still looking...

and on a Friday night, nonetheless!
Our trooper of an agent lined up the 6 houses I had requested, and one as a bonus measure she wanted us to see. After carefully studying the Scranton real estate market we decided to look at some more moderately priced houses. There is no intention of living here forever, especially since I already have housing for retirement on the beautiful Alabama Gulf Coast. It seems like houses upwards of $200,000 stay on this market longer, and I think it is the relatively small number of people who can afford such a home in this area. So, we decided that we might get a house we love in that price range, if job changes come along we might get stuck with it and not be able to sell it...
6 houses on a Friday night; boy I know excitement!
First off was a house I had previously seen at an open house. Small in comparison to most at only 1400 AGF. (above ground finished) 1960s period ranch with brick walls for accent. Beautiful yard and literally across the street from the dog park. I still would need to do some updates (whole kitchen and bathroom) and it needs a roof! The owner has dropped the price some, but still wants the top of the CMA range and then some! It's a strong contender; if it's on the market still after the Fourth of July.
Second house: yard, oh my, yard! and pool! sparkling pool, with wired speakers outside and 6 foot fencing in a large yard for the dogs... I was in love at first sight, however, I did have to walk back through the kitchen and I quickly was grounded in reality. A home already overpriced for the neighborhood and the kitchen was in SERIOUS need of a gut job... sad... I wanted it, but not for that money!
Next up a Victorian (my love) with an added family room and central air (my biggest wish list item). Nice, nice house at a good price. Kitchen was smaller and in a strange location. The additions have changed the layout of this house and it feels odd... Beautiful work throughout, though. If the layout was different, this would be a keeper. However, I got shocked coming down from the attic, and that is a no-no... Great price for this house on South Irving.... Someone could get a real deal here!!!
On to a house that was agent owned. I thought it had possibilities to alter the exterior to make a real statement house. In more of a business area, right across from Community hospital. The tenant is moving out so the house was in disarray. The only exit from the DR (dining room) was a pass through slot for a tray from the kitchen, other than that you had to walk all the way around the house and through the LR (living room) to get to and from the kitchen. The owner had made some changes to change what a previous owner had changed and you end up with kerfuffle of a mess that needs to be... changed! No yard made this a no...
Next house was actually listed by my agent. A house in a good neighborhood with extraordinarily high taxes! Was probably in its day one heck of a house, however in this day and age it just looks very, very tired... Note to owners of houses for sale: I don't want to see how your family lives! You should try and make the house as neutral as possible to attract the most amount of buyers. Also, if your kid put a hole in a wall... fix it before you list it... if you have a broken sink... fix it before you list it... water damaged walls and ceilings... fix it before you list it... pocket door into kitchen rubs the paint off (in your house entry nonetheless) fix it before you list it... yard overrun with weeds and door falling off garage... fix it before you list it... If your using an accordion door on the bathroom... fix it before you list it... If there is an inch of mildew and mold on your tub's glass shower doors... fix it before you list it... If your light's bulbs are blown... fix it before you list it...Also, if you have a small kitchen, don't put a big DR table and chairs in it and call it an eat-in. You ruin the floor plan and make the room feel cramped, especially in your DR when you have an end table surrounded by 4 dining chairs... And if you don't want to do anything... don't list for way above market and expect any offers!
On to the last house... Cute ranch that is much bigger than it appears across from a bar that used the "foshizzle" apparently... Walking up one tree in the postage stamp front yard had been torched, which is never a good sign...Walked in and the house, that is vacant reeked of what I termed cat pee! Everyone said it was something he had put on the floors, and I firmly believe he must have put cat pee on the floors. It burnt my nose hair! Owner did a good job on the interior, looks like it has been completely redone. However, the fridge compartment is small, so there is no way to put in a decent size fridge without extensive remodeling. Basement is partially finished... looks like it was stopped in the process... no dryer vent and no outlet for one... no exit to the backyard which had a huge deep pool that was a big hole of a mess! ripped liners and no telling how much work to get it going. HUGE covered patio with a real bar (stainless bar sink behind) and wired for sound and cable. Looks like the landscaping was amazing at one point. Story goes there used to be some off the hook parties back there "in the day". Now it's just a bid ol' mess, but there is a men's and a women's bathroom attached to the house for the foshizzle parties! Big downer is that there is no access to the yard from the house. You have to go down a half flight of stairs to your covered carport and then down the drive and through the privacy fence to get there. Not exactly easy for a family or people with dogs... Would have been best during the remodel to take the double windows in the eat-in K out and put French doors that lead to a deck that heads into the backyard. Overall, the price of the house isn't bad, but would need some work to make it do-able, and PP (purchase price) + RME (re-model expenses) would take it over the market for the area. No offense meant to anyone here, but the housing values in that neighborhood will continue to drop. It is not an area to invest in...
So... after 6 (plus the bonus which I didn't review) I was left with one strong possible and another that I am still considering...
I just wished I could walk into any house and say that there is nothing I need to do. If I find you can bet that I just might buy it!