My partner Dan and I were living with my Mum and brother at the time and after a discussion one evening we decided to wanted our own space and to start our next chapter together. A quick look online brought up a few flats but non of which were particular appealing. No gardens, no parking, no spare room, in the wrong village etc. It would have been easy to compromise but I had to show the Universe I was serious and take action.

TAKING ACTION

The next morning I rang the estate agents to book some viewings. I held the intention that the Universe has my back and what was meant to be will be. As I’m on the phone to the estate agent giving the details of the property we wanted to view,  I’m keeping an eye on the laptop and another property popped up…  THAT WAS MY HOUSE!

The property was a gorgeous 2 bed cottage, huge garden, parking and was super old and cute. It was within our budget range and ticked all our boxes.

The only downside to it was that it was only up for a 6 month tenancy agreement as it was a teachers house owned by the local private school and they were letting it to the public because it currently wasn’t needed for any teachers. This didn’t put me off though. My intuition told me it was right for us and I was trusting that. I knew I had to trust that in 6 months something would work out for us. A lot can change in 6 months!

Dan and I met the estate agent at the property straight after work and we looked round, we instantly fell in love and asked them what we needed to do to apply for it. We were told that an other couple had viewed it earlier that day and they had already applied.

Well, this ignited my fire even further. By this point it was literally 5.25 pm. The estate agents office shut at 5.30 pm and the guy who showed us round hadn’t brought any forms with him.

TIME WAS SHORT

Dan and I jumped in the car and flew to the office just as they were locking up. We persuaded the staff at the office to open back up and get us a forms we needed, phew! I told them I’d be back here for when they opened in the morning to hand all the details back. It took me all evening to fill the forms in, I’m dyslexic and hate paperwork but I was so excited and kept repeating ‘I can’t wait to live here’ in my head as I was filling out the forms.

The forms were handed in and it was then a waiting game for the school to decided who they wanted as tenants. I knew that house was ours and absolutely nothing was going to stop me! I spent the next day or so imagining living there, visualising packing up my bags and moving in, arranging all the furniture in my head and and believing that my Angels we’re sorting this out for me. I think I rang the estate agents about 3 times, I just couldn’t take the anticipation!

PATIENCE PAYS OFF

Eventually a few days later they rang back and told me it was ours – provided we passed all the checks! We were over the moon! I was still a little nervous as I really hadn’t thought any of it through such as how I would pay the bills or pass a credit check, so I had a moment of doubt but I soon pushed that away and remembered I really am capable of anything if I want it badly enough Mum has taught me that.

That weekend I decided we were going sofa shopping! I hadn’t actually had any confirmation that we had passed the checks and that the house was ours and I had no idea how we were going to pay for the sofa but I believed it was possible and kept telling myself we are rich ;). After a full day of testing out sofas we decided on one but had a few weeks wait for it to be delivered.

A day or two later we got confirmation that we had passed all the checks and we were able to move in once the school had sorted some things out! This was music to our ears, I cannot explain how happy we both were. Dan and I met in the pub after work and celebrated with a glass of Prosecco.

PLANNING OUR MOVE

I spent the next couple of days sorting through my ‘Bottom Drawer’ which by now was actually a cupboard, an ottoman, the bottom of my wardrobe and much more. I started this ‘Bottom drawer’ when I was about 16 and worked for Laura Ashley. I’ve loved interior design for as long as I can remember and I has always dreamed of my own home. Some people plan a wedding from being young, me – I planned my home. Over the years I collected bits and pieces. I had things like tea towels, cookery & cutlery, wallpaper, artworks & bedding. I remember showing Dan everything and him being in total shock with how much I had considering I’d never lived alone before.

We basically had everything we needed apart from a dining room table & chairs. This wasn’t a problem, I set the intention that it would turn up and be ready for us moving in. I kept visualising the house and us sat around the table in the kitchen. I looked all over the internet for a dining set but it was all out of our price range. Then, as I’m scrolling down facebook, I saw an AD for a table. It was just what I had been imagining and I instantly messaged the lady and asked for it. I don’t remember the price but I know i didn’t pay more than £50 for it. I had to recruit my brother to go and collect that evening with me as it wasn’t going to fit in my car, but, we got it home and it was perfect! I just needed the chairs now. Again I remained positive as I knew they were on their way to me. The next day a friend I was talking to at an exercise class told me about someone selling some and I contact her and, sure enough, they were the perfect match to my table and she only wanted £20 for them! An absolute steal.

