The Van Buren House

So, nearly 2 weeks after her disappearance, realtor Suzy resurfaced on Monday with a phone call to let me know that after her vacation she had come down with bronchitis. Okay, okay, so she was sick. I apologize for questioning her work ethic. Anyway, she offered to show me the little house on Van Buren (as in Martin) Street last evening after work. The house (which is the last one pictured below) is a 1949 bungalow that has had some renovations done, but not many. Happily, I think this might be a real possibility!!!

The Pros:
It still has plenty of fixing-up that needs to be done, so I don't feel like its been stripped of its soul the way some other properties have. The bathroom still has its original tile work - yay!

Although it needs work, it doesn't need major huge things like a new roof or wiring - mostly its cosmetic stuff (it currently has some NASTY carpet in every single room, including the kitchen - that would be the first item on my to-do list!).

It has a great fenced-in yard that currently features a rusty corrugated metal shed that I could probably knock down with a good shove, and some really old grape vines that are still producing!

The owner/realtor had intended to flip this house, but has since decided that its not worth his effort, so he's offering $12,000 to the buyer for improvements - woohoo!!

The Cons:
The house is set back from the street quite a ways, and that space in between is a gravel parking lot. Not very attractive, and a little confusing.

The reason there is a gravel parking lot in front of the house is because the property next door is a not-very-big house with 5 - count'em 5! - apartments in it. At the moment, they're all college student renters. Yay.

The view from the front of the house is of the back side of a service station. Also not attractive.

No air conditioning. No dishwasher. No washer/dryer. And no place or hook-up for a washer/dryer. Ancient refigerator (and not in a cute, vintage way, but rather in a electricity-guzzling 1980's way) and stove.

So, that's the latest news fromt he house-hunt! I have some thinking to do about this place...