Househunting (part 1)

We've been looking for a house for well over three years now. Not that there is a lack of houses on offer on the market.
We're just so particular.
We've visited many over the last couple of years, having been very disappointed when physically viewing the piece of real estate. Everything looks so much better on photo.
Or we're just too slow and the property is snatched up immediately right under our very noses.

The househunting starts on the internet. Here are some criteria we use:
1) we want a detached house.
2) no near next door neighbours (they should at least be ten or so metres away from the communal property border.
3) out in the countryside or sparcely populated suburbia, not in mid city.
4) no rediculous pricing
5) I google the address to see what's near and what isn't (again neighbours! Because hell is other people).
6) No football or sports pitches nearby (light pollution)
7) No schools in the area (noise pollution). Descriptions like 'child friendly area' are definitely out!
8) Mouser has to roam around. So busy roads nearby are out.
9) Not too far from (or in a twenty mile radius) where we are now. We kindof like it here
10) Not in the landing approach corridor of the airport.

This evening we're looking at a very lovely bungalo. We're getting on a bit and Dr Livingstone's knees and my back are wasted, so having no stairs in the house would be a very big plus for future years, as we're not bound to physically improve over the years.
It has a nice space of green around it (the house stands on 19 acres), but not too much trouble for gardening purposes. Half of it is a field to stable a horse.
The house has a five year old new roof and heating. It has a ton of advantages over the house we've been renting the past six years. All rooms are bigger, it has double glazing, no fungus growing in the hall and upstairs, no stupid hedges to box us in like a green leafed prison.

Only drawback for Dr Livingstone is across the street: It is a wooded area, but they'll probably build houses there in the following years. And Dr Livingstone is worried about the pond the neighbours have. It will be infested with midges.
I'm not too worried about those, they only sting Dr Livingstone. I'm more worried if it is infested with Lithobates catesbeianus or bullfrog, an invasive species of toad that is very noisy and very dangerous to our native toads. The import has been banned in the EU (they used to be a very popular pond adornment). But those suckers can keep you awake at night, and I'm not known as a sound sleeper.

But, nevertheless, I'm all exited, of course. We just need to raise a couple of funds to pay for the lot if we decide to buy.
I played the lottery and the Euromillions last Friday the thirteenth.
Dr Livingstone didn't want to fill in the numbers, so I used different random number generators.
How ironic three numbers that were drawn were the birthdays of his three teens. 13, 27 and 29.
So we didn't get those either. I only managed to get two number correct. But you need at least three to win 2,5€.
I didn't even break-even with the purchase.
Doesn't look very promising.

Maybe I should offer students at the university to write dissertations for them, just to generate some extra income...
I hear Jean-Pierre Van Rossem has been doing it for years up in Ghent.