Ok, so new happenings in the world of real-estate!
While Chris is away I recruited my father to come along on my house-hunting expeditions! I was really glad I did too, because I can only see the superficial, cosmetic flaws of the properties, whereas he and Chris are able to look at more structural issues and pricing. So in the end, having dad's perspective was much appreciated!
So at 10am yesterday morning, Dad and I went to look at another few homes in Huntington. Chris and I had driven by one house on a court (we'll call it the "Court House" from now on) a few weeks ago and had deemed the property worth a second look. Chris was concerned the house was going to be tiny on the inside and he was right. The front door, entering from a porch, opened into a small living area. Connected to which was a small bedroom/office and the kitchen. The realtor, Janine, and I LOVED the kitchen! Super cute and relatively substantial size with glass-cut out cupboards. It had the original cabinets (from the 1930's when it was built) and still had a lot of its old charm. The larger bedroom was off of the kitchen across from a small, in need of an update, bathroom. And towards the back of the kitchen was a mud room to the back door.
All in all, the interior just needed a good cleaning and for the current piggish tenants to move out and take all their junk with them! The place was COVERED in stuff! At first, I couldn't even see the kitchen table! They had piles of stuff everywhere .. which was unfortunate because I couldn't really get an accurate feel for the size of the rooms because of it. But, even still, I thought it was small but quaint and just the perfect size for a Christopher and a Me.
The backyard was sort of divided by a looming, ugly fence. But upon further investigation, the fence was easily removable (I bet I could have knocked it down with a hard sneeze) which would open it up to a very sizable property in the back with lots of levels of a retaining wall to plant wild flowers! So that had a lot of potential, indeed. It was sort of sad though, because about 20 years ago when the town of Huntington had taken a survey of the property, the home was still owned by someone who cared for it. Since then, the shutters had been ripped out, the pretty old wood was ripped off and replaced with a cheap, no-maintenance siding, and the porch was let to rot. You could see that any repairs were slap-dashed and instead of properly fixing things, boards were nailed over the small holes. It's such a shame to see people who have no integrity let historic homes fall to bits. Not on my watch! Chris and I have every intention of finding a home and providing it as much care as we do each other.
Then, we took a look at the attached accessory apartment. That was one of the best features of the Court House. It needs a lot of work but the bonus is that it's legal and it already has the plumbing, heating, and electric running to it. So really, it's just about sprucing it up and Chris is very handy and more than capable of such a project. And the best news of all is that the realtor quoted us a much lower price than the listing! Apparently the owner is ready to sell and understands his previous assessment was quite a bit inflated. I emailed Chris all the details of the house and he's eager to take a look inside when he returns. As am I, because this house really seems like it fits the bill!
After my dad and I visited a few more houses (none of which were worthy of detailing), we quickly drove by the Cottage and then stopped into Our Lady Queen of Martyrs to see the interior of where Chris and I will likely be married. It was kind of a trip when walking down the stairs, my dad said, "So this is nice. This is where you'd all say goodbye to your guests to take pictures with your new husband." My new husband.... my new husband.
In other news: I spoke with a band that someone at the Thatched Cottage had recommended and am looking very forward to enjoying several showcases that Chris and I will be attending throughout the next month or so. Basically - it's getting to see live music for free! The owner, Frank, was such a doll and was looking very forward to working with us. He said the bands he offers can play anything from "Frank Sinatra to Lady Gaga". I told him .. "If you play Lady Gaga at my wedding .... except the check to bounce." He laughed pretty hard at that ;-) NO ... I'm not a Lady Gaga Hater ... but I don't appreciate the "young people's music" of today.
Oh, well except "Forever" by Chris Brown that I have coined the best dance song of this century :) In fact, someone else agreed with me SO much that they decided to make the song a feature presentation of their church ceremony. Check it out:
No, we won't be doing that ... despite how tempting break dancing in front of the Lord and Savior seems! It just cracks me up every time. I don't know who the bride and groom are but I hope their marriage is as fun as their ceremony was!
So, Chris is having fun in Panama City from what I can tell. His friend Alex has been taking him and his college buddies on tours of the area. He said the weather is hot and beautiful and they're all looking forward to going on a fishing trip soon. I bet he catches some gorgeous fish :) Too bad I won't be eating any of it. I keep looking out of my window, watching the snow continuously fall, and I wish I was in a hot place right now, myself. I'm going to be jealous when he comes home with a golden tan and I'm still pale with chapped lips...
Before I go ...
And I'd like to thank Leila for being a loyal follower of my blogging adventures, and really a loyal follower of a friend for all these years as well :)
Not to mention I know I have a personal cheering section of close friends that work with my mother. Thanks for the comments on our website, Sandy and Camille!
I couldn't be happier to share all of this with you girls. My mother simply adores you and knowing how you all take such joy from my important moments makes both Christopher and me excited to share with you our new life together. You're an important part to what makes a couple successful- being surrounded by supportive family and friends.
Yours truly and his soon-to-be newly,
Amanda
No comments:
Post a Comment