Every House Has a Secret - 3

 

 

"How long has this been vacant?" Brady asked the realtor as they walked up the path to the house. A logical question because the front porch was in dire need of stripping down to the original wood and brick, and the front steps had a large crack in the concrete between two of them that would have to be filled.

 

"Unfortunately, too long," the realtor admitted. "The previous owners inherited it about eight years ago, if I remember correctly, and had great plans for it. Then, due to personal circumstances, they said, they had to walk away before they did anything to it. That was in twenty-twelve, according to my records. They finally decided to put it up for sale two years ago. By then it had fallen into disrepair. It is structurally sound, but, well you'll see when we get inside."

 

The wide front door opened onto an entryway with hardwood flooring and a staircase going up to the second floor. Although they had been painted brown, Brady could tell that the railings were hardwood as well because the paint was peeling. All the downstairs walls were beige and sun streaked where the light from the windows hit them.

 

"The floors are a disaster," Rand said under his breath.

 

"True," Brady agreed. "But they're original and with a good sanding and then varnishing I bet they'd be beautiful. The fireplace in the living room is a plus, although we need to find out what caused the cracks in the wall next to it. If they are because the house shifted it could be a problem. At least the first floor has, what do they call it? An open floor plan?"

 

Rand chuckled. "Meaning archways, not doors between the rooms? Yeah. And the woodwork is beautiful, or will be once it's cleaned up. What I really like is the library with all the bookshelves"

 

Brady grinned. "Why am I not surprised about that, my literary freak?"

 

Rand ignored his teasing, saying, "Give the library walls a fresh coat of paint and get rid of those horrible throw rugs…"

 

"And you'll be in seventh heaven."

 

"Oh, yeah."

 

The kitchen cabinets were about as distressed as its linoleum floor, and the appliances were old, although not antique. The upstairs hardwood flooring was also in bad shape. The two bedrooms had white walls, tiny closets—two of them in the master bedroom—and doors with antique hardware. The bathroom looked as if it hadn't been repainted since well before the turn of the century. The fixtures were older, and Brady wondered if the clawfoot tub had been there since the house was built in the early twentieth century.

 

There was a narrow backyard with a path down the center leading to the two-car garage. One tree stood in lonely splendor a few yards from the house. The grass was sparse, and brown.

 

"The price is right," Brady told the realtor when they rejoined her in the living room. "It will take a lot of work, though."

 

She smiled. "That's why it's listed as a fixer-upper. I'm sure the owners will be willing to drop the price a bit, just to get it off their hands."

 

"A definite plus. We'll let you know within the next day or so what our decision is."

 

"I'll talk with the owners' representative and call you if they decide to let it go for less than the asking price."