Real Estate

Some of these ‘80s hot spots haven’t changed at all.

One of the most interesting home kitchens I’ve ever seen combined aspects of Americana and Greek styles. It was in Illinois and I had never seen anything like it. The kitchen had carved wood valances around a fake shingled roof, all accented by regal Greek columns that you might find in a fast-casual gyro shop. I was house hunting at the time and ultimately passed on this spectacular piece of property with this, let’s just say, unique kitchen.

In my condo, my kitchen is not just a kitchen. A lot of the time, it’s an office, or a workshop, a first aid station, or a general dumping ground for any and all of life’s minutia. As a result, my kitchen collects a wide range of clutter that is hard to maintain day-to-day.

When you’re in a hot housing market, there’s a give and take to finding (and affording) the perfect house. For me, my compromise was that I chose to buy a major fixer-upper, rather than a move-in ready home. But the second compromise I made was a little less expected — and had to do with the strange layout of the house.You’ll often hear that you can find “deals” on houses that have quirks that might appeal to a specific buyer.