Why are you moving? - Part 3

We like old houses. We like the look, the style, the charm, the details that you just don't find in most modern day homes, and the history that goes along with an older home. Sara and I both attended Universities in Potsdam, NY (Sara went to SUNY Potsdam and I attended Clarkson University) where we each spent some time living in an older home. Sara rented a place with several other students and I lived in a fraternity house. I think these houses, particularly the fraternity house, are what sparked us with such an interest in older homes.

This is a picture of the fraternity house that I lived in at Potsdam. My room had the two dormer windows in the upper left. This house had a lot of charm - great fireplaces, the cherry wood work was amazing, and full wrap around porches on the first and second floors. It's been a while since I've been there but, I've heard the current brothers have brought the wood floors back to life as well. This house had quite a bit of history to it. It boasts being part of the underground railroad and has been said to have several hauntings (although I didn't witness any of that). In a bit of irony, the original owner, George Wing Sisson (married to Sara Hamilton Sisson), was born in Glens Falls.

We know it'll be a lot of work (and as such a drain on the wallet) but, all that weighed in on the decision to buy this particular house. Like most people, we didn't buy the first house we looked at. Here are a couple that we didn't buy and why.



This house is the first one that really sparked our interest. Sara saw this one in the local paper. The price was right but, it was obviously in need of some repair....or rather a lot of repair. I thought she was crazy for even wanting to look at it. She called one of her real estate agent friends and we went for a look. I originally had no interest in this house but when I saw the wood work, the stained glass, the multiple fire places, the pocket doors, the marble wash sinks in all the bedrooms. I thought it was great. Unfortunately, it was just way to much of a project for us. That much work would not have made for a good environment for our kids and it was just going to cost to much. We were very glad to see that someone else has taken the challenge with this one. I hope they do it justice.



This house was very grand and seemingly well maintained. The most unfortunate part of this house (which is why I'm guessing it's still on the market) are the cats that live there. Not one or two cats but rather twenty of them. We attended an open house here where, in a very nicely done bathroom mind you, our feet stuck to the floor because of the cat urine that was all over it which appeared to have been there awhile. Oh yes, and there was cat vomit on one of the dressers. Forget going in the basement - our noses just couldn't take it. I was very upset to see such an amazing home being 'let go' in such a manner. Beyond that, we didn't like the kitchen and it's on a busy road in town. The price (once you add in taxes and utilities) would have been a real stretch for us too on one income.



They just don't make homes like these anymore. This type of craftsmanship is lost on so many modern homes. So, I guess what it all really boils down to here is that reason number three for moving is ...history.