One of the first things we did
was go on location and take a selfie. We wanted to mark the occasion, even if
there was still nothing but untamed soil and rubble wall.
We engaged an interior designer
and began working on the designs. Watching everything visualise on paper was
probably one of the most thrilling experiences of the whole ordeal. Obviously,
there was no intention to actually start ordering anything or to pay any
deposits to suppliers. We couldn’t get too far ahead of ourselves.
In fact, before signing the
promise of sale, we still had some reservations. The Developer was his typical
confident self when it came to timing – the house should be ready in shell form
by end of June 2022. On the other hand, since we had to relocate to Gozo by that same summer, we knew that we’d have to temporarily rent
somewhere until the property became habitual. So we made sure to put in a
condition that if the contract was not signed by the deadline of the original
promise of sale (and the contract could only be signed when the house was
completed in shell form), there would be a form of monthly compensation until
the signing.
In return, The Developer wanted
some additional upfront payments over and above the standard 10% deposit prior
to the signing of the contract. “No rush”, he said, “it can be in a few weeks’
time from now, don’t worry”. Fine for us, once we see some progress we’ll be
happy to make an additional remittance.
We also agreed, somehow, for the
10% deposit to be made out to The Developer himself, not to the notary. To be honest, I
don’t remember the reasoning behind it. He assured us he would not be touching
it until contract day, and so we signed the cheque in his favour.
The terms were laid out for both
parties. He starts building, we pay him something. If not done by June 2022, we
touch base for next steps.
And so the waiting began.
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