The fixer.

We are at the thin end of the market, and we are picky: Nothing to far from town, nothing built after 1960, no condos. That gives us (at the moment) 3-4 houses to look at. One of them is plenty big, with a large yard on a hillside with views of the city, but...it's in bad shape. It's a ranch house built in 1947, that was in good shape until about a year ago. The family tried to sell it, they moved out, the bank took possession and there it sat. At some point squatters moved in and made a mess. It isn't destroyed, but it's pretty trashed. Someone, it's unclear who, decided to put in walls all over the place splitting up the living room dining room, the appliances in the kitchen are gone, the carpet is in bad shape. But it's a lot of house for the money and could be a great space with a terraced yard. 3 bedrooms, 3 full baths, 2 fireplaces, single garage.

I spoke with my parents, who've dealt with destructive renters, about how much work it would be to rehab the interior. They seemed optimistic. Sure it would be work, but as a team we could get it livable fairly quickly, and end up with a great house and a relatively small mortgage.

So this morning I'm going through the house with Paul. He's a contractor (True North Construction) and has an incredible eye for remodeling houses and design. His own house is a thing of beauty, and a testiment to his vision and forethought. If he likes the idea, then I'll come back with a team of friends all of whom are craftsmen in their respective trades: Ben and Paul for the carpentry, Orion for the masonry work, Michael for the electrical, my Dad & Mom for paint and trim. We'll see.