Taken the day we got the keys. And yes, we are aware of how brave we are.
We call it VISION. It’s in my genes.
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Taken the day we got the keys. And yes, we are aware of how brave we are.
We call it VISION. It’s in my genes.
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It’s still a couple weeks away from the end of summer, but, the weather on the morning that we closed on Leo was crisp and lovely.
Smelling the flowers with all his mite.
We had the final walk-through where we didn’t notice anything unusual – at least not more so than we were already aware of.
Our realtor/mortgage team were the best by far that we have ever experienced. And not just because we got the cutest gift basket upon closing:
Their perseverance, professionalism, positive attitude, and extraordinary knowledge of the market is the reason we ended up with this special property. We are extremely grateful for Courtney Oldham’s team but, most especially Gena Carter.
Marc and I celebrated the closing with lunch out then picked up the kid from school and took him straight to see his new house – for the very first time. He was overwhelmed and a bit confused, asking tentatively, “So… who’s going to live in this house?” You can’t blame him… this summer has been quite confusing dwelling-wise. In May we put our rental house in Tahoe on the market to sell, then in June rented our old house here in town and moved in with Grandma. Given all the talk about houses, I’m certain H just tuned out.
But, after walking around the property for a while he started to understand the vast space that our home now encompassed. And he didn’t miss his single, spindly climbing tree from our old house as much anymore. I’m sure the fact that his Aunty Kylie sent him a trampoline that we set up first thing didn’t hurt either.
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Now, there is nothing that really stands out when you see the listing for Leo. I’m certain that most people breezed right by it on their tireless internet searches. In a market like ours in 2014 most homes in the price range and location we were looking at are fought over — either because they are ripe for flippers and priced low (pending from the listing date) or have already been flipped (multiple offers the first weekend.) The already flipped homes have perfectly decent granite counters, fresh paint and just fine landscaping. They are easy for people to see the possibilities. Leo is a little different.
It’s 1.2 acres of overgrown brush and trees, under-grown grass, abandoned vegetable and fruit plants, and fallen limbs surrounding a 1,300 sf modest home that needs some work – aesthetically as well as fundamentally. We are downsizing in living space while upping our yard-work commitment tenfold. And it’s way south – 20 minutes from downtown. Whereas parking in San Francisco can take 20 minutes, in this town if you have to drive 20 minutes to the city, it’s considered the country (or at least that’s what we used to call it when we lived downtown.)
The work. More than we originally planned for when setting out on the adventure of a new house. The purpose of this blog is to document that entire thing, so I’ll simply start here with a quick list off the top of my head of improvements we need/want/plan to make over the course of the next few years:
Finally, there was the issue of karma. Anytime you buy a house that was a rental there can be some hard feelings – especially if the folks living there want to continue to live there. And even more especially if those folks also want to buy the house and make an offer that isn’t accepted. Let’s first start by saying that given that situation things could have been way worse. The renters were incredibly helpful and kind – letting us tour multiple times to measure and inspect. But, I believe we had to cash in all of our good karma to get this house. Because when you kick the daughter and godson of two different beloved music icons out of the house they want to buy – it costs more than just dollars. And it’s hard to forget the former residents when even the utility company asks in a sweet slightly southern accent: “Oh my! Do y’all know who used to live in your house?” So, while the deal was all above board – we truly just got lucky – we will have to live with knowing that we stole our house from Willie and Waylon’s kin.
CLICK FOR LISTING PHOTOS and see the online listing below.
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I’ve been busy pinning! Inspiration… planning… dreaming…
EXTERIOR ENTRY:
Follow Aimee McKirdy Blase’s board Entry Exterior on Pinterest.
ENTRY INTERIOR:
Follow Aimee McKirdy Blase’s board entry on Pinterest.
KITCHEN:
Follow Aimee McKirdy Blase’s board Kitchen on Pinterest.
LIVING ROOM:
Follow Aimee McKirdy Blase’s board Living room on Pinterest.
LAUNDRY, SCREENED PORCH:
Follow Aimee McKirdy Blase’s board laundry / screened porch on Pinterest.
OUTSIDE:
Follow Aimee McKirdy Blase’s board outdoor on Pinterest.
A few simple and somewhat hacked together mockups of what we’re thinking for design… phase 1.
In the spring of 2014 we decided to start looking for a new home.
A place that needed a little work.
A home with maybe a little more space in the yard.
We found it on Albert Road. A little 1950’s house with a huge and beautiful front yard with grass and oaks perfectly placed for twinkle lights and dinner parties. The house needed A LOT of work. And our offer wasn’t accepted. We were sad until we came to the conclusion that there was something better waiting for us — we could feel it. We just hadn’t found it yet.
A week later a house lowered it’s asking price and showed up in my search for the first time.
It was way better.
And needed less work… which is to say, that it wasn’t a tear-down.
It had more land… an acre more. 1.2 acres of possibilities with a cute 1,300 square foot 1955 ranch on it.
And that’s where we find ourselves today — on Leo Street.
Albert’s cousin Leo.
This is the story of the renovation of Leo, so that we have a record of this crazy adventure.
– Leo’s new family, September 12, 2014