Updates

Again, thrilling stuff, my friends. We've had some back and forth with the asset manager. The place is a foreclosure. We've put in our final, last, best offer, so we're waiting to see if they'll take it. They already knocked 30% or so off the price, in part because our realtor keeps emphasizing looooong list of repairs needed to even make it habitable (or mortgageable).

We've also been able to get the scuttlebutt locally on the place. It was owned by a couple who did the mural and some of the rehabbing, thanks to a historical preservation loan or grant (which is why it has all its original outside Victorian craziness and wooden siding). They had 6 very stinky dogs and a couple horses. They were a strange mix of artsy and hillbilly you sometimes find in our area. The woman just up and walked out on the dude one fine day, taking all the money. He couldn't pay the bills. The house sat empty for three years.

Recently, a local meth head went into the unsecured cellar and stole all the copper out of the furnace, and perhaps more of the wiring. Fortunately, the box is upstairs, or he might have really had a heyday. He died about a month ago, apparently. Overdose.

So, we've sobered up a bit about the place. If we get it for the right price, it will work well. If not, we'll have to say no. Or wait a few months, during which no one will likely have any decent offers, and then come back to them with the same offer.

I'm pretty much excited either way. If we get the place, we'll basically be buying our dream house, minus 50K in repairs. If we don't, we'll likely have more time for other things--including fixing up our current house more, for when things work out. Either way, it's cool.