No, not me. But there’s a house on my street that’s been foreclosed on and the bank is auctioning off. If you’ve been to my house, you probably know which one I mean- the cute little cottage with the stone (I think it’s fake, but hell, it’s still cute) front. When I moved in two (almost three now) years ago, it sat empty. People ask about it all the time.
The Department of Elder Affairs came in and made some repairs on behalf of the owners, and I had the chance to see the inside. I thought it would be trashed and while it does need some work, it’s in pretty good shape. When I saw it the wood floors looked pretty good and it had a nice big living room and a fireplace.
My point in telling you all this? There’s an open house tomorrow and next Saturday, and I’m pretty sure whoever comes by can get the house for a song. So if you have the sort of spirit for renovations, you can own a home that, in about five or ten years, will be in a pretty cool part of town.
I think the place needs appliances, but I can tell you from experience that appliances (washer, dryer, fridge, and oven) will set you back anywhere from $1200 to $2000, and other than that I think whoever buys it could move right in and do the work that it needs while they live there. Hell, if you buy it and don’t plan to rent it out, I’ll help you refinish the floors (I’ve done that three times and it’s not as bad as you might think).
I’m posting this because it’s a decent house and I would love to see someone come in and fix it up a bit and take care of it. It’s been empty far too long. If you haven’t ever bought a house because real estate’s been too expensive this is right up your alley.
Oh, and about the neighborhood- yeah, well, it ain’t perfect. But thanks to our neighborhood association, the Bartlett Park Crime Watch, and a pretty fine group of police officers, things are much better than they were a year ago. I mean, don’t leave your scooter outside and unlocked or anything, but I can honestly say I have NEVER feared for my safety here. As for your immediate neighbors? Gail lives on one side and she’s a FANTASTIC neighbor. The house next store is up for sale, too, but it’s going for almost $200k. I would be shocked if this house sold for half that.
One more thing: if you want to buy this house as an investment rental, please don’t. We don’t need more rentals here; we need owner occupieds. Trust me, the grief from me alone when your tenants act up will be enormous. I want neighbors, not transients.
But hey, if you think old houses are cool and you want a mortgage payment that you can afford in a house that can only get more valuable, stop by the open house at 764 21st Avenue South tomorrow or next Saturday.
I can’t promise you’ll be on easy street, but if you’re into cottages you will love this house.
