I was really excited to learn that I had inherited a house in Jacksonville, Florida.
- While I was certainly sad to hear about my Uncle’s passing, I had not seen my relative in nearly thirty years.
He lived to the age of eighty-four, and I was his only living relative. I make my home in the northeast of the country, where we face temperatures down to negative twenty-three degrees and accumulate feet of snow. We run the furnace for approximately eight months of the year. It’s necessary to own a four-wheel-drive vehicle, snow shovel, ice scraper, heavy boots and a very warm coat. The idea of spending my winters in Jacksonville appealed to me. I imagined blue skies, bright sunshine and palm trees. I hoped that the house was in close proximity to either the ocean or the St. John’s River. When I took a trip to Jacksonville to visit the house, I was extremely disappointed. The property was terribly rundown. The lawn was overgrown, the gardens full of weeds and the house desperately needed new windows, a new roof and a fresh coat of paint. The porch steps were so rotten that I didn’t dare step on them. Inside, there was a very unpleasant smell. It was musty, moldy and obviously inhabited by rodents. I noticed signs of cockroaches and termites. There was now way I was ever going to live in that house. I didn’t even want to clean it or fix it up enough to list with a realtor. Plus, I couldn’t spend months in Jacksonville, hoping the house would sell. The best option was to work through a cash home buyer. This process was stress-free and quick. The cash home buyer makes offers on homes in any condition. There was no need for an inspection, repairs or even cleaning. I was able to close on the property in ten days, and I walked away with the full amount.
