We Closed Today

It's no longer my Fixer-Upper. I'm not sad though, so everything's good.

I flew from New York to Fargo this morning, landing in the frigid tundra at 10:3o. By 11:30 I had a pen in my hand and I was signing, signing, signing. I had originally thought that I wouldn't be able to be in town for closing, so it was a nice treat to be able to take part. I'm glad that I could be there at the begininning and the end of this adventure. It was also really nice to see my realtor, Jenny again as we had only been conversing through email and phone-tag for months.

I also met the new owner. This situation could have gone two different ways and, fortunatelly, it went very well. He had two of his kids with him and he seems like a really great guy. He has worked as a contractor and has experience working on houses. Score! He's going to start refinishing the floors soon. I might just have to bring him some holiday cookies or something, just to spy on what the floors look like all cleaned up! His kids had already picked out which room was for whom, and they had picked out their new paint colors. It really made my day just to see them excited to call my old house their new home. Good stuff, people. Good stuff.

So, I suppose this is the last entry about the house. I'll make sure to alert you should I decide to buy another fixer upper someday. Trust me, I'm sure I will. It's just too much fun for me.

My best wishes for a special Christmas and an exciting, adventurous 2009!
-Nathan

Sold Sign Signals Sale Soon

Lets hear it for alliteration today!

Martha, always my eyes and ears in the Fargo building scene, emailed me this fantastic photo of the house with its little red 'SOLD' sign. Thanks Martha!
From what I understand, that light blanket of snow has since turned into a blizzard. We don't have any snow yet here in New York. Go ahead, just ask me if I miss it.

Well, we're closing a week from today ladies and gents. My last week as a homeowner. You can't see it from where you are but my bottom lip is pushed out as I pout. On a happier note I'll also be flying back to North Dakota again for Christmas on Monday, so I'm pretty excited about that. I haven't been able to get into the Christmas spirit yet but hopefully the change in geography will get me there.

Before I sign off here, I need to extend a great deal of thanks to my realtor, Jenny Schuster, for her work with this house. I had no idea that it could be so much fun to work with a realtor and she has certainly gone above and beyond for me. It can't be easy to try to sell someone's house when he is 1500 miles away but she did a great job, offering her advice and expertise along the way. Might I add that she's hilarious. If you or anyone you know is looking into a real estate transaction in Fargo, get in touch with her. Trust me! Thanks Jenny!

Have a great week & take care everyone!

Lets Pay the Fixer-Upper a Visit!!!

It's been a while since I've posted on here. Good news ladies 'n gents; I'm going to be in Fargo one week from today! I can't tell you how excited I am. Seriously, I haven't been back in over half a year. I'm going to take lots of pictures and post them on here. Pictures of my beautiful, refurbished house and me.

Flat prairies of ND, here I come!

Stay tuned next weekend!!!

On the Market

Well, the house is on the market and I'm just waiting for an offer. From what I understand, the house was shown twice this weekend.

Dad and Mom flew out to NYC this weekend to visit. It's been a lot of fun showing them my new city and catching up. They're heading home tomorrow morning though. Wish their trip was a little longer. Have a good week everyone!

Somebody Else's Fargo Fixer-Upper

That's right, ladies and gentlemen. Get your very own Fargo Fixer-Upper! The house is officially on the market! Might I add, a couple G's above where the Realtor originally thought. Of course this is because the family did such an extraordinary job with the little details. Details now including:

A fresh coat of paint for the front windows:
(You'd never know that window was broken!)

New light fixtures in the stairwell and second floor hall:
A new downstairs bathroom sink! Look at the difference:The old sink had curling iron burns on the top and the home-made, particle-board cabinet was rotten from an old leak. The new one looks so nice and clean!So there you have it. One beautifully cleaned up 1928 gem. All of this can be yours... if the Price is Right! (Fargo house hunters... COME ON DOWWWWNNNN!!!!)

I'll be praying for multiple offers in church in the morning!

