by BG Torres

Created on: March 04, 2009

A big screen TV was all he wanted and a house was all I wanted. Times were tough and money was tight or so we thought. My husband had been fantasizing over the electronic ads while I kept balancing our checkbook and insisting our living room nor our check book could accomodate such a creature. I promised that the day we acquired a larger living room then a big screen TV he could buy, knowing full well that day would never come, atleast not anytime soon.

Spring came around and my mother had the "open house" bug so we grabbed the classified homes listings and plotted our course. We broused through houses, criticizing paint choices and making mental upgrades and occassionally giving only passing glances as we drove by and turned up our noses. Our adventures finally lead us to a new construction home placed among homes in an older well established neighborhood. The floor plan was nothing special, but the realtor was open and sweet. She offered to show me a "no curb appeal" gem-of-a-home but I insisted that I was not the one looking. Finally, I agreed to meet her down the street to view this "gem" once her open house was completed. Driving around the neighborhood waiting for the appointed time, I still couldn't decided if I should go.

We stopped in front of the house, no-curb-appeal was right. Battle ship gray trim lined the roof and accented the shutters around the windows. It was apparent the home was large, not too large, but large enough for my husband and myself. Fruitless Mulberry's flanked the front walkway and a two car garage faced a side street. The corner lot stretched like a carpet of yellow into the adjoining neighbors lush green St Augustine carpeted lawn creating a stark contrast between life and death. Bushes edged the driveway competing for air space with the large tree. Similar bushes threatened to conceal the front walkway completely as well as hide most of the windows. I hesitate further, there is no way I'm buyiing this.

Minutes later the realtors car pulled up behind ours. "I said no-curb-appeal didn't I, but just you wait, this home is spectacular on the inside." she blurted as we walked up the sidewalk. Sneaking our way through the over grown bushes, we made our way to the front door hidden in a cavernous exterior hall. The battleship gray screen door, original from the day the house was built gently pulled away from the door revealing a hideous heavy wooden door, most likely equilly as old.

I wasn't expecting much after taking in the appearance

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