Circa September 2013: This brain of mine

So, in typical fashion, I am starting to doubt all decisions regarding this house.

Doubt 1: Should we still get the engineer to do a soil analysis

Doubt 2: I am wondering if the floor plan is too closed off. Samurai and I are not very good at socialising, but this is our house so if anyone comes over it will be both of us to meet and greet. We, or at least I, keep thinking of myself in this house as still living under someone else's roof and rules. At my mother's, if she has people over, I'll just camp out in my room until they left just to avoid the expected pleasantries. So, I am now thinking open floor plan or at least partially.

One of Samurai's friend's recently purchased a house and in addition to being just luxurious, it was also open concept and was so welcoming for everyone else to mingle close by while Samurai 'christened' the new kitchen with a Sunday lunch. I'm wondering what people would do and where they will go if we are entertaining. All there is, is the back patio for them to go and talk to us through the kitchen. So here's what I'm thinking... make just the TV room and Dining room open concept. We initially decided on closing this off so that we can all cozy up as a family and watch movies but I think we'll just use the second floor game room for this purpose and it will be even easier to go to bed when we're sleepy instead of climbing those stairs. I wonder if HGTV is playing a role in making me think like this, hmph.

Doubt 3: I'm also wondering if the master is too far from the other bedrooms. If my daughter wakes up in the middle of the night, would we be too far to hear her? But then I think about when she gets older and she wouldn't even have time for me, she'll love the position of her bedroom.

I saw this floor plan and I love it. I think it will work well because the staircase is more centred, upstairs all rooms are basically off the same hallway and there is also a spare bedroom downstairs. But then, if I were to really tweak this with our wish list, it will get way too big for us to afford.

I have to keep reminding myself that I designed the position of our Master Bedroom with it being our little haven, tucked neatly away from everything else.

If we could have really incorporated that third internal staircase everything would be great but this staircase quite to the front of the house will prevent us from seeing who is going up or down and with a little child, that may be very important. But then I saw this on houzz.com and even though it's not exactly like ours, the details are similar and have comforted me with our design decisions. I just think that we'll definitely open out the back by removing the walls between the kitchen and TV room.

I have been doing all kinds of changes to the floor plan to see what should be changed but I eventually sat down and thought about why we designed it like this in the first place and it all made sense again. The only change now was that I wanted a bedroom downstairs for guests so I wonder if I should just add on a little piece to make that happen.

Circa July 2013: Town and Country update

So as promised, the officer assigned to our application called on Friday.

I was surprised to find out it was a woman and she explained that she has scheduled her site visit to the property the following week. She explained that as far as the plans, there were no issues with the design other than the fact that the height of the house was like 0.2 metres or something taller than the maximum. She also explained that Town and Country only overseas boundary requirements, therefore, she will be verifying the dimensions, lot size, position of house on the property and ownership. The approval of the actual structure is done by the regional corporation for the area.

Samurai called the next week as the officer advised we do and she explained that there were no problems with the site visit and it was passed to her supervisor for final approval. After about two weeks of no updates, Samurai called her once again and she said the last update she had was that it was with the typist. We got no updates for the whole of August and into September, we just didn't bother to keep calling again.

On September 30th, Samurai called to say his mother called him stating a letter from Town and Country came to his attention so he called me to find out if we should have her open it to see what it said. I don't know why he would even call to ask that!!! I was so excited for him to call me back. When he did, it was what we have been waiting so long for... our approval, YAY!

I couldn't wait to get home and look at our plans. This was going to be our house in the next year and I just couldn't wait, however, the letter also said the plans had to go to the Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporation for approval but we were confident it will all be approved in no time.

Circa June 2013: Town and Country

19 June 2013:

So I call Town and Country and I think they have the worst operator/receptionist/desk worker ever. I have been calling all day without any update on our plan.

I call, the young lady on the other end, who by-the-way is sounding like I am disturbing her relaxation AT WORK!, would tell me she needs to transfer to the officers who will have access to the plan. Every time I get transferred, the phone either rings off the hook or I get disconnected. I know that getting angry with her would only reduce the "quality" assistance I am getting so I maintain a calm and pleasant tone with each call back.

When I explain to my new "friend" that I am not getting a connection, she proceeds to ask me for my application number. Why this wasn't done originally, I do not know. It didn't help anyways as all she can tell me is that my application is pending. I asked her exactly what does that mean or at what stage is my application, all I get is 'I wouldn't know that ma'am, I am not the officer so I wouldn't have access' and she remains on the line like I should accept that as a suitable update and never call again. Yeah right

I continue to request that I be transferred to someone who can give me more information. This went on for probably two weeks with one or two other persons coming on the line promising to call me back with an update or tell me to call back for them but my "friend" took my calls to another level. She knew my voice now and strangely my calls would disconnect before I even get to ask for a transfer. If I asked for one of the persons who told me to call them back for an update, my "friend" would state she doesn't know who that person is or again, the transfers would just not go through.

I was pissed and so was Samurai every time I was unsuccessful. It was now the end of July and on the day of our anniversary, we sat on the beach drinking wine and spoke about the horrible service we were getting and how badly we wanted an update to start work on the house. I originally felt so positive about having these approvals quickly because of articles like this and this that spoke about how their backlog has been reduced and their service approved. Clearly this was all PR and far from reality for this Government agency.

Samurai decided enough was enough so before we went to pick up our daughter from daycare, we made a little detour to the Town and Country office in the Twin Towers. We were both scruffy and poorly dressed. My vanity kept me in the car but Samurai is a crazy one and didn't care how he looked at the time.

He was gone for probably an hour when he called to tell me that all staff was in a meeting and there was no word on when they will be out. Samurai didn't care, he sat and he waited. As workers returned, he said they all passed him straight, probably because it was getting close the end of the day. Then, one worker walked in and noticed Samurai and asked if he was getting through. When Samurai explained the purpose of his visit, not only to get an update but to also express his disgust about the poor customer service by their operator, the guy revealed he was a supervisor and promised to have the officer assigned to our plan to give us a call by the end of the that week. He asked that we send him an e-mail detailing the issues we experienced in getting an update via the phone and promised to follow up on our concerns. We felt so relieved after that visit because according to Samurai, he felt positive Mr. Pariag would keep his word.

Circa April 2013: And it is final

After much calling and cancelled meetings, the draughtsman came by one night with the plans already completed on forms to submit to Town and Country.

I really thought he would have sent us a draft before to go over because from just glancing at it there were some changes he made. I guess these changes made sense from a structural perspective and he also said he tried to stay within the square footage but I think we should have still been consulted to see where we could have tweaked and adjusted some areas. He changed our office space to a small storage room and the dining room was smaller. Another bedroom and the upstairs bathroom were also reduced.

I mentioned these things when Samurai asked me to go over them for any issues and he asked if they were changes we could live with or if we really needed to have them changed. I felt like I was being a bit too picky. A half-foot here and there couldn't possibly be all that bad, right?

So we agreed with the plan as is. There were several sheets with different elevations, foundation and structural plans. He did a wooden roof plan as he said that was easier to pass and promised to give us a soft-copy of all the drawings with a metal roof design and an AutoCAD-like program that we would be able to view them in.

