Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Well......


(Photo taken right before the batteries died)

People, can I tell you, I just laughed so hard, I almost pee'd in my pants. I need to share.
So, I had some free time and decided to run by "the house" for a minute, to look around the exterior and start taking some pictures.

Yeah......so when the realtor on the phone today, described it as "not in bad condition", just needing some "updates", like was he hitting the rock or something? No, super nice guy, really, but maybe we are....TALKING ABOUT TWO DIFFERENT HOUSES! Because what part of NO WALLS and NO FLOORS = "not in bad condition", just needing some "updates"?

To me, (and tell me if I'm being judgemental), but no floors and walls, oh yeah and NO CEILING, is kind of like, "not in so great condition". Let me just tell you about the "two car garage" which was really this room that was missing the back wall, so you just kind of drive into the room. Then attached to the back of that room, to make it s "two" car garage, there was a car port made out of wood. Did I mention the two dead animals that had decayed in the front and backyard, or the GIANT HOLE in the front door? The best part, somebody forgot to close the roof on the greenhouse, which is attached to the house. They also forgot to close the door from the house to the greenhouse, which means there is a rodent fiesta going on inside the house for sure. Ole'!

That aside, I am indeed and optimist! I could see through the windows a beautiful, original fire place with nice tiles and surrounding built-ins. The kitchen didn't look too bad either. We'll have to see. This is a pricey neighborhood and I suppose it is possible to believe that the past owner bought it for $685,000....but huh? What happened!? If we could get it for super cheap, like, even under $300,000 and put $50,000 in, I'm sure we would be left with a nice, livable house worth a lot more than the $350,000 invested!

I'm crazy, I know. Jon has posted in the recent past about the poor real estate market here and how we just can't move right now. The thing is, we REALLY want to move. I could so relate with Suburban Bliss's moving Saga, they actually live just a mile or two down the road. It's hard to live in a place you don't really love, that you don't feel settled in. It's even harder in one of the most downtrodden markets in the U.S.! You just have to find a way, right!?

So Jon had a nice talk with our mortgage broker Mark today. We really love the guy. He's patient, helpful, knowledgeable and honest. Mark thought it was a good idea to fix up our house a bit and put it on the market. If it sold, even poorly, we'd make it up on the great deals out there. Also, worse comes to worse, if it doesn't sell, we will just be left with a nicer house in the end. That makes sense.

I didn't blog it earlier, but here are a few more I on the docket:
CUTE!!!! and down the street from "the house".
Our old street! We loved living here!
Practical and Responsible! Woot!

Now the hard part is selling our house. It's a great house you know.... solidly built, new hardwood floors throughout. It's bright and sunny inside, has a very nice, large backyard. It's a straight shot, leisurely 15 minute walk to the heart of downtown. Great schools. We just need a little more space and a better layout suited to our needs.

Anyway, hopefully I'll be able to post some pictures from today's showing. Let's just say, I'm going to bring my hardhat!

3 comments:

Judy said...

First house - CUTE - love the cape cod look, but are those 8 foot ceilings? Yikes. Then again, I married a giant (6 ft 4 in) and high ceilings are a MUST HAVE for us. Tee hee!

Second house - I like, but not as much as the first.

Third house - adorable, but what is up with the floral bathroom? That hurt my eyes.

All three are cute as a button. I just can't believe how EXPENSIVE housing is there. I'm going to try and attach some links:

http://homes.realtor.com/prop/1086565042

And here's one more "in town"...

http://homes.realtor.com/prop/1078707665

Here's another old-town home - check out the sft...

http://homes.realtor.com/prop/1082244723

Lauren said...

Judy! Thanks for the comment. I need to get Noah ready for bed, but I am going to check your links in just a few!

Btw...I know...I KNOW...it is CRAZY expensive around here. You should have seen the prices three years ago! That's the thing, the links I put in were super DEALS! It makes me sick to think how much people want for tiny homes. It's such a problem, but we are in the place we feel best suites us, good schools too.

Anyway...thanks. I'm going to update on "the house" soon!

Brianne said...

I don't know why that one on Winthrop reminds me of Your Mom's old house. Maybe because of the way the room closes off or something.