Thursday, 24 January 2008

There's no casual way to say this...

I put in an offer on a flat today.

Thinking about it overnight, it just made sense. The location couldn't be much better in terms of transport and local facilities, and it's only a short trip by train from my current location. The flat is affordable and, while it's only one bedroom, it's a space I can see myself living in.

Now I need to speak to the bank to bash out the mortgage, and arrange a survey. My folks have offered to pay the deposit (5%, but still a heck of a lot of cash) and cover the interim costs, so that I can raid (but, crucially, not empty) my savings and take the minimum mortgage. When I spoke to the bank last year, they were happy to give me five times my salary as a first-time buyer but, with any luck and a fair wind, I'll only need four times.

In other news, my senior designer was back in the office today and - wouldn't you know it - constantly distracted, meaning he didn't get everything tied up before the end of the day. He reckoned he wanted to be in to take his mind off his mother's illness (now confirmed as at least two cancerous growths, possibly three), but so much of the day was spent talking about it that I figure he just wanted to come in to get another fix of sympathy.

I feel sorry for the guy, in that his mother is very ill and, considering the circumstances, she may not survive treatment... but, frankly, he's a parasite.

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