After briefing us on all the documents, Samurai signed off on them all and the very next day, our draughtsman submitted our plans to Town and Country. What a great day. This makes our journey all the more real and makes me even more excited to get started.

The Draughtsman said it should take around 2-3 months for approval and approval is also required from the regional corporation which in our case is the Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporation. He dropped by a few days later for his payment and to give me our copy of the drawings submitted and application form.

We decided to wait exactly two months to start calling Town and Country for an update so until then I will be in LaLa Land obsessing over this giant step in progress we just made.

Circa January 2013: Storage options

Samurai and I were really positive that everything will be approved in time for us to start building later this year so I started calling around for the prices of shipping containers to house our materials on the land.

Most companies I called referred me to Mediterranean Shipping Company for purchase options. When I called, the price maxed around $15K including payment to Customs and to a driver to deliver the container to our location. I also called a company that rented containers and even containers converted to offices but their $18K price to rent the bare container for one month was the same cost to purchase! Why? I do not know but we knew we will obviously be purchasing one. We therefore had to decide if we were willing to go through the hassle of buying it directly from the shipping company to save that $3K.

My cousin who recently completed her house had a novel idea of purchasing an old run-down trailer attachment for next to nothing in price and she cleaned out and lined the inside. It had doors and windows just like a container office but just when we thought about probably offering her a rental payment to use it as our storage, she decides to expand her newly built house.

Did I say this woman is crazy? She is. After building her single-storey house, she decides to add a floor. Yes she built her foundation for this, but she had a roof, not a first-floor decking over her head. That means she now has to raise her roof, if it could even be used again, and add a next storey.

In the mean time, we decided to visit the land to check on the plants because well, we kind of abandoned all our hundreds of dollars in plants. Of course, the land was overgrown with thick and tall grass. We could hardly venture far onto it to see the plants. From afar we saw a coconut tree struggling to grow and to the front, our sugar cane stalk was doing well. Other than that, the property looked like some wild forest. Sadly, we decided we were not going to even bother to trim or attend to these plants. Our plan for a lush garden when we moved in will just have to be squashed.

We did notice a storage container at the beginning of the development though. Christmas present? No. It seems another property-owner in the development planned to build as a lot about three down from ours was cleared of all grass and somewhat leveled! Yay! I was excited because we'll have neighbours and it also brought more hope to the area and value increasing even more.

When I got home, I watched the plans that showed the lots and the proposed drains. I realised that the drains were designed to run off into the pond which was a bit of a concern to me. Samurai decided to call the owner of the development regarding an update on the WASA water connections and drainage and he explained that WASA was currently doing an expansion project in the area but the drains were our responsibilty. I was confused. I called the Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporation a few days later to find out if they did drainage or if we were responsible and they explained that they only do the roadside drainage. However (and I must mention how helpful the staff at this agency was), the inspector did explain that earthen drains are just as good as concrete drains so we are not required to construct actual drains with the construction of the house. This was a relief and running a box drain along the perimeter of an acre of land would be something we just could not afford, however, we still needed to devise a plan for proper drainage on the lot into these earthen drains that already existed.

Circa 2012: New quotation

So I'm getting closer and closer to present day.

Note to self: Improve on your writing skills, lol

We heard back from Foundation Guy two weeks after. In fact, Samurai did and called me hastily while at work to get pen and paper to take down the list of items quoted:

140 lengths of 5/8" Corrugated Steel
180 lengths of 1/2" Corrugated Steel
120 lengths of 3/8" Plain Steel
1400 6"x8"x12" Concrete blocks
30lbs Tying wire
18 lengths of 1"x4"x14' Pitch Pine
8 lengths of 2"x2"x14' Pitch Pine
5 lbs of 2 1/2" Nails
2 lbs 2" Nails
2 loads of Gravel
40 bags of Cement
1 load of Plaster Cement
35 cubic metres of Poured Cement (Cement Truck)*

We also had the option of Foundation Guy mixing the cement himself instead of the Cement Truck which would replace that item with:

4 loads of Gravel
140 bags of Cement

So, this of course got me excited because I could almost see my foundation built in front of me. I created a nice little spreadsheet and started calling the popular hardware stores and a few random ones I chose from the telephone directory, informing them of my desire to get a quote. They all gave me their fax number to send it across. Some were more pleasant than others but I honestly didn't care, cost is what mattered at this point.

Some of the places I faxed the quotation to:
Central Wholesale Stores
Azad Abass Ali Hardware
Bhagwansingh's Hardware
Southern Wholesale Stores
Gopaul Lands Hardware
Ramlagan's General Hardware
Roopnarine Hardware

Quite a few of them did not sell gravel and the poured cement. I guess you need to have a really large storage facility to sell something like this. Some of them instead recommended I call the cement companies like Trinidad Cement Ltd and Readymix directly for that quote but the few that did, included a transportation cost that was of course cheaper the closer your destination was from their office. The level of difficulty in getting the cement to the location on the property can also influence the cost.

I was surprised at how quickly I got back some of the quotes. Some even called to discuss the purpose and other little tidbits of information I needed and left out. One error I made was putting plaster cement when it should read plaster sand.

The average price from the quotes I got back (excluding the gravel and poured cement) was around $35K. The few that were able to quote for the gravel gave an average price of $2,500.00. Only one gave a quote for the plaster sand at $2,000.00 and the poured cement averaged $28,000.00

I also contacted the cement companies but for nothing I could find my notes with these quotes. As soon as I do I will update this post.

Anywhoo. The total cost from what I do remember for the gravel, poured cement and the quotes on these other items above brought our material cost of roughly $100K. This plus the $50K in labour by Foundation Guy and minor unforeseen expenses gives us a rough estimate of $180K for the foundation. This was doable but this was also based on quotes at this time. With such an unpredictable construction sector and the boldface profiteering of some of these businessmen, we still had to re-do this entire quotation process closer to the time of purchase but at least we had a base figure to work with for now.

So, after receiving these quotes, Samurai and I were ready to submit our plans to Town and Country. We went over all the minor details again and took a deep breath an agreed, this is what we wanted.

We sent the plans over to the draughtsman via e-mail and we called him the next day. I guess with our history of postponing this decision, he had to confirm with us a few times if this is what we wanted with no expected changes. We confirmed

He then stated that he will work on them as soon as possible and briefed us again on the cost and process for submitting on our behalf.

I was crazy nervous.

Circa 2012: Foundation Guy?

Sooo (insert shame-face smiley here) we either heard wrong or assumed our own thing but some type of miscommunication occurred regarding this foundation and retaining wall.

After discussing the new version of the plan done by the draughtsman, we spoke about the retaining wall issue, only to find out that it is PART of the foundation structure. Yes, it will make the cost we averaged for the foundation a bit more but it will not be a huge and separate cost that we need to pay.

You would not believe how relieved I was but Samurai played it cool like 'oh, I knew that all along'... *roll eyes*... so why did you get a quote from that company eh? eh?

So anyways, the cost of the foundation that was quoted by the draughtsman INCLUDES the retaining wall but was still too much for us. After speaking with my new-homeowner-cousin and her boyfriend about all the costs and headaches attached to building your own house, they too were a bit doubtful about this $280,000.00 quotation. Even though they put us on to this draughtsman, they joked that maybe it was the contractor in him quoting us on that price.

