Eavesdropping

In January 2012 my wife and I decided rather than pay rent to a landlord for my student son in the next academic year commencing September 2012 we would buy a house in Norwich and rent it to him and his mates. By April we still had not done anything and then we knew we had to get a move-on. We drew up a short-list but decided that one house was miles better than the others so we went up on the train on 14th April from our home in London and arranged a lunch-time viewing with the intention of calling the agents from the train regarding the other houses on the shortlist and arranging a short-notice viewing. However, out of laziness we ended up only looking at the one house and we made an offer on it during the afternoon which was declined the next day.<br /> On Wednesday 18th April I was eating lunch alone in a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown, London some 115 miles from Norwich. It was very busy and the waiter sat me at the only empty table upstairs. The tables were very close together so I couldn't help but hear a lady sat at the next table say she was having trouble selling her house in Norwich and revealing what the highest offer she had received was. At the end of my meal I apologised to her for eavesdropping but I said I had to take the opportunity of saying that I was looking to buy a house in Norwich and I didn't suppose it was anywhere near the University. She said it was very near the University and occupied by her son, a student. She revealed the name of the road and I said well, it must be this one then and showed her the address in my diary in the short list of 7 properties we had drawn up. She appeared not to be surprised that a stranger sitting next to her in a London restaurant had her address in his diary but was more miffed that I hadn't bothered to see it so I promised her I would get my son to go.<br /> On Thursday 19th we were told our preferred house had been sold to others and on Saturday 21st two others that our son had lined up to view were sold before he was able to see them. So by the time our son did get to see her house we were under pressure to do something and took his word that it was OK and after a couple of exchanges we bought the house belonging to the lady in the Chinese restaurant without looking at it and my son and his friends now live there.<br />