From: davidl@SSD.intel.com (David Levine)
Subject: Looking for a house in Portland
Summary: Victorian, Hawthorne Blvd., ~$100K, large kitchen, 3-4 bedrooms
Originator: davidl@geordi
Organization: Supercomputer Systems Division, Intel Corp.
Distribution: pnw
Date: Tue, 7 Apr 1992 19:51:38 GMT

Once upon a time my wife and I were looking for a certain type of
table.  We shopped the antique stores and the rummage sales and the
estate sales every weekend for months, with no luck.  Finally I posted
a plea for help to Usenet.  Within three days we had the exact table we
sought, and the owner only wanted $25.00 for it!

Well, my wife and I are now looking for a certain type of HOUSE.  We've
been reading the papers and visiting open houses and working with
realtors every weekend for months, with no luck.  So now I am posting a
plea for help to Usenet.  I'm not really expecting the kind of results we
got with the table, but hey, it can't hurt to try!

Here are the characteristics of our IDEAL house.  We realize that we
are not going to get all of this, but this is what we are aiming for.
These characteristics are listed in decreasing order of importance
(that is, the lower an item is on the list, the more likely it is we
would be willing to settle for a house that didn't have it).

STYLE: Old.  Preferably Victorian.  The more unpainted hardwood inside,
	the better!  No ranch-style houses need apply.

LOCATION: Central.  For a variety of reasons, we want to be within
	an area bounded roughly by the West Hills to the West, Fremont
	St. to the North, 39th St. to the East, and Powell Blvd. to the
	South.  Regular bus service is important.

NEIGHBORHOOD: Bohemian.  We've been renting in NW Portland for about 8
	years, and would love to buy there if we could afford it (see
	PRICE, below).  The Hawthorne Blvd. area is our second and more
	realistic choice.  

CONDITION: Good.  Unfortunately, we don't have the spare time to fix up
	a "fixer-upper."

PRICE: $80,000-110,000.  Or so.

KITCHEN: We need elbow room for two cooks and a lot of counter and
	storage space.  Gas stove a plus.

BEDROOMS: 3 or 4.  Master bedroom must be large enough for our
	queen-size sleighbed and antique wardrobe (say 11' x 11').  We
	don't really need 4 BEDrooms; we need a master bedroom, a guest
	bedroom/library, and 2 offices.  3 bedrooms and a den, or 2
	bedrooms, a family room, and a finished attic would do.  Other
	combinations are also a possibility...

BATHROOM: One bathroom is enough, if it's on the same floor as the
	master bedroom and has both a tub and a shower.  I hate falling
	down the stairs first thing in the morning...

BASEMENT: Unfinished is OK, as long as it's finished enough and large
	enough to accomodate a small wood-shop.

YARD: Small and low-maintenance, but large enough for a garden and a
	couple of lawn chairs.

GARAGE: Nice but not essential.

You can see why we haven't had much luck so far; we're very picky!  But
the way I figure it is: if I'm going to spend that much money on
something, it had better be RIGHT.  We are content where we are and can
afford to be patient.  But if you know of any houses that meet or come
close to these criteria, please let me know!

Disclaimer: We are not, and have never been, Californians.

- David D. Levine, Intel Supercomputer Systems Division 
  e-mail: davidl@ssd.intel.com  phone: 224-6427 (home)  629-7622 (work)
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