**Happy 28th Anniversary Dad & Mom!**

Fargo Photo Update

More photos from Fargo! The newest shots to land in my inbox featured freshly painted trim and new brushed nickel light fixtures in the two South bedrooms. Mom gave the Southeast room a coat of Provincial Cream paint, which she said turned out a little more yellow than she though it would be. It looks really bright and clean though, so I like it. I think the khaki color is the only paint in this house that has turned out as planned!

Here are the before-and-afters of the work:
Here's the new light fixture in the Southwest room. Same as the other bedrooms, but still thought I'd post it.The downstairs bathroom has not only new flooring, but also freshly painted walls and trim.

Before and after:
If there is enough time before listing, Mom wants to put in a new vanity in this bathroom. I'm starting to wonder who's going to be sadder when this place sells!

Dining Room: Complete!

This just in: dining room completed! I received an email from Mom this morning bearing photos of the cheap-o chandelier I bought on ebay dangling from the *ahem* near perfect ceiling in the dining room. It really pulls it all together. Let's view the progression of this room from grimy apartment bedroom (remember I found syringes in the carpet!) to glamorous dining room:

Before:

Demo of 80's closet addition:Demo completed, patching plaster:
Scraping loose paint from ceiling: (It's the best ceiling in the house now)
Walls are primed and painted:
Cheap replacement woodwork is sanded, primed, and painted:

Ceiling and walls painted, capstock on window trim, crown moulding in place, and dining-approved lighting:Finished dining room:
I always liked this room. There is so much natural light and the green of the trees in the backyard looks so nice. I bet you can see the new light fixture through the archway when you come in through the front door. It'll knock those house-buyers right on their butts the minute they come in!

The Realtor came over and had a few suggestions, but it doesn't sound like listing is too far off. The carpet needs to be removed from the stairs (done- Dad and my brother took care of it, my younger sisters pulled up staples), This fixture needed to be put up (done- thanks Dad) bathroom tiles need to be finished (my brother pulled up the old ones, new ones coming soon), and a broken window upstairs needs to have the glass replaced. Mom and my older sister painted the doors upstairs and started painting the trim in the South-East bedroom. It's really turned into a family project! Thanks for your help everyone, much love!

Whose House is THIS?

Mom emailed me more photos today. I was floored. Shocked. Stunned. My jaw literally dropped. Did she break into someone else's place and snap some photos? I wasn't prepared for the sight of completed projects. One word: KITCHEN!!! I'm going to do before and afters of the pictures so those of you joining in late (or who need a refresher) can see the extent of the changes. I'm still blown away.

The Realtor wasn't able to come today because she had to show 20 houses to someone from out of town. Yes, in one day. I gave her my sympathies. Mom didn't want to start painting in case she came, as there would be a big mess, so she and my sisters spent much of the day cleaning. I'm still not sure how she got the wood floors to look that good. They looked like garbage while I was there, but that most likely has more to do with my cleaning deficiencies. I think Mom said the Realtor will be coming tomorrow, so hopefully I'll be hearing back soon.

Mom mentioned in the end of her email, "It is going to be hard to see the house get sold...... I have become attached to it!" I didn't even need to read that because as soon as I saw that there were curtains hanging in the kitchen I knew. The house is similar in style and layout to Dad and Mom's first house after they got married. Their house was much cooler though with oak built-ins and it was in much better condition. I know, just get to the pictures, right?

The upstairs bathroom really just needed to have a good cleaning and accessories to get it market ready. I don't know where she found it, but that's the perfect shower curtain. Almost makes the stupid blue tiles look like they should be there!

Before:
After:Upstairs Hall: New paint, new wall on the West side with replacement doors and trim.

Before:
After:
Saved the best for last for you guys. The kitchen. Who wouldn't want this kitchen now? New appliances, new paint, new hardware, new faucet, new flooring. New curtains!?! (Mom's officially attached now!)

