House #17

Well, this place is just cute, cute, cute from the photos! Early 1900s, partially restored, on the bank of a dry creek and almost within view of the river, this is another one in my hometown. So despite several misgivings (no acreage, in town, and a Google Earth tour of the unappealing surroundings...) we took a trip to see it. Unfortunately, the surroundings are just as bad in person as in Google, and the immediate area is not zoned single family. There are some nice historic houses in the next block, but this one is close to a commercial district and (the worst deal-breaker) has a ramshackle welding shop right outside its front gate! It's also small, and comparatively overpriced for the area at $199,900. It appears to have only one bedroom and one bath in the main house, with an unfinished "half" upstairs, and a very small 1/1 guest house. This was just listed, and is still active.

Pros:
Right age and style
Attractive bones
Still needs some work
Close to river
Reasonable distance from home

Cons:
No acreage; in town
Unattractive surroundings
Not zoned single family
Very small
Not close enough to river
Expensive for area

"House" #16

This one's not so much a house, as it USED to be a house. Almost 11 acres on the edge of development towards the lake, it is advertised as having a "tear down" built in 1900 on the property. Well, to me "tear down" is just a challenge...I wanted to see for myself just how bad it was. In this case, they weren't exaggerating! Nothing left but a shell. No view and too close to development to boot. Listed for $350,000, it's still for sale.

Pros:
Since there's no house, I can't really list any

Cons:
No house
Too close to development
No view
Too expensive

House #15

Be still my heart! Oh, this is a heartbreaker! "1865 historic plantation home ready to restore, occupied by the original family for 3 generations...in the middle of a 128 acre ranch..." and on and on. It comes very close to being my dream house from the pictures and description. It has solid bones and gorgeous architectural features, but definitely needs some work. However (and there always seems to be one, or three), 1) it's in the Marlin area, which we already discounted as being too far away and not particularly attractive; and 2) it's listed at $390,000 which is really getting to the top, if not out of, our range (especially considering the work it would need)...but always the optimist, I wanted to see it anyway.

A good two and a half hour drive, it's past Marlin, and in an area of what might be described as "gently rolling pasture land." We turned on the farm-to-market road, searching for the property - and there it was - (here's however #3) right behind the county's power stations! That's what it looks out on; one on the same side of the road, and one across the road. (This property is still listed.)

Pros:
Great old home
Solid, with great bones
Needs work
Lots of acreage

Cons:
Too far away, in an already dismissed area
View of power stations
Too pricey

House #14

On the same drive as #13, we took a look at this little gem. This was built in 1908 and moved to its current acreage in 1978. The ad is contradictory regarding the number of acres - in one place it says five and another place it says 10.69. There are no pictures of the interior, but it is described as "classic architecture, wood floors, and beautiful wood paneling." Although visible from the road, it's set back, and is on a fairly secluded county road. Even better, it's only about 30 minutes from home. Listed at $270,000, it's not a bad deal. However, it's two story, and has no view to speak of.

Unfortunately, I had seen this listing in early December but by the time we got around to looking at it, it was already under contract. This is the only one of all we've seen so far that I think might have been a serious contender. It remains listed as "Pending."

Pros:

Cute old Victorian

On acreage (although perhaps not enough)

Good location

Presumed to have good bones

Reasonable price

Cons:

No idea about inside condition

No view

Perhaps not enough acreage

Ad states there is no AC (although it lists central heat)

Two story

House #13

So now it's January, and time for another drive. This is not at all the age (it was built in 1948) or exterior style I'm looking for, but the interior photos caught my eye. It's really cute inside, and has a lot of the features I like. But like so many others, it's only on a little over an acre, and has already been renovated. However, it's close (only about 45 minutes away), and the ad said it was "surrounded by acreage" (someone else's) so I thought it was worth a look. It was listed for $124,900 (not bad at all) and is now listed for $123,900.

However, besides the fact that it doesn't have its own acreage, it's very close to another house, and visible from a busy highway, so that's three strikes.

Pros:
Close location
Good bones
Low price

Cons:
Not enough acreage
Not private enough
Not really the right style
Already renovated

House #12

The last house on that drive, this is described as a "100+ year old farmhouse ready to be remodeled." Just what I'm looking for, right? It's also close to home and I can see some definite potential in the interior. But again, it's only on half an acre, and right on the road. It would need a LOT of work, which is not a bad thing, if it were on some acreage. However, I could never live with the off-center front doors and windows. This house is listed for $99,900 and is still on the market.

Pros:
Old farm house
Good interior architectural bones
Close location
Needs lots of renovation
Very low price

Cons:
No acreage
No view; on road
Off-center front elevation

House #11

Same drive, third verse. A little farther away, but still a very reasonable hour from home, this one's a beauty. Although I knew from the listing that it was only on one acre, I was so attracted to the pictures that I wanted to see it. Another 1910 farm house, it's the perfect style and has beautiful architectural features. It's been totally renovated, but very beautifully, and is listed for $197,000. True to experience, however, the reality does not match the virtual. The one acre lot sits in the middle of new development. (This property is still on the market.)

Pros:

Great old farm house

Great architectural bones

Close location

Reasonable price

Cons:

No acreage

No view; on road

In a developed area

Already renovated