Pride of Ownership?

Among the homes we went to visit yesterday, one made the list as a property that has been haunting us for months.  Other than a few grainy photos of the exterior, the only information on the listing is that the home has a motivated seller, quick possession is possible, and that it is in a prime location with views.

So, we decided that despite the lack of information and photos we would check it out.  Our agent looked into it and said that it wasn't a short sale or foreclosure, noting however that a lack of information is usually a red flag.

All I can say is 'wow'.

Now, I knew that people didn't take care of their homes.  I knew that some people just live in filth, that they live in clutter, and that they don't take any personal responsibility with their possessions.  But this home takes the cake.

The home has 5 bedrooms and over 4000 square feet: it's the largest home we have looked at and yet is priced lower if you look purely at square feet.  On the front porch was their rotting Christmas tree, and once we entered the house it was quickly apparent why there were no interior photos:  I have never seen so much filth and clutter in my entire life.

The floors were covered in dust bunnies and pet hair.  The sink was full of really disgusting dishes, and the appliances were filthy and falling apart.  The grout on the tiles was moldy, and several walls had severe discoloration and holes.  Outside the roof and siding are in poor condition and of course, nobody has bothered to clean out the gutters in years.  The home owner had lit several candles, and our agent mentioned that is usually a sign they are covering a smell; that smell was pet urine.  Disgusting.

It would seem to me that not only would it be impossible for this to be a quick possession home (the amount of garbage and stuff contained in this home is mind boggling), but that for the price we would have to put an additional $15-$30K into renovations to fix it up.

The sad thing is that the home itself has a really great layout with skylights and large rooms.  It has a beautiful yard too, although it is so close to the parkway you have to yell over the noise (that is a dealbreaker).  I'm going to keep my eye on this home and see if and when it sells.  It is probably a $550K house, they have it listed at $395K (I'm sure their agent won't let them list higher because of the condition), and I don't see it selling for more than $275K.  It's that bad.

The lack of pride in ownership is baffling to me: we spend so much money on our homes and keeping them at least clean is the first precaution against lowering the property value.  Not to mention that for being 'motivated sellers' they sure aren't motivated to pick up before showings!

I'm still scratching my head with that one. . .