I Got the House!

When I started thinking about buying a house last fall, I decided to tour the South Philly neighborhoods. I loved the quaint streets of Whitman, and I liked the convenience of Pennsport. I could sense the heartbeat of the city in the areas near the sports stadiums. But my favorite neighborhood, by far, was the Girard Estates.

I'd heard the area was "hot," that developers were snapping up old homes, flipping them and selling them for 200% of the purchase price. What I liked were the beautiful, tree-lined streets, the historic old homes and the park at the center of the neighborhood where French merchant Stephen Girard had lived in the early 19th century. I especially liked a little street called Lambert, where residents kept Christmas lights strung between their homes throughout the year.

I knew my chances of living in the neighborhood were slim, let alone living on that particular street. But believe it or not, on Tuesday I signed the agreement for my dream home on my dream street.

I got lucky. The sellers are a lovely young couple with two small children, six cats and a dog. They're moving their brood to South Jersey, and they had a deadline. I was the first person to see the house.

The past month has been a roller-coaster ride. I bid on another home near the stadiums and lost out. The house needed thousands of dollars of repairs, but I was in love. No house would be as wonderful as that house; none would be as affordable. My friends told me the deal fell through for a reason. I believe them now.

I haven't had the inspection yet, but I have a good feeling about this house. The sellers took excellent care of it. They renovated the kitchen and the bathroom. The animals and children filled the home with life, whereas the first house felt motionless, stale.

I'll share more of the story over the next few weeks, but in the meantime I hope you will enjoy this tour of the house.