Brick + Beam Detroit

Added by Freyja Harris

I decided in December 2021 that 2022 would be my year to finally own a home in Detroit. My husband and I are both urban planners and love cities! My husband is from SE Michigan, but I fell in love with Detroit when I first visited in 2004. I knew immediately I wanted to own a house in the city but it had to be just right. I thought I knew what I wanted and could afford until I saw this house on realtor.com. The interior was gorgeous and seemed too good to be true for the price. I didn’t say anything at first because I was sure someone else would snatch it up quickly. Finally, I shared the house with my husband on a Saturday and he said we should drive by that day. This was very unexpected since he is not a spur of the moment person. We drove by and we both said at the same time, “it looks good”. This was another surprising moment of agreement and all I needed to hear. That same day I contacted the realtor to schedule to see the house that Sunday. I went with my son this time (We plan to have him live in the house with roommates). My son and I were both in awe and grinning from ear-to-ear. It was even better in person! The house is of course in need of love in a lot of ways, but overall I felt like I had travelled back in time! The woodwork, stain-glass, built-ins, and tons of other original features were in even better condition than we imagined. So, I moved forward with an inspection without even making an offer yet. The inspectors were as impressed as I was and offered many suggestions to help bring it to its former glory. Our inspector grew up in the neighborhood and really felt connected to the house, and he was grateful for our desire to invest for the long-term in the neighborhood. I decided that day to put in our offer, but then a cash-offer came through and the seller decided to take it instead. Yet, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the house was still ours. We even looked up the family that once lived there, which made us feel even more connected. Despite my disappointment, I continued to look in the same area and hoped to be so lucky again. A week or two later, I got a call from my realtor saying she had the best news! The previous buyer backed out and the seller wanted to know if we were still interested! YES!! .We intend to do right by this beautiful house and preserve as much as we can!. Looking forward to sharing our journey!