We Found Our House on Craigslist

"Did you see the email I just sent?"

"No, I've been in meetings."

"I think I found a house on Craigslist..."

"That's not legitimate.  Stop it."

.....................

Here's the thing that no one tells you - searching for a house, while it is one of the most exciting times in your life, can also be one of the most disheartening (#firstworldproblems, I know).  After searching for houses for a few months with no success, fatigue sets in.  Hours of aimless scrolling and clicking on Redfin and Zillow begin to numb your mind.  

Can I see myself in this neighborhood?  Is that enough square footage?  Can I live without parking?  Should I instead focus on creating some kind of Ponzi scheme to increase my potential down payment?

As they say, desperation breeds ingenuity (they say that, right?).  In December 2016, after feeling like we had run out of options, I did something novel: I went on to craigslist.  Among a sea of ads for houses in various suburbs or vacation locales, I found something promising.

Julia, obviously, was quite skeptical.  She agreed to go on one condition: we bring as many people with us as possible.  Who knows what horror may lurk behind a Craigslist ad?  

The showing was defined by chaos, but tenants' dogs (very good boys, btw, would pet again), cleaning ladies, and a dying Christmas tree in the front window could not mask what was unmistakably a one of a kind house.  (As it turns out, the house next door has the exact same layout, but you get the idea). 

So here we are only a few months later, homeowners of an 1875 Italianate rowhome in Shaw, and it's all thanks to Craigslist (and our neighbors who actually sold us the house, but we'll save that for another post).  It needs some significant work and we intend to document the trials and tribulations of home renovation right here for your entertainment and edification.  We could not be more excited to start and share the whole process! - K