Chapter 10 - Update

What´s tacky, great for a laugh, includes gay dancers and drag queens, and has people singing in bad english accents?? ...Yes it´s Eurovision! And it was on last weekend! It was a big weekend here in Iceland... National elections and Eurovision all in the one weekend! Unfortunately Iceland didn´t make it to the final of Eurovision however... they bowed out in the qualifying round... and yes, everyone was disappointed (but not surprised that all the Eastern European countries made it through as they all vote for each other). I must say though.. the icelandic song “Valentine Lost” was quite catchy and I can´t get it out of my head because the kids at my work keep playing it over and over! (Have a listen...)

So anyway... some other news... I have decided to stay on here in Iceland for another two months... I will come home at the end of August. I thought... well I´m here now... This gives Birna and I some more time together and takes the pressure off us having to make the other bigger (and more difficult) decisions... This is also the best time to spend in Iceland as it´s summer. I have already asked my Manager at the Department of Child Safety if she would extend my leave for an extra two months and she approved it... so that´s all sorted. My parents were obviously disappointed with my decision to stay longer as now they have two daughters overseas. My mum seems to believe that I will follow in Vanessa´s footsteps and never come home... but let´s not get ahead of ourselves. I know it´s hard not seeing my beautiful face... not being around my lovely, funny, wonderful, endearing, charming self... but two more months isn´t an eternity. It is hard for me too to be away from my family and my friends... but this is something that I want to do because it makes me happy and feels right. Time will fly by and as big Arnie says... “I´ll be back!”

Well on that note... my back has been giving me a lot of trouble lately. I think it was the battle with the lawn mower last weekend that did it this time... so it´s 1-0 to the lawn mower... but it ain´t over til the fat lady sings! My dad´s advice is... (as always... whether I have a broken nail or broken back)... is to take aspirin... It´s the miracle cure for everything apparently! I think I also need some sticky tape and blutak to hold my body together (and I think the Dr would also recommend lots of chocolate and ice-cream).

Oh and before I forget... as per Sarah´s request... I´ve been asked to blog what Birna does for a job. Well... Birna is an Event Manager for the biggest telecommunication company in Iceland – Siminn. She has worked there for nearly two years. Her job involves network marketing, events and incentive trips of various sizes, sponsorship relations and annual celebrations. It´s a pretty full on job but she really enjoys it and gets great satisfaction out of seeing big projects / events she has organised go well. She also gets to enjoy the many perks her jobs has to offer, like trips abroad and flexible work hours.

Birna has sold her apartment and is looking for a new unit to buy. It´s been fun looking for places. I´m learning a lot about the processes of buying and selling here. It is very different to back home! In Australia – you liaise directly with the real estate agent for everything... Advertising costs are usually waved... Settlement is usually 30 days upon signing a contract... The purchaser applies to the bank for a loan and it doesn´t matter what the seller still owes on their loan – as it´s all independent of each other.

Here however... The process of buying and selling takes many months from the signing of the contract to the final payment of the property... With the new owner often not paying the final (and biggest) instalment until some time after they have moved in to the purchased property!!??!!. There are no solicitors involved... Everything gets done through the real estate (who have certified agents to complete the required legal documents). The real estate agents don´t seem to do much at all – Birna´s apartment had been on the market about two months and she had only heard from her agent a few times in that time. It is up to the home owner / seller to conduct the ´open house´ and talk directly with the potential purchasers about the property.

If buying a property... pest and building inspections are rarely done (which is quite surprising given that a lot of the properties are very old). If buying a property, the purchaser has the option of directly taking over the seller´s loan (through the seller´s bank - with the same interest rate, repayments, etc) and paying the remaining money (ie. what he seller has already paid off) as a down payment directly to the seller (which if the seller has already paid a lot of money off the loan, is hard for the purchaser to come up with). Or... to actually apply for a new loan through a bank costs a minimum of $5000 and anywhere up to $15000 or more (depending on the size of the loan). Then for some reason... for the first few years, the size of the loan actually goes up and you owe more than you actually borrowed!!??!! Then you pay off only interest for ´x´ amount of years (depending on the size of the loan... but if it was a 40 year loan for example, you would pay interest for about the first 20 years) and only then start paying off the capital.

It´s funny though... Birna´s brother Freyr... who now lives in Australia with his wife and young son, has just bought property there and going through the aussie real estate and bank system. So he has had both the Iceland and Aussie experience of buying/selling property. He believes that whilst Iceland has some flaws with their systems and processes (especially the expense of buying/selling), so does Australia and things in Oz take a very long time to get done (ie. getting bank loans approved etc). So yes... as with everything... there will always be advantages / disadvantages... good things / bad things... pros / cons. And obviously, what is most familiar to you always seems the best way / option / thing. “Better the devil you know!”