Before:
After:
It's so amazing. I wish I could just get the house picked up and dropped in Manhattan! I'm very excited for my next talk with my Realtor just to hear what she says. I think a listing isn't too far off! Again, hopefully up a few k's from her earlier estimate... still dreaming right?

Update Up North

Mom sent me some photos the other day of her progress painting in the house. She's been working on the upstairs hallway and, might I add, doing a fantastic job. The trim received a fresh coat of crisp white paint and the walls are now enjoying a seller-friendly khaki that extends up from the living room. She said that Dad's finishing up a little plaster work on the ceiling so that will get a coat of white in a little while. The white for the doors were on her agenda for today.

I thought, instead of just showing the most recent photos of the hallway, I would take us back to last summer. Wait! I've almost had this place a year now! That is so weird to think about.

At any rate, the West side of the hallway: a fairly big transformation I'd say.

before:framing in the wall between the bedroom and the hallway:
a little drywall:
doors and trim:and finally paint!Looks like that wall's been there for 80 years doesn't it?

Now the East side. All we really needed here was to take off the door to the stairway and paint.

before:
and after:
I hope you noticed in that last set of photos how the stairwell went from 70's paneling to plaster.

This was kind of fun to see. I might have to post some other progression photos from other projects.

I called my Realtor this morning and she is going to swing by the house this afternoon and take a look around. I really trust her judgment and I know she'll give it to me straight. She'll let me know what needs to be done still and what isn't worth the work for the sale. Last time she was in the house was back in the tail-end of April so I'm pretty sure that she will be shocked to see how it looks now. I can't wait to hear what she thinks and I'm even more excited to get the house on the market. Maybe it will even be looking better than she thought and we can bump up that listing price a little. Hey, a broke New Yorker can dream, can't he?

I believe I've made a decision...

I'm going to sell the house. I'll be working hard to get it ready to list in May. Plan to see big changes; big inexpensive changes.

My Realtor came over today and we sat down to talk about selling the place. She had a list of homes on the market now that would be comparable to my house once I make those fixes I posted a few days ago. Her estimate fell about where I expected it. Basically the value is higher than when I bought it, but the fees associated with the sale cancel out most of the increase. If I got my asking price I could make a little pocket change, but not too much. There'd be even less if anyone asks for closing costs.

Basically, I just need to not have this liability in North Dakota when I'm in New York, Paris, Milan, etc. What if I couldn't find renters? The furnace breaks down? Renters damage the house? Just too much to worry about.

Now for some news that's a little more fun: I'm working on the staircase today. Blasting off that paint with my best friend and favorite tool. See it there? Sitting on the newel post. Just waiting to play!

The two whitish spindles are the ones that, for some reason, someone decided to sand and prime before painting. Jerks! This is one time I'm glad that the P.O.'s were too lazy to do things the right way.

I found that a box works really well for dropping the hot paint scrapings into. The cardboard is easier to scrape against to get the stuck-on pieces off instead of newspaper or paper towels.

Anyone for some delicious chips? Paint chips? Now featuring 30% MORE lead!
Scrumptious!

The Realtor Said I Could Sell Easier if I Kept Stripping...

The staircase, people. The staircase. Although, if it raises the value any, some other arrangements could be made ;)

I had a Realtor come over yesterday to help me decide what to do with the house. She is awesome and I wish I had worked with her in the first place. Direct, to the point, honest, and EASY TO COMMUNICATE WITH. Even a sense of humor. Perfect.

She walked through the house with me and told me what changes were worth my time and money if I plan to put the house on the market this spring/summer. Things like, don't bother with the ceramic tile but instead replace the vinyl tiles with more stylish new ones. Things like that.

I don't think you'll be seeing the 1920's inspired dream bathroom that is bouncing around my imagination. It's just not worth my time/money. Like I stated earlier, she did think it would be a good idea to finish stripping the banister, so that's on the to-do list. Here's that progress pic I promised you:Gotta love the 'Flame Thrower' and it's magical abilities. I just feel like the wood grain can finally breathe! Once I get the rest of the spindles all toasty-warm and paintless I'll go back with the chemical stripper and get the rest of the paint off.

