I'm Not Giving Up

If we're being completely honest here, I have probably gotten a little discouraged after learning that my dream property is $75 million. Since then I've been brainstorming ways to start smaller and hopefully those will lead me to that big property.

There are two abandoned houses that I pass everyday on my way to work. How do I know they're abandoned? Well, they don't have front doors, the grass is taller than the houses in some spots, and I'm pretty sure that if the Big Bad Wolf came looking for one of the three pigs, they'd fall over immediately.

I've looked them up on Zillow and one of them shows some information. My favorite is the part where Zillow estimates it to be $201,000. The house that we bought a few months ago was cheaper than that and it has all the appropriate doors. I'm pretty sure it can't be worth more than $50-60k. It needs SO. MUCH. WORK. The other one doesn't show any information at all. Zillow won't even let me click on it to check information. It's like it doesn't exist. I've thought about e-mailing my Real Estate Agent about those properties, but I honestly don't even know if he would know any information about them.

The other issue is that if I were to renovate one or both of them, how would it benefit someone without a home? I'm assuming if they don't have a home, they don't have a car? These houses are out in the sticks. The closest place of employment is probably 5-6 miles away and most of those miles are a one lane, winding road, with no shoulder.

Then, there's this article today. I want to contact them about the abandoned hotel from my last entry. It would be PERFECT. I'll have to look into it.

Until then,

Robyn

I FOUND IT!

Guys, great news! I found it! The unknown abandoned hotel! I found it!

Not so great news? Since it sits on 77 acres of land, the county wants $75 million for it. That sound? Me vomiting in my mouth. They're also offering an incentive on the property, but the more profit the refurbishment brings in, the more incentive. I don't think a housing complex for the underprivileged is exactly a booming market.

Even though it's been sitting vacant for at least 3 years, they still have a functioning website, Orlando Sun Resort, and you can still go through the steps to check availability. Even though you'll get a message saying the dates you're looking for are unavailable. Right.

It's perfect. 

There are already suites in the buildings, which means that families that are displaced can stay together. There are already rooms that are connecting, which means more rooms for more families. There's a giant convention space, which gives me unlimited possibilities. There are 919 rooms. That's more than I know what to do with.

It's going to take a lot of time and effort and money to make this happen. I am hopeful.

First, A Little Backstory.

Ever since I was a kid, I had always wanted to buy an old abandoned building and refurbish it into housing for the homeless. It all started with this factory, once owned by Mattatuck Manufacturing Company that made upholstery nails, ammunition, handcuffs and leg irons. According to the source I found, they also commissioned cartridge clips for the Springfield Rifle during World War II. It was down the street from where I grew up and we'd drive by it daily. I'd always stare at it imagining other purposes for the lonely building.

Mattatuck Manufacturing Company - Source

It sat there abandoned from the time I was a kid until 2002, when it was demolished by implosion. Presumably to make room for the funeral home that is now being built on the property. Preserving the history of that building and creating a space for those who would otherwise be unable to afford some place to live would have, in my unbiased opinion, been a better option. It's hard for me to stay what the foundational condition of the building would have been after decades of neglect. If there's one thing that Nicole Curtis of HGTV's Rehab Addict has taught me, it's that nothing is beyond disrepair. You just need to give it a little love, some elbow grease, and sometimes a lot of money.

Then, when I was in my teens, we moved to another town. We drove by another abandoned building. This time it was a weekly drive on our way to church. This time, I imagined a women's shelter. I thought it would be too small for anything else.

Hazardville Institute - Source - Source

It began it's journey as a place for the community to come together in the late 1800's. Dancing, a library, and a basketball court were here for the members of the community to come together. It fell into disrepair in the 1970's. A committee was formed to save it from demolishment and they did a few major repairs before they were unable to do any more. Recently, the same committee was brought together again and with a $300,000 grant, they are able to refurbish the building and bring it back to life. 

Now, I'm in my late 20's. I'm in a new place. There's a new building. This shouldn't be a surprise by now. 

Abandoned Hotel - Source

I don't know much, if anything, about this building. Well, buildings. It looks like it was a hotel back in the day. There's about 40 smaller buildings off of the main one. It's been abandoned since I've lived here. It's on a main road near a major highway. It's near approximately one million businesses and a bus line. It is a god damn shame that it's just sitting there. I want it. I want to turn it into a place for people in need. People in transition. People who need someone to help them and not look the other way. I have a million ideas and I intended to use this blog as a place to write them down and hold myself accountable for moving forward with this.

I'm not sure where to start, but I figured getting my thoughts out in a cohesive form would help. This will all be covered in future posts.