Monday we sign papers to make 1440 McClaren Drive our new house! After months of searching, we were happy to find a house we both like. We constantly get updates about houses for sale in the neighborhoods we considered as great areas for us to live. A few weeks ago we received an email about a house just on the market on McClaren Drive. We have a tendency to not even like the outside of houses (I need that curb appeal!), so we decided to drive by first and then attend the open house later that afternoon if we liked it. We drove by and liked the outside so we headed back over that afternoon to see the inside. The house was built in 1968 and hasn't been updated since except for minimal changes in the kitchen. We have gotten very good at seeing beyond the wood paneling, crazy wallpaper, and bad lighting options. The house has a living room, dining room, kitchen with eating area, family room, large laundry room, three bedrooms, and three full bathrooms. The yard is a third of an acre with a pool, grass, and a large area with fruit trees and remnants of a garden. The best part is the gate in the backyard that opens to Goethe Park. It's perfect for us with access to the trail basically in our backyard!
Our current house is for sale and we are sad to have to leave it. We put a lot of ourselves in to making the house just the way we wanted it. This was our first home as a family and we'll always have a special place in our hearts for 417 32nd Street. We will also miss the proximity to great restaurants downtown and of course, McKinley Park.
I mentioned the house needs updating- a lot of it! We most likely won't move in until the end of January in order to get some work done. All three bathrooms will be updated (no carpet in bathrooms allowed!), the kitchen will be re-done, new flooring will be put in, walls will be painted, popcorn ceiling removed, wood paneling gone, and new lighting fixtures installed. There are many other smaller projects- stay tuned for pictures (before and after)!
