One of my favorite types of homes is grandma’s house. The home is usually one that has been lived in for many years by the same family. I can tell almost as soon as I walk in the door. It is almost always very clean and usually very well maintained. The garage or basement almost always has a workbench and extra storage. Everything about the home says that the people who last lived in it loved it and cared for it. Houses probably don’t need love but they do need maintenance and preventative maintenance.
These homes usually have an interior decor that is somewhat dated . . let’s just say that seniors and twenty-somethings have different tastes when it comes to paint colors, furniture and window treatments. The first time home buyers don’t always appreciate grandma’s house or see it for what it is, a wonderful opportunity to own a home that has been well cared for.
Last year one of my clients bought Grandma’s house. it turned out to be an estate. He got to meet a brother and sister who grew up in the house. They had all kinds of stories to share, it turned out that their father built it. If you find Grandma’s house ignore the flowered drapes, and the green sculpted carpeting. There is a chance that the floors under the carpeting are gorgeous and that new window treatments will make the place look very different.
That is a very nice house! It reminds me of my in laws house.
I love old houses too — they have so much more personality than new buildings — but we’re definitely in the minority if your talking about home buyers! Most people want to see something they can see themselves in, not something so full of someone else’s life. But it is important to leave a feeling of life in a home, even when you’re trying to sell it. I found some great tips on this site — http://kristinbalsley.com/blog/ — for staging and stuff.