The Deed is Done

At least, it's recorded by the commissioner and 614 N. Queen is officially ours. We celebrated over the weekend (March 26th) by breaking the lock put on by the old owner and venturing inside.


There were some scary moments, to be sure...

(I'm pretty sure this is evidence of an axe entry, not a visit from Wolverine. Every room had a deadbolt, evidence that the house was used as an illegal rooming house.)

But over all, Matt and I are REALLY excited about what (relatively) good condition the house is in. Truthfully I was fully prepared for caved in ceilings, holes in the floors, crumbling joists. While there's a little bit of slope in the back staircase and bathroom on the upstairs, and certainly tons of work to be done, over all I am feeling pretty damn good about things.

(Mom holds an old Notice of Violation for not clearing the lot or securing the house.)

I took lots of video on my little Canon s90, so you can join us on our first foray into the house. Warning: some of it may not be suitable for children.

Part I:



Part II:



I found some of the graffiti scrawled on the walls achingly sad:

(Seems like this one was amended post-breakup.)


We also found other hints about the house's former inhabitants. And old report card with all "S" for "Satisfactory" - Except an "O" for "Outstanding" in Technology:


And one sign of severe financial hardship among many. A light bill with a hefty prior balance:


Matt and I got up early on Sunday, donned masks, and started bagging some of the trash in the upstairs rooms, rolling up disgusting carpet pieces, and hauling plywood and other large trash into the front room as a staging area. For the time being, that's where it will all stay. We don't want to call too much attention to the fact that the house is being worked on, as its neighbor to the north is slated to go up for auction shortly, and we'd like to gain control of it as well to ensure that both houses, someday, make great homes for someone.