This is a question I hear often from guests. I have to answer, "No, it was the house's idea."
My husband and I stumbled across this property when we were hunting for investment real estate. We were intrigued by the low cost per square foot for a house in this historic neighborhood. We made an appointment with a realtor who met us there but set in her car as we toured the place.
It was a dreary winter day and inside it was even worse. The first floor windows were boarded up, the walls were cracked. The second floor had ivy growing in the windows and squirrel's nests in the corners. There was no way I was going in the basement.
My husband and I didn't have much to say to each other as we make our way through, but the house was whispering in my ear. I turned to my husband and said, "This would make a great bed and breakfast!' He looked at me as if I had lost my mind and said, "We are not buying this place."
I dropped the subject and we left. Three months later I saw the house advertised as a tear down. I couldn't bear the thought and convinced my husband to go back for another look. I had been thinking of changing careers after 30 years in the health care field and this seemed like the perfect opportunity.
A different realtor was there, very nice woman that would become our neighbor. The boards had been removed from the windows and the dirty carpet pulled up to reveal hardwood floors. As we toured the house this time, I was excitedly sharing suggestions with my husband of all the things we could do to make it a successful B&B.
The clincher was when we stood on the front lawn gazing across the street at Woodward Park just starting to bloom out in all it's spring glory. My husband turned to me and said "Let's do it."
Today the house has been transformed from a sad, neglected dump to a happy, loved home filled with people and fun.
And sometimes I hear the house whisper, "Thank you."
Friday, November 12, 2010
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I'm happy you and your husband purchased the house and made it into a B&B. We saw it this year during the B&B tour. You did a great job!
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