We Finally Made It

After 2 years and 2 months, we finally got our permit to purchase, so we were able to complete and pay for our apartment. I have to say it felt quite stressful as an experience as the Canton went through several regulation changes whilst we waited. With the last and biggest change, we wondered if we would ever complete.

We had a 3 year cancellation clause in our contract, and we spent plenty of time discussing, just how long we would be prepared to wait. With nothing to lose, we emailed the Canton administration directly and were quite surprised to receive a response advising of the issue of our permit the next week.

So, now we have a large bunch of keys, some dodgy worn out furniture to replace and some bills from the Commune, which was when the realisation finally hit, hey we seem to be the er...owners.

An end of season ski trip gave us chance to decide which furniture to throw out immediately, though I was whacked on the head by a shelving unit which we were dismantling. I had an lump on my head for a week. Undeterred, I headed down to the valley and set my credit card on fire in the department store, buying electrical goods and replacing some of the kitchenwares. Also I've organised internet connection starting in the winter season, so I won't be spending too much more time and money in the Tourist Office in their web corner.

Of course, once the lifts closed, the weather turned really snowy, which was a bit galling, still, it gave me time to sew together the main mattress zip on our click-clack in the lounge. Note to IKEA, plastic zips joining separate mattresses, just don't last. The mattress is fine, the base is great, just ditch the plastic zips.

So, after meeting with a tiler, a carpenter, the Tourist Office (give us money) and a couple of local agencies, we've agreed some alterations. This will leave us penniless for the rest of the year, and some.

As it's a Swiss warm bed, we've also experienced our first cancellation for next winter. This is quite annoying as we re-arranged our stay to accommodate the folks who have now cancelled. I'm just hoping that this is an unusual occurence, we shall wait and see. The learning curve continues to climb steeper and steeper.