Matt and Linda bought a home the other week in Oshawa. Linda found it, actually. I think she's got a nose for trouble.

Anyway, we drove up and everything looked fine, almost. Then we went inside. Words cannot express the sight in front of our eyes. Stuff. Tons of...stuff. Everywhere you looked, everywhere we walked. I've never seen more junk in a house. Historic junk. It was sorta like that macaroni from 1968 that's still sticking to the inside of your colon.

While I was looking at all the mess with disbelief Linda was admiring the cathedral ceilings. That should've been the first warning signal!

Everything, including the dirt, dated from another century. Ok, so it's only been 9 years since the turn, but you know what I mean. This was brutal. The paint on the bedroom ceiling was original and this home dated to the early 1960's, when GM was booming. Really interesting things happen to paint and auto industries over the years.

Then there was the "crawl" space. And Matt did crawl. Yes, he came back out but he was a changed man. There was stuff stored in boxes, but the boxes had long since disintegrated so the "stuff" was in piles. There was stuff (organic living stuff) on the stuff. Fortunately, Matt was able to see right through the foundation wall so at least he had a little ventilation.

 This is a good news story, however. You see, Matt and Linda are really talented. They can do things with their hands. There's brains and brawn here and fortitude like so many Durham Region residents possess. They'll give this place a new life. You see, the bones were good. Lovely cathedral ceilings, huge living room that could accommodate a new, open concept kitchen, great location and a large lot. I'm tracking this one!

I'm sure they'll have their moments but I know these people. Resourceful, smart and hard-working! They'll make it. This is one of the rewards of working in real estate. They paid under 190K for the dump. I'm guessing they'll spend 30K to 40K and I bet Linda will watch every penny. The last home on the street sold for 285K so I'm guessing they'll be all right.

No, they aren't flipping it. They're going to live in and enjoy it. The best kind!

Good luck Matt and Linda! I'll just keep my distance for now...

p.s. the names were changed to protect the innocent.