I might have found a place. It’s a foreclosure that needs some cosmetic work but everything about it is just right, so tomorrow I’ll be crunching numbers with my mortgage lender and realtor to see if it’ll work money-wise and decide about making an offer. It’s 1156 square feet with hardwood floors everywhere except for the master bedroom which has carpet. It’s got a second bedroom and both bedrooms have enormous walk-in closets, plus the coat closet is the largest I’ve ever seen. I thought it was for the washer and dryer when I first opened it. The washer and dryer are in a closet in the kitchen. I’d have to buy a fridge. It needs to be painted (the yellow color in the living area is particularly atrocious), and they didn’t put in baseboards when they installed the hardwood floors so that would need to be taken care of. The master bath needs new linoleum on the floor, too.
As with all of these places it was sad to see remnants of people’s lives. There were eviction notices pasted all over the door, and they left so quickly that all of their kitchen gadgets were still in the drawers and a pair of earrings and some cold medicine were in the bathroom. There were dog toys on the porch, too. These people bought the condo brand-new in 2005 (when the development was built) and paid over 300k for it. Now it’s listed at 197,900. 
It’s a great layout, though, with some funky corners and good open space to make it interesting. I could definitely see living there. It’s in a good neighborhood, too, and right by the brand-new cinema and Harris Teeter grocery store, and much closer to the toll road.
So, Lea, if it all works out you might be taking a week’s vacation this summer so I can buy you a plane ticket and you can come down to teach me how to paint. Don’t get too excited now. 