My son loves this neighborhood and pointed out that it was 4 blocks from his very first house and that the street addresses matched perfectly.
I said to him, "It is turd ugly!" I am not a fan of red brick or brick of any kind. His reply was let's go look.
So we made the appointment and he and the Realtor showed hubby and I the interior of the house via live stream video from his phone. My husband loved the place. I could see the potential and admired that it was a nice little sturdy home.
The neighborhood will be perfect for me in my widow-hood. That sounds awful to say. But right now I'm caring for hubby as we walk through Palliative Care Hospice and his poor health. We currently have a small farm and it is more work than I can handle on my own in the future.
I can walk to Lake Michigan from this house, I can walk over to visit the Sand Dunes and many other parks in the area. I can catch a bus, order my groceries delivered, and hop on the bike trail. The yard is fenced so I can keep a pet. The yard gets enough sunlight to have a nice little flower and veggie garden to satisfy my urge to dig in the dirt.
The house needs some work but it isn't in bad shape at all.
I showed a photo of the 'Ugly House' to my neighbor and she texted me a photo back later in the day saying that she thought it was beautiful and she recognized it right away.
She replied that we were buying The Little House!
I was flabbergasted!
I drove to be present at the House Inspection. When we went upstairs into the unfinished loft I fell in love with the house.
This space is what used to be an attic. Most of the homes of this era have had these attic spaces turned into lofts with at least one or two rooms. The insulation and electric was put in [the electric was not hooked up though].
I immediately saw the potential. This would and could be a delightful place for my indoor photography. My son quipped that he thought my Legos and toys would be happy here.
If I had my way, I'd spend a lot of time in the loft, the lighting was amazing even on this overcast day.
The rest of the house was just like any other house. Two bedrooms, a living room, and a small kitchen. Since I am not a big fan of cooking, a small kitchen is just fine.
The basement was the same size as the upstairs. It had another bathroom in it. To me, it was just a basement to put things. I did look at it with a critical eye and wonder if I could put a rower and a stationery bike in one of the areas. Maybe even some weights and a mat for mobility and stretching.
In the future, we'd put in new windows and do a spruce up before I made the move after selling the farm. In the meantime we would rent it out.
Yes, the house is in an urban area. That may be a huge change for me after living in a remote and rural area for the last 28 years. But I am a person who can adapt easily to most any living situation.
When I got the appraisal, some interesting facts came out. The house was in a WWII Veterans Home Subdivision. I find that interesting and it gives me a little history on the house.
In April we of 2024, we spent the weekend in the house just to see how we would like it. Rich liked it, the neighborhood is quiet or so it seemed. He liked the layout of the first floor quite a bit.
We talked about remodeling the 'attic' into a loft and decided to leave it as is for now.
We met with a nice fellow named Andy. He took over the house as a Rental Property Manager.
It has turned out to be a good investment especially right now as the current president has tanked the stock market. The rent covers the mortgage with a wee bit left over after the Property Manager takes his fee.
Over the past year, we've fixed all the little things that come up in a home after purchase. Plumbing, roof leak, broken garage door, and a new air-conditioning unit [$$$$]. However, by the time I am ready to sell the farm, the only thing left to do will be changing the attic into a loft.
The farm should pay off the house and I will have a place closer to my son along with public transit only two blocks away. Right now we are earning equity in the house and getting the little things taken care of.
It is a fantastic little neighborhood. Even Charlie who is used to wandering freely in the woods didn't mind walking the sidewalks.
My country friends don't want me to move. But having public transportation so close as well as what the suburbs offer in other services is a must to consider as one ages. A tiny yard to care for is better than 25 acres and a large yard.
The move is still a few years away now, but I still think of my Ugly Brick house fondly.
