Six months ago my fiancee' and I came across a listing for a foreclosed house on 12 acres. We'd been casually house hunting for over two years in the Northern Virginia area. Most recently we'd been searching for a small plot of land where we could build something new, efficient and affordable. We had a dream of having enough land to grow our own food and raise chickens but we soon discovered what most people already know, it's MUCH cheaper to buy a lot with a house already on it!
Searching for and buying a vacant lot is as difficult as finding a simple black dress, most have been marred by a tacky lace detail, a zipper, or worst of all, a split-level 1960's relic untouched by modern life. What the hell is the deal with split-level houses anyway? They are ALL over this area like an ugly plague of locusts.
So after seeing more than our fair share of split-levels and poorly maintained, drafty, low-ceiling colonials and ramblers, none of which seemed to justify the insane pricetags they carried, we stopped looking. We had given up the search both in and outside the beltway and decided to just keep renting while we saved up and hoped for something better. Then we saw the listing: a 4,000 square foot ranch on almost 12 acres, horse barn included.
When we went out to see it the grass was thigh high, tire tracks covered the front yard, a brick left on the walkway had "Your pathetic" written on it in black marker and it was obvious that the house had been empty for a long time. Despite the seemingly endless list of problems and the errant grammatical errors, we saw possibility. We put in a bid and a harrowing six months later, we finally closed (that harrowing six month struggle is a separate entry).
Now begins the renovation of a house with very little going right for it as well as the preparations to get a small farm running as soon as the snow melts!
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