The Worst House We Ever Saw... Or Smelled.
While I was reading this post, I could not help but laugh. For those of you who know me, you understand that this is the type of house that my husband is interested in.
Many years ago we bought an investment property, that had the same lovely smell. We gutted the house and sealed all the wood, that we did not remove.
Fast forward 20 years. We still own the house, a three family. Our mortgage is almost paid off. We have been able to keep it rented all those years, but show up on a warm summer day and you can still smell cat.
That smell does not go away!
I (Jared) can remember this day like it was yesterday. I was working with a local Fort Wayne real estate investor looking for fixer uppers that he could flip. We would schedule two or three afternoons a week and go see 8-10 of them and throw out a few offers.
Most of the investment homes we were looking for were in the $20,000 - $50,000 price range, and most of them were foreclosures. I could probably write a book about some of the crap we saw out there.
Anyway, back to THE HOUSE. It was a very hot and humid day a few summers ago. If I recall right it was in the high 90s and disgustingly humid. The house was a little two bedroom on a basement. In the description it said that it "Needed work" and that the basement was a "Little wet". Yeah...
STOP READING THIS NOW IF YOU ARE EATING LUNCH.
As we approached the house we smelled something. The closer we got the stronger the smell became. When we opened the front door a wave of crap smell hit us. I almost lost my lunch right there.
I told the investor that we needed to walk away NOW. He smiled as he walked to his car to get his gas masks. I rolled my eyes.
The main floor of the home was structurally sound. The carpets (duh) needed replaced, the floors needed sealed, and the walls needed a few hundred coats of primer and paint to cover the smell.
I looked over at the investor and said (in my best Darth Vader voice because I had a gas mask on) "You'll never get the smell out. They are going to bulldoze this house." He wanted to keep going.
We started walking to the basement and we discovered what the smell was. There was SERIOUSLY an inch of cat feces that 100% covered the entire basement floor. The investor took one step and almost fell into the crap.
I started gagging again and walked away from the house. The neighbors came over and told us that the previous owner had become addicted to crack and went nuts. She had over 50 cats that she kept in the basement. I'm not sure what happened to her, but I hope she's okay. I know that basement wasn't. The house eventually sold for under $10,000. I'm not sure what happened to those poor cats.
We have a team member that still works with investors, but Amanda and I don't anymore. The time commitment is the biggest issue for us. The crap issue is a pretty big one too. :) If you are reading this and are a local Fort Wayne real estate investor, give our team a call and our investor specialist will help you. Just remember to bring the gas masks.
Whether you are buying, selling, downsizing, or relocating to Fort Wayne...
THE CHRISTIANSEN TEAM CAN HELP!
260.704.0843 or JaredChristiansen@remax.net
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