Now, my cousin is a red 'oman. You know when I say "red 'oman" and not "red woman", she aint easy. She can tough it up like any other man and as her boyfriend admitted, is why she oversaw the entire construction process for their house and not him. He is too soft-spoken and patient, Samurai and I are their opposite. Anyways, she recommended a new guy for a quote. He actually did her foundation, which I am now learning about... jeez, explaining that even though the draughtsman was great at floor plans, this other guy had decades of experience with foundations and more specifically, retaining walls. She said he is very thorough and will quote his material down to the exact brick.

My cousin isn't afraid to really pull-up people when they're slacking off and she admitted that she didn't even have to do any of that with this guy. He actually did the retaining wall for a piece of land her sister purchased years ago. The back of the lot was several feet higher than the roadway and she wanted to address the structural issues as she planned on building soon when she returns from the States. Another person purchased the lot next to hers and did the same thing, built a retaining wall to the back but when the heavy rains came earlier in the year, and there was flooding and houses sliding down the hills, and roads crumbling like cookies, the neighbour's wall crumbled with it but her sister's wall remained strong.

Well you know, Samurai and I were sold! My cousin's boyfriend called the guy (now dubbed 'Foundation Guy') to brief him and to let him know to expect our call. I had Samurai call him the very next day, because well, I'm a socially challenged.

This guy was also very pleasant and friendly and we arranged to view the land the following Saturday.

On our way that Saturday, he called Samurai to say his car was down and wanted to know if we could pick him up in the East. When we pulled up, he did not seem like any man who did construction. He jumped in an I immediately felt very comfortable speaking with him as we discussed the house and showed him our floor plan (to date) along the drive.

When we arrived, our daughter was fast asleep so we initially stayed near the van while Samurai talked about random stuff like steel options and the issue with the retaining wall. I am so obsessed with learning everything I could about construction but the more Samurai and the Foundation Guy spoke the more they wandered further into the land preventing me from hearing what they were saying, ugh.

From afar, I saw Foundation Guy pound on the soil with his foot and stooped down for a bit for further inspection I assume. Sigh, I wish I could read his mind because according to sipreal.com, we should have gotten an engineer to do a soil analysis especially with this very thick clay soil, but crazy us, we just went with the fact that we know it's clay soil so we don't need someone to tell us that again.

On our way back, Foundation Guy explained he is really simple. He just wants to come in and do the work and we source the materials and have them ready for him. He said he will work out the item list and quote and get back to us in a week. We were happy to hear that because just the night before we discussed purchasing the materials and finding the labour as being the only cheaper option to this special foundation that we need.

We waited patiently and I kept thinking positive that he would give us a quote that was doable in order to complete our plans and finally submit them for approval.

Circa 2012: #Motivation

Today is probably one of the saddest days in my life and one of the happiest at the same time.

Today is my daughter's first birthday.

I cried for so long today because I never pictured it to be this way. You would think that something so special would bring everyone together but instead it tears everything apart.

Note to self and others: If you're faced with an issue, don't assume that person is the problem. Look at yourself first and see if you are a contributing factor.

Through the sadness however, Samurai and I were still able to have a great day. We ignored the negatives and gave our daughter the love, joy and happiness she deserves. We are still adjusting to having this little person invade every ounce of our time, privacy and freedom, but we wouldn't have it any other way.

What also turned today from sad to happy is that it definitely was the motivation to get started with this house. It was like the whip on the horse's ass to start planning and scheduling getting it off the ground.

That night we sat on the bed going over all the little details and corrections to the initial plan done by the draughtsman. We went over our budget again thanks to this ridiculously expensive daycare and made a rough timeline. We just wanted our own home.

By the end of that night we finalised our plans and was ready to have the draughtsman do the final version for submission to Town and Country, however, the issue with the retaining walls is what we really had to address. We decided that we could probably pay for this from our savings and take the construction loan from TTMF for everything else.

The draughtsman was also a contractor, so we decided to ask him to quote us on the cost for the foundation alone with this retaining wall issue so that depending on the cost, we will know if we can just build the entire shell of the house (no fixtures, furniture or furnishings except for the Master, our daughter's room and one bathroom) or if we will have to just do the upper floor and eventually build downstairs in the future.

When we contacted the draughtsman, he said he will need to go view the land again for the quote. In the meantime, Samurai called up a random company who met us that weekend to quote us on the retaining wall. His quote: $100,000.00

I just felt like throwing in the towel. We couldn't pay for the foundation AND this retaining wall. It was just too much. This meant we had to go back once again to the drawing board and reduce the size of the house. I probably should just take my mother's advice and build a small pool house, with a pool and live on the floor.

We waited and waited on the second quote from the draughtsman but clearly he was busy as he kept pushing back the date he'll have it ready by. Some good few weeks later, he sent an e-mail with the amount... $280,000.00 for the foundation and retaining wall.

Someone. Get me a tent. I give up

Circa 2012: Progress?

There was clearly not going to be any progress with our dream house for 2011. Samurai was still heavy into culinary school, I was still finishing up my semester at school before our daughter came and outside of that, my time was well spent on my laptop fiddling around with my Live Interior program.

One good thing... While houses were built on the first two lots of the development, we really didn't know how sales on the remaining lots were going. I then noticed a listing for the development on a well-know website and there were only a few more lots being advertised and the value increased to $1.1M!!! The agent that put us on to this property was right about the potential. This meant that the property value increased by 16% in two years and it would be even more for us because of the introductory price we got. Score!

My cousin's house not too far from us was almost completed and it was so exciting to get the tour. She gave us lots of pointers and tips and tricks and suggested some key people for the different aspects of the construction process.

That night we reviewed the changes to our plan and called up the draughtsman she recommended. We thought he might have forgotten about us but he didn't. She was right about the fact that he really listens to what you need and your wish list...

We again discussed the costs and process to start designing the house and arranged to meet him by the land so he'll get an idea of any structural issues that might occur. He seemed really laid back and patient and answered all our questions.

He mentioned that because the land sloped on both sides, it will be best to include a retaining wall to the left and back of the house. This meant a slight increase again in what we budgeted for thanks to this new retaining wall cost.

The more he spoke the more it seemed our costs were adding up. So at the same time, I saw my dream home slipping away again.

We gave the draughtsman prints of the final plan I developed after slaving on my little ole program. We also had two internal staircases. One was 4ft wide because Samurai believes that a wide staircase will be needed for lugging large furniture and another was 2ft wide only to find out that the minimum width of a staircase must be 3ft and we would never get it approved. He suggested we converted that second staircase to a spiral. Everything else he said should be okay.

He promised to quickly send across a completed version for review which he did in a few weeks... and after a few calls but his changes were a bit too... well, I just didn't feel it.

Samurai left the inspection and feedback up to me and even though much of the layout was the same, the upper floor had this awkward new hallway that started to make the house very maze-ish. Samurai and I are also very particular about the size of the rooms and the kitchen for one just wouldn't work.

