Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Stole my Heart

My husband and I spent time this past week in Savannah. I'll share more with you next week about my love of the South, which I have learned is a culture, not a location. While there, we visited an empty development near our hotel on Hutchinson Island. And, this house stole my heart. We visited it each day and although the door was unlocked, we were frightened to go inside.
There are 5 porches on this custom built house. The fifth (not pictured) is on the back side and is screened in with a fireplace. Six ceiling fans and a fireplace, just on the porches. We went back to the hotel room and started researching- and found this listing for my dream home.
Here is the problem- it is one of a handful of homes built in this master planned community before the developer went bankrupt. It breaks my heart. The house has been on the market for more than a year- unoccupied and unloved. The landscaping just stopped- it looks like someone stole some of the flowers. The concrete is stained, the brick walkway and garage have weeds coming up through the cracks.
The entire neighborhood is on an island, with a golf course, and huge views of the Talmadge Bridge that connects the island to Savannah. The whole neighborhood is ready for plumbing and electricity- it has white pipes sticking up all around. There are beautiful light posts without lights. There are brick sidewalks that just end. There are streets without names. There is a gated entrance with landscaping growing around the open gate.

The custom home was first listed for $2.5 million. It went down to $2.1 million and just last week the project and homes were auctioned off collectively. In our online research, the house was approximated at $750K. I will have to follow this little blue house and see if it gets the love it deserves in the coming months. I just adore it.

More about Savannah to come!