The Search Continues

Today I again spent as much time as possible looking at potential properties and calling for viewings.  I did this in a sincere effort to make up for yesterday, what I felt was an unproductive day.  The good news is that I was able to make a lot of calls and emails, but I only actually saw one property.

The reason for only seeing one has become clear to me and is something of a mathematical progression.  Take all the properties in livable neighborhoods within commuting distance x .5 x apply the fact that it must be under a certain price range and have at least 3 bedrooms x .5 x preferably furnished x .9 x and that the letting agent actually takes my call and sets up an appointment for me to see the place x .01 x within a distance I can walk, bus, or take a train to x .02 = about 1 per day.  Please note the scaling factors are approximate, but you get the picture.

Today's viewing was in Blackrock, a neighborhood recommended to us and one I was particularly interested in.  I took the Dart from Sandymount to Blackrock and snapped this beauty:

My camera isn't the greatest, and really doesn't do the scene justice.  I really love the ocean, even if it's nearly black and 31 degrees.  You still get to enjoy the sea breeze, salty air, the call of seagulls; it was actually quite therapeutic and encouraging.

After a brief hike toward the house I was supposed to see, I realized I was never going to make it on time.  Luckily, the owner of the property came over and picked me up, for which I was very grateful.

The property itself was suitable, it had 4 bedrooms and was overall pretty small.  It did have a lot of built-in storage and shelves which would really come in handy.

One issue for a family with 2 girls and 3 boys, a 4 bedroom house actually complicates things.  The reason is because when there's only 3 bedrooms, there's no argument over sharing:  Boys get one, the girls get the other.  But just add one more bedroom and unleash contention.  It's because Cookie will likely want her own room--fair enough, she's the oldest, but that leaves Sariah with her own room, too. That means 3 boys are still stuck sharing a room together regardless of the extra room.  I can already see the riots and demonstrations.  Five bedrooms may alleviate this problem a little, but now were talking a virtual impossibility to find or afford in the Dublin area.  Maybe just a large 3-bedroom is the way to go.

With the viewing over, I headed back to hotel.  Spent another few hours scouring listings and making calls, emails. At about 4PM I realized I wasn't going to get any viewings this day, so I wrapped it up and hit the streets.

The weather today was much more agreeable than it was yesterday.  It wasn't raining and storming, and while cold it was quite acceptable with my now 3 layers warm fuzziness I wear.  My objective was to find some sort of grocery store and pick up some food/snacks to last me the weekend so I could avoid having to buy anything on Sunday.  I picked a Tesco pretty far away in a part of town I've never been to.  The route took me along the Grand Canal.  The GC is actually not that big, but it's interesting because it has a series of locks and was used for a long time as a shipping and transportation channel.  Today touristy dinner ships are all that navigate it. It's also quite lovely:

  I managed to pick up some "dinner" and headed back here to the hotel room.

Hey, I'm a man with no female guidance that would usually dictate normal eating.  Hopefully we can get the family out here before my heart clogs.

Still a little deflated about not making more progress finding a new home, but I am feeling better.  Liz offered a lot of encouragement on the phone.  Tomorrow being Sunday I am taking it "off" and going to visit what is likely to be my new ward.  After that, Colm from work is going to drive me around and reconnoiter the Clontarf neighborhood, hopefully find some potential houses there.

Then Monday, the game continues  . . .