so, the hubby is sick of the city. and i am sick of being cramped in a 700-square-foot box with no outdoor space.
so, we're looking for houses in the 'burbs. elgin, to be exact. why elgin? because it's quaint. it's not a soulless bedroom community like Schaumburg or Hoffman Estates. it's on the metra line. it's northwest of the city. and we can afford to buy a house there. so there.
we've been looking. we've seen some real shitholes, that's for sure. but we found one that is amazing.
It was built in 1901. it's 2,000 sq. ft. it has three bedrooms, 2.5 baths. it has a foyer, an entry hall, a parlor, a living room, a dining room, a sun room. an amazing staircase. original hardwood. a hutch that will make you weep. a huge front porch. a semi-finished basement an walk-up attic you can stand up in. a garage. a tree in the yard that would be perfect for a swing.
it needs a new roof. the basement has leaks. it doesn't have AC. it has forced air heating and original windows. the kitchen is a hot mess.
we put an offer on it. kind of a low-ball offer, but we figure with the work it needs, it was fair. actually, it wasn't fair at all. this house is amazing. i would pay twice what we offered. scott is a little more hesitant than i am. i am up for the challenge. he sees dollar signs flying out of our savings account.
our realtor emailed us and said that they had gotten another offer on the house. did we want to up ours? i told them that we'd let our offer stand and take our chances.
not having any idea what a new roof on a place like this would cost, or what the water in the basement means, and my not having a full-time job in 2 months, we are probably going to have to let this jewel go. but i'll leave you with a few pictures and then you can comment and let me know how awesome this house would be to own.
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| Looking from the dining room, through the living room, into the parlor. the doorway with the filigree has pocket doors. the doors from the front entryway has french doors. |
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| Dining room. |
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| Hutch. It has all of its original keys. |
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| Middle bedroom upstairs. Bay window. This was deemed Scott's music room. |
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| Master bedroom. some jackhole stuck crappy laminate flooring down. taken fromthe sitting room that has a walk-in closet with a little circular window. |
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| Sunroom upstairs. it's an addition, but it was done really well. |
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| Hallway upstairs. it just keeps going. you can't really see it, but there's a built-in on the right wall before the third bedroom. |
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| The kitchen. it's a sad kitchen. some jamoke put bright red laminate ikea cabinets in.they aren't even bolted down. but there is a back staircase that leads to the main stair. i dream of putting in afreestanding antique kitchen sink with cabinets, getting a modern-antique stove, and a hutch to put dishes in. |
