On your marks, get set, go!

It's been a long time coming - 15 months searching, 5 months waiting once we found something - but just before Easter we finally, finally we have a place. Indeed, a more appropriate title which reflects the long path to buying a property in Belgium might be: on you marks.. wait a sec just got to find ammo for the starting pistol (long wait).... ok got it, let me just load it.. set... wait a minute how does this thing work? OK I see. Set. Let me just do up my shoelaces. You still there? Comfortable? Ok good. Set. Ummmm. Go. I guess...


What did we get? Well, like most capital cities, buying the finished dream home on an affordable budget is out of the question. So either you rein in your dreams or buy something which is unfinished - very unfinished - and hope your dream doesn't become a nightmare. Having done the latter we have four walls, a roof, lots of rooms, the stench of dogs, an overgrown garden and fugly wallpaper. Lots of really fugly wallpaper. Choose your favourite from the ones below...

Ground floor: 60s yellow and brown wallpaper

First floor: eighties pastel with lashings of dog doo doo.

Second floor: seventies red and green.

Yay! finally a room without wallpaper.

Our kitchen and toilet. 5 bed house with a 5m2 kitchen and toilet without a door. WHY?! (this will not be our kitchen...)

Need a bit of fresh air after visiting the first floor.

So the supposedly easy part done, now it's time to do the hard part (gulp!)