For years now I've dreamed of having a home of my own. Throughout my 30's, buying a house was high on my priority list, but those plans got derailed for several years when Gregg got sick. Now that we're ready again, and actively looking, the housing market in our area is really bad for buyers. It's a total seller's market; inventory of available houses is low, prices are up, and houses are under contract almost as soon as they appear on the market. Twice now we've asked to see a house, only to find someone had beat us to it a week after the listing went up! And of course, with that much demand, you can forget about negotiating on the price, which is bad news for people like us with a modest budget but high hopes for something good!
Speaking of something good, I'd like to show you an available property in a little town about 10 miles north of Florence that stole my heart. It's well above what we can afford to spend, nor could we afford to maintain it in the style it deserves, and it's in a crappy little town that I'd rather not live in anyway...but still. I have a bad case of house lust with this one! I've looked at the pictures several times, sighing, and my husband finally said, "You should stop looking. It's just making you feel bad" and he's right. It hurts my heart a little to think of the beautiful old workmanship in the house, the old garden with heirloom flowers lovingly planted and cared for over 100 years ago, the pecan and magnolia trees. If we were a little bit richer, this would be our home.
Take a look at the listing descriptions and the pictures. What do you think?
Emma Wilcox House.
2400 SF Victorian with hip roof, wrap around porches, sleeping porch and rear deck. 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. Refinished hardwood floors and tile throughout. Built in china cabinets. Very large attic which could add 1500-1000 SF if desired. Period molding and door trim. Home is in very good shape. 1 acre lot with goldfish pond, grape arbor, large trees, and specimen azaleas, camellias, and tea olives. Approx 8x16 outbuilding and fenced back yard. 1/2 acre adjacent lot has basketball pad and adds privacy. Central Heat and AC. Home was built by Wilcox family in 1900 and current owners have owned it since 1988. Quiet neighborhood yet 3 blocks from groceries and downtown Darlington. Good neighbors.
Beautiful Victorian 1 story cottage on one acre wooded lot. Wrap around front porch with private screened sleeping porch off of bedrooms. Large yard with 6 pecan trees and a large magnolia. Large deck off of kitchen/family area. Hardwood floors throughout with tiled master bath and kitchen. Fancy door and window molding throughout. Two built in china cabinets. Built in ironing board. Large master closet. Private side yard. Beautiful old camellias, azalias and other specimen plants. Backyard goldfish pond.
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| Look closely....do you see the orange tabby? |
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| Grape Arbor by the pond. |
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| It has a small library. This makes me swoon. |
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| One of the two bathrooms. I love the window. |
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| Linen and coat closets galore. |
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| Built in china cabinets and ironing board. |
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One of the three bedrooms. They all have nice windows and doors like this.
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This bedroom has a fireplace.
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| There's even a sugar maple tree on one side for fall color. |
Lovely house - the built in ironing board sounds unusual - well it would be over here! I like the Christmas photo.
ReplyDeleteHope you find something soon
I liked the Christmas photo, too! A built in ironing board is something you wouldn't find in a house around here unless it was really, really old like this one. I think it's a great idea!
DeleteI'd buy it just for that front porch!!!! What a beautiful home! How much is it? When we rented, we often had built-in ironing boards in the older houses here in Louisiana. Such a great idea!!! xo
ReplyDeleteThe owners are asking $189,000 for it. Well above the budget we set for ourselves. Plus, the maintenance would be too expensive in the years to come.
DeleteWhat a beautiful home. The porch is wonderful. To bad it is in a area that is in flux. Neighborhoods are so important.
ReplyDeletecheers, parsnip and badger
It's actually in a beautiful, historic neighborhood downtown...but in Darlington, not Florence. Darlington is a seedy little town whose only claim to fame is a NASCAR track and big races a couple times a year. Nothing we're interested in. :/
DeleteOh gosh. As someone who lives in a house that's over 150 years old and who loves and adores the house I completely understand your lust. And that yard! It's spectacular!
ReplyDeleteBut I will tell you that upkeep is hard. And that it's probably more house than you need. And...oh, hell, I'm just trying to come up with stuff here that would help you not to grieve if you decide to be practical and not get it. But what I would mostly say is that I completely understand.
Completely. It is beautiful.
I will also say that there is one house I remember looking at long ago that I wanted with my whole heart. It, too, was very old and it was so lovely. But there were a myriad of reasons not to buy it and we made the right choice when we didn't. Still, I think of it now and then with a bit of regret while knowing that we did the right thing in not buying it.
Ms. Moon, I knew you of all people would understand best. :)
DeleteEven if we could get $20,000 or $30,000 knocked off the price, it would still be more than the limit we've set for ourselves to spend. And it would be a shame to buy it and find ourselves unable to afford the upkeep which is a real possibility.
