Used to be the Ugliest Home in the County

Fonda Schools! Once we called it the “Ugliest Home in Montgomery County”, but we sure can’t say that anymore. Instead of being smothered in weeds, the lawn has been reseeded and the home is, well, sharp - white with black accents. There are .6 acres here, all open, pretty flat, with a tiny stream at the back. 90’ of frontage on Rte. 30A. There is a storage shed, in fair condition but dry and good for storage. You’ll find newly installed brick walks and recent crushed stone on the driveway and parking spaces. Room for up to 8 cars. The home has nearly 1300 square feet of living space. Agents who visit often call it “adorable”: and “cute”. Downstairs is an 11x19’ living room with refinished oak floors and real 3/4” wood-paneled walls, with a vented fire-view gas stove, one which not only heats, but lends a warm and friendly ambiance. There are new (real) engineered wood plank floors in 5 rooms. The kitchen (8x17’, L-shaped) and dining room (11x11.5’) have an open floor plan and some new cabinets, some older (you won’t be able to tell which is which). All cabinets have been freshly painted and have new pulls. Counters are ceramic and are new. Visitors love them. Behind it is a dedicated full laundry and a spacious full bath. There is also a 9x11” bedroom on the first floor (no closet). Upstairs is a new half bath and two large bedrooms (12x12’, 12x16’), each with a vast amount of closet space. All windows are thermopane ones. The roof is middle-aged with plenty of life left. Foundation and many floor joists & supports are recent. The few rooms without new floors have been refinished. The basement stairs are new. The main basement has a comparatively recent foundation of poured cement and the reminder was new last year. The basement is under 3/4 of the home and is wet after rains, with the water directed away so no damage is done. Red pavers guarantee dry clean feet anytime you go down. A self-emptying dehumidifier guarantees that air stays dry, thereby keeping everything free from moisture-induced rot. There is a very good drilled well, one good enough that it’s legally shared by a neighbor, who supplies his own pump and electric. New water system: pump, plumbing (Pex supply lines, PVC drains), HW heater and pressure tank) - no sulfur, plenty of water for several families. The home has just been very well insulated, packed to the gills so it heats easily.. Fresh paint is on every wall and ceiling. Other than the upper portion of the stairway, everything has been sheetrocked, no old crumbly plaster to worry about. There is a new 200 amp electric entrance and most all the wiring has been updated. Heat is gas hot air, 2 new units plus the Fire-View, and there are a number of vents and ceiling fans for good air circulation, both summer and winter. The front porch was rebuilt from the floor up and a small back stoop was newly added. The home is newly sided, white with black trim and shutters. This theme carries over to the front and back porches and results in a sharp-looking home. We’ve finished more than a year’s full-time work on this and are now ready to sell at $133000. Best country home around anywhere near this price. Nothing competes. Taxes are around $1400, that’s all. First come, first served; the early bird gets the prize. There are a few things I want to bring to your attention before any offers are made. 1) This is Montgomery County: that means the basement can be wet. It is. The cement floor was never sloped properly to drain naturally, so I have installed pavers to displace additional water and to elevate your soles above the original floor so the surface is dry. Water makes it’s way under them to a sump. The pump here was new in 2024 and the lines carry water away from the home, underground, so there is no hose in the way outside and there is no water on the surface of the ground. Moisture in the basement air is removed by a dehumidifier which dumps automatically into the sump and is pumped away whenever enough has accumulated. In the past there was no dehumidifier: you can see evidence of rotted beams as a result. Pressure-treated joists have been added and sistered to properly strengthen the floor above and new posts were added as needed, with bases elevated so moisture cannot seep into them. 2) We share the well with a neighbor. There has always been plenty of water for all. The well is on our land, but the neighbors (good folks) have the right to repair their system if it is ever needed. He uses his own electricity and his own pump, so there is no cost to me. These things are in the deeds and cannot be changed. 3) Close examination will reveal that not all walls are perfectly plumb. As the angles are not identical and there is not anything leaning; my best guess is that it was built this way. At any rate, it has been so for over 100 years. 4) The shed has a poor foundation. It keeps its contents dry and out of the weather, the same as if it were good, but it will not last forever. 5) At one time in the past, there had been a fire in the attic. You can see blackened wood. The insurance company made the repair, that’s why new plywood can be seen under the shingles. Work was done to their standards. I am personally OK with all these things, but want you to know them ahead of time and to understand that we cannot allow a contract to be terminated if an inspector you hire tells you what I just told you.