Sunday, May 30, 2010

The Ainsleys continue their house hunt.....

Nevil and Annie liked the house they looked at yesterday, but after a good nights rest, they are ready to look at more houses.


Today Maryam has taken them to the Keystone Meadows subdivision on the west side of the village.  "The builder of this house was Keystone of Boston. It was built in 1947 and has 660 square inches of living space.  The seller is asking $130 for it, which I realize is at the top of your budget, but we can always offer a lower price to start. Let's look  inside." Annie mentions that she loves the red shutters and gray roof.


"Oh, what a lovely curved staircase!" says Annie.  
"Cecil, the owners haven't moved their furniture out yet, so I want you to be on your best behavior.  Understood?" says Dad.  "Yes, Daddy, I'll be good." answers Cecil.


Annie notices the fireplace and says, "This will be great for hanging stockings at Christmas...and I think Santa may even be able to get down this chimney, kids!"
Nevil thinks this living room will be a great place to watch his sports and fishing shows on TV...in fact, he may be doing that already. Fiona is looking for a good place to sit so she can  read the next exciting chapter in her book.



Upstairs Mom is checking out the big closet in the bathroom while Cecil checks out the size of the bathtub.


"Oh, Rory, we will have to get you a little duck to rock in," says Annie. Sophie says, "I wanna wock too, Mummie!"


         
"Nice size bedroom," says Annie. "I love the blue wallpaper--we won't have to replace that.  And there is plenty of room in the corner for Rory's crib."


Nevil likes the size of the refrigerator and wonders if the owners are leaving it. 
"This is big enough to hold all the beer I will need for  poker parties with my new friends," he says. 
"Well," says Annie, "let's wait to meet your new friends before we plan a poker party!"

"Maryam, we really like this house!  Let's keep this  one on our list too!" says Annie.

After lunch, Maryam takes them to a house located on the northwest side of the village in the Keystone Woods subdivision.


"This is the newest house of the three, and also the largest at 1084 square inches. It was built by Keystone Wood Toys in 1955. Don't you love this bright blue door?" asks Maryam. 
 "I like  the large windows," says Nevil, "and it is landscaped nicely so the upkeep should be easy for me." 



"Oh, this is a large living area!" Annie exclaims. "I hope it doesn't look big just because  it is almost empty."  Nevil likes the hardwood floors.




"Girls! Girls!" says Annie, "don't snoop in the boxes. The contents don't belong to us."




"Oh, this kitchen is great!" says Annie. "I love to cook and having so much space will make it even more enjoyable. I can even start teaching Fiona to cook.  Look, Nevil, a window over the sink facing the front of the house...just perfect!"  
Maryam tells the Ainsleys that all the appliances stay, including the two portable cabinets.




Upstairs everyone checks out the bedrooms. Nevil says, "I think the children's area will be large enough...a set of bunkbeds for Fiona and Cecil here by the window, and Sophie's little bed there in the corner. That will still leave a little room for playing...upstairs instead of downstairs!"
"And the other bedroom is not a bad size either," adds Annie. "And look, the bathroom is right off the master bedroom."



"Cecil, please stop climbing on everything.  Mummie doesn't want you to get hurt."
 "I'm not going to fall, Mummie, I'm a big boy!"
                                                                 



"Look, Nevil, double sinks.  Isn't that wonderful? Now I can have a sink that's not full of your whiskers everytime I want to clean my face!" 
"Good location for a  washer and dryer, " says Nevil.  "Wonder if they stay? Let's not forget to ask Maryam."






"So," says Maryam, "shall we keep this one on the list?" 
"Oh, I love this house, Maryam.   We forgot to ask what the seller is asking for it!" 
 "It's listed for $84, which is a great price in this neighborhood.  It just came on the market yesterday, and it will probably sell quickly. So, if you are interested in it, you will need to make a decision quickly." says Maryam.
Nevil and Annie decide to take overnight to think over their choices, but early next morning they are in Maryam's office making an offer........


             

and then signing the papers on their new home!




Soon they are back in their Winnebago and headed  home to start packing for their move to a nice little village in the south.


Hmmn.  Wonder which house they decided to make their new home......


The furniture in the first house is 1":1' by Strombecker, 1935-50, with the exception of the pink baby crib which is unmarked, but possibly made in Germany.

10 comments:

  1. You have just gotta love that Cecil!
    I say take the second with the large attic space.
    C

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  2. I love these kids! Cecil climbing everything, Fiona just like me with her nose in a book all the time! I hope they decided on the 1955 house - it looks spacious enough for them, and is nicely decorated. Then again, built-in cupboards are an attraction ...

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  3. Oooh I like both these houses. I think they will take the 1955 house.

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  4. I love all three houses, but I think the 1955 Keystone suits the family best. The 1947 house is a close second though. It is hard to fit all those kids into a two bedroom home.

    I own different versions of the two houses in this blog. My 1947 house has the Tudor exterior (the interior is identical), and the larger keystone I have is the FAO Schwarz version with the field stone front. I am so excited to have them (acquired both on my road trip south) and plan to blog about them soon.

    Is the wallpaper in the 1955 house original?

    Can't wait to see which house they choose.

    Susan

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  5. I liked all of the three houses but i think they´ll take the last one it´s not so expensive and big enough... we will see :)

    *Nicola

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  6. Gosh, CM, haven't we all had a friend with a kid just like Cecil? The Cecil in my life was actually a girl!

    Rebecca, when I decided the older daughter would be an avid reader, I wanted to name her Rebecca but then I wasn't sure how you would feel having a namesake that was always having a "bad hair day"!

    You just may be right, Pan!

    Susan, I was delighted to see that 2 of your houses from your trip south turned out to be Keystones...I love the fiberboard houses! There are actually 4 houses (that I know of) with the same interior as the Tudor and this one...maybe more. Yes, the wallpaper is original...and the glue has leaked thru in several spots. Will some of the extended Flagg family be moving into your Keystones? :)

    Nicola, the selling price quoted is what I actually paid for the house on eBay...on any given day I am a "sucker" for a Keystone house!

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  7. Just delightful. And Funny. Nevil is concerned about the TV and his beer. What a hoot! Great activity in all the photos. A very fun post and informative. You are so creative. The home prices are so reasonable too.

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  8. That first dollhouse.. I HAD when I was a little girl... :) I miss it.

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  9. Well, you had a beautiful dollhouse when you were little! Missing your original dollhouse is dangerous...or maybe I should say expensive...that's what got me started!

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  10. So.. where did you find this dollhouse? Is my name on it anywhere? ;)

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