Glad you solved the puzzle! If it’s under contract I guess it wasn’t meant to be. If it’s meant to be the deal will fall through and the price will get lowered. The weird setup... it would all be down to price with me.

I still say we all need to go have a look at it. Although my desire could have as much to do with the 5 inches of snow we got this weekend as my wanting to check out the condition of the house.

I do think that house is very "mtn-esque". I've only been to Florida once and I did not see any homes with the charm of that one.

Jterri, I think it was under contract, it is an active listing now. Tells you something.

You are cute Daisy. I love the snow we have! One thing I said to DH is no matter what we do I need so see *some* snow every winter.

It tells me you could go in with a low offer. They are probably getting burnt out with it all by now. A low offer (but reasonable) and a note stating how charming the property is and how you want to keep it in your family for generations. I would also do something different. Instead of a quick reply give them thirty days. No pressure no haggle. If someone else buys it that’s ok, wasn’t meant to be.

They will get other low offers. So, stand out.

Road trip!!!!!🚗🚗🚗

From RE shopping in FL, list price is set with the expectation that there will be negotiation and the sales price ends up being lower most of the time. My WP friend said "no one ever pays list price".

I would hope the area is very, very desirable! I was trustee for a very desirable house in a very desirable area. As the real estate agent was walking me through sign off after sign off (roof, water, electrical, insulation, etc), I finally asked for an "as is" sign off. I had little idea what condition the property was in, and did not want to assume liability for sale of such. This was in CA, so your laws may vary? The house sold way above the listing price.

PS: Happy to say: was able to do a walk thru with the architect and the update was FABULOUS! So many houses in this area have been messed up!

I'll be in Winter Park in a few weeks...it's a beautiful area. More New England like than so much of FL. We have friends who live there.

One thing from the map you posted, and I know it's common in FL, but unusual for our area is one side of the house is right on the property line. That would bother me. But the front facade is most charming for sure.

I haven't read all the post.. You are paying for the lot, location, and loads of charm. It's been on the market almost 2 months, not sold. An agent should be able to find out if there were any offers yet, and why they were not accepted.

Water damage (?) in the breakfast room wall could also mean termite damage, which can add up. Does it have a termite contract that's transferable? It's a lovely home and would be even better repaired, repainted and new kitchen/baths.

I’d do Boston/Maine with a 3-week rental in FL during Jan/Feb. I hope to eventually do something similar, except that I want to go to different tropical islands each winter.

“Maddie, as a kayaker, what do you think of the Chain of Lakes?”

That made me laugh. I know how to paddle a kayak, am far from being “a kayaker”.

The Lakes of Winter Park are natural, healthy and spring fed. The nasty algae that freshwater bodies of water further south, including Okeechobee and the Everglades, was caused by a fertilizers used by big corporate farms (Big Sugar!) and on some golf courses. Changes are coming, according to our governor.

(Which reminds me that I haven’t seen @writersblock posting in a while? She always has accurate knowledge about Florida environment .)

That said, any body of water can experience different types of algae bloom. In healthy lakes, the blooms usually don’t last long. The cause can be one of many or a combination of things as simple as a couple years with no cold spells and dumping of tons of grass clippings. I haven’t heard of the Winter Park chains being “sick” .

We have properties on a few different lakes in Florida, have never had an algae problem on any of them.

The concern that does come up every now and then is the threat that one morning we will wake up and all the water will be drained from the lakes because of overbuilding or the loss of the aquifer. So far that has not been a problem although water levels do rise and fall depending on rainfall or lack of.

Snakes (and gators) don’t bother us either. 🙂

The fixed bridges of the area are charming.

The boat size you reference in a post above may be a regulation for the whole chain.

It would be interesting to see how far the docking parcel is from the backdoor of this house. And is there direct access or would you have to walk through someone’s yard to get to it?

I checked the interactive GIS map for Orange County, FL. You are correct that there is a parcel across the street on the canal with the same owner. It's the one straight across from the house. The parcels on either side of it seem to have private owners. The one at the end of Mayfield Ave. is owned by the city of Winter Park.

I lived in Windemere for three years and spent many days on lake Butler.(part of the chain of lakes) The chain of lakes are beautiful! Yes there is wildlife that share the lakes, but the old adage is true – – they are more scared of you than you are of them. People swim and water ski all the time.

