Wednesday, April 30, 2014

The House Hunt

So, we're taking the plunge into the marketplace. 2009 brought with it the best buyer's market in history. 2014, not so much. The truth was we weren't in a position to buy a few years ago. We really aren't in a position to do it now, but a quickly expanding family is forcing our hand.

We visited a home tonight that was in need of a major update (that means it's in our price range). The basement was not finished, but the cement floor, hot water tank, furnace, and electric were all new, and necessitated a visit to the lowest level to see it all. I was the first to the basement and noticed a small, walled off section enclosed by a slightly ajar door. 

We've seen enough houses now to know that these rooms will always hold something unique to the homeowner. Maybe it's their woodworking area or where they paint model cars. Something about the dim light seeping through the cracked door in this room said it would be different.

I pulled the door towards me slowly, with my child in my other arm. The first thing I noticed was the mattress on the floor, with blankets and pillows placed neatly on top. Then the walls filled with tie dye posters assaulted my eyes. The centerpiece of the room was the 10 foot by 10 foot flag with "Blunt" spelled on it over a marijuana leaf. Needless to say, Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley were prominently featured smoking what this room was made an homage to. The lava lamps and black lights completed the feeling that someone was clinging to a college dorm lifestyle. The unique smell of the room didn't make it to the rest of the basement though.

Couples streamed in and out of the open house because the price was terrific in a great school district. When selling a house, it is a bold move to wave the marijuana flag (literally) in such a manner. I can honestly say that this is a first in the dozens of houses we've seen. But it might have worked because most of these houses run together so that they might as well be the same. "The weed house" will always stand out.


1 comment:

  1. I wish you well in your housing search. Amazingly, my wife still remembers a few distinctive homes from when we did our first poking around 20 years ago. I just hope that if you end up buying the 'weed house,' you don't have people knocking on your door at all hours looking to make a buy!

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