I’m pleased to announce a great price reduction of a home I recently listed in a popular west-side location of Mason City. I don’t think I’ve had it listed even a month, but due to the property now being in an estate, the executor has decided to reduce the price so that it sells in a short period of time. As we all know, it you want something sold quickly, simply get the price enough under the competing listings, and it will sell. The home is located at 50 Winnebago Court which is on one of the half circle streets off Winnebago Way. It is a one owner and has been very well maintained over the years.
What I really like about the home is the roomy floor plan that offers the “circle” of flow between the kitchen, dining and living room. Since more and more young people are going for the 50’s retro look, this home has the light birch woodwork and the “feel” of the 1950’s decade. There are oak floors under the carpet in the bedrooms and hallway. Having toured an excessive number of homes in the past, I will say the one feature I’ve never seen before is the very large and deep linen closet in the hallway which is back to back with the overly large half bath in the master bedroom. In taking a quick measurement, I found that one could install a tub/shower unit in the ½ bath by cutting back the depth of that linen closet without making any other great changes. Can you imagine how much more valuable this home would be with 2 full baths on the main floor? If there would be a preference to have the laundry on the main floor, one could again convert that linen closet into a laundry closet. It makes sense being so close to the bedrooms and baths. I believe the new thermal windows were just installed last year. What a great maintenance and energy saving improvement.
The home has a large 2 car attached garage with a relatively new concrete floor. The wiring is circuit breaker, the furnace is high efficiency with central air, and all the existing appliances stay. There is a patio door leading from the dining room to a rear deck overlooking a terraced rear yard. The living room has a real wood burning fireplace to warm your toes and brighten your spirits on these long and dark winter nights.
The exterior has steel siding with real brick laid halfway up to the windowsills as part of the original construction. People may think ill of having a rear yard backing up to the old K-Mart parking lot, but I’m in the belief it’s a bonus. No nosey neighbors watching you while enjoying the summer evenings out back. I would in time place a more private fence along the rear lot line simply to give the backyard more the feel of it being all the more private.
I showed it several weeks ago to someone who poo-pooed it as needing too much updating and all the while I thought, “Just go out and find a similar locale, similar square footage, and similar features.” I’m sure they’ll pay many more thousands for their turn-key home and consider it a better choice—not. I’d rather buy something radically discounted and make my own cosmetic improvements. Just as a foot-note, this home’s assessed value is $131,640.00. Now where can you buy a newer ranch home listed so far below assessed? Take a look yourself and you’ll see how you’ll get it spiffy at 50.
