Anastasia and I have rented the entire time we’ve been married. It is a two bedroom apartment on the second floor of a quaint corner house in one of the best parts in Takoma Park, MD. All things considered, I am quite happy that we opted to rent it. Even when you love your apartment and get along well with the landlady, there comes a time to move on to something different.

That time is not quite yet for us, but we have been looking. For whatever reason, we both rather like the Takoma Park area. While the housing market is alive here, things tend to be a bit pricier than we can swing at the moment. As a result, we’ve been looking at foreclosure properties. There is one in particular that I’ve fallen in love with. Alas, it is going on auction this afternoon.

I have never actually been inside the house, so I shouldn’t say I’m in love. In fact, reading through some of the details, there is probably some significant things not to love. Namely, there is mold damage in the basement. Where there is mold, there is some sort of water leakage. The house itself is situated on a hill, so it is not unthinkable that when it rains, it pours, or at least trickles, into the basement.

Depending on the extent of the mold damage inside, it still seems like a sweet deal. There is a little home office for me, there’s a nice backyard, open kitchen/dining room area, and three bedrooms. What’s not to like? Well, there is location. It misses the Montgomery County line by two and a half blocks. I imagine that could effect resale value. But it also means the permit process for any renovations won’t be as arduous, I am told.

Comparing this cookie-cutter type style to other houses in the vicinity, it becomes even more apparent that this really is a diamond in the rough. The house two doors down is currently on the market for $330. It is in much better condition, but with a little bit of elbow grease and some tools, there is no reason why my imaginary first home couldn’t shine too. A similar house a few streets over just sold for just under $400. I particularly like how a large opening was knocked in the wall between the kitchen and living room.

With our current financial means, anything we buy will need to be a fixer-upper. If we restrict our market to the Takoma Park single family residences, this fixer-upper will need to be in fairly sorry condition. My current fave really has potential. So whoever is about to buy her later today, I wish you the best of luck. You’ve really got a nice piece of real estate. The equity might not be sweet yet, but with some sweat, it’ll surely shimmer.

One final piece of trivia on the fishbowl house: it was winterized on my birthday last year.