Also, in Skaneateles, it is very, very common for people to have their house on one side of the road and lake frontage on the other.

runninginplace....good point about the leaky roof...if it has a mold problem that could account for the 'as is'.

Just sayin', it would be hysterical for a GW posse to descend on a listing. We'd be there all day. The agent would switch careers when we got done with her.

I love the front of the house! I think their 'as is' statement doesn't mean it's a tear-down, but it tells you that they don't want to deal with things like the condition of the walls in this room.... and even possibly the reason for the condition. :p

Mtn, maybe the agent would love a GW crowd. A large collective imagination vs. people with no imagination wanting a vintage house in perfect condition, decorated to their exact style ...all that but within their meager price range.

Location as they say, and this home has it according to the listing. Interesting statement -

Buyers need to do inspection and verification. Priced for "AS IS" sale. No renovation credit."

So no bargaining over condition of property. Love the bungalow charm, walking distance to downtown. Prime location gets prime $. I just wonder what lurks in all the vegetation surrounding the home, but that can be cleared and refreshed.

I don’t think of a house being sold “as is“ as a tear down around here, but am curious what it means in Florida. Here is an explanation: Understanding Florida As Is real estate contract

The house is charming and could be a wonderful project

FWIW, those cracks might be from settling. I might be wrong, but many, if not most old homes here were built without foundations or basements.

Bonnie, that link is quite interesting. I would have thought that "as is" also means they make no representations.

Ararpaho - i kinda like the overgrown vegetation, LOL!

Carol - this one was actually built w a basement. Its not shown. I can only imagine!

Tried to post the street view from Google, but it didn't work. Gives a different perspective and you can also travel the neighborhood.

I love that house, Mtn. That porch. Swoon.

We sold my in-laws' house last year as-is after the last one died (they built it in 1947). We did negotiate a bit on the price, but it certainly was not a tear down. It just meant we weren't doing any repairs or rewiring it, which I am pretty sure it needed.

Thx, Arapaho, but I've done that. I like the neighborhood; we actually drove around that area last time we were there.

Gosh - wondering what that basement looks like?

And looking at it again, I'm wondering if that porch was replaced, remodeled, or added on at some point because those supports sure don't look like the craftsman, bungalow, 20s & earlier style porches here...

Am I the only one who thinks the yard is wonderful?? Decadently lush!! I also love the windows. It is so frigging cold here rn I would relish a trip to WP. I need to take dd to visit Rollins College anyway. Just sayin’😊

Nini, I love the yard too, unruly though it is. Yards like that are part of the reason I am not a big fan of new construction. You just cannot create that!

Having looked at this listing so many times now, I think the first photo is taken at a misleading angle that obscures the second floor and makes it look like a lil' bungalow. But the same elevation from a different angle is a bit more ordinary. See 1 and then 2 below.

This is the same elevation but reads differently.

Yes, that last picture looks like a 1968 suburan development colonial that had a porch and metal roof added. Still a great yard!

Yes, Bpath which is odd because the house is in fact circa 1921!

The more I look at this house the more I love it. The interior architecture is there for a real showpiece. It’s very very lovely!!!

The windows alone got me. Just love them.... and then there's that front porch.

...and I always thought Zillow.com and Realtor.com showed the same pictures.

The Zillow sight really does have better looks at the house, thanks @just_terrilynn for posting those few above.

I have 2 neighbors who have basements (rare to find in my part of Florida). The basements are dry and usable. One family has finished theirs making it a wonderful rec room. The other uses theirs for storage.

Well, we have decided not to pursue it

1. It's too soon for us to move and I think it would be a PITA to own as a rental.

2. We are leaning toward Boston vs Winter Park because we still want to be near our kids at least until all 3 are done college. That's 2025 or later (I advocate gap years but my DDs are not both sure).

3. There are two things I really like about it. One is the charm of the front entry. However, that first photo is misleading. So if I am in love with that "look," I'd be better off building it.

4. The other thing I really like is access to the Chain of Lakes. But TBH there are 2 public docks, and esp if you aren't limited to weekend jaunts, you can launch a boat from those docks. We don't need a huge boat and on occasions when we might, you can rent one delivered to the dock for you.

5. Things I don't like about the house: no great spot for a pool. Not truly walking distance to the dining/shopping of downtown.

