Here’s the first house we put an offer on, a few weeks ago. Pretty cute. Lots of sun for gardening. Small detached studio. It has been flipped, so things were in pretty good shape. 
No response until we got a crazy counter offer. This is a house I can’t have.
This is the second house we put an offer on. Short sale. Smelled like three packs of cigarettes a day for twenty years. 18 x 18 studio fabulousness in the backyard. No actual front lawn, this photo is a lie (which I don’t mind, since I’d rip it out for my victory garden, anyways).
No response, ever. Saw the status change to “pending”, which means they’re taking someone else’s offer.
Saw a really god awful wrecked house today. So in love. I could work on that house for years. But, the listing agent should have listed it as “cash only”. It’s doubtful that a bank is going to want to loan someone money for a house in that condition. Mold in the converted garage, broken window, no drywall in the master/downstairs public bathroom. Nothing I couldn’t deal with. But rules are rules. It’s been on the market a long time.
Our amazing, gorgeous, persistent realtor Brook is going to talk to the listing agent and see if they are accepting non-cash offers. I know it’s not likely (snowball in hell not likely) that we’ll get considered for this house, but I haven’t managed to give up hope and move on. I’m a little bit in love with this house.
The front yard is a weird little skinny nothing, since it’s in a cul de sac (which wikipedia tells me literally translates to “arse of the bag” meaning a dead end… I suddenly like cul de sacs a lot more). The further back you go, however, the wider and wider the lot gets. It’s HUGE in the back yard. My mind’s eye sees patios, raised garden beds, a dog, a fountain, laundry hanging out, kids, a little bistro table by the kitchen for al fresco mornings with my tea. There is a little courtyard snug behind a fence in the front, flanked by the garage that has been converted into a room. There’s a great french door from the courtyard into the garage. (I love french doors). The front door has a little window in it. A big fountain in that courtyard and we’re perfect. The window over the kitchen sink would have a perfect view of it.
So here’s to the hope that won’t die for a house that needs a lot of work.
Kitchen now:
Master bedroom progress:
Driveway now:
Front Yard now:
Hallway now:
Current Heap in the Studio:
Front Yard Now:
Kitchen Progress with Judith:
Kitchen Now:
Kitchen Progress:
Backyard Now:
Laundry Room Now:
Laundry Room Floor Progress:
Livingroom Progress:
Living room progress with Melissa:
Living room now:
Master bedroom progress with Alex:
Living room progress with Alex, Judith and Richard:
Living room progress with Melissa and Stella:
Milo! King of the Heap!
Master bedroom progress:
Office now:
Master bedroom progress with Sarah:
Back yard now:
Living room progress:
Backyard now:
Yucca now:
Backyard now:
As you can tell, I didn’t stage or pretty up any of these photos.
