Introducing Plain Jane

So I’m celebrating a bit this week! Celebrating both my naiveté and a new house. You see, I sold my last house, the Angler, at the end of February, mere days before the March sheriff sale in our county. I dared think that I might have my shortest turnaround yet between selling and buying. But the March sale proved fruitless, as did April, and May, and June, and July. Each month, I would scour the listings, do drive-bys, and perform title searches for LOTS of properties. My sister poured over them, creating high level budgets, target sales prices, and max bid amounts. But the bank started bidding above our max bids on almost every property. At the July sale, I bid on one, but the bank began counter-bidding me until it was out of range. The bank took it back.

As the months ticked by, frustration set in, and I began expanding my search beyond what was obvious (MLS and the sheriff sale). Finally, I have a house, which you get to check out today! However, I’m not abandoning ship on expanding my real estate business. I’m ready for alternate financing and a potential rental business. As this house moves forward, I hope to be working in the background to grow the business.

This house has been vacant since the owner passed away 5 years ago. His sons were both out of state and it sat in neglect, evidenced by the overgrown landscaping. Truthfully, the interior of the house is in fine condition, albeit dated with dirty carpets. It could be move-in ready. But bigger issues loom in the major systems of the house. It needs entirely new septic and HVAC systems.

The one thing that sticks out to me most is that although this home is almost 20 years old, it appears not a single drop of paint has been added to the walls since it was built. The trim, walls and ceiling are all the same color, and I have yet to find a nail hole on the walls. Which is why I’m coining this house the Plain Jane house. Over the next couple of months, I hope to bring it up-to-date with a more functional kitchen, more open layout, and a bit of personality (but not too much as that is the trick of saleability!).

Thanks for stopping by today! I’m excited to begin and share the story of this house!