House #22

Good things must come in threes! Three great houses in three weeks! On the same trip as #21, we drove to another town to check out #22. What a beauty from the ONE picture shown on the listing. No photos at all of the inside, so this was the "mystery house." We wouldn't have bothered at all if we weren't already working with an agent who could show it. Built in 1920 (a bit younger than I was hoping for) and listed for $60,000, at 2,370 sq, it's substantially larger than the previous two houses. Larger could be an issue for moving, but might alleviate the need to add on. I was pretty taken with #21, so all the way on the drive between #21 and #22 I was obsessing about how to add on to #21 and telling myself not to get my hopes up about #22, having no clue about the shape of the inside, other than that it was described as "as is" and "full of character and possibilities."

When the realtor opened that front door, I think all three of us went (or thought) "oh my god!" Not only at the shape it was in, but at the possibilities waiting! It appears to be structurally sound, and the interior is actually in quite good condition (the exterior has quite a bit of peeling paint and perhaps a little rot), but the current owners started a renovation that has left it in a state of disarray, to say the least. But the character! And the possibilities! The ad was quite right in that regard. Two notes about the trim and doors - 1) the trim is not as ornate as #21 (which I love) and the doors are the horizontal panels which came a bit later than the four-panels which are my first choice, but they are all present and accounted for with the original hardware, and 2) the wood is stained, not painted. I've decided that 2) is both a pro and a con. It is a con because painted trim is an ABSOLUTE in my next house, and painting over all that virgin wood is going to be a bit painful, but it's a pro because all the other houses had multiple layers of (lead-based I'm sure) paint which would have to be stripped, and this will be a much easier paint job. I could go on and on about this house, but I don't want to give too much away, because I'm holding out on my kids, who read this blog. (That's also the reason I'm not showing any photos of the interior.)

BECAUSE, my friends, we have made an offer on House #22! It's contingent on the inspections, which is a biggie, because if it's found to have structural damage then that may be a deal-breaker, depending on the extent. I also want to try to have a mover come look at it to make sure it is indeed possible to move it out of its current location, which could be another deal-breaker. But keep your fingers and toes crossed! We're probably jumping in way over our heads, and straight into a money pit, but this beauty was a grand dame in her day, and she can be again!

Pros:

The price is right
Great bones
Oozes charm
Appears to be in sound condition
Large enough not to add on
30 minutes from home for weekend commutes

Cons:
The porch doesn't wrap (minor, but would be nice)
Size may cause a moving problem
Kitchen is small
Floorplan works for us, but might not work for resale (hopefully that's our heirs' problem)
Trim and doors not as ornate as others, and stained (pro and con)
A little younger than I was hoping for (minor)

Edited to add: Since we didn't get this house, I came back to add pictures of the interior.