Impulse Buy

Inspirational song: You're the One That I Want (Grease)

That man does not know what he wants. When we arrived here less than a week ago, he looked at me and with an exhausted sigh said, "I can't stress this enough. I do not want a project house." And then amnesia set in, and he has kept steering me towards houses that need weeks of work, and tens of thousands of dollars in investment. Today we viewed two places. The first one was being sold as is. So when we saw several places where the concrete slab was subsiding, the roof way past its useful life, carpeting that had to go, single pane windows that must be replaced immediately, and a total kitchen renovation, my brain added up the 50-70 thousand to accomplish all that, plus the months of our lives living in a construction zone. We are capable, but are we willing?

Setting foot in house number two answered that for me, and the answer was NO. The second house was stunningly perfect for me. It was built in 1959, and still had the original kitchen in pristine condition, aside from new appliances. It was out of this world amazing. The counters were turquoise formica with gold flecks. The backsplash was copper tiles that matched the copper switchplates and copper paper towel/wax paper holder. All of the cabinetry was immaculate. I practically vibrated with need when I saw this house. I loved everything from the blonde brick up front to the big purple clematis covering the back patio. Giant garage. Original sea foam green tub and sink. Funky 50s doorbell cover. Laundry room with cat box space and a door to shut out dogs. I want it!!

The problem is, it is priced at our comfort point now, but by the time offers are submitted Monday, it's going to be beyond our pain threshold. We might be able to do it, but we would have absolutely nothing left in the tank for the next emergency. One more big vet visit, one more car breakdown, and we would be sunk. But this house needs nothing done to make it work for us. I could pretty much just paint it at my leisure and enjoy it right now, as is. It is my mid-century modern dream. If only I could reach out and grab it.