Anyways, we made some changes and sent it back to him but the more we thought about cost, the more we wondered if we would be able to build the entire house, of settle for just the upper floor for now. Hey, when you're in Central, do as the Central people do.

We decided to call the draughtsman and tell him to hold on any further work until we got our budget and costing in order.

Circa 2012: A preview of the Central life

We. Have. Moved.

Samurai's mother will be babysitting for us when I go back out to work in February. I do not want to go back out to work.

So, on New Year's Day 2012, we moved in with my in-laws, once again sharing a room that is even smaller than what we shared before.

I guess like all new or first-time mothers, I was a bit over-protective of my daughter. In fact, I was a bit greedy in sharing her so one great thing is that we got her crib to fit through the doorway so she can sleep in the same room with us. Back at my mother's house, she graciously gave up her spare bedroom for the crib as it just couldn't fit through the narrow hallway. So I used to abandon Samurai to sleep in her room almost every night even though we had a brand new, functional monitor, lol.

So baby in our room. I am happy. Did I say I did not want to go back out to work?

Living in Central was cool and not much different from the West in terms of being in a house all day dreading my return to work. The only hard part was having one bathroom for about six people in a house. At my mother's there were two for four people but I think them adjusting to a new baby crying all hours of the night was tougher than anything else.

When February came, I was back out to work, unfortunately.

I wasn't getting any sleep because my daughter clearly knew I now had to get up at 4:00am instead of 6. This meant that in addition to going to sleep at 11 or 12 at night, she was waking me up at 2 or 3 in the morning giving me just 2 to 3 hours of sleep as I had no choice but to start getting ready when I managed to put her back down to sleep.

I would be so paranoid driving to work because my eyes would be closing down on me, but at least I got good parking spots!

Unfortunately three months later, our Central life and free babysitting was cut short when my mother-in-law damaged her knee. She was persistent that she could still do it though, but she needed the rest, and I did not feel comfortable putting that strain on her.

Due to Samurai's unpredictable work schedule, a daycare close by in Port of Spain was therefore the only option, but unfortunately, this decision meant a large chunk of our savings evaporating every month. All of these daycares were ridiculously expensive and the cheaper one's were all filled or were too unkempt for me to even consider leaving my child there.

So back to Diego we went with less money in our pockets to start our dream home with now three more years before TTMF's deadline to start building on the land.

Circa 2011: Be content with what you have

This post is just a rant thought that I wish to share

Two beautiful lights went out while I was pregnant and it really made me realise how every little second on this earth counts.

It made me realise that it doesn't make sense to dwell on the petty things.

It doesn't make sense to hold grudges and be mean to one another.

We need to stop competing with one another, seeking revenge, spreading bad thoughts and encouraging animosity.

I am not a sociable person. In fact, I call myself a social-handicap because I just do not know how to do the pleasantries, conversations and friendly banter. Anyone will describe me as the one who doh talk to nobody and it's true. I am a potential hermit. In fact, I will be the best damn hermit there ever was if given the chance.

But everyone comes with their own personality and we need to accept that everyone is different and see it as a challenge to look beyond what you are not accustomed to, and embrace what you can relate to.

You live and die in the same day. So just live.

Circa 2011: And one makes three

Soooo. I. Am. Pregnant

Even though it was on my list of 'to-do's' lol, we decided that we would really aim to start the house thing this year and then focus on starting a family.

This unexpected surprise is still a welcome and we are going with the flow. I am just a bit worried about now squeezing a baby into this already tight room that Samurai and I share.

The pregnancy was pretty much uneventful and thanks to my very non-existent pregnancy cravings, my snacking expenditure wasn't very high :)

We have also been very resourceful regarding the items needed for the baby and pretty much arranged to ship a barrel from the States with all our necessities.

My cousin also started her house and gave us the contact for her draughtsman. We called him just to get an idea of the costs and procedures involved but the price per square foot that he quoted ($350-$400) was a bit of a shock.

Samurai was always so sure that if we just build the shell of our house, we'll spend no more than $500K and over the years we will eventually furnish to our liking. I always doubted it a little because when I browsed real estate listings in the country I would rarely find a house under $2M.

We therefore went back to the drawing board to re-design the house, decreasing the size and other splurges that we just couldn't afford.

By September our beautiful fat-cheeked baby girl was here and it was an unbelievable experience with much more to come.

A bit of advice

To all couples out there that can't wait to spend the rest of their lives together, I'm sorry to say it but: DO NOT LIVE WITH YOUR IN-LAWS... It is a guaranteed death sentence for your relationship and marriage. If I could go back in time, I will ensure I have the house first and then the wedding.

I repeat: DO NOT LIVE WITH YOUR IN-LAWS

The Americans had it right by making it taboo to still live at home when you turn eighteen. Sadly the real estate industry in this country really hinders that progress but you know what, hold strain. Save, Save, Save and if you really can't wait and can afford it. Rent. I usually do not support renting because according to my mother it's 'dead money' but if you want a relationship that is based on learing each other and growing together properly and positively without much external distractions, go for it.

No matter how great your in-laws are, you still need that level of privacy and openness to really express yourself to your significant other that you just cannot get while living under someone else's space and rules.

So take my dumb advice and DO NOT LIVE WITH YOUR IN-LAWS

Circa 2010: Living off the land

We have kept in touch with the owner of the development who actually lives a few metres from us. He is a really cool and has been updating us on everything. He got the electricity poles in (woohoo) but was still working on the WASA connection to the property. He also has a tractor guy that comes in to cut the grass ever-so-often as I guess he wants to keep the property neat for potential buyers of the remaining lots but it's also a major plus for us for the time being.

As I mentioned before, I want a good bit of land with my house. The initial specifications of my dream house from secondary school included it being on no less than two lots. Growing up in the West, we never had much of a yard but my mother never let that keep her passion for gardening back. She has all the herbs a Trini needs to 'flavour the pot'.



This woman will plant in anything: bricks, buckets, old sinks, anything. We also had a Julie Mango tree growing in the most awkward of spaces with concrete all around its base but it still managed to produce a lot of juicy mangoes every year that everyone in the house would fight for and fall out with each other over.

When I first met Samurai's family and started to visit the house in Central, things were different. First off their house is one of those really beautifully old, rustic, colonial type houses surrounded by lush greenery. It's really lovely and every time I left, I left with bag of fruits, citrus, cakes, provision, juices... and anything and everything his very generous mother had. It was just in her nature to give away and having a yard with many mature trees made it even easier. My sisters would joke and ask me if I went to the market with all of the stuff I brought back and sadly, there was still a fight for the mangoes I got.

So now we have a whole acre and I envision Samurai and I having our dream house with a large and mature garden filled with fruit trees and provisions and herbs and a little of everything. I picture us with children climbing the trees and stuffing their bellies with mangoes and pommerac. I want to be able to get up on a Sunday morning and pick most of the items for that day's meal from my yard, down to chickens and all.

Samurai also shared this idea but wanted to start this 'garden' before the house came so that when we do move in, we'll have some trees to live off of. We wanted to be as self-sustainable as possible seeing that our finances would be limited so we started gathering plants from my mother-in-law, Samurai's friends and a few plants shops. We also bought a few items from the Government farm in St Augustine. They had very little stuff at the time but their prices were really good.

