This Old House

I love old houses. They have character and soul unlike that modern tinkertown conformist suburban crap with have now for urban planning. I've become addicted to various local real estate websites to find old houses that need some (or a lot) of loving to restore. Hey, buy a fixer-upper and you can get into a nice neighborhood cheap. Or buy a fixer-upper and help revitalize a neighborhood. Gingerbread trim, old style Italianate brick and stonework, tall windows with the wavy glass. Those grand old ladies just need someone who appreciates their inner-beauty to make them shine again.

It's amazing that I've lived in Indianapolis all my life and within the last few years have truly gone out into various neighborhoods and explored the city. As the weather has warmed up I like to drive by some of the houses I've found on the websites just to see their condition and what kind of neighborhood they're in. As a benefit I've discovered neighborhoods that I've only heard about but never really knew where they were before: Fountain Square, Fletcher Place, Woodruff Place, The Old Northside, Herron-Morton. All gems in the rough that are in various stages of polishing.

Oh why couldn't I have figured out I wanted to be a lawyer a few years earlier? I could be having an income, paying off student loans, and saving up for a down payment while interest rates on housing loans are near historic lows! Stupid timing!

I drove a few miles out of my way this afternoon to inspect one. It has potential, though it isn't nearly my favorite. Yet why does a $52,000 gutted out 1890's shell next to a light industrial area in Fountain Square still seem pretty appealing? My two favorites aren't in much better shape, but if you haven't bought a house yet and will live in Indy, consider something downtown. Help rebuild the inner soul of an up and coming city by truly putting some work into your home. These neighborhoods have history and are all different versus the neighborhoods by chain restaurant design in former soybean field that we have now.

Besides, a real man or woman knows how to hammer :-)