As soon as I saw this Linda Mar rancher pop up on Redfin, I knew we had to go see it. Who cares that the listing clearly states, "needs a little TLC" and that it is a, "great starter home for the handy person." I can be handy! I can give it some luffs! Right guys?? None of you know how truly lazy I am, so you can go ahead and agree with me just to make me feel better.
Honestly, I am handy and creative. If I put my mind to something, I will do a great job of making it (whatever 'it' may be) happen. I get tons of really great ideas, constantly. Sometimes I even write them down. The bad thing is only 20% or so ever comes to fruition. Despite knowing this about myself, and in the face of the dire warning of NEEDS WORK insert flashing skull and crossbones here, there was something that I couldn't pass up.
The thing that really drew me to this place is the location. To the rear of the house is part of the San Pedro Valley County Park and San Pedro Creek! So not only is there privacy, we will still have deer, coyote and raccoons visiting the backyard, and there is NO chance anyone can build behind this place. Heaven!
Here is a lovely overhead map of the general area:
When we first drove by, it was being shown to another couple, apparently for the second time. This fact has not left my mind during the last week since seeing it. I feel like these people are just around the proverbial corner about to strike with a better offer than what we were able to throw down. They haven't yet, but the fear is there.
We came back an hour later and were able to go in. The first thing that struck a chord was that the front porch area has been enclosed and converted into a mudroom. A mudroom! How charming is that?! It is small to be sure, but that is something I have always wanted. You can see it (and the diminutiveness of it) in this picture. The white door and small window represent the length of the room in it's entirety.
| BEDS: | 3 |
| BATHS: | 1 |
| SQ. FT.: | 1,040 |
| PROPERTY TYPE: | Attached Single Family |
| STORIES: | 1 |
So, what has been done on this one? The bathroom is a full remodel. It's terrific! Pedestal sink. Floor to ceiling ceramic tile. A shower over a new tub. And it is all in pristine white so you can do just about anything with it decorating wise.
They added central heat and got rid of the wall heaters. They also got rid of the fireplace in the process and forgot to plaster over and repaint the room it came from, but that is just aesthetics and nothing a little elbow grease can't fix. It also left an ugly scar on the side of the house. So, it probably will need to be painted soon.
And nothing else.
In fact, I am quite sure some of the upgrades that have been done have ended up as bigger messes then when it was started.
They added new cabinets to the tiny kitchen. I think they added new cabinets twice. I say this because there are three distinct, non-fitting, and very greasy, styles of cabinets rather haphazardly placed in odd places. They did vent the gas stove though, which is a big plus. There is a wall in the kitchen dividing it from the dining area that I am itching to have down. It will be high on the "makeover" list and will open this place up like nobodies business.
There seems to be new copper plumbing from what we were able to see in the garage. I imagine this went in when the bathroom was redone. We have to wait for an inspector on that though.
But the back yard just makes me SQUEE in delight. There is a huge deck (fake wood *sadface*) that already has a gas and a water line running to it. It looks like they had an outdoor bar/sink at some point (you can see the fading on the deck) which they took out. There is also a hot tub. We aren't sure if they plan on taking it with them, but regardless, we know there is electricity running to the spot.
There is a large shed that has electricity running to it that looks like it was converted into a workshop. The door was locked so I couldn't really get in there to see.
Beyond the deck and workshop area the yard is terraced thrice. The bottom level I think has some grass and is about 3-4 deep. The next level up is only 2-3 feet deep but has lovely bricks which enables raised bed planting (can you say tomato plants). The final level is a good 20 feet deep and is grass all the way to the back fence. There is a gate in the fence in back so that you can exit the yard and go down to the creek :) I see planting rosemary along the back fence on the outside.
Thank Google maps for the overhead! It is easier to show the backyard then try to describe it. Apparently, a picture is worth 214 words (yes, I counted):
Once we hear whether or not the bank accepts the offer, I'll go back and take better pictures. I would have taken them the first time we visited, but the people who own this place have left it half packed and filthy. The house belonged to their father who passed away recently, and it looks like they are taking their sweet time getting all his stuff out. The De Solo house has been on the market for 84 days now and they still haven't gotten it cleaned up. Eric and I have a feeling that they are going to end up leaving a lot of junk there.
Everything except the appliances. Did I mention none are included?
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