Personal | A House Update

Well… in Thursday’s post I mentioned we were looking at two homes that night.  We really had no expectations for them, we’d seen no photos of either since one wasn’t actually for sale yet (being flipped by an investor) and the other was for sale by owner (with just a sign in the yard, no online listing anywhere). We arrived at the FSBO house first and met the owner with our agent. He mentioned the house had been built by his wife’s parents who were deceased and it had served as a rental since 2003. The renters had torn the place up and he had done a lot of repairs. We were nervous to walk in and see what his version of “repair” meant.

We walked on the back patio and through the door into the kitchen… to find brand new stainless steel appliances and granite counters! We were pretty shocked, his version of “repair” was actually good! The finishes aren’t necessarily what we would pick, but they are perfectly fine. (we plan to paint the cabinets) Also in the kitchen is a sitting area with a fireplace, which is back-to-back with the fireplace in the living room. He said we can make it a see-thru fireplace since they connect.  He showed us the lovely pink & blue tile baths (1.5), the bedrooms (just 2) and then back around to the living room, dining and garage. We then walked out to the outbuilding that had served as the renters office and man cave…. Jeremy’s eyes sparkled. He envisioned a giant flat screen, sofas and a bar.

After the tour with the owner, we did our own quick walk thru with our agent and were 99% sold… but felt obligated to see the house being flipped since we had made the appointment. We shook the owners hand, thanked him and rode just up the street to the other house. Instantly we were not too impressed. We expected to be told what the finishes would be, and the owner didn’t really seem to have a plan. Some of the rooms could have been thought through more, and the living area on the main floor was tiny. We hopped back in the car and went home to discuss an offer on the FSBO house, came to a number and called our agent. The next day after a lot of patience, sweat, and pacing it was submitted….. and countered. We accepted their counter offer on Friday night and could not be happier!!!

Here are the few photos I quickly took before we left our tour on Thursday night. I hope to take better ones when we go back for the inspection….. which cross your fingers that goes well… you never know what will come up with a 55 year old home! Garage that will be the master… Jeremy is standing in the entry to what will be the master closet. Our plan…..