MOVING DAY

So, the day finally came that we were able to collect the keys! I remember the the mixed feelings.  I felt a little nervous and sad to be leaving home but we were so excited to start our future together and I knew it felt right. We got the keys after work and Dan and I went straight round to check it all our before we moved in the next day. That evening we went home for our Friday Night Chinese and celebrated with the family.

The next morning we got up and ready, had bacon sandwiches and recruited the team aka the family to help us move. I set my intentions in the morning for it all to go smoothly and for us to get everything in with ease. We had my mum and brother, my nana and grandad, my cousin & Dan’s dad helping us. It went so smoothly. I really did have a lot of stuff as I managed to fill a cow trailer, Dan’s van, my brother’s truck, mine, my mum’s and my grandparent’s car and off we all went.

If you’ve ever moved house you’ll know how daunting it feels unpacking at the other end. We this is secretly my favourite part! I asked my Angels to help me find a home for everything and we set to unpacking. My nana was an angel and washing everything in the kitchen as it was all brand new and hadn’t been used before. My mum wiped out all the cupboards put everything away in there with the help of my grandad passing everything to her. My cousin and brother moved all my furniture into place for me and Dan and his dad assembled the beds and bigger items.

Dan nipped off mid afternoon for his stuff from his old apartment. He fitted everything into his van and it took him all of 10 mins to unpack – haha. Dan’s lived on his own for over 10 years and there was me, leaving my mum’s, with all this stuff. It worked perfect and between us we literally had everything we needed. We obviously both had a bed each so we had one for the spare room, Dan had a big TV for the living room and I had all the essentials and homely bits and pieces covered.

We were all unpacked and settled in by tea time! I still look back and think – wow – we achieved so much in less than a day! Everyone went home and there was just Dan, Mum and myself left. Mum went off to get us some fish and chips for dinner & returned with a load of goodies to make breakfast with in the morning. It was a little emotional when she finally left to go home as I’d never really left her like that before and it all felt very final. Dan and I spent the evening watching movies in our new home. It was lush!

6 MONTHS LATER…

Fast forward 6 months to when we were due to be moving out. We were more in love with the house than ever. We had spent a lot of time making our house a home and I was not ready to part with it. In fact I didn’t think I was ever going to be ready to part with it! I told everyone I had a plan – and I did. I received an email form the school after they had been to inspect the property and they told me how happy they were to see it being cared for so well and that it was in exceptional condition. I replied with a letter asking for a meeting with the school bursar to discuss my plans.

MY PLAN

The day came and off Dan & I went to the meeting. We were called into the library room which, in all truth, I felt totally out of place. There’s nothing posh about me and this was incredibly posh! We all sat around a big meeting table and the bursar from the school took out a very professional look pen and journal. We had a friendly chat before I came straight out with my proposal – ‘We absolutely adore living in the cottage and we have become very attached to it and would like to buy it’.

I couldn’t quite believe his reply! He agreed to our proposal of buying the house as they were considering putting it on the market in the next few years anyway and as we had been such good tenants they were happy to do that sooner than planned and would get the house valued.

We came out of the meeting in a daze.  Everything was falling into place.  Even though we knew he had a few mountains to climb in terms of mortgages and we had no savings.

I told Dan we weren’t going to worry about how this would happen as I trusted that what was mean to happen would.  However, I was also determined to make it happen.

Over the next couple of months we both had pay rises, Dan got a cut of the yearly takings from the business he worked at and we were gifted money from from the most unlikely of sources for our deposit.

BUYING OUR HOUSE

We were able to go ahead, but we hit some snags and I am a firm believer if things are not running smoothly they are not meant to be. The house sale got held up by land registry as splitting it up from the school was causing issues and this went on for several months.

In this time we started to explore our options as there seem to be something in our way. I adored the cottage and it all always hold a special space in my heart but I started to think realistically.

We wanted to start a family within the next couple of years and would out grow the cottage fast with children and we would inevitably have had to move anyway a few years down the line. So why not now.

After several other viewings, we found our second dream home.  4 bedrooms, garage, garden, 2 bathrooms, office, huge dining kitchen, off road parking.   It was only a few thousand more than the cottage but had so much more potential for our growing family as I was by then pregnant and we had already got our fur baby Bailey too.

We arranged a viewing and were told that another family had already put an offer in. Again I refused to lose faith and did the same as I did with the cottage.  I believed we would live there.

HAPPY ENDING

8 weeks later we moved in and over the last two years have filled this home which we love now as much as the cottage.

So don’t ever believe things are not possible.  If I can go from a 2 bed rented house to owning a 4 bedroom house – you can manifest whatever you want.

By Coralie Tooke