I drove down to Sussex again last weekend, determined to tackle the last of the jobs that stood in the way of disposing of Mum's old apartment. The place has been empty now since I cleared it of furniture last Summer, and I've been slack in tackling these last few issues. Of course, I wish I'd been able to get things moving with a sale last year, before the credit crisis and subsequent slide in the housing market. It galls me to think that, for the sake of a few cosmetic touches prior to sale, I've watched the value of the place slide by probably £40,000 (possibly more).
Anyway, it's all done now. My biggest concern was the bathroom, which looked tired and unhealthy, with a badly-stained carpet and flaky and swollen MDF cabinetry. Over the course of Sunday and Monday, I sanded and painted the woodwork and cut and fitted a new carpet, whilst clearing the cupboards of the million things that I'd actually left behind the last time I thought I'd "emptied" the place. I worked into the early hours, cleaning every surface as I went (not bad going for someone on 700 calories per day at the moment!) I think the bathroom is acceptable now, and hopefully won't put off any prospective purchasers. Still, those are expensive repairs, when I think about it.
It was one of those "my life is guided" weekends. If I hadn't been at the apartment, I might never have known, but I chose to go on the spur of the moment and ended up witnessing a dramatic event. The Warden/House Manager there, who has been wonderfully supportive over the past 4 years, was arrested for stealing blank cheques to write out for himself. The aggrieved parties had copies of cheques retrieved from their Banks, and I saw them written out in his unmistakeable handwriting for figures in thousands. One Lady, since deceased, had lost £92,000 to him. The place was in uproar. The Police held a meeting in the Lounge to inform us of the progress of their investigation and to exhort us to check our Bank records.
I feared that Mum would have been a victim, given her extreme disfunction with money, which I'd often discussed with the House Manager, but I've since had a look at her records and can't see any suspicious large cheques, thankfully. It still feels quite unreal. I don't think I should upset Mum by telling her about all this and spoiling her fond memories of the man, but at the same time she is the only person I know that I could discuss this with and I'm still reeling with the shock of it all.
The flat is now listed and it's a question of waiting to see if there's any interest out there.
2 comments:
Greg, the bathroom looks great! Congratulations on getting the work around the apartment done. I know it takes a lot of energy (both physically & emotionally) to get your parent's old place ready to sell.
WOW about the house manager!! I love those "my life is guided" moments ~ I love when things feel like they happen for a reason. Good to hear that it looks like your mom wasn't affected by this con artist.
Thanks, Citygirl. I think my delay has, indeed, been more to do with an emotional blockage than any laziness. When Mum was only just out of the place I was reluctant to make such a final step, even though it was quickly apparent that she would not be able to go back. She needed a lot of support and I found it hard to marshall my energies to travel down and finish the job (especially whilst working in a long-hours emotionally-draining job!) So, while I am very aware how much more money I could have raised by selling the apartment a year ago, I'm forgiving myself for my procrastination.
It's funny, but I've not really been able to forgive myself ever before - it's taken the experience of dealing with Mum these past couple of years to allow myself that leeway.
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