Now, my mother-in-law has a rich yard, yes, filled with lovely trees and plants, Maneuvering through her yard, however, was a bit much because no landscaping or even little walk paths were incorporated pretty much like anyone's yard in these areas. In fact, many Trinidadians don't 'fuss' about landscaping but thanks to HGTV and DIY channel, however, I want that landscaping with neat little walk paths and well-manicured lawn. So Samurai's plan to just pelt tree like mad in the soil didn't sit well with me but he convinced me with the idea of having Starch and Julie mangoes to my heart's content so we tried our best to determine the proposed location for the house and began to plant outside of that area.

We also found out about this organic plant shop called WaSamaki not too far from our soon-to-be home. They were really nice and helpful with a lot of rare fruits and plants for sale on their farm that your Tantie and Mammy used to talk about but were so rare to find that the prices made them a one-time 'splurge' purchase just to try it.

Our land was covered in very thick brush. At first I was a bit despondent and wondered what the hell we were getting ourselves in to. The high razor grass, weeds and vines were so strong and think that it felt like you were walking in quicksand just to get through. The soild was another concern. It was thick clay soil, thicker than my legs!!! lol. It was sticking to my brand new gardener boots like if I was making a mold. I wondered if this soil would cause a problem to build a house on because just digging a hole took sooo much effort. We found a few treasures though. The soil was laden with earth worms which is great for drainage and for the plants. We also found several Tumeric roots and watching the land from the roadway, it was obvious someone used to plant here a lot.

Anyways, once a week for a few weeks we rounded up Samurai's brothers and we all went down to cut pathways in the bush with a weed whacker with the poor thing struggling to perform. The more we went, the more I realised that with a good clearing, care and planning, this yard will be so beautiful.

We planted:
Citrus trees (lime, grapefruit, orange)
Starch and Julie mango (a must)
Soursop
West Indian Cherry
Carambola
Coffee
Governor Plum (this was different to what we thought it was, the big juicy bumpy plums are apparently called Jamaican Plum)
Sapodilla
Tamarind (sweet)
Pommerac
Caimate
Guava
Bay Leaf
Ley Ley
and much more

I would never think gardening was such a great workout. I think I lost a pound or two every time we went to do some work. The only thing I didn't do was use that whacker. I think when we establish our garden I need a lawn mower (ride-on preferably) because that thing is not designed for my body so we made a deal for when we got the house that he washes the clothes and I will cut the grass.

In fact we made a few deals:
He cooks and I will wash the wares
He scrubs the bathrooms and I will sweep and mop

The pond next to the back of our lot was very large so a section of the land was a bit swampy from the water that seeped in. We planted a few coconut trees in this area. Throughout the entire acre we dug holes and planted and weeded. My mother even came once to help us plant some stuff but I think she underestimated the work involved, lol.

Samurai's mother started some Breadfruit trees plants for us by slicing the root of her tree with a cutlass which made new shoots. We went to plant two of them but the next two weeks when we returned, one disappeared and the other died. We tried another time and that one disappeared too. Strange. Could someone be stealing our plants?

After we planted most of the stuff we had, our visits were just to go back with the tray of the van filled with bottles of water for the plants. We had to walk back and forth along the length of this land to water these plants which felt like torture at times but a few of them were really striving and the pride from seeing these little babies grow was motivation enough to continue.

As it got closer to Christmas however, the gardening slowed down to not at all. So all the plants, dead, stolen or thriving were out there to fend for themselves until the new year.

Circa 2010: Architect in training

With the last purchase that fell through, I found the program "Live Interior 3D Pro" and I was hooked. I always wanted to learn AutoCAD and this appeared to be a simple version that allowed me to sketch a floor plan of our dream house and then view the 3D render as I went along.

I was able to walk through the entire structure and really tweak the details to my liking. I was using this program day and night until that sale fell through. I was no doubt an addict but when the sale crashed I was mad and deleted all designs I had for the property so until now, it just sat there on my laptop in the shadows waiting for me to abuse it again.

My secret affair with the software has since reignited with this land purchase and I am once again like a zombie up all night designing our dream house; adding furniture and practically living in this virtual house from my laptop.

Samurai had a few specifications for the house but outside of that, he basically gave me free reign on the design.

His demands were:
A very large kitchen (because he loves to cook)
An outdoor patio for entertaining friends
A tub in the Master Bathroom
Position laundry room on side of house where the breeze comes in
Space in the Laundry room to hang delicates instead of outside, lol
A game room

My demands were:
A space to do my art
Children/spare bedrooms not facing the main roads (in case some perv sees them changing through the window)
Space in the laundry room for the deep-freeze (those things are not for kitchens)
A separate TV room/living room (for Samurai to entertain people when I don't feel sociable)
Double vanity in Master Bathroom (because Samurai hogs the mirror way too much)
Strategic exits in house (because I'm paranoid and always need an escape plan)

So I am feeling like an architect and I'm 'Googling' every little detail about houses and pointers to make the costs lower and tips and tricks. I read that straight lines are cheaper to build than a lot of curved walls. Rooms with plumbing like the kitchen and bathrooms should all be grouped to the same side of the house and a smaller foundation with a two-story house is cheaper than a flat house with a large spread of foundation.

HGTV and the DIY channels have not helped with my excitement to start this house. Their shows make me feel like I can build this thing with my bear hands from scratch. I wish they could come down here and help me :(

Unfortunately though, there is very little information online on building concrete houses like we do here in Trinidad and Tobago so I'm basically going with the wind for that part. I did find www.sipreal.com, however, which provided me with a lot of valuable information in terms of the entire process to follow for building the house, so that is one outlet I have to guide me on at least the procedures, but I'm not too sure that this floor plan I'm developing is structurally possible *shame face*

Anywats, this lack of local information is what basically inspired me to start this blog in the first place.

Circa 2010: Cut-backs

We. Are. Married.

Two months later, Samurai and I are back from our honeymoon. The wedding experience was bitter-sweet. Bitter because I guess many couldn't understand or was willing to share in my joy but sweet because by the end of the night, I forgot about all of those issues, forgot about the killjoys, forgot about all the things that went wrong with the planning and arrangements and had a ball!

(straying from the topic here... don't ever consider that horrible hotel up on the hill for your wedding, they try their very best to rob you blind)

But it was soon back to reality when we returned from our honeymoon and shacking up with my mother. Samurai's employer was selling off some of their vehicles and saw the opportunity as an investment that would come in handy for transporting materials to and from the property instead of hiring someone. We purchased the van with an interest-free loan from my mother and planned to start building the next year (2011) when we paid it off and recuperated some of the money spent from the wedding.

We were now property owners with a large monthly loan installment to pay back. We had to therefore plan our spending and our budgets to adjust.

Our list of sacrifices:
Cut down on the amount of snacks (guilty)
Buy basic food stuff
Cook food over buying fast-food
No more gifts for each other
No more gifts for family and friends, except for small children
No more money for parties and fetes
No celebratory dinners for anniversaries, etc.
Reduce shopping (ugh)

It was kind of hard to change but we decided that we and others just needed to understand that this is something that is very important for us and without any savings, we will never have our house.

