Our Fixer-Upper

The water heater is only 3 years old and I realized when looking through the paperwork that it has a 10 year warranty!

The furnace, although very old, has been maintained annually since installed. We had Centerpoint Energy send one of their guys out to conduct an inspection and found out that the furnace is running more efficiently than it was originally designed to. He also recommended that we replace it with a forced air furnace, suggesting that we would probably save 30 to 40 percent on our heating bills. The estimates for a new furnace came in at around $5,000, so unfortunately it will need to wait. If it aint broke......

Posted by Sheryl Bazzill at 11:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The rest of the ceiling had been washed down, but I left a small corner to write a message to mom.

Sheryl's mom came out to visit for two weeks and worked very hard cleaning, scraping paint, painting, wiping walls, cleaning the basement, and doing many other small jobs.
We are very grateful for all of the help.
Thank you Mom!

Posted by Sheryl Bazzill at 3:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

So, after looking at photos of our small, not-so-clean house, you're probably wondering what inspired us to make the purchase.

One reason was the Light Rail, a new system of transportation for Minneapolis which connects downtown with residential neighborhoods in Southeast Minneapolis. It also goes to the Minneapolis St. Paul Airport, as well as the Mall of America. This swift little vessel caused a lot of commotion when its tracks were put in a few years ago, and the areas near the new line have really been developing since then.

Another reason is Minnehaha Park, which is a short bike ride away. This park has a bike trail that runs through it which connects you to many miles of bike trails throughout Minneapolis. Here are some photos of a waterfall at the park.

Autumn

Winter (not cold enough for this kind of ice yet)

Spring, a time we look forward to!

Posted by Sheryl Bazzill at 2:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Purchasing a bank owned property (for those interested)
In Minnesota, you can purchase a property that is not up to the minimum codes. Doing this requires that you agree to purchase it in "as-is" condition, as specified in the As Is Addendum that the bank will undoubtedly require you to sign. In doing this, the purchasers are required to take on the responsibility of fixing the required repairs within 90 days. (These are called the R and R's on the Truth in Housing Disclosure.)

Here are more photos of the house.
Enjoy!

This is a photo of our one and only bathroom. The leg room in front of the toilet (which is broken) is about 8 inches, just 16 inches shy of the required 24 inches needed for code. However, because this was existing, we are not required to make adjustments. The sink is cracked, and will need to be replaced. Dave will be taking this project on. What a guy! He will also be replacing the toilet...wow....the toilet is really, really gross. We'll spare you the photo.

This a photo of what will be the dining area portion of the combo living/dining area.

This photo is of the living room end of the combo living/dining room. One thing we do like about the room is that is has nicely coved ceilings. We think that the carpet might need to go.

Posted by Sheryl Bazzill at 3:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

We had been shopping for houses and condos for over 6 months before deciding on this little gem. It was a quite a find to discover a home for less that $100,000 on the market in the Nokomis area of South Minneapolis. Of course, there were reasons for this list price. Still, we decided to take it on.

We'll upload some of the interior photos soon!

Posted by Sheryl Bazzill at 4:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)