The buyers are a British couple in their late 30s, who have a history
of property renovations in the UK, and who are looking for another big,
juicy project. As usual, their decision was partly heart, only
partly mind: a short holiday, and an immediate decision. As X works
off-shore and therefore has much time off to spend on the project, and
as Y wants to give up work and live on site, overseeing the design,
organising the builders etc, the couple want to sell their large
British property, get rid of their mortgage, buy somewhere smaller, and
use the remaining money to do up the property here. Later, Y would like
to run a business from the property - after all this is the European
Union and there are funds available for good business ventures. At
first, the brief was an initial budget of up to 2 million czks (just
below £50,000), for
a house or preferably farm within easy commuting distance from Cesky
Krumlov town - with good appreciation potential, but still needing some
renovation. The couple went back to Britain while we searched, but
during that time their sights went higher, and they decided to stretch
their initial budget if the need arose.
The search
As our initial brief was for a smaller budget, we prepared and emailed
a portfolio that contained small farmhouses within an easy distance to
Cesky Krumlov, some as low as 750,000czks for a house and a barn type.
But we included a couple of larger farmhouses for around 3,000 000,
because we felt they were much more like the idea of what the buyers
really had in mind. In fact, meanwhile the couple have decided
independently that they really want something quite spectacular, and
wouldn't mind paying more for it. So when they arrived for viewings, it
was immediately obvious that the smaller properties weren't 'it'. We
left the two expensive farmhouses till the last, and the moment the
buyers walked into the first one, they knew it was what they wanted.
We went to see the other one too, but though they liked it well enough,
their hearts were already set on the one from the day before.
The result
Well, the result is a truly spectacular place, too vast to describe in
detail. Suffice to say it (like most South Bohemian farmhouses)
consists of two separate parts with living accommodation, and a number
of barns, haylofts, stables, etc etc., all set around a big central
square which gives the property complete privacy. All the roofs were
recently re-done, so the biggest and the most expensive bit of work
needn't be calculated into the repairs budget. But the cherry on the
cake, and something that set Y's heart racing, is a big
hall/theatre - the farmers back in the 19th century were obviously the
sociable sort, and added a wing to create a space for all the village
to gather, dance, and perform in. There is also an acre or so of
land at the back, which is quite enough as the buyers are not
interested in farming. To the couple's delight the farm actually came
at a price below their revised budget. They have started a blog about
their experiences - so if you want to find out how they are getting on
visit http://bohemianretreat.blogspot.com
