The day has finally come. After weeks of waiting, J. and I headed to the County Courthouse at 9 a.m. to find out the fate of the $1400 house. Would the owner be there? We didn't think so, but that would be really awkward if he was.
Having never done this before, I didn't know what to expect. The courtroom was teeny and people were packed in there like sardines. We got there just in time to find seats in the very back. Little did I know that you have to actually go up there in front of the judge so, when my time came, I had to crawl over a bunch of people to get out.
There are three outcomes to the situation: (1) they confirm the sale, which is what happens 99% of the time, (2) they ask you to pay more for the property if you paid less than 10% of the assessed value, or (3) the owner shows up with an attorney and they delay the judgment. In our case, the owner didn't show. However, the assessed value was $15K and some change and I paid only $1402. The judge could have asked me to cough up another $100, but the county attorney asked that he go ahead and confirm the sale. We were out of there by a little after 10 and then headed straight over to go inside and assess the state of the house. No more worries that the cops might show up and arrest us for trespassing.
Here's a taste of what we found inside:
Lots of crap!
In fact, it looks a little like some of those houses on "Hoarding: Buried Alive". Granted, it's not filled to the ceiling like those, but more like every closet and storage space opened up and puked all the clothes and other contents onto the floor. Mental note: bring a scoop shovel!
That's an old piano on the left and stacked cardboard on the right. The hot-cold cycles of an empty house have caused every piece of wallpaper to start flaking off. That's a good thing because we'll be able to get the walls cleaned up quickly.
And then there's the original trim that is all there except for the stair railing and spindles and the fireplace mantels.
Lots of crap!
In fact, it looks a little like some of those houses on "Hoarding: Buried Alive". Granted, it's not filled to the ceiling like those, but more like every closet and storage space opened up and puked all the clothes and other contents onto the floor. Mental note: bring a scoop shovel!
That's an old piano on the left and stacked cardboard on the right. The hot-cold cycles of an empty house have caused every piece of wallpaper to start flaking off. That's a good thing because we'll be able to get the walls cleaned up quickly.
And then there's the original trim that is all there except for the stair railing and spindles and the fireplace mantels.
Yes, it's a mess. And, yes, there's a hole in the roof around the chimney. But the house has empty for more than 10 years and we were expecting much, MUCH worse. The basement floor is concrete and the foundation is in great shape.
It's all ours! Now the fun begins. Nicole Curtis ain't got nothing on us.
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