Realtor: “Okay, if we’re going to sell this house, I’m going to need you to clean it up.”
Seller: “Umm…”
Realtor: “Well how about this. Can you at least mostly clear the floor middle of each room?”
Seller: “Umm…”
Found by: Marty E.
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…OK, look, could you straighten up the stacks so they look more like storage and less like some sort of trash tsunami?
Ummm…
“Total rehab needed. Awesome cottage…”
Yeah, ’cause those words logically go together…
“…located in a safe neighborhood.”
Saying it’s in a safe neighborhood strongly implies there are unsafe ones not too far away.
It’s hard to say for sure, what with the piles’o’junk being in the way in every shot, but I’m not sure “total rehab needed” is merited. Maybe, maybe not. What is totally needed is a professional cleaning crew. Yuck! Other than getting rid of the ubiquitous and hideous el-cheapo paneling, though, the place, sans mess, may have more going for it than we can see. Gotta admit, $50K for 1500 sq ft might be a pretty good deal depending on the actual structural soundness.
@Emerald63:
There looks to be some fairly extensive water damage – the ceiling is down in the second picture – so the red flag is definitely up. Welcome back, Emerald – I’d begun to count days and worry. :D
That solid pine paneling in many of the shots is similar to the original walls in the center portions of our house (1935). We left some of them up as accent walls to draw out some of the older character that comes with an older house.
This house here looks like it needs some serious inspection. But if the structure is found to be sound, while updating is definitely in order there is enough decent features (like the hardwood floors and some of the pine paneling) in there that it won’t all need to be replaced.
@anodean: Thanks Anodean. It’s nice to be missed. I’m fine, just trying to get back into some sort of routine after holiday activities.
I see your point about the water damage. I’m pretty sure I missed the ceiling bit because it’s directly behind the ceiling fan. I must have thought it was just the fan blades or shadows.
@Frodo: Apparently, in the spirit of catching up, I was not thorough in reviewing the photos for this place. You’re right, Frodo, that’s not el-cheapo paneling. In fact, it greatly resembles paneling in the family room in my late parents’ house. I think I’ve lived with the el-cheapo kind for so long (in *multiple* rentals) that seeing such an expanse tripped my default ID.
The paneling worked for the most part in my folks’ place because it was only in the one room and one side of that room let in lots of light through a west-facing sliding glass door. Another side had two openings, a conventional doorway into the kitchen and a wider one to the dining room. Both those areas also had plentiful light and were in turn connected to one another by a doorway that was perpendicular to the bit of wall between the two family room doorways. Had all that light and spatial connection been missing, though, the effect of the paneling might well have been much more oppressive.
I can accept the quality of the materials there and in this listing, but I tend to get claustrophobic when small spaces are combined with dark colors and a lack of natural light, not to mention the extended sense of space windows with a view provide. I like your solution of keeping some of the paneling as an accent, but I agree that every wall in almost every room is simply too much.