You know how it is sometimes...there are those choices that you make with little doubts naggin at the back of your mind...and then there are those that you jus know with your heart & mind that you've got make. Well, this choice was something like that.
We weren't hopin for much when we drove to view this property initially. We hadn't even liked the pictures of the property posted on the real estate website. We were also not too happy with the fact that it was in Blacktown - a suburb that we've avoided even when looking for rental home, thanks to its notorious reputation for crime. Another issue was the fact that it was a townhouse and not a house - meaning we'll incur strata costs, restrictions on pets and probably a smaller yard space. The only reason I even considered this property was the the price tag - $349k. That was about all the good it had going for it.
So there we were, driving to the place quite reluctantly until we noticed that as we got closer to the place, the quality of houses got better (an indication of safer neighbourhood). As we turned into our street, we were greeted by pretty huge beautiful houses with cars parked along the street. We had just entered a section of Blacktown that we didn't know existed. An area with more affluent people. Almost no vandalism and streets safe enough for cars to be parked. We were pleasantly surprised and definitely relieved.
The townhouse was in a complex located slightly uphill at the end of the street. The 12 townhouses in the complex were in good condition regardless of the fact that they were about 8 years old. We met the agent, Mel (a migrant from Hong Kong) who took us into the house.
The house sat well with both of us almost immediately. Small cosy living and dining area that leads to the courtyard. The kitchen was on the right, next to the dining area and was also pretty tiny. A door in the kichen led to the garage. So if I don't have space to store stuff in the kitchen, I may have to resort to putting them in the garage. A mini laundry and toilet were located right at the end of the kitchen.
We liked the courtyard altho the size was a kinda small. A small yard is good for Mohan & I coz it means less mowing but poor Bheemar may not exactly have tat much space to run about with his buddy.
The 2nd level led us to 3 rooms. Master bed room was a good sized room but the other two were a small. There was a separate toilet and a bathroom, both clean and in good condition too. The view from the master bed room and study room was nice since the townhouse was on higher ground.
My only issue was that the whole house was carpeted! Even the staircase! Think of the vacuuming!!!!! With two dogs that'll be happily moutling everday! Just thinking of it makes me exhausted. Currently, we have parquet flooring in our rental place and I vacuum almost everyday. Scary!!! However, the carpets are in gd condition and I have no heart to rip up something that is perfectly fine right now and spend 10k for another flooring.
Oh and one more thing....the carpet is blue. Yes, didn't look so blue in the pics but yup, it is defintely blue.
Over the next few days, we drove around the neighbourhood a couple of times. There is a very nice park between the main road and the back of the townhouse. One of our favourite feature is the tennis court right at the back. It is less than a min walk away. Finally! Been wanting to regularly play tennis for ages.
The neighbourhood is perfect for taking our dogs for a walk. A 5 minutes walk down the hill brings us to a lovely park with a lake. Can spend time watching the swans, ducks, geese & more swimmin or jus sun bathin.
Two problems tho - VANDALISM!!!!! Grrrrr..... So much! On the floor, the seats etc etc. Wish I could just paint over the mess and make it all beautiful again! The other problem was the lake....a bit filthy at one corner. Hope the council cleans it up regularly.
However, the other side of the park, away from the lake, is very beautiful, quiet and green. It was clean too. Perfect for nice long walks!
As for the other amenties, Woolies (supermarket) is a min drive away. Can walk too but must walk uphill on way home - mite a bit too challengin carrying groceries. Two bus stops abt 3 min walk away each. Buses go to Westpoint Blacktown. This shopping centre is huge. The train station and bus interchange are next to it. Very much like Jurong Pt wid all the essentials and more. No cinema tho. I can walk to Westpoint if I want. It should be a 15 to 20 min walk. It's near and yet not too near. The distance is just right.
There is a drive thru cinema close to the townhouse too. Can drive there wid de doggies if dun feel like leaving them at home. Motorways as well as highways close by.
The more time we spent checkin out the house and neighbourhood, the more we began to favour it. We didn't even bargain hard coz we tot the place was worth every penny and agreed on $340k. Mohan's parents & bro's family came to check out the townhouse too. Besides the comment that the kitchen may be too small, it was the general consensus that it was a good buy.
However, we faced some issues with the Strata getting approval to keep dogs in the property. Took forever to settle the stuff. I know people take it easy in OZ but sometimes, it seems like they take it a bit too easy. It seems like if you want something done, you have to chase for it yourself...and you REALLY need to chase. It is definitely getting to both of us.
Well, after so much chasing of so many people for so many different things, we are close to seeing the end of the process. We are still awaiting loan approval as well as letter from Strata stating that we are allowed to keep dogs. The best part about the letter is that it can be done in a day and we've been waiting for it since the 21st of July. A good ten days now. Once these two comes thru, the townhouse will be ours...well mostly it belongs to the bank....but yeah, still ours.
A choice both of us made together without any doubts - just like the car, Bheemar, Balaraam & their names :) I can't wait to get my hands on it!
