flat refurbishment – part 8

So now that the flat is finished, what more could there possibly be to add to this journey? Well the answer to that rather unusually is to sell it! When I bought the flat my partner was amazing for letting me stay with her for nearly 3 months whilst I got to the point where the flat was liveable. During that time it became quite obvious that the both of us enjoyed living together which made it difficult when I moved back to the flat. I continued to spend most of my time at her house, and then in march the first lockdown came. We made the decision for me to stay with her again as we did not want to be apart for the duration of the lockdown and this further cemented our desire to live together.

So in August 2020 I decided to sell the flat and put it on the market. I discussed it with the boy just to make sure that it was a decision he was comfortable with too which thankfully he was. My partners place had a bedroom that would be his and like me he felt quite at home there.

Every inch of space made to measure!

I thought about keeping and renting the flat but I didn’t want the hassle of being a landlord and I wouldn’t have been able to change my mortgage to a buy-to-let which legally I would have to had done. It did cross my mind that selling the flat during a pandemic might not be the wisest decision but I couldn’t have been more wrong. I enlisted the help of Belvoir Estate Agents in Hitchin who were brilliant throughout the whole process. At the time the Government had just introduced a relief on stamp duty which I think was a big help in selling, along with the obvious fact that the whole place had just been completely refurbed!

The photos on this post are the ones Belvoir took and used to promote and sell the flat on their website. Within days of the flat going online I had a viewing and shortly after that an offer was made and a sale price was agreed. So by the end of October the flat was sold and with quite a nice profit considering the amount of work it took to make the flat look as good as it did. I had heard quite a lot of horror stories relating to people selling property but this went through relatively smoothly which I have to say I am very thankful for.

I now have this bed at my new home, so comfy!

Looking back on the journey I have had with the flat it does feel like a proper accomplishment. To see the transformation through looking at the photos on these blogs it doesn’t seem possible that I managed to do all that I did. As good as it looked in the end I think the reason it was quite easy for me to let go of it is because I didn’t really get emotionally attached to it. The time I spent living with my partner showed me a different direction that my life wanted to go in. A direction that made me happy and at the same time kept the flat as an isolated project outside of that. I’m sure if I had lived there I would have been quite happy, but I know with no uncertainty that I am a lot happier with where I am now.

Which just leaves me to say that if you ever find you self in a position to do a project like this then do it. I was full of uncertainty and self doubt at the start, there were ups and downs, joys and heartbreaks throughout and knowing what I know now there are some things I would have done differently. Ultimately it’s a journey I feel privileged to have had. One I have learnt a lot from and that will benefit me further on in my life and it’s been an experience that I will never forget!

Looking back on my finished blog I think it will serve as a great reminder for my future self. If ever I find myself in a situation feeling like I can’t do something, all I will have to do is just look at this and I will know!

A small flat feeling very spacious.

I will miss the rain shower. 🙁