For over a year, we were looking at a cottage that had been renovated but not sold. Actually, we put in verbal offers many times for the cottage but they were never acceptable to the seller.
We decided against buying this property. We felt the selling price was way too high. The backyard neighbors were very clear. They were unhappy with someone moving into the cottage. The backyard literally goes up against their front door. I also had concerns about tiny black spots on the ceiling. This was not a lived-in home. It was a flip.
A year and half later, life had settled down for us, so I started looking at mountain properties again. This cottage was still available but at $20k less than our lowest offer. Obviously, it was not selling and the flipper needed to sell it to stop paying the loan on it.
We did end up putting in an offer for the cottage and it was accepted. We always have a property inspector look things over. Unfortunately, the report back was so bad. We had no choice but to use our “out clause” on the contract and walk away. It was a cute tiny cottage with a creek in the back yard. But, the cottage had flooded. It was not grounded, had asbestos tiles, and a rodent infestation. There was more but let’s not go into it.
Always, always, pay for an independent property inspector to look over the house before buying it.
Just two doors down, was a bungalow for sale. The home reminds me, so much, of homes on Cobb Island, Maryland. Older beach town homes from the early 1940’s. Well, this one was built in the 1920’s.
The Bungalow sits between different mountain ranges in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
The Bungalow’s yard was about the same size but much more usable. We can easily fit our two vintage trailers on the property without them being a distraction to the house. The large flat yard is also great for the pups. The Bungalow also had a recent complete makeover inside with the entire walls and ceiling covered in washed pine boards. It was cozy with two bedrooms and one bathroom. We hope to add a third bedroom and another bathroom the first month we own it.
The home inspector visited. Afterward, the number of issues were minimal. These issues were things that we could either easily fix or have no problem living with. The biggest issue is that the city still uses cast iron pipes and so does this bungalow.
Not everyone loves an old house or sees the beauty in restoring and renovating it. For us, this seems like the perfect little mountain get-away: on a quiet street but close to everything.
Join us for the journey!