For the past thirteen years, I have lived in fear of selling my house… and, “downsizing.”
As everyone, especially my son, loves to urge. Why? I love my stunning home, am abnormally attached to longest home I have ever had. My three children have been raised here, along with dozens of young lodgers, all with the love affairs, horrible bosses and dreams of home ownership.
Down deep is the fear that a prospective buyer will discover just how many faults this huge Georgian house has. They will then use a survey to drive such a hard bargain that I cannot afford to buy something smaller in my beloved neighbourhood.
What’s held me back until engaging in Neighbourhood Construction are the habit patterns of my father, always moving us around the east coast of America, Mexico, Spain and Portugal.
The Neighbourhood Construction home tutorial showed me that these fears are totally unfounded. Instead of depending on shyster estate agents, dubious surveyors, I can now market my house myself, honestly and with pride, because I know exactly what needs to be done, in the short and the long term.
I can fix the minor damp, caused by human behaviour (what the experts never tell you), can repair the vintage heating system and its quirky electrics. I am getting power, taking control.
In the debrief, the motivational interview. We regrouped – in Alexander Technique we call this habit change and pausing to make a different choice. A few good quick and easy wins.
I am also the landlady of a garden flat, the consultation extended to giving some time with my young couple and myself, demonstrate in practice that there is a whole new possibility for a peace treaty between landlord and tenant, if only both will sit down and see what we share instead of what we choose to complain about: tiny things like filling in all the holes around bathroom and kitchen pipes to the outside wall, with a cheap foam applicator gun, can save us both. Their heating bills are immediately lower without the drafts coming into the kitchen and shower. AND my long-term maintenance is assured because we can avoid cold spots that lead to moisture drop out… damp.
