It was the only house my boyfriend Jonathan and I saw. The two-bedroom cottage in a village just outside Cambridge went online on 19 May, 2016. We booked an appointment to view for the following Monday and by then the vendors had already had 20 viewings and one offer at the asking price. That afternoon we put in a counter offer and, after a bidding war, we got the news we’d been longing for. Our offer had been accepted.

Euphoria reigned... briefly. The next day the top of the chain fell through and we had to wait five long months before our vendors found something else to buy.

Our plan was to rent out rather than sell Jonathan's one-bedroom flat near Cambridge station so we had to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage before we could proceed any further. More headaches and delays ensued. By the time we were ready to start our solicitors searches, the district council had a major backlog and we were told we would have to wait about six to eight weeks. Somehow, our solicitor got them through in three.

Then finally, at 3pm on Thursday, 2 February we got the call. We had exchanged and now had until 14 February – today – to pack up our lives and get ready to move four miles down the road..

I must admit, neither of us was prepared for the emotional ups and downs of the last eight months. We were so excited when our offer was initially accepted, and immediately began dreaming of how beautiful we could make our cottage look, only to be thrown into despair when the chain broke. So many people told us to keep looking, to find something else, but we knew this was the perfect house for us and our two cats and if that meant waiting, then that’s what we were going to do.

Now moving day is here at last. We can’t wait to start this new phase of our lives together in what has turned out to be the best Valentine's Day gift we could ever hope for.

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