I look at real estate constantly. I follow blogs, I have real estate apps that I check several times a day and I look at everything that I drive past. My dad always said that everything is for sale for the right price. And I lived to witness that as a young adult when a couple knocked on the door of the house that they lived in and asked my parents if they wanted to sell. And sure enough, they did. Since then, I have knocked on several doors myself and asked that very same question. Although none of those knocks have resulted in a sale, I enjoy the thrill of the chase and meeting the folks on the other side of that door.
About a few months after we bought the Gladys house, we put an offer in on a fixer upper on Leesville Lake but it just wasn't meant to be. It needed a TON of work and would stretch our budget and timeline beyond anything we have ever done. I was kind of bummed but a few months later, a cute little house popped up on the same lake. I went with my faithful broker and pulled the trigger on an offer before Jeff was even able to see it. When you know, you just know. The house was built in the 90's and only needed a minor spruce up. It is part of a very quiet, private community on the lake. Although the house is not on the lake, we are a stone's throw away from the shared community dock. It was absolutely perfect for us!
The house sits on 3.5 acres and has a garage and 2 carports with electric for housing boats/ equipment. With just over 1100 square feet, three bedrooms and two full baths, there is plenty of room for the average family. The girls and I did 90% of the work and we were able to list it as a short term rental in less than 6 months. Here is a little peek at what we started with:
The interior got a fresh coat of paint throughout. We pulled up all the flooring in the bedrooms and had carpet installed to give it a cozier feel. We added new ceiling fans in the bedrooms for a fresh look. At first, I thought the kitchen was crusty but I didn't have enough money in my budget to replace everything so I built an island and scrubbed everything down real good and it was like a brand new kitchen. The girls pressure washed and stained the deck and we added a metal roofed gazebo for outdoor entertaining. We had to replace the exterior double door in the master bedroom and all of the exterior doors got a fresh coat of paint. We replaced both of the vanities and light fixtures in the bathrooms. All of the furniture was thrifted except for the beds and couch and POOF, we had a brand new space to call home away from home! Here is a quick look at some of the furniture that we flipped and built.
Master nightstands
Master chest of drawers to match nightstands
Girls' room nightstand
We had a piece of Lebanese cedar that we needed to use so we cut it in half and made shelves for both of the bathrooms.
Kitchen island with butcher block top
Outdoor space transformed
We built a bench for the kitchen table that we bought that didn't have enough chairs
Aaaand, a few final touches
This has been one of my favorite projects to date. I have learned how much I LOVE to host. We have had some of the best guests stay here and they all love how quiet it is. There is lots of wildlife and the deer are practically pets! We love this space and spend as much time here as we can. It is the perfect place to unwind and unplug. If you know us personally and contact us directly, we can offer reduced rental fees. Otherwise, share our VRBO listing with all of your friends! https://www.vrbo.com/3402331?destination=3402331&selected=93702936&flexibility=0_DAY&d1=&startDate=&d2=&endDate=&adults=2
Stay tuned for updates on a project that we are currently working on at the farm!
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