Here are some photos from when I went to see the house, the day before I made an offer.
The house was built in 1912 and I bought the it from four sisters who grew up in it. Funny, the lead inspector I lined up grew up six or seven houses down the street and knows the daughters.
There were other small world coincidences with this house. First, the owner is a client of Tighe & Bond's and I had written a memo about green roofs for Holyoke Housing Authority, for which she is the Director. Not sure if she would've recognized my name, but that was just in the past month that the memo went to her Assistant Director. T&B also works for the Holyoke Fire Department, and the Fire Chief recently asked a coworker of mine if he knew me. Turns out the Fire chief is married to another of the four sisters. Holyoke is a small town, which has its pros and cons.
Well friends, probably needless to say, but I am thrilled about this house. Once they accpeted my offer I searched inside myself for days to see if there was even one little grain of buyers remorse or concern and found none. This is a good, solid house in a great neighborhood where the kids can play in the yard, ride their bikes on the street, and its just enough space for all of us.
Yes, it needs new everything, and the inspection tomorrow will likely reveal even more issues. But not everything needs to be done right away. I want to get some basic stuff done that is best to do when the house is empty, and then move in with the kids and take a deep breath. We'll all get accustomed to the new situation and once things have settled down, I'll start thinking about what I want to do with the kitchen and baths. My guess is other maintenance things are going to come up that will play into when I start my projects.
My plan is to have the wallpaper removed, walls painted, hardwood floors redone, and the house deep cleaned before we move in on or around January 1st. That effort will go a long way in making the house seem fresh and more up-to-date. Essentially with that done, the bedrooms, dining room, and living room will be all set except for fixtures and decorating details. Christine, my agent, is in this picture. She has been a GREAT agent and friend throughout my house hunting (she is the mother of a good friend), and I have been comforted and guided by her good advice.
Here are some photos from when I went to see the house, the day before I made an offer.
The house was built in 1912 and I bought the it from four sisters who grew up in it. Funny, the lead inspector I lined up grew up six or seven houses down the street and knows the daughters.
There were other small world coincidences with this house. First, the owner is a client of Tighe & Bond's and I had written a memo about green roofs for Holyoke Housing Authority, for which she is the Director. Not sure if she would've recognized my name, but that was just in the past month that the memo went to her Assistant Director. T&B also works for the Holyoke Fire Department, and the Fire Chief recently asked a coworker of mine if he knew me. Turns out the Fire chief is married to another of the four sisters. Holyoke is a small town, which has its pros and cons.
Well friends, probably needless to say, but I am thrilled about this house. Once they accpeted my offer I searched inside myself for days to see if there was even one little grain of buyers remorse or concern and found none. This is a good, solid house in a great neighborhood where the kids can play in the yard, ride their bikes on the street, and its just enough space for all of us.
Yes, it needs new everything, and the inspection tomorrow will likely reveal even more issues. But not everything needs to be done right away. I want to get some basic stuff done that is best to do when the house is empty, and then move in with the kids and take a deep breath. We'll all get accustomed to the new situation and once things have settled down, I'll start thinking about what I want to do with the kitchen and baths. My guess is other maintenance things are going to come up that will play into when I start my projects.
My plan is to have the wallpaper removed, walls painted, hardwood floors redone, and the house deep cleaned before we move in on or around January 1st. That effort will go a long way in making the house seem fresh and more up-to-date. Essentially with that done, the bedrooms, dining room, and living room will be all set except for fixtures and decorating details. Christine, my agent, is in this picture. She has been a GREAT agent and friend throughout my house hunting (she is the mother of a good friend), and I have been comforted and guided by her good advice.
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