A Whole Lot More for the Money

Nestled on a quiet Wilshire Street, this home for sale seemed to fly just under the radar. Perhaps it was the 40 year old green pile carpet in the living room (it’s always a crapshoot what’s under there).  Like the home, John was a stealth buyer. Originally, John came to me looking in a lower price range as a solo buyer, in no particular rush to buy. More importantly, he wanted the “right” home. After looking at several houses in a few price ranges, it became pretty clear that by bumping up the price there was a whole lot more house for the money.  What began as one buyer became two in order to maximize purchasing power.  With partner Kristen now on board as a 2nd buyer, these two were able to purchase at a little higher price and upgrade in a lot of ways: EXTRA — they moved right into the house they can see themselves in long term. At the lower price range there always seemed to be a need for expansion for any future growth.
EXTRA — Upstairs 2 bedrooms (one knotty pine, one super-sized) and a full bath. This house also has 2 bedrooms and a full bath on the main floor. The 2nd full bathroom upstairs is pretty unusual in the $300k price range. The tradeoff here is a need for cosmetics thoughout the home.
EXTRA — Quiet, close-in location on a bike street.
EXTRA — Bigger kitchen with breakfast nook AND formal dining room.
EXTRA — High ceiling basement & more square footage.
With good bones, a great floor plan and a desirable location, this home also has all the room they need.
However, when a home has been with one family for 40 years it is often well-loved but also usually ready for cosmetics. (A “cosmetic fixer” may require some or all of the following: paint, fixtures, finishes and floors done). These smart buyers saw the strength of the basics in this home and they bought at the amazing price of $310,000. With any purchase there’s always lots of work to do and the same holds true here. But they’ve been at it for a couple of weeks now and they are already seeing results. 7 layers of wall paper and paneling have been removed from the kitchen nook. The entire interior of this home is painted and what a difference a little color therapy makes! With fresh paint, well applied, the stage has been set for future greatness. They pulled up the old carpet and underneath they found top-nailed oak floors in perfect condition. In the backyard, the existing shed has been converted to a chicken coop where the chickens Percy, Charlotte and John Jessee IV have quickly made themselves at home.  Bee-you-ti-full!