You Know That Annoying Person Who Stops For The Tour
it's me.
So there is this house on the way home in Greene that had a for sale sign in the yard that I really like. I'll try to remember to get pictures next time I go in for work.
But anyway I heard around town that the realtor wasn't even showing it to people because it had been sold already, which is really strange for this small town. So the other day I drive by and there is a pile of stuff in the yard and the roof is ripped off the back upper story. Ooooh, exciting! So Sunday I drive by even though I was headed in the opposite direction and see someone in the yard working. Tim is in the car with me and we are supposed to be on the way back to my mom's to get the girls. I try to talk him into stopping. He majorly protests, and I decide to put being a "good" mom a head of my house lusting. So I head back to my mom's just long enough to quick eat some roast and find out the first name of the woman who bought the place.
I offer again to let Tim come with me, and he now says that he doesn't want to go because seeing a house in the beginning stages of remodeling will "depress" him greatly. -sigh- I miss my old house hunting partner. If I had known he would end up like this... OK I still would have bought our house and put him trough it. He's being a big baby. Sorry to those of you who like him and take offence at this. I like him too, in fact much, much more than you. But he's still being a baby and he needs to get over it. Hey, is anyone looking for a new market? How about Psychiatric counseling for the home-improvement weary? You know, to get them back into that naive/cheery state of mind that comes pre-project.
But I digress. And I go it alone to the house. I tried to get mom to go briefly. She though I was nervous to go by myself. Not true. I don't know about you, but after I see a house I love to talk about it for hours. How do you do that if no one else saw it? You can't. So I just bottled it all up inside until I could sit at a computer and spill it all to you.
So I head up to the house and she give me a look I am sure I have given many others in my life time. I explain to her who I am and give the required list of relatives that you need when you aren't actually from the small town yourself. Once proving my "heritage" I ask to see the house. Explaining that I could come back at a time when it's more convenient. NOTE: This is a nice thing to do if you are putting someone in this uncomfortable situation just in case they have unmentionables strewn all over the house or something like that. She said that she shows the house to anyone who asks and that she was just taking a break. I told her I had been in the same situation and that I promised not to give any advise. That seemed to break the ice, and I had a lovely tour.
She purchased the place because she had always loved it and was afraid because it had such a cheap purchase price it wouldn't be properly cared for. She is planning on selling if the opportunity arises or possibly running a bed and breakfast.
The woodwork in the house was beautiful and never painted. Tim missed out. Especially since the main staircase had a Gothic-ish arch in the rail that he would have loved. It seemed a bit small to me, but I think that mostly comes from living with 18 rooms for the last 5 years. Let me tell you it can change a girl. The kitchen is a decent size for a house of it's age and she is going to be moving a few walls around to make the flow of the house a little more efficient. Plus add a few more bathrooms.
As the tour drew to a close I wanted to cling to her legs and beg her to hand me a hammer or maybe let me strip woodwork just so I could feel "that way" again. Instead I demurely offered her a tour of my home next time she was in the area. We also discussed salvage shops. She is looking for an old built-in for the dining room and I told her they might be a better bet than the antique shops she had been visiting. I just now need to get the information to her along with a thank-you note for her hospitality.