6. Given what can be seen, and given the harshness of that environment and age of the house, I am sure it's a mess.

7. In sum, the pros don't outweigh the cons.

So appreciate you bringing this wonderful house to our attention!

Staying close to kids is a strong con. But, are all the con’s really con’s?

Don‘t see why # 1 would be a problem as there are companies who are in business just for that.

#5, you will want a road legal cart anyway. Great to do real estate gawking with friends, shopping and fun. Sometimes it’s just too hot to walk all the way to town. My friends on Jacksonville Beach have a kidded-out one and it was so much fun road touring all the water homes.

Could this be a spot for a curvy lap pool?

#3, is it really a con when that upper area creates such cool architectural interiors? With your decorating sense think of all the character you could add to the upper exterior. Heck, just take a drive along all the old ocean side communities in Jacksonville for a day. That’s all it would take. So much lovely inspiration there.

You know I’m just messing with you a bit : ) Seeing pro’s in con’s is just how my head works. However, it’s really all about the money. Almost anything is possible if one is willing to dish out the dough.

1. OMG to manage a rental from 1000s of miles away when you can just tell it has issues and, as is, can prob only rent to subpar renters? Uh no!

In re the lap pool; that area with the wall is the tiny parcel across the street. I doubt if you could but even if you could I am not crossing the street to go into the pool, LOL.

Honest, i think the double height area of the house is goofy; id prefer what was there in 1921. I find those double height areas hard to decorate and hard to make "charming."

Oh poo on the pool area location. Thought I had a solution. I do like the look of that narrow curvy lap pool though.

except you can't do laps in a curve! oops

Sure you can. Just not in a straight line. More of lazy type breaststroke lapping. Not for people training for the Olympic’s. The one thing to worry about though is people misjudging a jump in. Could have dead bodies hanging off one side.

Edited: ok, there’s always a solution. You Could do Olympic training laps. All you need is a Fastlane Sport Currant.

https://www.endlesspools.com/fastlane-sport.php?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=14934&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIioyd456V5wIVBoiGCh2oAwCUEAQYASABEgJSQvD_BwE

My DD has been on her BS's swim team and when she practices in our indoor pool here on breaks, she is swimming and turning very fast. She'd think I was a nut if I told her to swim in a curve. A lap pool really has to be straight. Maybe you mean a plunge pool? Which to me is a nice term for a little pool.

Mtn, I edited the above. You just need something like this. There might be better more powerful choices.

https://www.endlesspools.com/fastlane-sport.php?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=14934&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIioyd456V5wIVBoiGCh2oAwCUEAQYASABEgJSQvD_BwE

For you...

you can even get bikes to use in front of it.

For your daughter and family...

It's a hamster wheel!

Lol, there’s solutions...just sayin : )

The Harvard men’s swimming team uses pool current machines for training. You just need a little over a body length of straight pool at one end before a curve.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DQZnvZKbKTg

Top world athletes use pool currents.

https://www.endlesspools.co.uk/endless-pool-high-performance.php

Not sure how we got on this tangent about training!? We would want a pool if we have a FL property; on this lot I think it has to go sort of on the corner of the larger parcel which would make it hard to have living space flow into it and would necessitate fencing and alter the curb appeal.

It all started over trying to find a solution to having very little to no room for a pool. Also, your need for a pool and your daughters need to train.

However, this does not appear to be the house for you anyway.

You did pick a very thought provoking home though. Lots of interesting things about it. If it were just “okay” you wouldn’t have had as much of a response from the peanut gallery.

...and now I’m getting emails from realtor.com showing me what’s for sale in Winter Park. 🤦‍♀️

LOL, BBStx. Whenever I post something from Realtor.com, I always feel bad about the hits. In the thread about the limitations of white paint I posted a place we looked at in Boston, but that one is now off market so it's different.

I just imagine the realtor on this house reporting to the seller: Wow! Interest in the house is really up! LOL

In other news, my DH called the realtor on this one to clarify some questions.

@mtnrdredux_gw, HA! I get Realtor emails from 2 other cities too...the one DD just moved from and the one she just moved to. I never thought about the website reporting interest back to the realtor. Oh, are they going to be disappointed.

Yup, at least in my experience, they tally that data and report on it. And the last time I sold a house was like 6 years ago or something.