The Cliffhanger

Well, I left you hanging a bit yesterday! (If you have no idea what I’m talking about, check out my latest Flipping Update here.) After a week of uncertainty, the neighbor declined to purchase the house with our contract terms, so we were able to complete the purchase. Introducing… the Cliffhanger.

This house is a 30-year old, one owner, custom built home. It’s been well taken care of, and was decked out in wallpaper at the peak of the country mauve and blue craze. I am sure that I flipped through pages of these papers in the huge books at the paint store with my mom at some point in my youth. There were also custom curtains to match in every room.

Without question, this is the cleanest house I’ve ever purchased, and it has the best landscaping. At first glance, the most it really needs is some updating. But one thing we did see on our walkthrough the day before the auction was that there was an issue with the windows. Most couldn’t be raised or wouldn’t stay up, but more concerning was the apparent leaking. Each window showed water damage at the corners, and upon further inspection, the frames were almost all rotted out.

It would be so much fun to be able to spend the entirety of our reno budget on readily apparent upgrades. Putting in new HVACs, septics, and windows pulls funds away from more glamorous updates like new flooring, kitchen cabinets and tiled baths. But, house flipping isn’t glamorous. Every house seems to have its one big issue (if we’re lucky it’s only one!), and for this one, it’s the windows.

Still, we are left with a beautiful home. It has a very traditional but well-executed layout, with the dining room and formal living room off each side of the foyer.

At the back of the house, is the large kitchen, a breakfast area, and a family room anchored by a beautiful fireplace. French doors on either side of the fireplace open to a large deck.

One of the four bedrooms is downstairs, which offers great flexibility to suit the new owner’s needs. Below is the downstairs bath.

Upstairs are the remaining 3 bedrooms, including the master bed and bath, and a hall bath.

Although the windows may be an issue here, they are still a huge asset, as this home is flooded with natural light.

And for the first time, I’m sharing a little video walkthrough of the house on my YouTube channel. Please forgive my video skills as it was just video I shot on my iphone. But hopefully it gives you a feel of the flow. So be sure to subscribe both here and there to follow along on the progress of this one. I’m excited to share it!