odemira from Alvor, admittedly slightly hungover due to late flight and being a bit hyped. We arrived at the allotted cafe and true to his word (which we never doubted), Tom met us at 11 pm, we sat and drank coffee and caught up, trying to be very Portuguese and not rush things. Then it was off to the local council offices to pay stamp duty (around €900) and transmission tax (around €800). Next stop was the notaries office where we had not one, not two, not three but four Remax representatives. Tom because we were his clients and our translator, Valdemar who was the representative for the property, a woman who was in charge of finance (because we arranged for Remax to draw up the cheque) and the owner of the franchise to oversee! Less than an hour later I was presented with the key to the house in a box with a key ring and the deeds to the house. More money changed hands and I had payed the notaries fees (around €360). We then all shook hands and exchanged chaste cheek kisses. Off we all went to Monte de Estrada where the old owners introduced us to our lovely neighbours, Luis (pronounced Looish) and Sylvia (pronounced Sylvia). We were shown the button for the water pump, the key box of many keys (goodness knows what they are all for). After much more cheek kissing we were finally alone in our house, with all kitchen crockery and cutlery, white goods and a made up bed, whoop it was ours.We also met our neighbours cat, very vocal, very friendly.

'She' came to call with each visit we payed to the house. We bought some bits and pieces to make the house feel more ours, a couple of rugs, a couple of heaters and a tea maker (we couldn't find a kettle). We met up with Tom again to sort out the changing over of bills into my name, the woman at the electric company was on strike, the water board could not change the name over until January, pure bureaucracy, the bills were paid to the end of the year and no system is set up place to do anything in advance! We did however get 3 years council tax free, as is our right. On the Thursday I opened a bank account. The first bank tied themselves into a loop. They insisted that I be able to prove I was either employed or retired, proof of house ownership, proof of fiscal identity seemed irrelevant, we gave up and went to another bank. BPI gave me an account (though they wanted to know my mother and father's name despite me being 50), they also didn't ask for a deposit! Figure that. We managed to change the electric contract into my name despite our lack of Portuguese and the electrical woman speaking no English, waving of bits of paper and gestures accommodated us well. Nicola and Phillipe not only celebrated our purchase on the Monday night but came over to see the house on the Wednesday which was lovely, to share the house with friends was lovely. On Thursday a foal was born next to our land which was quite profound, to us anyway, a new life born where we will be starting a new life!

And to top all that we saw some cracking sunsets over the Mira at Milfontes!

Tomorrow..

Tomorrow... Tomorrow evening we fly out to Portugal, staying over night in Alvor befor driving down to Odemira to pay taxes and hand over the cheque for the house. We also get to meet the vendors who want to go to the house with us and introduce us to the neighbours. Later in the week our lovely real estate guy will help us set up our electric and water accounts and ask for a 3 year dispensation on 'council tax' Excited... Much!

Small anxieties and perfection.

I guess we counted on things being done a little faster than we should have, so when I announced that the eight days, for neighbours to respond, was up the letter had only just been sent. The eight days is now well and truly up, just a week and a bit until we exchange. We've just watched an episode of Grand Designs and a woman said something along the lines of 'It's better to have a small piece of preciousness than a large piece of mediocrity", out house is that small piece of preciousness, it is so special to us, and it will be ours. As we do not have Portuguese bank account yet I am transferring the money to our Real Estate agents tomorrow, I want to give it 12 days for the money to clear and the cheque to be drawn, I have small anxieties over little things that could go wrong. I want this so much, we've waited for so long (or so it feels), that I can't risk anything that might lose us this dream.

Exit left.

So we haven't paid in full for the house yet, but we will in less than a month, hear that less than a month, ooh feels excited all over again. The exit strategy is being planned, no more travel after the trip to sign so Phil can get his affairs in order, we have started planning how we will clear the house here in the UK and find a local hotel to stay at so we are close by, make sure it's totally clean and the carpets are tarted up professionally before handing the keys back. We are looking at road routes and will look into van hire after Christmas. Reality is striking and by golly it's exciting!

Eight days have passed.

The eight days have passed and no emails so we conclude the house is ours, can I just say "HURRAH" and happy just doesn't cover it! I wish I could find the words to explain how happy and excited we are, peel me off the ceiling. We are going to move to Portugal, we do have a house! Just emailed our real estate guy for confirmation... Wound up so tightly on this and need confirmation! In other news, I am helping someone else realise their dream too!