Might be Heading for a New Home

A lot can change very quickly.  A week ago I felt like an indentured servant to the desert, and now we might have a new home in the Ozarks.  Long story short, the realtor we are working with in Arkansas emailed last week with a brand new listing that had come on the market.  It was a bank owned repo she said.  The home was built by an artist couple about 35 years ago and 3 years ago it sold to a family who subsequently foreclosed on it.  The price was sure right.  So, at the spur of the moment, we rented a car, threw in the contra ban dogs and did a non stop 24 hour drive from Joshua Tree, California to Jasper, Arkansas.  We put in an offer and found out it was accepted.  Now, we need to do the inspection and if no deal breakers show up upon inspection, looks like I'll have heading to my dream homestead!  With the price so good and mortgage so low, I will try and sell my California home soon or rent it.  It's doable now.

living room (they painted solid wood floors black, so we'll sand and refinish)

The home seems to have good bones but is in need of a lot of work.  The bathrooms and kitchen seemed to be in the middle of a remodel and it looks like people just walked out.  The grounds are very overgrown and need a brush hog taken to it in a bad way.  There are 6 acres.  It has a well and a cistern.  The home has 1500 sf in the upper main portion with a beautiful glassed in sun room over looking a pond.  There is a downstairs basement type portion with another 900 sf.  A guest cabin is also on the property which once again has an unfinished bathroom remodel and it will one day make a great nightly rental generating some income.  The original small homestead house is still standing with all that lovely old wood and a shop of some sort next to it made of the same wood.  The original house is just an old relic to look at but the old shop building can still be used for some storage.  There is also a nice sized newer storage building of some sort around 300sf with a/c and power.  Existing is also what was a pottery kiln but we do not know if any of the pottery equipment was left - it was in bad condition on the outside and we didn't enter that yet.  Down the way appeared to be a good looking structure that I think is a chicken coop - yay!  Since it was overgrown didn't want to take the chance of chiggers or snakes since I drove from Southern California with only a pair of flip flops.  So, the home will need kitchen and bathroom remodels, paint, wood floor resurfacing and general TLC.  The outside siding was mostly great with only a couple boards to replace and the fascia was 90% good as well.  The grounds can be beautiful again once cleared.  The home will take a lot of work and time but we are up for it and we think it will be a beautiful home again.  We were told that the home used to be on the "homes tour" of really great homes in the area. 

anyone up for a project?

sun room off the living room

sun room overlooking pond

So, within 10 days we'll have to go to Arkansas again.  Send good thoughts on the inspection.  Excited and scared at the same time.  Well, I know that's normal.  That's all for now... didn't sleep so well last night cause the mind kept going and now it seems to have stopped.  Ha ha.