TTMF also has some rules with their land loan:
You must start construction within the first five years
You must take your construction financing from them
You must present a quantity survey with the application for the construction loan from their approved list of surveyors

So, we are literally living in a room in my mother's house. It is cramped and uncomfortable.

Sometimes I feel so depressed about it that I don't feel like cleaning it out for days. Sometimes I question the decision to have the wedding instead of using the money towards starting the house immediately. We could have just gone and gotten a 'government wedding' instead and forget about everyone else but then I remember how nice it was to be the reason so much family came together and was under one roof. Samurai and I have very disconnected family members and relationships so it was a rare occurrence that would probably never happen again. The memories of our attempt at a wedding dance and horseback riding together on a beach in the Dominican Republic are memories no-one can ever take away.

Living with regrets wouldn't solve our current living situation though, so sticking to a clear plan is what we really needed to start constructing our Dream House and Home.

Circa 2010: It is final

Of course, more than two days passed without getting any update from TTMF regarding this new homestead issue for their loans. The thing is that our application was just in the air until it was confirmed and we didn't want any delay in starting the application process.

I called the representative from the Chaguanas branch that processed our first (failed) application to enquire about this new approval process for homestead plots and she was just as confused as us. However, in the name of proper customer service, she assured us that our application is being reviewed and she is confident the matter will be cleared up soon.

It did not clear up soon. We tried several times to reach the representative for an update until we just started to demand to speak with someone higher and eventually, we got everything cleared up then and the application process began.

Our attempts at an update after that were directly with the legal firm assigned to our application. It was the same firm from the last. A WASA clearance certificate is required with applications but based on information from the seller, he was having a lot of difficulty with his application for water to run to the development. The reason being is that the connection must come from the main further up the main road and because the area was so under populated, WASA did not see it as a priority to provide our connections at the time. The only other option was for the seller to absorb the cost and I guess that wasn't something he was willing to do.

All this time while we waited on the clearance certificate to submit to TTMF our timeframe for the sale agreement was slipping by. I believe there was constant miscommunication to the seller regarding exactly what this certificate entailed and he continued to focus on getting a water connection when in fact all he needed to do was go in and complete a simple form basically indicating a desire for a water connection.

As we got closer and closer to the end date of the sale agreement I saw this property slipping from us again and I refused to let it happen. I demanded an extension from the real-estate agency overseeing the sale on behalf of the seller and they in turn informed his legal team to prepare it.

A few weeks later in the mail we got an invoice from the seller's legal firm billing us for the request to prepare and extension of the sale agreement. I was appalled. It wasn't a matter of the money, it was the fact that we were not at fault for the delay and were being penalised for doing what was right by requesting an extension. I wrote a heated e-mail to the seller and he immediately replied stating he will be paying the cost and apologised for the mix up. I got the impression that the seller, like us, was very disappointed in the service provided by this real estate agency and after speaking to the agent we knew a few times, we found out that the seller decided to switch agencies for the remaining plots on his property. Good move.

We finally got the clearance certificate and with all our documents in order we were informed of the desired date to close the sale. Samurai and I were sooo excited. We took the day off and got to the office of the legal firm early. We sat and waited finding out that the other guy in the waiting room was the seller when the receptionist called our names.

We all sat in the tiniest of conference rooms and the smile on my face was bigger than the building. After we were briefed, we passed all paperwork around the table and signed accordingly. We paid our legal fees as well as the second down payment to the seller and became property owners!!! The feeling was unbelievable. A weight was lifted and all the hassle and headache of our wedding two months away disappeared and to celebrate, we went out for lunch and basked in this great and wonderful achievement.

Circa 2010: Going with gut

The two lower-priced plots we viewed in this new development were bordering a very large pond and everything was very basic with no electricity poles or water lines. No paved road or pavements.

Before we confirmed that agreement Samurai and I went to view the land again by ourselves. This time I paid more attention to the drive to get there, the neighbourhood, the amenities and just the vibe of the area. Seven minutes from the highway felt like a lot because the road halfway in got really bad. I stood out and the breeze was strong that day, everything seemed so peaceful and I knew this all happened for a reason.

We called the agent soon after and confirmed our desire to purchase. The first plot had a somewhat steep slope but the bonus was that there were a few young cedar trees that can come in very handy when they mature. The other plot was also undulating but gentler than the first. We decided on the latter.

I wouldn't doubt that I was still nervous about the price. We never confirmed with TTMF that we would be approved for more money but Samurai was confident our savings will guarantee approval. What I was also nervous about was that even if we were approved, our lifestyle would have to change even more drastically to living off crumbs basically with a bigger monthly installment to pay.

We were also too far into our wedding which was a few months away so there was no turning back from all of the suppliers and contracts we signed and instead have a smaller affair. We also considered downgrading our honeymoon but ultimately decided that seeing that we'll be broke for many decades to come that we might as well have a big BANG before committing ourselves to this huge change.

The sale of the agreement was done with the condition that the owner provides water and electricity to the development so we went to another lawyer to go through the legalities of the agreement. This time we just used the same firm that processed our last application and no problems were found.

We made our down payment to the agent as the agency the seller used authorised him to collect on their behalf. We then made our appointment with TTMF for the application for the loan.

This time we went through the Port of Spain branch but sadly, the service was not like what we got before. The representative seemed very scattered in her thoughts and even though all our documents and savings guaranteed a sure approval, she came with an outrageous statement that she needed approval for a homestead lot like this.

I was confused because all advertising and documentation from their staff and website said no such thing. In fact, they specifically stated that they offer loans for both residential and homestead properties. I also mentioned to her that our last attempt at purchasing property was also for a homestead lot. When I questioned her about these contradictions, she goes on to state that the company's board is in the process of considering whether or not to change this and would therefore need to approve my application.

I informed her that it is still false advertising because if this is something the company is considering removing, then they need to also remove it from their advertising until a decision is made. I felt like she was just using her personal decision to delay our application and informed us that we will hear from her in two days.

Circa 2009-2010: Keeping you in mind

We were entering 2010 with pace thanks to all that wedding planning for that July but in all of the craziness, everything came to a standstill when Samurai got a call, out of the blue, from that real estate agent that oversaw our failed sale in Couva.

He said he immediately thought of us regarding a new property in Central Trinidad that he thinks we will be interested in and wanted us to see it. It was a new development comprising twelve one-acre plots and the seller was offering a special price on two of them, I guess as a selling pitch to other potential buyers that there was a demand for the property (if he had two buyers as proof) or because he needed the money to complete more infrastructure on the land. In addition, one condition was that the two plots being offered at a lesser value were non-negotiable with regards to the price. It really didn't matter to me thought as I had already given up basically on finding something so we just agreed to view it not expecting much of a 'wow' effect.

The drive to the property was again a long one bringing up memories of that last purchase that fell though. When we got there, however, Samurai was in love. The interest didn't hit me immediately as it did him though. He went to speak to the agent indicating 'our' interest but as I looked around I just didn't see it. The agent walked over to me, clearly seeing the lack of excitement in my face and asked my what I thought. I told him it was okay and I loved the large plot but the price for me was too much. He then said that he really believes this here is a great investment. He compared it to the other property we viewed together explaining that the location had a lot of potential for a quick increase in property value. He said that even though he couldn't sell me on price, he knows that his years of real estate experience makes him confident in this development even saying that if he had the money, he too would snap up a plot.

