The lay of the land

 I'm nervous about sharing, because theres always a chance this venture will end in disappointment.  However, in that case I can share that as well. 

When we were in Las Vegas, Sophia and Ivan were watching the house and animals.  She texted that our renter neighbors were moving out.  She added "Now's the time to make an offer on that house, before new renters move in".  We've spent plenty of time dreaming of buying the house and property and extending our backyard.  

Here is a google earth image of the layout.  Our house is at the top, currently with 2 less trees 😃 than shown. The fire lane path to the left of us, the rental property behind our home (also next to the firelane). 

Now, in real time -I am standing at the corner where the fire lane meets the dead grass/2 cars parked spot as shown in the google earth photo.  

When we got home, we decided why not give it a shot?  I had the property manager's info, years ago we had split the cost with the owner of trimming their trees overhanging our yard -pepper, olive, pomegranate. Then Ivan took over that job, thank you Ivan! 

Here is a view of the front of the house (from the fire lane).  It is a petite home 900 sq. feet, built in 1886. *The data is conflicting, I also see the year 1900.  Although it looks very cute, it is in terrible condition.  There has been no proper maintenance of any kind. 

The fence dividing the properties.  As you can maybe see, the pepper tree is actually smack dab on the property line.  The fence is notched into a V to accommodate the trunk. 

Standing in the backyard of the rental.  You can see our house over the top of the fence.  They also have a massive invasive Tree of Heaven the devil, Ailanthus altissima to the right.  Sprouts from this tree are constantly popping up in our garden. 

A few steps back, on the rental patio.  

And even further back, now I'm on the sidewalk.  As I'm sure you've guessed, my main interest here is the land.  A tiny home on a fairly good sized lot, 8,537 sq. ft.  Dirtbag garden? 

When I got in contact with the property manager, he informed me the house would be going on the market.  One informal offer had already been rejected.  During the week, I watched as things were happening over there.  An old chicken coop and scary shed that leaned on our fence was removed from the property.  Along with some exterior painting and "lipstick on a pig" kind of clean-up. 

I apologize for all the photos, just trying to show the layout in case anyone is interested.  Now back to our side.  I'm standing in the backyard by the pool. We have 2 homes directly behind us.  The gazebo belongs to our neighbors, no change there.  I'm pointing to the property line division between the other 2 homes.  

Then I had the bright idea to go upstairs for a bigger picture. You can see part of that gazebo roof to the upper left.  The rental house in clear view.  

So, we talked and talked about all the possible scenarios.  An investor tear down, townhomes go in?  Squatters? Heavy smokers in the backyard?! We decided to make an offer with a 24 hour deadline before it went on the market.  The seller counter offered with a 10 am deadline,  which we accepted at 9:45 a.m.  We are currently in appraisal phase.

The house inspection report is baaaaaad.  Dry rot, termite infestations (there are more than one kind), electrical not even close to being up to code, foundation issues - a big crack, and everything else you can think of could happen to a house built in 1886 that hasn't been cared for.  

I'll end with a few photos of the inside, Vincent and Olivia went over with me. What the photos don't adequately show is how weird the layout is.  You enter into a hallway with 2 of the tiniest bedrooms I've ever seen on each side.  Surprisingly the kitchen and living room aren't horrible.  Other than the huge hump in the middle of the living room floor.  Entrance. Straight shot to the back of the house. 

I'm not bothering showing the bedrooms, imagine tiny square rooms. Living room, I like that floor to ceiling window. So do termites!

The kids in the master bathroom.  I'll have to ask Vincent what the shower looked like. 

Kitchen, clearly had been updated at some point.

Mudroom area, this was sooo very sloped. And there is a weird doormat there in the corner that covered a ?squishy spot. 

But I thought the windows were so cute.  This really reminded me of the mudroom in our old house on SE 40th & Francis St. in Portland.  Creepy and cute. 

And finally, the main bathroom at the back of the house.  The bathroom was super narrow, as you can see by Vincent's feet just inside the door frame.  The tub was very deep!

The only thing to do now is wait and see what happens.  I won't make you guess, if this whole deal goes through -the first thing I will do is tear down the fence between the properties.