Recently, my husband and I have been pouring over realty listings and visiting intriguing properties in our hunt for a new home. We felt a real love pang for a quirky custom built home that had sadly braved the world without caretakers for a few years. How bittersweet to fall in love with a run down house full of potential when we were intent on finding something ‘move in ready.’
You always hear those nagging reminders for repainting after X number of years, or changing that filter every X months, blah, blah, blah. Maybe sometimes you do it and maybe sometimes you don’t. Well, I have now seen a once beautiful home fall into disrepair due to simple neglect. It was such a stark contrast to the similarly aged well-maintained home we’d visited earlier that week. Every house needs some TLC on regular basis, no matter how superbly built.
Our visit to this deteriorated home created one of those moments where it clicks: this is why it is so important that homeowners follow those recommended maintenance schedules (even for a vacated house)...because otherwise, the splendor of the once new and smoothly functioning house slowly slips away.
On one hand, I feel bad for the owners trying to sell this ‘as-is’. What may have driven them to abandon this once lovely home? Will they lose money on the sale due to the simple fact they didn’t maintain the house while it sat empty? On the other hand, I’m feeling fairly excited, because my husband and I (both in the construction industry and fully aware of what it will take for some rehab) might soon be closing on this discounted quirky custom built house that needs a lot of TLC to reach its fullest potential. One thing I know for sure is that we WILL complete the required but pesky home maintenance to keep it at its best!
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