Yesterday my husband and I went to an open house. We had high hopes for this particular cottage and were prepared to make an offer if we liked the it as much in person as we had online. We’d even gone so far as to get ourselves preapproved for a mortgage.
The pictures online had portrayed an old cottage that hadn’t been updated but that had been well maintained. Pictures never tell the whole story, though, and a lot of the tale had been missing in the photos. As we walked around the property we discovered problem after problem. I’d guess it would cost at least $100,000 just to deal with the immediate issues and eyesores.
Maybe we could have negotiated the price down to compensate, but the lake didn’t give enough vibe to make it worthwhile. The view was attractive and peaceful, but there was no underlying feeling of excitement. The water was murky and boulder-filled, not ideal for swimming. The house had a lot of steps in it, creating hazards for elderly visitors. We understand that we will have to make compromises, but there’s just no sense in risking our financial well-being for a location that doesn’t thrill us.
We give nicknames to all the properties we’ve visited so that we might easily reference them later. I asked my husband what we should call this one. He said, “The Big Letdown.” Yeah. That’s the perfect name for it.