Preservation Needed -- Someone with Deep Pockets

I recently spent a week in Albuquerque looking for a house and, while I was primarily looking at newer homes, I just happened to look at a vintage bungalow that is sitting vacant in a historic district just north of downtown.

The neighborhood is very nice. The homes are well maintained and the city takes good care of the streets and sidewalks. There is a small city park about a block away. The homes are filled with families that have lived there for forty years or else with younger  professionals who have moved in in recent years. This is a place made up of an eclectic mix of Victorian, Prairie-style, Craftsman and Mission-revival homes.

In the middle of this neighborhood sits this classic bungalow-style home that deserves to be reclaimed and preserved. It has been vacant for at least five years and there have been several aborted attempts to rehab it...but some of those attempts have hurt rather than helped the cause. The house now sits in foreclosure. It's last owner was a non-profit organization that hoped to make some money off the rehab and resale. The price has been dropping...was at $275,000 then at $245,000 and now at $215,000...in one month.

Considering the age of the house...almost 100 years old...it is in reasonable shape on the outside but things are starting to need attention. The roof is new. some stucco needs minor repairs and some leaded windows are sagging or broken. A recent paint job on trim was poorly done.

The leaded windows are a very nice feature but need some quick attention before they totally deteriorate. I'm not sure if the skills to fix them are readily available. Pigeons are roosting in the eaves and will be inside shortly.

There is a newer (maybe 75 years old) addition on the back of the house that is sturdy and has a basement that holds some of the mechanical equipment. The yard is fairly large and neighbor houses are not too close. The house shares a driveway with a neighbor.

Front Porch Swing

The heartbreak begins when you go through the front door.

The living room is large and has a classic fireplace. The room extends across the front of the house....faces west.

There are pocket doors that were pulled out and stacked along one wall ...hopefully not on their way out. The majority of the hardwood floor has been pulled up and is just...gone...probably sold?

The dining room has great windows and includes the remains of a built-in hutch. It's hard to imagine what this looked like but it must have been impressive.

It's hard to see how much deterioration has taken place in five years. This is a case where there are "good bones" but the muscle and flesh of the house are almost gone.

Across from the dining room is an equally impressive (at one time) library -- that could be a bedroom.  It has a closet and opens to the living room.

The kitchen floor is sagging. The kitchen included a breakfast alcove and a side door leading outside. There is a little door where the milkman would place the daily milk delivery.

It would probably take more money to salvage and rehab this house than the cost to buy it. Someone with deep pockets and an interest in doing the job right would have a lengthy project. There is only one bathroom but a second bath could be added in the rear addition.

A person couldn't live in the house and work on the rehab project at the same time. Maybe the rear addition could be made livable or made into a work place to get things started.





I have no interest in this house except that I think it should be saved and it would be an asset to the neighborhood. I looked at it as a rehab project but this is too big a job for me and isn't livable.

Here's a link...

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/410-12th-St-Nw_Albuquerque_NM_87102_M24751-06428?source=web


UPDATE - May 14th...still for sale @ $215,000.