Ok, so while I reminisce about the old renovation, I am clearly stalking real estate today. I am on Trulia about three times a day. That's normal, right?
creepster be creepin
Current obsession: the little Windsor Terrace house that belongs to a kindly old lady up the street from my inlaws, who is in the process of moving into a retirement community. There is a very sweet back story about The Mister's family connection to her. His Grandmother, who lives on the block, is church friends with this woman, and when I say church friends, I mean they are the kind of legit Catholics who attend mass together every single day. Daily mass! As a godless heathen, I find this dedication impressive. It also makes me that much more grateful that she doesn't ever bring up my godless ways, despite what I must assume is her private horror that I have gotten my secular clutches on her lovely boy. She's the nicest, is what i'm saying. ANYWAY.
When the owner of this adorable little house injured her leg about a year ago, apparently Kathleen (the lovely Grandmother) began bringing communion back with her from church every day and dropping it off. I mean, come on. The best. So when word on the block got out that the leg issue was not resolving and needed hospital care, and the house would soon be put on the market, I immediately began scheming to use this heartwarming and sincere connection to my real estate advantage.
In my defense, the whole family was in on it. I was getting phone calls left and right. I think of them fondly as the Irish Brooklyn real estate mafia, with their ears to the ground and connections everywhere. Both my in-laws grew up in the area, as did their parents and all their friends, and did I mention that everyone lives within a 4 block radius of one another? In Brooklyn, because of how densely populated each block is, this is more akin to just living in the same town as your family in a normal state. It's not insane. But it is awesome. And I want in.
So I wrote a note and stuck it in the mailbox of this cute little house. It was all about how much we would love to be so close to the family, and how we are a young couple hoping to start a family in the neighborhood, etc. This is how at least 3 people I know got their houses in Brooklyn. Anything to get an edge, man. (Also, secretly, I am a giant cheeseball and it was all true)
Kathleen also made a number of calls for us, and my mother-in-law has put the word out on the block (a formidable method of wielding power in this hood, I assure you. God, I love this town). We have been told through this grapevine that the nieces of the woman, who are in charge of her affairs now, will let us come see the house before they list it. They want to wait until she's settled, however, so she doesn't feel like her home is being sold out from beneath her. Very reasonable. Uuuuuuugh.
So now, we wait. We wait to see when they will begin the process, while I make secret longing drive-bys in my car and hope none of the 15 people who live on the block who know both me and my car will go out to walk the dog while I do it. "Oh, are you guys coming over for dinner tonight?" No, no, I am cruising past the empty house of a nice Catholic lady who is in the hospital, lurking to see if the mail has been picked up. But how are you? How did Kevin do on that math test?