Update on my house that won’t sell
Yes, the darn thing is still for sale.
photo credit: Sarah Felix Burns
“But it’s so cute! I can’t believe it hasn’t sold yet!”
If I had a penny for every time I heard that, I could have my mortgage paid off by now.
“I LOVE that house! I would buy it in a second if I was in the position to buy!”
Apparently, a lot of people are not in a position to buy. We’ve had offers, and close-to-offers, but either the potential buyers can’t get financing, have a house that they need to sell first, or just get cold feet for God knows why – like the buyers who walked last summer.
“Why do you think it hasn’t sold yet?”
Bad luck? Retribution for sins in a past life? The universe conspiring against me? I’m starting to sound really paranoid here. But the prevailing theory is that the house does not want us to sell it.
photo credit: Sarah Felix Burns
“Why don’t you rent it out – no wait, renters would trash that historic home.”
Yep, in these parts some renters tend to um, wreck houses. I know it’s not PC to generalize so I’m just saying some renters around here. Maybe renters where you live don’t steal door knobs, cook meth in the bathtub, and throw trash in the backyard, but they do here, unfortunately.
“Can’t you just lower the price?”
Been there, Done that. Thrice. We are at the point where we are almost at the same price that we bought the house for in 2010. We are losing money on the place and just want to come away with our shirts on at this point.
photo credit: Sarah Felix Burns
“Why don’t you hold an open house?”
Tried that myself a couple of weekends ago. The only people who showed up just LOVED the house but were not in a position to buy. And they wanted to come see why this amazing house hasn’t sold yet. And they couldn’t figure out why this adorable house hasn’t sold yet.
My latest acquisition…
Why none other than a historic state of Colorado prostitution license!
No, it’s not an original – these are just copies - but I loved the way the prostitution license was put together with a Victorian Boudoir photograph and a copy of a $5 silver certificate.
The license was issued March 10, 1891 for a Ms. Laura Belle…
I love finding unusual historic things for my walls – especially with a local connection. It’s part of my ‘keeping it real’ approach to decorating.
My kitchen sink mystery solved… maybe
When people walk into my kitchen, the first thing they often say is: “Oh look at the old sink!” Or some variation of that such as: “That sink reminds me of my grandma’s house“.
photo credit: Sarah Felix Burns
Not the kind of thing a modern gal wants to hear about her kitchen. But hey, if you are a vintage sink lover like me, you’d be drawn to this kitchen just for the sink – like I was (notwithstanding the fact that there is no dishwasher).
photo credit: Sarah Felix Burns
I could tell that the sink unit was mid-century, and I could tell it was metal with enamel porcelain on top. But I really had no idea what brand or year it was.
photo credit: Sarah Felix Burns
One day, not too long ago, a friend sent me a link to a Crane 1950′s kitchen hardware catalog:
My fall colors
It’s time to get out all the black and orange and load up on pumpkins!
I love those tiny pumpkins and gourds - but they really aren’t good for anything except decorating.
I went a bit pumpkin crazy this year and put them everywhere…
My house’s distant relatives
- photo credit: Sarah Felix Burns
My 1870′s brick Gothic Revival is rare in this part of the country [Colorado]. You just don’t see the Gothic Revival style very often out west; it was more prevalent in the 1800′s in places like eastern Canada and the northeastern United States.
Southern Ontario, in particular, has an impressive collection of brick and stone Gothic Revival homes.
Anyway, during my travels around the Internet, I have come across some homes that have instantly jumped out at me because they remind me of my own dear house.
Have a look…
image from: waymarking.com (Published By – Hard Oiler)
This cut stone Gothic vernacular farmhouse (above) located near Halton, Ontario has the hallmark central dormer gable with window and gingerbread detail.
image from: Google images
I have no idea where this blue house (above) is located but the 1.5 story floor-plan is very similar to my house. It has wood siding and less adornment but still reminiscent of the Gothic Revival style due to the central dormer peak and steep roof-lines.
The house below was actually designed as a carriage house but it exemplifies the carpenter Gothic style with its board-and-batten siding. It is located at “Springside” - an historic estate in Poughkeepsie, New York.
image from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Springside_gatehouse.jpg (author: Daniel Case)
image from: hgtv.com (via housekaboodle.com)
This adorable yellow farmhouse (above) is located in Beaverton, Oregon and was built in 1859. Rather than a window in the central dormer gable, it has a door which opens to a balcony!
image from: http://forum.skyscraperpage.com (image posted by Flar)
A red brick beauty located in Oakville, Ontario (above).
