The Great House Hunt of 2022: Now With More Benwood

Our frustrating quest to find a new home continues. One more chapter; another house to view.

It's nestled in the quiet community of Benwood, WV. Our tour was yesterday and we arrived a half hour early to scout the area, but ended up stopping at a Catholic church for their fish fry. Best. Fish. Ever. The people were so friendly. I joked with Jeff that I could see him helping out in the kitchen during lent next year. He's agnostic, but he cooks fish like a pro.

The house itself is cute. It sits on a main street. The neighborhood sits on level ground; I could go back to walking Hershey in the early morning.

Fully fenced, it would be easy to enjoy both the front porch and the back patio. Plenty of room to garden in that back yard. There were issues with the concrete steps leading to that front porch, meaning the VA might tantrum about the concrete step height and cracks going through them.

The inside was delightful. The owner's love manifested itself in a mix of warm and cool colors. I liked the size of the living room and melted over the size of the kitchen (and its built-in center island with sink). The first full bathroom was just off it. Yet there were more issues that the VA would snarl about. Mainly it was the caulking around the kitchen sink. Sloppy job and not the right material for it.

The stairs leading to the basement were much too narrow and steep for my comfort. Doing laundry would be more than just a chore. The risk of falling was too great.

The stairs leading to the top floor posed a similar threat. Towards the top, it narrowed too much to put in a handrail that wouldn't painfully rub skin.

We pressed on. Upstairs held perfectly sized bedrooms and another full bath. Sadly, the same caulk was evident in that bathroom. It would not pass a VA inspection.

Candles burned in every room throughout the home. That's a red flag. (House Hunting: Answering Your Questions)

It's sad, really. But for these calk fixes and narrow stairs, this would be a perfect house for us. I would need to do little more than repaint the walls with fresh paint to hide the nail holes left by the seller's picture hooks. 

We'll continue our quest. More chapters are ahead. Our home is out there. We need only find it.