Number 54 Make a HUGE Purchase

August 13, 2007

I grew up an army kid and was raised in military quarters for a good deal of my life so home ownership was a big deal for me. I also figured that, if I had a mortgage, it would be really impolite to die without paying it so this was a bit of a life insurance policy for me. ("Study first propriety: for she is indeed the polestar" - Calverley). So this house was my HUGE purchase.

Okay, it needed a little work but I fell in love with this house as soon as I stepped into it. The owner lived in Washington D.C. and had been using it as a rental property. He wanted to get rid of it quickly, as his ad indicates:

REDUCED! Large home with fixer-upper potential on the 18th hole of the C******* R*** Golf Course in a great neighborhood in H*********. Priced well below market value! Quick access to shopping and F*** S******. Sold as-is. * Heated Two-Car Garage * Picket-Fenced Yard w/Jungle Gym * Large Screen Porch * Wood Burning Fireplace * Side by Side Refrigerator, Range/Oven, Fan Hood, Dishwasher, Disposal

Owner Facts:
·Single family
·4 beds
·2.0 bath
·2084 sqft heated space
·Lot 22,651 sqft
·Built in 1976
At-a-Glance Features:
·Attic
·Ceiling Fan
·Fenced Yard
·Fireplace
·Lawn
·Patio

It also had a really odd floorplan:

Still, some paint, a new A/C system, some plumbing repair, upgraded electrical....it was still a bargain! To quote Linus from A Charlie Brown Christmas, "Maybe it just needs a little love". Wise words indeed. I'm having fun fixing it up little by little and...it's mine!!