Turns out the agent was once again a friend of the seller but the actual sale was being handled by a somewhat reputable real estate firm. The seller, who lived at the beginning of the development, was very popular in the business and social world which convinced me that this property had a lot of potential.

That night Samurai and I sat down looking over the deed and layout of the property and the more we spoke the more I loved it. We decided to take the leap and proceeded with the sale agreement.

Circa 2009 - 2010: And we start all over

We took a while to recover from that last experience.

One thing we were thankful for was the keen eye for details from TTMF's legal team. I guess avoiding the issues that surfaced with our potential sale were better for the seller but for anyone looking to purchase property, I strongly advise you go through an agency of have a very experience legal team. This is because they need to ensure that they are giving you a loan or offering sound legal advice on a property and would therefore ensure it is any issues which in turn will help you avoid shady real estate transactions or identify serious matters to be resolved such as what happened to us here.

At the same time, Samurai really wanted to set a date for the wedding. He wanted an elaborate affair but I just thought that our savings would be better kept for our property purchase.

We began venturing outside of the areas we usually looked because we practically exhausted all available and affordable listings in Central Trinidad. I started to pay attention to the numerous La Lomas listings online and in the papers and decided to check out a few properties.

If the drive to our last potential purchase was long, the drives within Las Lomas were just a bit too much. We also had no friends in this area so it wasn't as appealing as Central. I wouldn't lie, this area had great real estate potential but without some sort of transport system, it seemed a bit too rural.

I saw one listing in this area for $400K+ but when we got there, the guy told us $1M!!! He was just crazy. Why would I pay one million for land in Las Lomas when I can get lots in more established areas for less. In addition, this type of dishonesty was a new low in the type of real estate behaviour that exists. We decided Las Lomas was not for us.

We then planned that year's (budget) vacation to Tobago and sat down to really think about possibly purchasing land over there. We toyed with ideas of quitting our jobs when the house was close to completion so we made arrangements to see a few properties, just to see how far we could run with this crazy idea.



The agent attached to the real estate company took us for lovely scenic rides to several properties all within the $400-500K+ range. It was a bit of a stretch for our budget but we saw it as an investment that would grow in value quickly because well, it was Tobago after all! One or two of the properties we saw really caught our attention but most of the others were a bit too underdeveloped for us. One significant difference from Trinidad though, was that even in the very far or rural areas, all the roads were well paved and well structured. In Trinidad we needed a 4x4 to get to some of the properties we viewed. In the end though, we ultimately decided, Tobago was not for us.

After this last viewing, we basically put the property search to a halt (not that there were much of anything to see again) and instead decided to focus our time and energy on the wedding. We set a date for 2010 and decided that we would probably wait on HDC and use our preperty-search savings towards having a wedding filled with family, friends and fun because hey, you only live once so why not celebrate such a big event in our lives.

Circa 2008-2009: Emotional real estate (cont'd)

While we waited on TTMF to process our application for the land in Couva, I began doodling house plans like crazy. I found a free program online that converted your 2D plans to 3D so I was hooked. I was seriously addicted sometimes up all night in the dark like a weirdo, on my laptop adding furniture and landscaping and slowly turning into an obsessed zombie... but a happy zombie nonetheless :)



Just when we thought everything was going smoothly, we got a call back from TTMF stating that the lawyer assigned to our application found one problem that had to be addressed. We went in and our representative explained that the deed for the land doesn't show any road access. This means that if anyone owns the property where the track to the land runs, they can cut us off at anytime leaving us with no access to our land. She explained that the seller either had to 1) visit a legal firm to modify the deed indicating 'right-of-way access' or 2) the seller constructs an actual road to establish access to the property.

We went back and forth with the seller on this matter via the real estate agent and eventually, she agreed to construct the road as she lived abroad. We kept getting updates that the construction will be started soon by her brother. The construction never started however and instead, we were informed by the agent that the seller wanted to pull out of the sale. I was heartbroken. I asked and pleaded with the agent to convince her to change her mind and I believe he really try but he said she(the seller) just couldn't handle all these extra matters and was just expecting a smooth sale of this property. He said she wanted to hold out for a cash sale instead to avoid all of these issues.

I was MAD at first. We both were. We already paid legal fees amounting to over $5K, we paid for that evaluation and other minor expenses relating to the sale. We were informed by our TTMF rep that we had the option of 1) just bowing out of the sale or 2) take legal actions to force them to proceed and the contract was binding and really could not be broken without agreement from both parties. The rep gave us her own personal advice that option two may not be the best choice because why force someone to do something they didn't want to. She explained to us that what was meant to be will be.

So instead, I sat down an wrote a long letter to the seller indicating our desire to continue but if she still refused I quoted all the expenses, including our down payment, that we were subjected to thus far regarding the sale and that we were requesting that she fully reimburse us as she is responsible for ending the agreement. I thought this will deter her, but it didn't. Instead, the agent just called and told us that the seller's brother would be preparing the check and would have it ready for us in a week. When he spoke to me on the phone while walking around Port of Spain, I couldn't hold back my emotions... I cried, I told him how hurt and disappointed we were, I told him we were too far in to stop now. I was mad angry and sad but he couldn't much more than what he did. All he could have done was apologise and bid us luck as we start the property hunt all over again.

Circa 2008-2009: Emotional real estate

I. am. engaged.

So weird. Never saw myself married but I love Samurai and we are great together.

I resorted to local real estate websites and reduced the amount of newspapers I buy. I am just getting fed up of the quality and/or type of property that people are attaching these hefty price tags to. Why are people so greedy? Is it that they only want a certain class of people to own property in this country?

We are now looking at property that we know is worth much less or we know is very undesirable just because we have basically accepted that the real estate industry in this country seems to be some kind of mafia-like/controlled operation. Our weekends plans by now are usually road trips to the many properties we want to view. We have seen and called about so many properties that sometimes I'm calling the same people or making new arrangements to see the same property we saw months before.

Just when things were getting really down, I saw an ad in the classifieds for a half-acre plot in Couva for only $300+. I mentioned it to my mother and what was rare was that the person listing the sale also printed his name with the contact number. You know in Trinidad everybody leaves out as much detail as possible like they don't realise how small the country is and people find out anyway... When I called the guy's name, my mother immediately told me that she knew of him. He was a real estate agent for years and she was shocked he was still in the game. I felt confident then that the sale was legit so I called to arrange a meeting.

I thought the road to this property would never end and when the houses lining the street started to become further and further apart till there were no more houses and only bush at the side of the road, I already started to get disappointed. We finally pulled up to a track which the agent led us into and not too far in, we saw a really nice piece of flat land. Yes, the surrounding properties were vacant except for one or two very basic structures but it was one of the few properties that we believed were really worth it's price so we jumped on it almost immediately. Any plans for our wedding was immediately pushed to the back burner.

