Charlie’s Ledge.

I remember the moment I fell in love with real estate. I was 29 and looking for my first home. Prior to finding “the one”, I looked at a bunch of properties my real estate agent at the time, thankfully, guided me away from.

She called me one day and said “I found one.” We pulled up to the house and before we went in she said, “I need you to see the potential.”

There are moments that stand out in my life where I look back on as pivotal and this was one. I thought to myself, “How bad is this house?” We walked in and it was like stepping back into the 60s. Shag green carpeting, yellow and orange linoleum in the kitchen, pepto bismol pink paint in the bathroom and bedrooms.

But, the actual moment I fell in love with real estate was pulling up that shag green carpeting in a corner to reveal beautiful hardwood floors underneath. “I can work with this,” my 29 year old self thought. And so it began.

I went on to buy that house. Doris was the name of the woman who owned it prior to me and had lived there for quite some time. She passed away shortly before I closed on the house. Since then, I had always felt a connection to her in that house – As though I owed it to her to take care of her home. 

Shortly after buying Doris’s place, I took in a roommate to help pay the mortgage and subsequently helped fund the renovation of that home. 
I learned a lot of things about myself during that process: 1. I am terrible at painting and should never be allowed near a paintbrush, 2. When doing a kitchen remodel, just use paper plates. Washing dishes in the bathtub is overrated and 3. I am a glutton for punishment.

After buying “Doris’s place”, I continued to fall in love with real estate and eventually went on to get my real estate license a few years later. I still own that house and now rent it out to a lovely tenant.  I have renovated a couple of other houses. There are few things that bring me more joy than taking a home to its fullest potential while still honoring the integrity of the house. To me, homes have energy. You feel it when you walk in. Good and bad. 

**Wonderful and freaky aside to Doris’s Place (and I have about ten friends who can attest to the accuracy of this story): Having a bunch of friends over one night for a slumber party, we were chatting about our experiences with ghosts and Ouija boards. I mentioned Doris and suddently, the backdoors to the house flew open. Oh Doris.**

So, ask me again if I think homes have energy.

Of the homes I have bought, rarely have I actually been looking for a house. I’m drawn to them for one reason or another. I take a leap. The net (so far) has always appeared.   

Recently (as many of you know who follow me on Facebook), I took on my biggest project to date which I had thought to nickname, “Charlie’s Place” until yesterday.

Charlie is the name of the gentleman who owned it before me. I have been told Charlie is a gregarious character. He’s 88, has four holes in one and had lived at the house for 24 years. He didn’t have a mailbox because he liked making trips to the post office to socialize. Something tells me Charlie and my grandfather would have been buddies. 

His daughter, Kathy, was the one in charge of handling the sale of the home. I emailed Kathy yesterday to let her know how much I love the house and how grateful I am for being there.

The following is an excerpt of her email back to me:

“Dad was so very happy there for 24+ years.  He really liked the peacefulness of the backyard and ate many of his lunches on the back deck.  He also kept watch on the wildlife that passed through the yard. Be prepared for the occasional deer sighting as the seasons change. Dad had named the property “Washington Ledge” because of the granite shelf that lies on the property.  We, his children,  nicknamed it “the Ledge”.  It is a property that lends itself to a name since you have already come up with at least one nickname for the property, “Charlie’s Place”. I am going to forward your note on to my sister and brother.  Dad called while I was writing this note to you and I read your e-mail aloud to him. He enjoyed hearing that you are very grateful with your purchase.”

Kathy’s note brought tears to my eyes and warmed my heart knowing I was right about the amazing energy this house holds. It truly brought me an enormous amount of comfort.

 While initially I wanted to name the house “Charlie’s Place”, I think even more appropriate is now naming it, “Charlie’s Ledge.”

I got you, Charlie.