It was quite the interesting day today. I had an appointment this morning to inspect a home that the owner has since moved out of and now living hours from Mason City. I could see that there had been a number of recent improvements but also some deferred maintenance due to the home being vacant. It has an interesting floor plan than must have been altered by the prior owner who was likely a single person with some carpentry skills. Believe it or not, I was the most impressed by the unfinished basement. I could see endless possibilities there for someone who has the foresight of finishing off additional rooms.
The owner called me while I was there and during our conversation, I discovered that he purchased the home without a Realtor. I asked him about his loan balance and was not surprised to hear how high it was. It wasn’t the most comfortable situation informing him that he will be lucky if he can break even with his sale expenses AFTER he makes the improvements I recommended to help get the home sold. This is an example of being “upside down”.
My following appointment was to visit with a very long time resident of Mason City who has decided it’s time to move into a senior center. Having driven past the home likely hundreds of times, I would have never expected to find the interior in the condition that I encountered it. Not so much that it was so elegant, or had all the recent updates, but rather it was the “feel” of the home. The owner informed me that not long after their family moving into the home in the late 1950s, they decided to remove all the paint from the woodwork as well as the fireplace. Now that, was a daunting task!
It is a early 1900s two story home that I’m confident will sell due to the loving care it has received over all these years. Being a Realtor for more years than I want to admit, it takes a bit more to impress me—this home impressed me. I commended the owner on the care that has been given to home. I’m it will sell for fair market value, and hopefully in a short period of time. This is a true example of being “right side up” in owning a home.
Remember what I said before, “If you take care of your home, it will take care of you”.
