My wife has been away in England for the last 8 weeks, helping her father through his final days. After he died she had to stay on to sort out his affairs. So its been a hard time for her. But finally she has returned to us.

Houses need people, its strange how different a house feels when even one member of the family is missing. The atmosphere in the home just didn't feel right while she was away. It's so good to have her back, even more so as she is going to cook a proper English roast beef dinner for us today, so we can celebrate her return in style.

During her time in England she had to sort out the sale of her fathers home, In England the sale of a home is quite different to the way we do things in North America. There is no organized cooperation between agents on listings, no MLS. So "Estate Agents" as they are called tend to have more of a retail store front, with pictures of the listings in their windows. A buyer in the UK has to hunt down their home through the Internet and Newspaper Adverts. Though there are buyers agents they tend to operate only at the very highest end of the market.

The "Estate Agent" normally only advertises the home, usually the showings are done by the home owner, though the agent will show the home if necessary. Once a buyer is interested in a home an offer is usually made through the Agent, this is normally verbal, negotiations may go backwards and forwards through the agent until a price and conditions are all agreed. The agent will normally type up the main points of the offer and pass it onto the buyers and sellers Lawyers.

At this stage the house is considered sold "subject to contract" the buyer would normally organize a house inspection by a qualified Surveyor or Structural Engineer or on some occasions both. The Lawyer would do searches on the property and organize the Deads etc. The Lawyers prepare the Contract, and finally (normally several days or even weeks after the offer has been agreed) the two parties are ready to sign. (At any stage either party could have pulled out of the deal for any reason. It is quite common for a practice know as "Gazumping" to occur this is when a better offer is accepted by the seller during the contract process, and the original buyer loses out). The house is not sold until the contracts are signed by both parties and exchanged by the Lawyers. This is called "Exchange of Contract" the house is now officially sold. The buyer would now Insure the home against fire and damage etc, as whatever happens now, even if the house burns down, the buyer is committed to the sale. The seller may not vacate the house for several days or weeks after the exchange of contract depending on the agreement made.

So the process of buying or selling a home in England & Wales can be a very long drawn out process full of worry and stress. In Scotland the law is different and is far more similar to North America.

Must go now, I've got to peel the veggies.......

It is so appropriate, that as I sit here, losing my blogging virginity on Active Rain, that it should be actively raining outside, thereby preventing me from doing the yard-work that I should have been doing (and actively hate), but allowing me to sit here at the keyboard and actively dribble my thoughts in your direction

A flock a geese just flew over honking the arrival of Autumn, and exciting our dog to distraction, she is now running around the house barking in the desperate hope that I will let her out to "play" with the Geese, I dread to think what might happen if she ever persuaded one to join in her little games. 

I love autumn in Winnipeg, the fierce heat of the summer is over, though the days can still be warm, yesterday was 85f, but you know it won't last long.   The only bad thing about the Fall is the leaves, though I love the changing colours, I just wish they would stay on the darn trees, very soon we will be knee deep in the things, and trying to encourage them into bags to be taken in many loads to the leaf dump in the park.

Winnipeg has some great parks, and not just for dumping leaves,  I prefer this time of year to visit them, the kids are back in school, so the parks are practically empty during the day, my favorite, and the closest, is The Assiniboine Park, it also is the home to a very good Zoo.   The park is between the Tuxedo & Charleswood areas of the City, Tuxedo to the East, Charleswood to the West and the Red River to the North.    This is a very pleasing part of the city to live in, Tuxedo is the up-market area of the City with some fine old mansions in Old Tuxedo, with newer expensive homes in south and central Tuxedo.     Charleswood on the other side of the park is more of a mixed area with both expensive and more modest homes.