:: House Hunting ::

The Honey and I went house hunting on Sunday.
It was a beautiful day for it.  We found a sweet little cottage…just small enough for the two of us!
It needed work. We had to use the back door—the front steps were missing and the door was jammed. :/


The house was priced fairly low. Upon closer inspection, we could see why. Not sure how long it had been on the market.

It is going to need work. We’ve talked about buying another house.  He wants to move out of state. Not me. Though,We did have to drive over an hour to find this one. He didn’t mind,in fact,  it was HE  that told me to call on it.

After talking to the owner—I was able to look around a little more freely.



We came in the back door and entered into a room that was lacking in identity -with no definite purpose.  Honestly, I wasn’t sure what this room was. 



It was carpeted and the carpet was in really bad shape. The only thing in the room was a lone Coo-coo clock.  It was a quarter til 12. But the sun cast a shadow as though it were 4:30 in the afternoon… I thought I heard it ticking.

Clearly this house had been broken into. The windows were broken…
Rounding the corner…
I spotted the fireplace. That is when it occurred to me. The room I’d just left was the kitchen!
Now, I was standing in a small; but what could only be described as ‘one-time-cozy’ living room. Vandals had absconded with the entire kitchen and appliances; and in the living room they’d left nothing but the firewood in the fireplace!

Who would do such a thing?!

I’m thinking maybe this little house has set empty since the market plummeted in ‘08. Possibly longer. Sadly, the owners had left  a family portrait on the mantel.  I think they had children. Under the stairs was a bulleting board with home-work pages and flash cards-- still pinned.



By the looks and smell of the carpet they appeared to have had pets too.

Now,don’t get me wrong,  we aren’t desperate people. We do have a roof over our heads.  But buying house is something I’ve thought about doing for a while now…WE’VE thought about doing. We are on a budget and a ‘FIXER- UPPER’ is definitely the way to go for us.
We discussed it only a little, then decided we must see the whole thing.

Heading up the stairs was precarious.  There are no rails.

 

Once we reached the top—you were able to enter the bedroom from the left…



Again, old and outdated artwork.



I don’t even want to know what that stain is on the bed. Ick!

I was afraid to go into the bathroom. If the kitchen had been stolen…Can you imagine what the bathroom would look like?

More crazy artwork.  No offence to teddy bear enthusiasts…but I could see why they left it.



The mirror hung—like a sentry standing it’s post; marking the spot where the sink once stood. The only thing to otherwise indicate that this was the bathroom…

A TOWEL BAR. Because there was no tile. Only CARPET?!



I turned to Honey and asked, “Who puts carpet in a bathroom?!  That will have to be torn out. Every square foot.” He knew I was smitten. 

Honey just looked at me.  His eyes equally wide to his gaping mouth.

Hhhhmmmph!  He obviously did not see the potential in the little house. But he gave his approval anyway. :)



I handed the nice lady $20 and rushed back to the car with my little house… popped the trunk and once safely secured…made my way back to the country from the big city.

The whole way giddy like a child. Thanking God in my heart for a little house. Thanking my Honey again and again for his generosity and  for his kind heart and limited words…

Grateful to Craig for his incredibly long (though not so LOCAL)  List!



It’s a fixer-upper.
When I look at it I feel like Mary, in “It’s a Wonderful Life”

George Bailey: OK then, I'll throw a rock at the old Granville house.
Mary: Oh no, don't. I love that old house.
George Bailey: No, you see you make a wish and then try to break some glass and you've got to be a pretty good shot nowadays too.
Mary: Oh no George don't. It's full of romance that old place. I'd like to live in it.
George Bailey: In that place?
Mary: Uh huh.
George Bailey: I wouldn't live in it as a ghost.

I’m thrilled, can’t you tell?!




Shout joyfully to the LORD all the earth. Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before Him with Joyful singing. “
~ Psalm 100: 1-2