How We Barely Survived Buying This House
Get ready, this one’s dripping in drama!
A study in Japan found that writing down your reaction to a negative incident, crumpling the paper in rage and tossing it away can actually help dispel anger.* So, in the spirit of processing difficult situations - and maybe even reliving a little frustration - allow me to encounter how we nearly lost out on buying our house (and the rather distressed state it was in when we moved in).
The process of buying a house in Scotland is challenging, to say the least. I could write an entire book on the process, but let me give you the short version. You find a house you love, make an offer, and if it’s accepted, the seller’s lawyer sends back a “qualified acceptance.” This basically means, Great, you might own this house… if we can all agree on the details. Then begins the joyless slog known as missives - a legal back-and-forth that, in my experience, drags on for 12 to 14 weeks. And here’s the fun part: until 48-24 hours before your planned move-in date, either party can back out. So, for months, you exist in a state of financial and emotional limbo, never quite sure if you’re getting a house or just a very expensive lesson in disappointment.
The biggest headache - aside from the nail-biting suspense of whether we'd actually get the house - was the sheer amount of work it needed. Case in point: the kitchen. Or rather, the complete lack of one, since the seller was packing up and taking theirs with them.
