{"id":4120,"date":"2013-02-13T00:00:00","date_gmt":"1970-01-01T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lesliedinaberg.com\/wordpress\/?p=4120"},"modified":"2014-02-27T17:06:12","modified_gmt":"2014-02-28T01:06:12","slug":"first-time-home-buyers-vintage-charm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lesliedinaberg.com\/wordpress\/?p=4120","title":{"rendered":"First Time Home Buyers: Vintage Charm"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Entering the threshold of their new life together, couple opts for classic over contemporary<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are two kinds of first-time homebuyers: those that go for the modern amenities and those that go for the charm. Susan Bosse and Erik Vasquez definitely went for the charm, or at least the potential charm of their new home on 1242 W. Valerio St.<\/a><\/p>\n

The house was built in 1925 and suffered from what Vasquez generously called “deferred maintenance.” Still, the character of the house, which still had many of its original built-ins and fixtures, attracted them.<\/p>\n

The bones were good, the potential was there, but the old girl definitely needed a face-lift and some new internal organs.<\/p>\n

“The thing that I think scared most people were the termites. But it was funny, the termite guys were the ones all bidding on the house so they weren’t too worried,” said Vasquez.<\/p>\n

The inspection package was thick, said Bosse. Besides the termite damage and some water damage, the house needed to be brought up to code with a new roof and modern wiring, including new electrical and heating systems. There were also a few walls the couple decided to remove to improve the floor plan.<\/p>\n

“We gave Susan a sledgehammer last week. I can show you the little video,” laughed Vasquez.<\/p>\n

“It was pretty fun. I mean when else am I going to get a chance to hit a wall and knock it down,” said Bosse. It was also a good stress reliever for Bosse, who was planning her May 30 wedding to Vasquez at the time.<\/p>\n

While some of original hardwood floors were in good shape, some needed to be redone, along with the bathroom and kitchen. “There was still food in the refrigerator,” said Bosse.<\/p>\n

Despite the extensive improvements, Vasquez was pleased by the speedy progress his crew was making and prepared for the expense. They got estimates for the repairs up front, before deciding they could afford the house.<\/p>\n

“The thing is we found is the cost is the people, the labor, it’s not the materials,” said Vasquez. “The materials are nothing, so if they’re in here (working), might as well make it exactly how you want because it’s not any more expensive to make it boring as it is to make it more interesting.”<\/p>\n

Originally published in South Coast Beacon<\/a><\/h6>\n

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