I guess I'll also post the photos of the dining room trim all painted and the blinds FINALLY up.




Basically, the things I need to get done to put the place on the market would be to:

* Paint the kitchen cabinets a fresh white, replace hardware
* New vinyl tiles in the kitchen and downstairs bathroom
* Paint the walls neutral colors and the trim a crisp white
* Replace a couple light fixtures
* Finish replacing the missing trim
* Refinish the hardwood floors (argh!)
* Paint the front door
* Get the upstairs plumbing working again
* Find remnant to replace the carpet on the stairs
* Find a vinyl flooring remnant for the upstairs bathroom
* Either find carpet remnants or refinish floors in the bedrooms
* Repair broken bead board on the porch ceiling (porch swing fiasco)
* Replace shower curtains with ones with bright colors or patterns. They will distract the potential buyers from how much the bathrooms suck. This is also why she liked my roommates bright paintings.

She said she was going to go back to the office and run some comps from my area. She hoped to get back to me today with an estimate. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will be enough to cover the costs associated with selling the house (realtor commisions, etc.) and pay off the mortgage. A little extra in the pocket so I don't have to beg for change in the subway would be nice too!

Crazy Crazy! Gotta Get Going!

Oooo! Life's getting crazy! I have less than two months to get everything straightened out here in Fargo. I'm starting a big push to get as much done with the house as soon as possible.

You'll have to forgive my lack of photos (camera's at my Fraternity house) but I've actually gotten some stuff done! I painted the trim in the dining room (except for the trim that I haven't replaced yet: crown moulding, baseboards, cap around doors/windows) and I started stripping the paint off of the banister.

Yup, I broke out the flame-thrower! Yesterday I accidentally took one of those Sunday afternoon naps that goes a little too long. What was intended to be an hour nap turned into a 6 hour slumber. One of those times when you wake up and the sun's just gone down, but your body says 'Good Morning!' I pulled paint off of the newel post and the first four spindles. I will still need to get some citristrip on there, but for an initial stripping I think they look pretty good. Here's a before:
I'll make sure to post a picture of the progress as soon as I can.

I'm going to get a Realtor over here this week to give me an estimate of what I could get for the house if I decide to sell it this summer. I'll get an idea of what would need to be upgraded to get my money back out of the deal. Then maybe estimates from contractors? I'm not sure what I'll do yet but I'm trying to keep my options open.

Gah! I wish there were three of me right now!

Sell? Keep? Burn to the Ground?

Well, loyal readers, there is a reason you have not heard from me in quite a while. A 100% life changing opportunity has occurred over spring break and now I find myself moving. To New York.

Yes, the big apple. I need to be there in May, which doesn't give me much time left with the house here in Fargo.

Due to Fargo's current market (crap) I'm pretty sure that I'll hold onto the house and keep renters in it until more favorable conditions surface. I'm also expecting my neighborhood to go up in value in the not too distant future due to some recent and planned development. Basically as much as I would like to just cash out right now, I need to hold until I can get my money back out of the deal!

The reason you ask? I went to New York for spring break and while I was there I dropped off some photos at some modeling agencies. As luck would have it, I signed a 3 year contract with Fusion Model Management, one of the top 10 agencies in New York. Your little Nate up in Fargo will now be a high-fashion editorial and runway model. Didn't see that one coming? Yeah, neither did I.

I'm putting school (and home rehabbing) on hold to take advantage of this amazing opportunity that fell into my lap. My agency wants to get me started in New York as soon as the semester is over and, hopefully, I'll be in position to go to Europe for castings this summer for Paris and Milan's Fashion Weeks.

So, yeah. I need to hurry up and get some work done on the house to make it presentable to renters by May.

How's that for an interesting post?