Things are happening, and happening fast. Tonight we went to see our contact at Citibank to hand over copies of our paperwork (which Ilze has been collecting, a detail I didn’t blog because I contributed nothing to the effort). The interest rates at Citibank are very high, around 5% (compared to 3% elsewhere), but they have no problem with lending us the transfer costs as well. These will amount to around €10,000, so it’s not a minor detail.

Ilze went to see someone at Immotheker, a mortgage broker, and apart from being clueless they also didn’t appear very eager for our business. If the baker can pretend to be excited when I buy six rolls, why can’t these bastards fake affection if I’m going to hand over my earnings for the next thirty years?

So, it looks like we’ll be going with Citibank.

Categories: Finances
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Today we went to see the mill. It’s a very impressive structure, 14 m high, with a small earthen hill around the base giving the impression that there lives a very fine hobbit indeed. Our friend David from Cologne came along to give a second opinion. He likes it as well.

There’s a barn on the property, a very ugly one. The ugliest part (grey cinder blocks visible on the photographs in my previous post) dates from the 1940s, while the red brick part was built in the 1950s. I would to see these torn down, as I don’t think they would ever contribute to the aesthetics of the mill. In fact, they partly obscure the view of the mill, which should be the first (impressive) thing you see as you enter the property.

Unfortunately, while there is an allowance for converting the barn into a house, no such allowance exists for the windmill. This is Belgium, paperwork takes for ever, and nothing is ever a given. According to the seller, Jan, the Flemish Parliament are close to a positive decision on allowing the rezoning of the mill from agricultural use to rural use. Once this is done, there will be nothing stopping us from applying for permission to convert the mill into a house.

Paperwork, paperwork and ever more paperwork.

Categories: General
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So today I get e-mail from Ilze with “Anton’s Mill” in the subject line. It’s a link to the Immoweb website, with a windmill for sale:

Molencomplex met een oppervlakte van 15 are 63. Gelegen op 7 km van Leuven stad.
Mill complex with an area of 1,563 m². Located 7 km from Leuven city centre.

Mmmm…

We had been discussing buying property for years. We had also agreed that we would like to buy something special, perhaps an old farmhouse or (my idea) an old factory. A windmill would most certainly qualify as something special.

The location was ideal as well. We currently live in Kessel-Lo, a suburb of Leuven. Neither Ilze nor I relished the idea of moving away from this general area, including the towns of Linden and Hoog-Linden. The windmill was located in Lubbeek, less than 5 km from where we live, and right where we would want to buy property.

So, nothing to do but indulge Ilze and go and have a look.


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Categories: General
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