I spend a lot of time on the Trulia website, and I love looking at the houses in Detroit. They're cheap, there are a lot of them and many of them are historic, classic homes. If I had some extra money I'd be snapping up as many of these homes I possibly could!
So I found this house on Trulia this evening. So why this house? It is a little charmer, not super old but has a fireplace, arched doorways, glass doors, original door knobs and the list goes on! There are repairs needed (that corner where the stone has split from the house worries me!) but it has a nice yard too. So when I find a house I like I use Google to look at it in its setting and this one has a HUGE bonus! It is located across from the Water Works Park, a historic park. The Hurlbut Memorial is walking distance and you've got a huge parkland in front of the house. Not that you have access but you do have a lovely view. This home is a few minutes walk from the canal and there is a restaurant at the Marina nearby that you can dock at it. All that for 40000!
A wonderful example of the homes for sale in Detroit.
Thursday 20 November 2014
Wednesday 5 February 2014
Old Houses and being an Old House Junkie: Saint John, New Brunswick
I love old houses. No word of a lie. My husband believes I've never met an old house I haven't wanted to buy, fix up, renovate, repair and make happy. He's right. He is also, unfortunately, not an old house junkie. He much prefers new homes over old ones.
To me though, old houses are the ultimate in recycling. You are taking something that already exists, and improving it. Old houses in cities are generally in the downtown core (perhaps not in the best neighbourhood, but gentrification will happen eventually) and they are usually close to amenities and have high walkability scores. Often old homes make a good first purchase because many people avoid older homes because they are afraid of the amount of work (and the potential drain on their resources) repairing such homes will cost. Which means if you shop smart, you'll get a home for much less money than you expected if you're prepared to put in some sweat equity. Often the architectural details in such homes are amazing. Be warned, I do love houses with turrets (an impractical space but so charming!)
Before you buy an older home, always get a home inspection. It's crucial to knowing what you're getting into. Second, renovations always cost at least 15% more than you expect. So budget accordingly.
These days, for those of in the technology field, it doesn't really matter where we live as we can work from home. So I thought I'd introduce you in my first Old House Junkie post to the city of Saint John, the second largest city in the Maritimes. One reason is that there are a number of lovely older homes for sale in Saint John at a very reasonable price. The second reason is that New Brunswick is becoming a bit of a technology haven, so it may be easier to find work there, especially if you're bilingual. New Brunswick is the only officially bilingual province in Canada.
So let's talk about Saint John first. It's the oldest incorporated city in Canada, has been clever enough to maintain it's heritage and has a very temperate climate (for Canada). A lot of people love Saint John for many different reasons. And a lot of people don't like it. It is an industrial town so the air quality can be poor on occasion, depending on where you live in the city (but really is it as smoggy as Toronto on a hot summer day?) As well, Saint John does have a lot of fog. It is also a city of hills, so one of the oldest neighbourhoods is actually called Uptown.
So here is my first pick: 157 Waterloo St. It is built on a hill as it is located in Uptown. It is over 6000 sq. feet so the potential for multiple uses is there. And the price? $169,000! A bargain! And from the top floor you can see the harbour!
To me though, old houses are the ultimate in recycling. You are taking something that already exists, and improving it. Old houses in cities are generally in the downtown core (perhaps not in the best neighbourhood, but gentrification will happen eventually) and they are usually close to amenities and have high walkability scores. Often old homes make a good first purchase because many people avoid older homes because they are afraid of the amount of work (and the potential drain on their resources) repairing such homes will cost. Which means if you shop smart, you'll get a home for much less money than you expected if you're prepared to put in some sweat equity. Often the architectural details in such homes are amazing. Be warned, I do love houses with turrets (an impractical space but so charming!)
Before you buy an older home, always get a home inspection. It's crucial to knowing what you're getting into. Second, renovations always cost at least 15% more than you expect. So budget accordingly.
These days, for those of in the technology field, it doesn't really matter where we live as we can work from home. So I thought I'd introduce you in my first Old House Junkie post to the city of Saint John, the second largest city in the Maritimes. One reason is that there are a number of lovely older homes for sale in Saint John at a very reasonable price. The second reason is that New Brunswick is becoming a bit of a technology haven, so it may be easier to find work there, especially if you're bilingual. New Brunswick is the only officially bilingual province in Canada.
So let's talk about Saint John first. It's the oldest incorporated city in Canada, has been clever enough to maintain it's heritage and has a very temperate climate (for Canada). A lot of people love Saint John for many different reasons. And a lot of people don't like it. It is an industrial town so the air quality can be poor on occasion, depending on where you live in the city (but really is it as smoggy as Toronto on a hot summer day?) As well, Saint John does have a lot of fog. It is also a city of hills, so one of the oldest neighbourhoods is actually called Uptown.
So here is my first pick: 157 Waterloo St. It is built on a hill as it is located in Uptown. It is over 6000 sq. feet so the potential for multiple uses is there. And the price? $169,000! A bargain! And from the top floor you can see the harbour!
Isn't it beautiful? With 8 bedrooms and four bathrooms what an amazing bed and breakfast it would make. And it's a nine minute walk to the Saint John City Market (3 minutes if you drive.) It is a similar distance to the Loyalist Cemetery and the King's Square. It's just down the street from a Shopper's Drug Mart and several other drugstores. Agar Place which contains all the government services for the town is almost right bedside the house. There is a Giant Tiger less than 5 minutes walk from the home and the Atlantic Superstore is a 15 minute walk. For hardware stores, a car may be necessary though I've read good things about Saint John Transit. It is walking distance to the hospital as well. The home is also close to a number of bike trails.
As to restaurants, the majority of them are clustered around King's Square so you're within 10 minutes walking distance to many of the upscale restaurants in Saint John. And you're less than 100m to the Phoenix Dinner Theatre. You are also close to several churches and a kilometre away from the library and arts centre. So really this home is at the heart of everything in Saint John.
Now the interior is charming with lots of original features but the wallpaper has to go! And there are stained glass windows, built in bookshelves and amazing wrought iron covers on all the radiators!
Now there are no pictures of the bathrooms, or the kitchen so my best guess is they're going to need work. Steaming the wallpaper off and rebuffing the wood floors (you might not need to sand!) is going to have to wait, if those areas are in disrepair. The great thing is, while the house looks dated and needs a fresh coat of paint (and new tarmac in the driveway) it doesn't look like it has any water damage (the enemy of houses everywhere!)
And while I would dearly love to be the one to buy this, fix it up and make it into a warm and happy home, right now that's not possible for me as we're going to be in this community for a while. I'm still renovating our new home!
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