The Holbrook House

In July of 2016 I was searching MLS and found the house of my dreams but without my wife Gorette none of what happens next would have been possible or would have happened. This is our story of The Doll House one that has brought many emotional responses over the last year and a half. There were milestones where we thought like many other families buying a forever home, we can rejoice in our selection. Then like a band-aid it would be ripped away and you would start over. Not only the house hunt but the process of buying the house itself was one of a marathon and was a test of patience and perseverance. We watch many house renovation shows and always laugh at how quick folks get moved in or the stress they feel with what we to us is a trivial set back in comparison to what we were going through.

So taking a step back to the beginning. We walked about 150+ houses over 2-3 years. Often I thought something was wrong. We certainly would not have been able to work with an agent. Gorette as an attorney Broker and I having just received my real estate license were our own worse client. We did not need to worry about how many houses we were seeing or time it took to get it right. Our wish list was driven by ideals and not needs. Ideally wanted an old charmer, lots of original details, a project, size-able, big yard, barn or workshop space, lots of charm, and we had eyes for victorians. We chased many leads and many were farm houses or colonials which was not our style. The inventory of 1880-1910 Queen Anne Victorians was low. Many times and we tried and failed to buy a more typical house (fate is real folks).

We tried to buy 4-5 houses 2 of them they wanted too much and likewise ended up selling lower than our high offer, a good indication it was not a fit. Another was by water but the water did not out weigh the house which would end up over improved for the neighborhood based on our plans. We found a Victorian in Waltham without a yard or parking and thank god they signed an offer the morning we sent ours in. So my point is we read our market well, did our homework, and stuck to our ideals for a house we started feeling did not exist. Many times we almost bought out of convenience. Five formal offers and three home inspections we sought out the least vanilla of opportunities/projects. Then in Sept of 2016 Gorette saw that the house in Sherborn previously out of reach of our budget (that I ignored) had a price drop and she wanted to see it. I actually argued because it was still too much and I did not want to like it. This is the part where my wife really made this happen.

 

So she called the agent and got us in and we were one of the first and only few to go inside. Later we would learn we were one of the few to ever go inside since the house was purchased by the current owner in 1973 as he did not take to people or any visitors. The agent was to her credit a real professional and the situation was very difficult a few prior agents were not even allowed to enter. We drove by the house by accident on our way and both gasped. The house was ominous and it had this presence like walking onto a set of the Adams Family.

 

Once inside the drapes were pulled, wall to wall carpet, and lots of furniture, it was dark, it was creepy but OMG it was all original and all the detail just gave it a presence. We walked toward our car and I said, “what do you think?” Gorette looked at me an said, “we should make an offer.”

The next day we flew to DC for a work trip and I accompanied Gorette. We went to a wine bar discussed our future and decided to make an offer which we did the next day. Then we waited. Two weeks later we learned that Kennedy (nice DC themed name) our daughter was to join our family and we realized that maybe our ideals could be possible.

In the coming months we worked through acceptance of an offer to be met with the ups and downs of buying a house that had a failed cesspool, well issues, heating issues, knob and tube wiring, plumbing issues (frozen faucets, showers, toilets that spilled on the floor), hole in the barn, and financial crisis of the seller. We literally had every issue negotiation shut down with a “take it or leave it.” or “we can get you out of the deal” or “maybe this is just not the right house.” Many people thought we were crazy and why did we not just find another house. Why so emotionally attached? Well to the haters… the house is rare, the opportunity more rare, and we fell in love and saw a future there. Maybe we watch to many old movies set in a perfect old home and maybe my love for these houses drove my education to know what this house was, is, and will be with proper rehabilitation and stewardship. I was not blind.

Sounds great right. Well a year and a half slipped away. Three times the deal hit an impasse. So many days of bad news and months passed without updates. Gorette and I went from seeing a renovation before the baby to having the baby and waiting with no nursery and no assurances we could buy the house at all. Maybe a big waste of time so we kept looking and NOTHING replaced our interest in this house. Even after a year and a half news came that financially the owner could not close. All was lost and it took many more weeks of waiting even at that, crushed. Gorette and I walked by the house many times with the baby wondering if we were kidding ourselves. We went trough period of depressions where our future seemed stuck and the folks on TV it was so easy. On Jan 30th 2018 almost a year and a half after we saw the house, having only spent an 1-2 hours total in it we passed papers and we got the keys. We were exhausted, excited, and yet the house was NOT anywhere near move in ready. So the story of The Doll House begins our new hopefully forever home for our new and growing family. We bought a house on Main Street USA! Our adventure here begins and this is the story of our rehabilitation of the Holbrook House.