The 2014 Super (Toilet) Bowl or The Princess and the Pee

Before we could spend any amount of time at the house, we needed a place to go to the bathroom. We called a plumber to have the house de-winterized and the next step was to make some quick, inexpensive upgrades to the basement bathroom. We considered the main bathroom upstairs unusable and had plans for an immediate remodel, so there was no point in spending a lot of money to make the basement bathroom nice. If any attempt at coordination was being made previously, it was that the exterior of the claw foot tub had been painted black, as had the inside of the bathroom door. It would seem silly to have a regular white toilet with these black features (that's sarcasm), so naturally, there was a black toilet. Not ANY black toilet, mind you, but an odd, small, black, disgusting toilet.

So ugly.	Ummmm....no.

For $65 we picked up a nearly new toilet at a construction salvage place and starting during the half time show of the 2014 Super Bowl, we installed the toilet with a new wax ring and water supply hose while streaming the game on an iPad.

For another $50 we picked up a simple white vanity off of Craigslist. This replaced a cracked sink that was mounted in a make shift counter attached to the wall. Words cannot describe what a hokey setup this was, but if you look closely at the "before" photo of the bathroom, you can catch a glimpse of the sink in the reflection of the mirror.

The Super Bowl	Vanity upgrade for cheap

Financing a Fixer

The reason why the listing agent was holding out for an all cash offer is that the likelihood of getting financed for a house in this condition required a miracle. There was an unpaid balance on the utility bill, which meant either an interested buyer would need to pay the bill in order to get a proper inspection with the utilities on, OR, risk it and do an inspection that excluded checking the electrical and plumbing. We opted for the latter. A sewer scope had already been done for at least one of the five times the house previously went pending. We knew there was a blockage on the north sewer line. We knew the house needed a new roof. And we knew it needed new windows. Our lender was willing to finance us on the condition that we get the roof and the sewer repaired within the first 60 days of ownership. In this arrangement, the bank holds 150% of the estimated cost for repairs, which is ample motivation to actually get the work done. When the deal was done, we were relieved to find that the electricity came on!

First. The sewer. We got a recommendation from a friend and negotiated the friends and family special deal. Since they had to tear up part of the driveway, we put in a drain in front of the garage. When you live in Seattle, a strong defense against water intrusion is the only defense. 

North side of house.	Remove sidewalk, dig hole, place pipe.

	Adding a drain in front of garage.

We Bought It!

In 2007, when I was just a single, small town gal tryin' to make it in the big city, I bought a 533 square foot condominium in West Seattle. It had everything I wanted: a parking spot in a garage, in-unit washer and dryer, dishwasher, a small storage unit and was situated along a green belt where I knew I'd enjoy running. Cue the mortgage crisis. At one point between 2008 and 2010, an identical unit sold for 50% of my purchase price. "I. Will. Die. Here." Wait. I forgot to mention that I got married in 2009 and lived in the condo with my husband, Nick. "WE. Will. Die. Here." We pinched our pennies and saved for the day that we could rent or sell the condo and buy a house. Due to HOA rental restrictions, we sat on the rental waiting list for three years before we were finally notified in 2013 that we could rent our unit.Yes!

We called up Mike (my trusty real estate guy) and began our search. Although the market was finally rebounding from the recession, there was no inventory....few listings to choose from and desperation from buyers like us. Our first offer was for a sad craftsman in the Central District that would need a serious immediate kitchen remodel, but had a nice yard and was cute.

House #1: Cash offer +$54K over listing.

It sold for an all cash offer of fifty thousand dollars over the asking price. "Waaaaah!" Our second offer was for another craftsman in the Central District that had been fully redone; move-in ready. What a novelty! It didn't have a yard and the neighborhood was a tad spotty. It had been on the market for THREE WEEKS and for some mysterious reason wasn't moving. "It's ours!" we thought. We made a sub-listing offer with an escalation clause up to the asking price.

House #2: Cute, but bars on the front door? Maybe for the best.

 
The universe shifted, other offers came in, and we lost the house by a slim margin. *Fist shaking* "Blast you, other people with more money!"

Flashback. Early in our house hunting, Nick added a nasty looking house in North Ballard to our list of homes to check out.

House #3: The nasty house in Ballard.

Why not? We'll be in the neighborhood looking at other places anyway. The house was in disrepair and had been vacant for at least two years. I walked through that place and back out in seven minutes and stood by the car while Nick and the agent poked around. "Nooooo, Sir!" More than one room in that house gave me the heeby jeebies. But, we could afford it and Nick insisted it had potential. Something about "good bones". Our agent told us that the listing agent was holding out for an all cash offer. Forget it! The house went pending and we moved on. I later discovered photos of a house two doors down with an identical floor plan. It was gorgeous! Having seen the potential, I was suddenly on board.We continued to think about this house. "Darn! We should have made an offer," we lamented. On a car ride home from a weekend in Portland I looked at the listing scene. "The house in Ballard--it's back! It's a SIGN!" And whether or not you believe in signs, we bought the house and this is the story of its renovation (and the strength of our marriage).

We own a nasty house!

Take a tour of our home as it was purchased HERE.