‘It’s good. I like it so far.’
‘I thought you would as soon as it came on. It's about a hundred years old. You said you wanted something with character.’
‘I did, yep.’
‘It’s one of these gorgeous old Lovely buildings.’
‘Mmm. I thought that when I arrived. I love the shell tiles on the roof.’
‘I know. You have to have a house in Lovely with a shell roof, right?’
‘So, no one is living here at the moment?’ Cally asked.
‘No, it’s a deceased estate,’ Ella noted. ‘The old lady who lived here was in a nursing home, and there was a waiting period for all the legal stuff to go through. That’s sorted now and so here we are.’
As Ella led Cally into the flat, the first thing that struck her was the abundance of natural light. She’d expected it to be a bit dingy, but light flooded in through large windows.
Ella gestured around the room. ‘It's got some lovely original features. Lots of good light – typical of the Art Deco period.'
Cally nodded. She looked up at a very ornate ceiling rose and lines of beautiful decorative coving that ran along the top of the high-ceilinged walls.
'That fireplace is original.’
Cally moved closer to the old mantel and ran her hand along the smooth, cool surface. 'It's beautiful. Wow, yes.’
The flat had seen better days, but its bones were calling out as Cally walked around with wide eyes. An old carpet covered what appeared to be hardwood floors, original pull light switches dropped from the ceiling, and beautiful porthole windows looked out over the back.
'Now, I should mention the kitchen. One of the areas that needs a bit of work.'
Cally looked around, taking in dated units, a worn linoleum floor, and peeling wallpaper. The whole room had a tired feel to it, but the original Crittall windows were beautiful and looked out over a small courtyard area.
'It's functional but needs updating. That's part of the reason the price is so competitive. It needs a quick sale, and so it’s priced to reflect the work that needs doing. These don’t come up very often. To be quite honest, I don’t think we’re going to see many, if any, more flats come on the market until the new year now.'
Cally nodded, her mind whirring with possibilities. She knew a good buy when she saw one. She’d certainly been stalking estate agent sites for long enough.
Ella mused as if reading her thoughts. 'The bones of the rooms are good. Lovely big windows, plenty of space to work with, and you’ll never go wrong with a block like this.'
They moved on to the bathroom, which was in a similar state to the kitchen. An avocado suite wasn’t too pleasant, but an original beautiful Art Deco mirror above the sink and old light fixtures were priceless.
'Lovely original features but needs work. All reflected in the asking price.'
After going around the flat, Cally was charmed. She was surprised she could afford it but, at the same time, realised it wasn’t for her. The view, or lack thereof, was a significant drawback. She'd grown accustomed to her elevated perspective from Birdie's flat, and the thought of losing that was more disappointing than she'd anticipated. ‘It is nice,' she admitted. 'There's so much to like about it. The period features are beautiful, and I can see the potential.'
'But? I’m sensing a but…’ Ella chuckled.
'But I'm not sure about the lack of a view. I'm so used to looking out over the rooftops, seeing the bay in the distance and the lighthouse. I'm not sure how I'd feel about losing that.'
'It's a big decision.’
‘Yeah, I don’t think it’s going to be for me.’
‘Right.’
‘Do you have anything else on soon?’
Ella tutted. ‘I wish. These one bedroom flats are light gold dust around here. I think it will be a while.’
‘I thought as much. I think I might put it on the back burner for a while. I have had such a lot going on.’
