After being forced to move several times when homes she had been renting were sold, Julia Smythe decided it was time to buy. Diligently perusing the internet, she discovered her 1916-era home online the day it was listed and knew immediately it was exactly what she wanted.
“I overbid, wrote the owner a letter promising to take care of the property, and told them my cats would love it,” she recalls. “I wanted the house so much and was so anxious and nervous I felt sick to my stomach. There were two other bids the first day, but by 4 p.m. I had it under contract.”
If there was ever a home buyer who has never suffered a moment from buyer’s remorse, it is Smythe. Two years later, she loves every inch of the home she was so determined to purchase. Included are details most people would not notice.
“Look at this,” she exclaims pointing to a 2-inch thick, 18-window pane door that is one of four in the home still able to be locked with the skeleton key she discovered after moving in. “Who else has stained-glass windows that open like shutters,” she says opening one of a pair of art glass windows bracketing the fireplace in the living room. She even appreciates the variety of surfaces in her sunroom. One wall is brick, and another is white limestone, while the floor is finished pine and the ceiling is stained beadboard.
“I do not like matchy-matchy,” Smythe says explaining why none of her plates, silverware or glasses is the same, and why her dining room chairs do not match.
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