We are thinking of moving to a more affordable house, preferably one that we can buy with our meager income. Several weeks ago we met with a mortgage broker to see how much of a mortgage Toad could get pre-approved for, so we have that information now. He had acquired a credit card in his name at the beginning of the year in order to establish some credit (he had paid cash for everything since 1978!) and after several months of using the card he has built up a good credit rating. I am still a persona non grata here in Canada as far as the government and the mortgage institutions are concerned, so my excellent credit rating does us no good here. Without being landed I cannot even get a mortgage, even with Toad. It is frustrating, especially since the small down payment and the legal fees will use up all the rest of my savings--the proceeds of selling my home in Indiana. I have a lot of misgivings about investing in property that will not be mine legally. Should anything happen to Toad I would be left destitute and homeless.
Nonetheless, we have been searching mls.ca often and diligently, hunting for a house with a bit of acreage that would allow us to keep our boy Dudley and our chickens. The ideal property would be at or under $50K, just on the edge of town, within a reasonable walking distance to a grocery and library, near a well-maintained road, have at least 1200 sq. ft of living space, have at least one outbuilding already in place for the chickens and Dudley, and not be dependent upon oil or propane for heat. We love the Mattawa area, and have several good friends here now, but the property values are quite inflated here and there is nothing in our price range that would be at all suitable. There are a few places in our price range farther north (gulp!) that we have been investigating.
Thursday we took a road trip north to see two houses that met all or most of the criteria. One place had 1.1 acres and was fairly nice inside but far too small at 760 sq.ft and no garage for storage or parking; it also had no place for the people--just a rotten outbuilding so moldy that it needed to be torn down and rebuilt. The second house, a bank repo, had nearly 6 acres, a simple 1-car garage (floorless), a rough shed, and 1200 sq ft of living space; it needed some work inside and a roof, but the room layout was appealing. The biggest problems with it was the wet basement, the oil furnace, the highway noise (big transports whipping by often) and the view from the front--a gaudy-signed, sloppy-lotted business. Toad says that the house was well-built and structurally sound. The wet basement is a huge bummer and the worst obstacle. We have no way of knowing if this problem could be corrected without costing an arm and a leg. It's possible that improving the outside drainage could stop the seepage, and we could get a trencher and do the work ourselves, but what if it didn't? The furnace is not very old, which is good in one way but bad in that it is oil and oil prices are exorbitant. We had resolved to avoid oil heat if at all possible. It is doubtful that natural gas would be available in the area (the real estate agent didn't know but wasn't encouraging) and we would not have the money to replace the furnace AND the roof. The view could be modified by erecting nice trellises in front of the windows facing the eyesore business. The highway noise was not noticeable inside and after walking about outside looking at the grounds I hardly noticed it. One of the nicest features of this old farmhouse is that there are two big rooms upstairs that are unfinished but perfect for my library of books and my teaching supplies, as well as for storage under the eaves. The upstairs could easily be closed off during the coldest part of winter to keep the heat downstairs. The full basement, if dry, would be perfect for a small workshop and crafts area as well as storage. The laundry area is in the basement already and there is a clothesline up for days when using the solar dryer isn't practical. Too, too bad that the basement is wet! I didn't get any photos of the basement, unfortunately, but did take several of the main and second floors. Here are some views of the upstairs:
Paint and new windows is really all that are needed upstairs. There is some kind of insulation--Thermafiber Insulating Wood Blanket--visible tacked up under the eaves:
I don't know if the upstairs is totally insulated or just partially. It would bear a much more detailed examination to find out IF the basement situation is not as bad as I fear.
The kitchen cabinets are deplorable but could be redone over time. The kitchen walls need attention. The living room is okay as is except for the carpet, which needs to be taken up. Hopefully the floor beneath is plank like that upstairs and could be painted. Same for both bedrooms. Most of the windows need to be replaced, although at least three of them are newer ones and are in good shape. Here are a few more photos of the main floor, which also includes two enclosed, sunny porches.
Back to the living room, to view walls, doorways and windows...
Now for a few outside photos:
We need to go have another look at the house, especially after all this rain, and get some photos of the basement, check for mold, and examine the yard drainage more closely. Stay tuned.
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