A Tale of Two Houses

One of my favorite things to do in the summer is to take a walk early in the morning and look at all of my neighbors' landscaping and front doors. The bonus is that I'm getting some fresh air and exercise, too!

via Tomie Raines

Perhaps my favorite front door in our neighborhood is a highly-patterned, robin's egg blue one. As it turns out, this house is now for sale. In fact, it's the only one in our neighborhood on the market. The location could not be better for a family because one block away are a high-quality childcare center, elementary school, and the middle school--on three separate corners, all across the street from each other. You can literally walk to school from preschool through eighth grade, all by just crossing the street!

This house, like mine, is a split-level and was built in the 1950s. It has a whopping 1,866 square feet with three bedrooms and one and a half baths, all for a mere $139,900. I can imagine this front room with a sectional and the TV over the fireplace (components could go on those handy bookshelves to the left).

Here's a shot of that amazing front door! I had to stare at this photo for awhile to figure out that the door doesn't open straight into the kitchen, there is a separate entry. The cabinets could use some updating--I think they'd look great with a coat of white paint and some new hardware. Since I love banquettes, I'd build one under the window and lengthen the table so it could continue to be a nice eat-in area.

via Tomie Raines

On the other side of town, near another elementary school, is this house. It was on the market two years ago when we were shopping for our house and we toured it then. I'm not sure if it was taken off the market or flipped, but it's listed again, now with a new realty company. From the photos it looks like they've done some updating as well as staged it for sale.

This is the view to the left when you walk in the front door. I love that they've added some nice furniture to stage the house, but it also shows you how tight the dimensions really are. I think this house would be perfect for a single person.

When we were looking, it was marketed as a three bedroom. However, the third bedroom is connected to the kitchen, and as my daughter likes to point out, had a pencil sharpener mounted to the wall. This room better works as an office (or as it's now staged, a den). I love the vintage light fixture that you can see in this photo. There was also one in the kitchen that totally made me want to call it home.


The beautiful tile backsplash here in the kitchen is new and I think the counters are too. The cabinets are original but very nice quality. Whoever has taken this on has outdone themselves in renovating the house and preparing it for sale.

This house is 1,249 square feet and listed for $184,900 with only two bedrooms and one and a half baths.

The lesson? When selling, find a great realtor who will help you stage your home for sale and get great photos. For buyers, definitely check things out in person--what is weird for one person might be totally perfect for another...

Krystine Edwards: Living Pretty Styled

Tonight at 11 p.m. on HGTV catch A Sale of Two Cities with this cutie and check out her blog for some awesome tips for a 4th of July party.