House Hunting in Auld Reekie

I'm house hunting in Edinburgh, Scotland. House hunting has got to be one of the worst life experiences imaginable at the best of times. Don’t get me wrong I enjoy being nosey and looking around properties but actually going through the rigmarole of trying to find a place to live can be hell. The experience is made all the worse when you have some factors in your way. Unfortunately I seem to have almost every factor against me. Yet, moving is absolutely necessary to get me that bit closer to the writer’s life I really dream of. So what am I going to do and how am I going to get around my problems?

One of my first issues is that I’m looking to move into one of the most in demand cities in the UK, a city with a chronic property shortage. The state of the property market in Edinburgh is reflected in the price but when looking to rent, like myself, there’s another problem. Unfortunately Edinburgh is second only to London in terms of tourism in the UK. As such the AirBnB problem has made things even more problematic with many landlords putting their properties up for short term rental rather than long term rent. There’s basically nothing I can do about this problem though, so there’s no point in worrying about it. I just have to keep looking.

Being self employed and early in my business development makes me something of an increased risk for a landlord too. There are ways of mitigating this risk for the landlord when it comes to issues like this though, so I’ve begun to make the necessary arrangements for this. As such I’m not fretting too much about something that I can definitely resolve. That is as long as I can find a landlord that’s ok with the mitigations offered. Something that I can’t guarantee or realistically do anything about, so no point in worrying about it.

This is going to be a hectic journey but it has to be somehow manageable. I have to find a way to make this happen. So what am I going to do to improve my chances? First thing, I’m going to ask anyone that might be able to offer help or advice for their assistance. I think it’s the first step in resolving any issue, asking for help. Ensuring I have, or can get, the finances to get moved and pay up front enough to cover any short term cashflow problems that might arise. Finally look for multiple ways of solving the problem of finding a new home. This brings me to a problem I have that is quite unique. I’m actually homeless.

I didn’t realise a few years ago that the decision I was making that seemed like a good solution to an immediate problem was actually making myself homeless. Yet that is now my status. I’m not sleeping rough, on the street, but I am without a permanent, settled and independent place to live. Instead I am entirely dependent on family. This means it’s impossible to get a landlord reference. Also, my somewhat limited income makes it difficult to actually get to flat viewings, especially when I live nearly two hours journey from Edinburgh. In hindsight moving to where I am was a truly terrible idea. There is help available here too, but the demand for that help far outstrips the supply.

So why am I writing this post? Well, because I thought it might be an interesting story to follow. How does someone go from being one of the invisible homeless to settled, independent and living the life of their dreams? I have no idea really but we can find out together. This blog won’t be where this story is told though, instead I’m going to take that story to YouTube. If you haven’t checked out my YouTube channel yet, you can find it here. I’m also starting a Patreon where you’ll get additional content, ad free videos and a whole lot more. Click here to check that out and help me build that dream writer’s life in the city I love.