Cannon Place

Latest info on 9758 E. Cannon Place

Yesterday a real estate agent and I went inside Mike and Sylvia's former home at 9758 you-know-where.

I was just nosy; the last thing we need right now is another house! I've never been inside, but I "heard" Mike and Sylvia had done a nice job with the interior.

Thought I'd share:

• The interior is nice, with tiled floor throughout, and appears to have been well-maintained. Nothing a little paint couldn't fix. No appliances though.
• It's been converted to 2 bedrooms, perhaps explaining why it's still for sale. (However, most of the listings are claiming it's a 3-bedroom.)
• The pool is in decent shape when you consider it's been baking in our record-breaking heat, empty, since late May. There's a slimy green puddle of rainwater on the deep end, complete with its own frog and water bugs the size of goldfish. (At least something's eating the mosquitos!) The agent said the pool will need replastering; the plaster is full of little cracks from being without water for months.
• The listing agent (GoHoming.com) was described to me as a "bottom of the barrel" outfit that deals in distressed homes that conventional real estate companies wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole. This REALLY surprised and dismayed me. Sure, the place could use a little more curb appeal, but it's not fair to lump this home into the same category as other REO homes with gutted interiors that reek of animal and sometimes even human waste. (Which is the type of property GoHoming specializes in, apparently.)
• In the agent's opinion, the current $120K price tag is still too much. The fact that it's listed on GoHoming alone should knock another $10-$15K off the price right there. Apparently, GoHoming is a real hassle to deal with because they're not local – when you call, you're likely to get someone in India, assuming the phone actually gets picked up! There are abundant complaints about this company online, which further confirms what this agent told me. (Google GoHoming and watch the search suggestions that pop up: GoHoming complaints, GoHoming scam, GoHoming problems, and GoHoming phone number. That's not good.)
• Thinking of renting it out as an investment? Look elsewhere – the agent told me that that you'd be grossing $800 a month, tops, given that it's only a 2-bedroom. That, coupled with the fact that investors avoid homes with pools due to the liability, means that nobody's looking to buy this as rental – which is actually a bit of good news for us.

Something I've noticed, since I live right across the street. The handful of potential buyers who do stop by all do the exact same thing – first, they go straight to the front window and cup their hands around their eyes so they can peer in, then they wander over to the chain link fence and gaze into the backyard, and then they walk over to the gate and stand on their tiptoes to look over the gate. By this time, they're already got their car keys in hand. Then they leave and you never see them again. I've only seen one person actually go inside, and that was a real estate agent.

Unfortunately, we may be stuck with an abandoned, weedy eyesore for a while. It makes me really sad when I remember how Mike was out there like clockwork every Saturday or Sunday morning, with his rake and his broom, tidying up an already tidy property. Really sad.