Moving to Niagara Falls???? The trials and tribulation of a house search in Niagara Falls www.silvaredigonda.myshopify.com

Oh wow...... a mixture of emotions aside from the threats from Donaldo Trump. I spent about three days searching for a house in Niagara so let me share. This is what I wanted. A garage, a front porch, finished basement apartment and bungalow. Location, location, location - a priority - walk to falls each day. I left the day before I was to meet with my agent. I drove directly to the house I believed had it all, except that it had another floor or half a floor. There was some school nearby which didn't warm me, but it was a good location for finding everything I would need like a hair salon, coffee shops etc.....My motivation a walk to the falls. I thought it checked most of my check list. I parked in the driveway and noticed that the adjacent drive did not lead to my possible backyard but to an entry for another house, beyond my back yard. Talk about being hard to find that home. It had just sold. Good luck on skip the dishes finding you. Not as enthused about the house as I was, I wanted to give it a chance. I was sure everything else would work out and I would love it. The day next the house was my first to explore. What looked like a well formed house, turned to be a house for an elf. The kitchen couldn't hold a normal size fridge and that kitchen would have worked in the basement but not as my main. The upstairs bedrooms were tiny and I don't think my bed would fit inside. The basement - well, tiny, tiny, tiny and there was no way a kitchen would fit and the bedroom - well maybe a double bed if it was inflatable. What a disappointed. But wait, my agent said she didn't think my car would fit inside garage. Ok, next........The next two days was a constant from 10:00 to 3pm checking one house after another with no breaks including lunch. Some houses I just said no before even going inside, usually because of all the high voltage structures which of course were not depicted on MLS. What I do when I search is then do another search to look at the area and there is where you spot what they don't want you to see. All the houses I saw were from 50 -100 years old to 150 years old except one which was 30. That house was cute but it had four levels. The owner was there and she told me that she saw how I walked and the house was not for me, much to the dismay of my agent who never heard an owner say that before. There are always firsts, that is how we learn and grow. As you know I have been having difficulty with my legs which Veteran Affairs is investigating to see if it is related to my 20 years of service. Actually, I thought I was doing pretty well. I have improved which is positive for me. My physiotherapist has told me there is no structural damage and I can really cut down seeing him - all positive. No one is encouraging me to go back to the gym, so I just do my exercises and walk - it's all good. But almost each house that I was at, had no snow or ice removed and my agent was slip sliding away in fromt of me. So me thinks I did pretty good. Back to houses. The houses I saw looked old and tired even though the owners did their best to make it look nice. One had a small dog named Jelly Bean (not the singer of course) which I was hoping to see and Jelly Bean was supposed to be home, but wasn't. Another hopeful house with a lovely backyard had a dead mouse in the basement. "You don't want to see the rest of house?" Guess what I said. "NO". The basements - God almighty. I took a glimpse of one which looked like a cave literally. Actually a cave looks nicer. That was the top of the staircase looking down into nothingness - next. The basements were mostly of what may be seen in a horror movie. One basement had a moat containing a moat of water circling around the entire basement with one side having massive aluminum rings. Pass. My agent was trying to figure out what it was for. Don't care. Pass. I told my agent that my own house was starting to look better all the time. After the second day my agent told me she had no more houses to show me and would I consider a condo or living in Chippawa? Now Chippawa is a place people from Niagara always recommend when I talk to them, mainly because they live there. It's nice and quiet. Well speak about quiet. I don't think my stay could have been quieter. River Road and Clifton was bare of people. Is this Trumps doing? Are Americans afraid to come over the border because Canadians are booing them at the games? I don't agree with that. Americans are our friends and family and Trump does not represent all Americans. Many disapprove especially his attack on us. I'll save him for another day. I don't like what you are doing Trump. Aw Dictatorship is the making - watch and learn how it is done. Anyhow, the house search was not fun. Also, a few had tenants in it and that for me is an automatic pass. I will never be responsible for people being forced out of their homes. I told my agent that I had considered condos but they had to be close to the falls, have a pool and no pet restrictions. I guess they don't have that. They do have a trailor Park, Dave's. I took a drive around and a fellow vet nodded as I drove around. Of course I did the same. Dave's Trailor Park seems like an easy fix. They don't want Niagara residents and is cheap. I could use it something of a cottage. It has a pool and is pet friendly. It is far from the Falls. So I was just about to resign myself that there was no place in Niagara Falls for me, when my agent all excited told me that a house had just come on the market and she was eager to show me. She said it was closer to the Falls than my first hopeful house. At this point I didn't expect much and was trying to please her more than actually thinking I would care for the house. She is a nice person and spent so much time trying to find something. Ok, we drove to the place and yes, location - great. It is about 2 km or less on my meter and about three houses from River Road. Ok, check. It has a porch - check. I can sit and look at River Road gorge. Open door - I am in love. The house is airy and bright and open and it has a bathroom on the main floor for guests and (clients). It has a beautiful kitchen with a lovely walkout to the yard. It has stairs but they take breaks to the second floor where there are three large bedrooms etc......Basement? Nightmare city of course. If it was the first house I saw I would probably have to pass. But, after days of checking out basements what made this one scary is how narrow the stair case is. I decided that I didn't want to go down there ever again as long as I shall live. What did I do? I put in a conditional offer, than we got a counter offer and I said that is it. No more counter offers take it or leave it. So they have until 8pm to respond. I do love the house. It looks like a happy house and not gloomy and dark. So, if the owner who uses it as a B&B wants to play more game it is game over. I will take a break and re-examine what I want. If it is not this house, I probably won't make the move to Niagara. People don't seem to shovel their properties. We shovel our properties in Toronto people. If we don't the city will and send us a bill. I can't believe that the majority of houses seen didn't have their property cleared of snow when they are trying to sell it. Talking about basements - one house had two basements with two different doors leading to them. The agents selling that house couldn't explain why or what the? They hadn't been there in six months? A lot of empty houses which Niagara can tax like they do here and get some money, plus give people a place to live. My evenings were spent relaxing in my room on the 16th floor looking out at the beautiful scenery. When watching television, I would see the yellow elevators of the tower move up and down throughout the night. The Ferris Wheel stops around 11:00. The Niagara Resort is expensive but the falls???? It is worth the experience. Late at night someone from the yellow elevator moving upwards shone a light into my room. I am not the scenery. You think you can lay on a bed fully clothed on the 16th floor? Nope, appears not. Wish me luck. If I don't get this house, it is probably a pass for Niagara. My objective was to be able to take a walk to the Falls, but I can't look at another spooky basement. I have posted a few photos from my room.

basement.