I hope a nice family with children buy it and love it for a long, long time. The house deserves a family that can keep it for a couple more generations, at least.
I agree. A house and a yard like that is either a full-time job or there has to be help involved. That's another thing to consider.
DeleteA beautiful and very homely house! I have never heard of a built-in ironing board. That must mean you can not just iron whereever you like, right? I usually iron in my bedroom, but if I want to have the telly on while ironing, I simply carry the board through to the living room.
ReplyDeleteAnd a basketball court! You and Gregg could throw hoops after work :-)
I love the idea of a built in ironing board, closed away behind a door when it's not in use! Normally an ironing board takes up a lot of space and there's never a good place to store it where it's handy, but out of sight. At least for me! :)
DeleteBy the way, Meike, "homely" has a different meaning over here. I grew up with that word being used to describe a person or a thing that was plain at best, and sort of ugly at worst! I know how you meant it, though. :)
DeleteHere, let me help you get over the house lust. Just think, it's sooo old! Like England or Italy or France, and who wants to live there?! Actually, it's beyond gorgeous! Where I live, that house would probably go for three times that asking price. My house assessed for twice as much and it's a hunk of junk from 1968!
ReplyDeleteHahaha! Thanks!
DeleteIt's lovely, definitely has more character and kerb appeal than my new bungalow!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure your new bungalow is beautiful and just right for you and Paul!
DeleteJust stop it. I think it's a federal offense to smack us to death with so much envy. I was dead of porch envy before the front door was opened.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Envy is awful and I try hard to keep it down. I rarely get jealous of others' possessions, but this house is so beautiful it's hard not to feel a twinge of the green eyed monster!
DeleteWow it’s gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteIt sure is!
DeleteA house like that in Sydney would be worth at least 2 million, more if it was in an expensive suburb.
ReplyDeleteIt's gorgeous but there will be something more perfect
The little rural county and town that the house is in is the only reason the price is so low. (And it's still too expensive for us!)
DeleteSomething better for us will come along, I feel sure!
When we were first married, we lived in apartment that had a built in ironing board in the wall and I did like it. That house is beautiful, especially the porch and floors, but you will find something else that you will love and be happy with for years to come. The fact that the house was empty tells me that it has been on the market for awhile. I would wonder why since it is a seller’s market and it looks perfect.
ReplyDeleteIt's a seller's market, but the house is in Darlington, SC. Not a great place to live, and the schools aren't very good, either.
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ReplyDeleteWhy should she go for it? The area isn't interesting and the price much too high. And who cares about your suggestion for a new kitchen ? Costs nothing of course. What a snob you are. Mrs. Jennifer has well explained that she found this house gorgeous and it is in fact, but much too expensive etc. So respect it.
DeleteIt's well beyond our budget, and more importantly, we would have a hard time maintaining it properly. Our salaries are modest and since we're getting such a late start in buying a home, we're planning to get a 15 year mortgage and to make extra payments to try to pay it off sooner than that. Which means we have to be very humble in our choice of a home.
DeleteThis house has everything you could want, and more. Those porches are places calling to me to sit and relax there. I can see why you have caught house lust.
ReplyDeleteThe garden with all the old, old perennials (even some heirloom roses!) captivates me more than the actual house! And the parties I could have for my girlfriends on those porches....
DeleteMmmm. I can see why you fell head over heels for that house; however I think the upkeep would require lots and lots of dollars.
ReplyDeleteAlpbie
You're right about the upkeep. That kind of expense is definitely not in our budget; we're just now starting to get serious about saving for retirement. We seem to do everything a decade later than we should.
DeleteEverything about it is gorgeous....such a shame it is too expensive !
ReplyDeleteHonestly, we don't want to live in Darlington anyway. It would only be about a 10 mile commute to work for us both, but it's also 10-15 miles away from decent shopping, theaters, public transportation, etc. I'm not sure I want to retire that far away from the convenience of a small city.
DeleteWow, that IS beautiful. So well cared-for. I wonder how sound it is structurally? In any case, just focus on the fact that you don't really want to live in that town anyway!
ReplyDeleteI imagine that structurally, it's in great shape. Homes were built the right way in those days and as long as they're updated from time to time the underlying structures are probably better than new construction made with cheaper materials and no real workmanship.
DeleteOMB, that place is GORGEOUS!
ReplyDeleteI KNOW, right?! I love it, but it's not the right one for us...unfortunately.
DeleteWhat about 1111 Clarendon Avenue - not far from where you live now?
ReplyDeleteYes, charming. But we hvd a built-in ironing board and it was so out-dated it really was useless. So, another reason to scratch this off your list. Anyway, no sense coveting. Focus!
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