Matt is a first time home buyer and he closed on this home a couple of weeks ago. Matt came to me with his financing in place and a lot of questions. His questions were the right ones. They were about the home buying process and what to look for in an older home.
He thought he knew what he wanted in a home, and we looked at many, in a couple of different neighborhoods. The home he ended up buying is in the Como Park neighborhood which is a convenient location for Matt, close to work and to his friends.
The home has only had one owner, is in excellent repair and only in need of some updating. We could tell when we walked through it that who ever owned it cared. Everything was immaculate and in good repair. The floors are made of oak, the exterior siding is steel, and the roof is fairly new.
The owner built it, in 1953. He built the basement first and lived in it with his wife. As his family grew he built the rest of it and then finished the second story. There are a lot of memories in this house for the family that lived in it for so many years.
The brother and sister who were raised in the home came to the closing and shared some of their stories with Matt. They talked about what it was like growing up in the house and about the neighborhood and all the people they know in the immediate area.
They are happy that Matt owns it now, and they know that he will take care of it, and who knows maybe raise a family of his own in it one day. There were some tears after the closing as the brother and sister left together. Matt has their contact information and they agreed to come over and show him a few things. I think they will all keep in touch. Matt told them they are welcome to stop by and he meant it.
Matt is new to home ownership and it is a big step. He really did everything just right. I enjoyed working with him, and answering his questions. Good luck and best wishes Matt. Oh by the way you are supposed to rake those leaves. 🙂
the problem with most homeowners is they dont know how to repair anything! I wish i knew how to fix up somethings in my house!
Home repairs can be intimidating, not to mention expensive. Some times a trip to the local Menards, and a little advice from someone with more experience is all that is needed. There are also some really great books on repairs and home improvements at the home improvement stores, sometimes they can be a great help. Sometimes you have to hire help, like plumbers or electricians.
That is a really cute house. With a basement too. We have some cute old houses in Austin but not many basements.
Old houses can be a pain but personally I think the charm outweighs the hassle.
In a perfect world all closing would go this way. Houses are more than just shelters. As you’ve relayed in your story, this house was the home to a hard-working family and the home to a lifetime of memories. For the brother and sister and Matt to have an on-going relationship is nice to hear. It just doesn’t happen like this all that often. I wish it would.
I love this post. This shows that home ownership isn’t about just a shelter but about building memories as well. – Ashley