Location, location, location! For those who pay attention to real estate, that saying is all too true no matter where you live. It’s always interesting to me how if you took a house, regardless of type, and plunked it in a different location that it would double (if not triple) the asking price. It’s all about things like the neighborhood’s reputation, safety (criminal and environmental), proximity to conveniences, or how close it is to downtown. Would I be willing to make those sacrifices if it meant I could afford a beautiful, historic home? In this case, I just might.
Today I discovered a lovely Victorian home, recently renovated, with 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and almost 2,500 square feet of living space. It’s two stories with a large front porch and gallery, a big, beautiful front and back yard surrounded by a lovely, iron fence, and inside . . . oh inside! You walk in the door greeted by staircase with a carved wood bannister only to stroll through a home replete with original hardwood flooring, wood arches, transoms and window accents, pocket doors, exposed brick fireplaces, floor-to-ceiling windows, five panel doors, stained glass windows and tastefully redone bathrooms and kitchen.
This stunner is listed for a shockingly affordable (though not for me) $545,000, but it’s located on the other side of the canal in the Holy Cross neighborhood. It’s only a couple of blocks from the levee, and even though the area has improved (especially since the 2005 levee failures), there is still a high level of crime and it’s something of a trek to reach the city. Sacrifices, sacrifices, sacrifices!
