Squirrel!! 
We all remember the line from the movie “UP!”. Ben, the dog, would see a squirrel and become alert. I had the same experience yesterday while looking at a possible renovation / rehab project in the Village of Lancaster, NY.
I was sitting in front of the home taking a look from my vehicle when a small squirrel appeared in the window. At first, I thought that it was on the outer sill. As it turns out, it was inside the house having its way with the interior. I decided to talk a walk around the property while waiting for the person who would be showing me the property and as I reached the back, I noticed a larger squirrel in the rear window. I was able to take a picture of this squirrel (see the photo below) and couldn’t help but laugh when he noticed me, become startled and then tore half of the window curtain down while trying to climb away.
Squirrel in window
We did end up going into the house to have a look and we decided it would be best if we carried a snow brush with us. We all know how much squirrels hate snow brushes. Luckily, there was no incident inside. Turns out, squirrels are pretty non-confrontational and I was able to view the property without trouble (I had my brush in hand, mind you). I don’t recall much about the property since I was pre-occupied with my squirrel avoidance and preparedness to strike plans.
I get to chalk up another first in my search for properties to renovate. Vermin ?
It isn’t often that you find a real estate bargain on a body of water. However, certain times of year are better than others. If you purchase a property in September, don’t expect to be using it until next year. In NY State, a closing will take from 45-60 days. Even with a cash deal, the time that it takes to complete the search, survey, and title work is significant. If you add to that the time that it takes for the lawyers to work you into their schedule, you will understand why it can take so long.
In any event, if you are seeking a lake bargain, this might be the time of year. Many who have decided to sell will plan to list and sell at the end of the useful summer season.
The following is located 7 doors in from the lake on a canal. The township is North Harmony. According to the real estate listing, the cottage “needs work”. Many would call this a handyman special. I am always a bit concerned when there are no interior photos of the property. When purchasing something like this, you might want to expect it to require a cash deal.
To my eye, the exterior looks nice. The location on the water is a huge plus and at $79,999 (as of 08/30/2011) you won’t find many properties at a lower price with water frontage. The benefit of the canal front properties is the ability to tie your boat up in your back yard.
Click on the picture to view the complete listing on the Chautauqua County Board of Realtors site.
Lake Chautauqua fixer cottage - Handyman Special
We will be starting a new project in about two weeks. It is a home located in a great neighborhood within the Village of Lancaster. The location is fantastic, the house…. not so much. When buying a home to fix, that is what you want… The worst house on the best street.
This home is located in the Village of Lancaster (off Broadway) and is on a street that includes a mix of home styles. There are even a number of older 2 family homes. Our property was built in 1889 and that will have some challenges. There will be some interesting issues to address with a home that was built in 1889. The oldest property that I have worked on was about 1920.
This was a 2 family home until the prior owner got tired of tenants above him and closed off the upper unit. He pulled the kitchen and had it reassessed as a single family home. We are going to do a full conversion to a single family. This will provide some challenges, but I think we will be able to pull off a modern floor plan with some big changes. We are going to combine the current kitchen with a lower bedroom to provide a modern “open” design. After the redesign, we will end up with a 4BR (3up, 1 down), 2 Bathroom home with a modern eat in kitchen. There are 8 1/2′ ceilings on the first floor and this will compliment the open design.
Home renovation plan
There are a NUMBER of large issues with this renovation, not the least of which is the foundation work that is needed. This will be a big project, but I feel that we will be working with a great contractor who can get things done quickly and properly. They worked on our office renovation and we couldn’t have been more pleased with the work that was done there. They have a motto “We Show up, Finish Up, Clean Up and Don’t Screw Up”
There are a couple of major repairs needed before we can even get started making this property look nice. There is foundation work required and roof work required. There is water leaking now and that needs to be addressed right away. The foundation is a rubble style foundation and needs to be shored up prior to any major work.
Check back for more as we get into this project. We’ll include some pictures and video as we go along.
