I just couldn't resist it ...

I know I know, they say you should never buy on a whim... but yesterday I did just that!  You know I do admit to being a carrier of 'domesticus bitius' (the house buying bug) and it finally got the better of me. I put in a cheeky offer for a house that needs some significant work, having viewed it only once, and despite all my logical reasoning telling me 'watch out, be careful - WHAT ARE YOU DOING'? I still went ahead and did it. Whether it was the fact that having trawled round various estate agents windows, I hadn't seen another property on a par with this particular one, or whether it was the look of 'I dare you' in the estate agents eyes when I crossed the threshold, or whether it was sheer madness, I will soon know I suppose.

I had been mulling over the details for days and it looked like a great prospect - three large upstairs bedrooms with built-in wardrobes, an upstairs shower room recently refurbished, two large reception rooms downstairs and a good sized kitchen. A downstairs loo that can easily be transformed into a shower room - and the pièce de resistance - a large attached brick built workshop with huge potential.

The competitive edge in me was spurred on by the fact that another bidder was lurking in the background. He had placed an offer a few days earlier, only to be rejected as the offer was too low. So I knew I had to make a fair offer, but I also wanted a bargain (how else could I explain this moment of madness to my DH)?

A phonecall was placed to the vendor and the waiting began - with nearly the same tension as that moment before the last advert break on Location, Location, Location - (will they, won't they?)  and within 10 minutes we had our answer. The man from Del Monte says YES!!! I swaggered out of the Estate Agents with a swish only to be compared with the ones created by the voluminously-dressed Kirstie. She of EXPERT house buying status.

Kirstie insists you do it

Oh, and btw the reaction of the DH was utterly wonderful - he is very pleased, very pragmatic and just a teency weency bit proud!