The very first thing we found out we should do was get an evaluation of the property done. We went in to a firm close to my work and applied. We had to present the deed and details of the location. This was about 1% or less of the sale price to get this done. It took a few weeks and was valued a little less than what the seller was calling so she brought it down by about $60K which made us even more excited to proceed.

The owner of the land, apparently a friend of the agent, lived overseas so all correspondence was done through him. We visited his home for a copy of the sale agreement and with no agent of our own and very uneducated regarding real estate and the processes involved, we took the contract to one of TTMF's approved legal officers to vet the agreement.

Except for a new minor corrections to the wording, the contract was valid so we signed on the dotted line and wrote a check for 10% down payment of the purchase price. As the agent explained, this down payment is kept in an account until the sale is completed which should usually be around three months after. If either party is unable to uphold their end of the contract it is terminated. If the fault was on the seller to not close before the three month period, the down payment is returned or if the fault is on the potential buyer, the seller keeps the down payment.

We then visited TTMF for our loan application. As we had only three months, we couldn't waste a day. We already knew what we had to present which was pretty much standard such as identification, bank statements, job letters, payslips, etc.

We got the most pleasant and well-informed representative who really broke down the whole process for us. She told us we were more than qualified and saw no reason for any problem or delay with our application, so, we left to wait on TTMF to complete all their paperwork and verify our documentation and their legal advisers to go through all documentation and conditions of the sale.

Circa 2006-2008: The (property) hunt is on

So I don't have the child and I definitely don't have a house.

I'm now literally hunting for property. My boyfriend (I will refer to him as Samurai) has now realised how great it will be to own our own home and has joined me in this passionate goal for home ownership but with our very basic salaries, we wondered how realistic these goals could really be.

When Samurai first started to show interest in owning property we went into TTMF to find out how much we'll qualify for separately. It was like a meagre $200K each or a little more. Depressing eh! We were a bit despondent and weren't really giving much of an effort to find property and then yay! I get a call from HDC for land allocations! About a year ago we updated our application from seeking housing assistance to land and clearly it worked. Well we thought it did. I went in for my appointment, selected my three preferred areas in Central Trinidad, submitted all my financial documents and then... silence. Nothing for about two years.

As the first year passed, we started to think maybe this HDC thing was all a gimmick for political PR so we decided to resume looking for property but we were more serious about it this time, so, I'm buying the Guardian, Express and Newsday every single day just for their classifieds. I saved every single local real estate website as a bookmark. I was literally desperate to find something affordable... but everything was so damn expensive. We really realised why so many people just live with their families because owning property in Trinidad and Tobago seemed so realistic for the middle and low class.

When the search began to intensify, we went in again to TTMF but this time to see how much we would be pre-approved for as a couple and I think it grew to about $500K+. I've also been reading a lot of articles to help with our property search. They say to let friends and family know you're looking, sign up with real estate companies and look and consider anything and anywhere.

I honestly don't have much friends or family so that part didn't help much. I e-mailed a few real estate companies, but most of them clearly just ignored me but we did follow with the advice to consider anything and anywhere. One thing we did decide on is that we will only consider purchasing land and build our own home. I didn't like the idea of living in a house where someone lived, farted, ate, showered or even possibly died. Morbid, yeah I know. We also were appalled by the quality of houses on the market that were so small or rundown or ridiculously overpriced or just not a style and size of house suitable for us. We wanted to make our own home and not settle for someone else's.

We looked at a lot of property in Central Trinidad becuase it was cheaper, mainly Gran Couva. There was a lot of property for sale in this area but a lot of these lots were not Town and Country approved which explained their affordability. This meant we were basically taking a risk buying this property because Town and Country may not approved it for residential construction so we'll just be stuck with a piece of land with no house ever to be built on it. The lots that were approved were usually much more expensive or in locations that were very hilly, with poor road access or would require very in-depth structural engineering so that means the costs would add up for us some way or another.

We did stumble upon a $500K+ acre plot opposite the popular La Vega estate that Samurai was very excited about. I wasn't that excited though. All I could think about is the long and winding drive people would have to take just to get to our house. There was also no public transportation other than PH drivers (a somewhat illegal trend of citizens using their personal vehicles to provide public transportation, which I am honestly very wary of) but looking back now, I kind of regret this decision because it would have been a great location for a business like a Bed & Breakfast, Diner or something similar as La Vega had a high number of visitors. I might have had an opportunity to resign and work from home. Apparently someone did purchase the property, however, and we then saw it listed again in the daily newspapers a few months later for over $800K! That turnover in real estate could have also been a consideration because that profit would have helped us out sooo much.

Circa 1995-1996: Welcome to the real world

Circa 1995-1996:

I grew up in a relatively quiet neighbourhood in Diego Martin in a house tucked very neatly from the sight of passers-by.

I went through a phase where I was embarrassed about where I lived because our house didn't sit on the main road with a front gate, mailbox or even house number. I didn't like saying that ours was the third house, in the yard, by the shop. I just wanted to be part of the cookie-cutter crew.

Every time I got a ride home, I will tell the person to drop me off by the corner of the street instead of in the front of our yard because I didn't want anyone to see where I lived so I walked the rest. The strange thing is that I had friends who lived in houses and areas even less structured than mine and I never even paid attention to that or saw a problem with it. Somehow, I just saw our house as too hidden and looking back now, it seems so stupid. Oh well, teenagers, go figure.

In standard four as I started Technical Drawing for CXC, I began to pay attention to architecture and began to envision myself as a homeowner one day. I began to doodle floor plans, a lot. I probably can still find some old book or sketch pad with what I wanted in my dream house. I would draw that same floor plan over and over and over and began making some goals for myself.

1. Have a child by the age of 25 (husband, optional)
2. Have my dream house by the age of 30 on no less that two lots of land (10,000 sq ft)

Turns out these goals were not as realistic as I thought for a girl who (some may disagree with limiting my possibilities here) didn't come from a wealthy family or had money of my own. I also lacked the social skills needed for effective networking that may have propelled me into a more glamourous and well-paid field of work from a young age.

I wish now though that I could go back in time and buy property then. I remember looking through the classifieds for property and seeing prices of land at $15.00 per square foot, sometimes less, in some really desirable and well-established areas. Now, a lot of land in many areas can start at around $100.00 per sq ft. I actually used to think that buying that house or land was a simple process. My 15 year-old self seriously thought I could just find a property I liked, divide the price by say thirty years and pay the owner whatever figure I got as monthly installments. I was so, so wrong. Why did I even think someone selling their home would take $2,000.00, not even including interest, from a complete stranger for thirty years! lol. Most of the general adult population in the Caribbean live at home until... forever in many cases or build overtime with cash. I guess that pretty much made me oblivious to the world of finance and real estate at the time but it made me believe that buying property would never be possible unless I ventured into some very rural and underdeveloped areas... or won the lottery.

Introduction

To really understand how I got to where I am, it is only expected that I give you some insight into my history. So before my posts reach to present day, I will write a few key stories that introduces you to my goal of building my dream house here in Trinidad and Tobago.

I will post pictures where I could and provide dates where I could but without that, I hope my (amateur) writing style paints a fair enough picture of this entire timeline.