House: The Second
I went and saw that Norman house yesterday -- and it's FABULOUS!
The gutters are all newish (within 5-6 years, I'd guess), there doesn't seem to be hardly any damage from anything -- the worst is the water staining in the bedroom, which is shown in that photo from last post, and another spot of it above the stairs. But here's the great thing about that: it's had been raining for 4 days when I went to see the house, so I climbed up on the window ledge (of course I did) and felt the water spots, and there was no dampness, so I'm hoping it's left over from something that was repaired already. The other worst? Vanity repairs -- a small hole in a cupboard, cupboard doors that stick, new carpeting needed, etc. The land itself is a little bit overgrown, but not horrifically so. There's a FIREPLACE. And it's being sold for about what it's valued at, which is far under what I can afford, so I'm hopeful I won't get outbid!
Next step: we put in a bid today, and if it's accepted, then we go through all the checks. Someone to check the roof, the wiring, and the plumbing is first and foremost; all the houses in this area are old (1918 isn't uncommon, and "new" ones are usually 1950s), so that's always the first step. There's other things to check, but those are the important ones. Given the good upkeep of the place in general (for instance, the below-ground heating has been removed, laundry hook ups have been added), I'll be surprised if there's more than minor fixes to do there. The shape of the roof doesn't lead to being able to see it, but the lack of leaks/dampness in the house makes me think that it's probably solid. (The land it sits on wasn't flooded either; a nice surprise!) There's probably some kind of pest problem, statistically speaking; the whole bay area is riddled with them. No sign of roaches or rodents, though, which I was pleased to see. (A couple of filled holes in one cupboards makes me think maybe they had a rodent point at some time, but we didn't see any droppings while we were there -- and we looked in the cupboards.)
In short: I'll be stunned if I don't end up with this house. I LOVE IT SO MUCH. And the town and the houses around it were fabulous, too. :D The garage has an attached shelter area that would easily be converted to a chicken coop and shelter (looks like it was a barn and horse shelter at one point, actually), so that's fun. And god, the whole place was obviously loved, the important things seemed cared for -- like my grandparent's house, with they made sure the structural stuff was sound but didn't get around to the less important things, like carpet replacement. There's a giant lemon tree in one corner; we all marveled at its size. A deck, 3 gates to get into the property, and I can see where I could put my fruit trees. ;)
So! Time to bid, then examine, and then it's mine. WOO HOO! :D Box unpacking party at my place! I'll be going from 450 sq ft to 1350, so it shouldn't take long... ;-D
J
**Edit: Bid is in! Cross your fingers that it's accepted. They have 12 more days to accept bids before I'll hear anything. >.<