When I used to give people directions to our house, I would tell them to look for the skinny blue house with bright purple shutters.
And purple foundation. And purple doors. And purple eaves.
And purple everything.
House
Front Porch – Part 1 – a saga in three acts… Similar to War and Peace. In Russian. Except about paint and power washing. And in English.
I haven’t written about the house for over a month now… Incase you thought that was because we magically finished? We didn’t.
Anxiety and dread vs. Ballrooms and river views.
This is what I’ve learned: Mortgage regulations for muli-family properties have changed drastically since the finance debacle/economic explosion.
Any property over 4 units automatically requires a commercial loan—regardless of whether it’s a commercial property. So, at 7 units, this house is well into that territory. And? Commercial loans require 30% down.
Plus? Banks in our state now require a property’s rental income to cover its expenses. Which? If you saw any of the photos? You can see that any rent would be minimal. And that actually we would have to pay someone to live there.
Remember back when you didn’t understand what it meant to make a giant mess out of your house and then have to live in it?
In the weeks since we looked at The River House, I’ve been thinking about all of the ways I now understand the undertaking we’re considering—ways I wouldn’t have, prior to the experience of renovating our current house.
Before Paul and I got married, my only experience of “home ownership” was an apartment with my best friend—where our biggest “house project” involved a clear shower curtain, a set of permanent markers, inside jokes we’d been refining since we were thirteen, and falling over with hysteria.
New Old-Stuff…Like Crack, Only Better.
Brian lives across the street from me. He ran an antique business for a long time. Now in his eighties, he’s pretty much retired… Although once in a while he buys and sells things that cost more than my car.
I’ve waited patiently to see inside his house. When I finally did, THIS is what I coveted most.
Better Living Through Craigslist.
Paul was on vacation last week. A luxurious time of non-stop projects and all-day banging, sanding, sawing, powerwashing, and twenty-seven trips to Home Depot.
At the beginning of the week, he sat down to make his list of things to do. I was excited, because there was a project I’d been waiting for him to find time for. I must have been hanging around his list-making too eagerly because he looked at me, looked back at his list, and immediately crossed out the first item. He said—hand me that marker. I was delighted! My requirements were getting top billing and in the bold sharpie they deserve. He wrote:
