We started the day full of hope for our housing situation. After a busy morning involving an intake interview for the inburgering (becoming a citizen/permanent residence) process and a quick visit from my Scottish friend A – we’ve been trying to get together since November but some emergency always postpones it – we were off to see three houses: first, a lovely 2 bedroom apartment close to the centre and train station, with lofts in each room but with a price just at the top limit of affordability, then the only place we’ve gotten so far on the social housing list, in a really, really quiet residential neighbourhood on the outskirts of Utrecht (still only about a 10-15 minute cycle to the centre), and then a visit to the place whose neighbourhood we’d visited the weekend before last.
Of course, just as we were going out the door, the realtor for the last place called and informed us that it had been sold. OK, one down. Then we got to the first place, which I’d really liked, but which Ivo now didn’t – not to mention there were two other bids in, one of which was good, so near asking, making it pretty expensive. Two down. Then to the social housing place – hopeful and willing to consider it, only to find that the elevator only went to the third floor (4th in NA terms), while the apartment was on the fourth (a problem because of the stroller), and the building in general didn’t inspire confidence. Sigh. We passed on it. Back to square one.