OUR FOREVER HOME

When we looked at this home we were at a difficult spot in life. Because of bipolar disorder I hadn't worked in several years. Kathy had been working as an assistant principal for Clovis Unified. She had plans to move upwards but the opportunity hadn't surfaced yet. We had managed a preapproval on a home loan but were limited in available cash. We had looked at more than twenty homes and made offers on five. We just couldn't find the right connection to purchase a home. Jim Christiansen, a friend at church, had been following this process and our lack of success. He decided he would offer to sell us one of his rental homes to buy. The neighborhood, no a preferred neighborhood, was safe. The neighbors were all nice to us. I wish we still had the pictures we took on our tour of it. They were stolen when our home was broken into. The front yard had no grass, with part of it oily from a car that had been parked there. The carpet from inside the house had been spread over part of the backyard. Of course that meant there was no carpet inside. The kitchen had the original 1950s appliances in turquois. It was completely walled in, separating the cook from the rest of the house. There was an indoor clothes washer but an outdoor dryer. Every door and many walls had holes in them. Jim was also embarrassed over the unexpected condition of the house. That night Kathy cried with the thought that this was all we would be able to buy. A few days later Jim came back with a proposal on the house. He had a handyman/contractor that he often used for repairs to his rental homes. He planned to bring him in to bring the house up to date and safe. He gave us a price with any costs related to the repairs being added to the price. Moreover, he would finance our purchase points free. To keep the price down he would only use builder-grade materials. He had a son who was a cabinet maker who would make custom cabinets for the kitchen. We agreed and they started. 

Jim's contractor had taken down walls in the kitchen to make it open concept with a view of the dining room and family room. He created a laundry room and a pantry. He updated the master bathroom. When he was done the house was safe and presentable. The yards still needed our touch. It took a little over three months to get things ready. We moved in during Winter Break at school. Forever, thank you Jim.