Pre-Approval

Finding the perfect house requires research.

For quite some time we have been looking for a house in the country, near swimmable water and hiking trails, with 3 or more acres of land. We’d like a quiet street and evident personality. Three bedrooms, two or more bathrooms. A kitchen that doesn’t require gutting.

We have found places that we lost to all-cash buyers. We have made insultingly low offers on houses that were sitting on the market. We’ve been on the losing end of three bidding wars. And then, there are the dozens of places that all or some or one annoying stubborn holdout of us just didn’t like.

I have gotten into the habit of Googling homeowners before going to see their houses. Creepy, perhaps, but I firmly believe in vibes, and houses pick them up from their occupants. Case in point: years ago, we went to see a house. It was July and there was no air-conditioning, but it felt cold. The primary bedroom had walls of mirrors but no windows. When I walked into it, the hair on the back of my neck stood up and I had to run out. Later, we found out there had been a murder-suicide in that room.

Anyway, today I am seeing a house that belongs to a woman named Helen. Her current address is East 75^th street in Manhattan. She’s 81. She is a Democrat, a writer and editor, and avid supporter of the Sierra Club and reproductive rights. She quoted Patti Smith on her Facebook page. Her spouse got a DUI in 2015, which adds humility to the mix. I mean, we all make mistakes.

I think back to a place we saw some time ago, an 1800s farmhouse. This was before I started stalking homeowners, but the realtor told me it was an elderly widower. The clutter didn’t bother me, but walking through the study, I saw on the table next to the guy’s recliner a book by Glenn Beck, next to a dogeared copy of Mein Kampf. I mean, we all make mistakes, but they should never involve Hitler, or, if I’m being honest, Glenn Beck.

That’s when I started vetting owners. I realized it really matters to me that along with a decent kitchen and a quiet street, I need a house that has been home to people I wouldn’t mind being haunted by.