This cottage was built in 1966 by Mr. Glenn Dotson. It was sold to others along the way and the cottage fell into serious disrepair. I was searching for properties in the Baker, Florida area as my parents and both brother lived there. Although I grew up in Fort Walton Beach, I married and moved to San Antonio, Hawaii, Colorado and then Virginia where I was currently living. Knowing that eventually I would have to return to Florida to assist my parents, I began searching for a cottage to renovate.

This cottage was listed but on the listing map, it placed the cottage at the back of another property. Not wanting to deal with an easement, I never look at it. The cottage was listed for 79,000 and came with a little over an acre of land. After looking at several other properties, my mother suggested that we at least drive by and take a look at this property.

When we drove by, we discovered that it was not at the back of another property but actually on a corner lot surrounded by beautiful agricultural land. I stared at disbelief as we stopped in the front of the property as it was EXACTLY what I have been looking for. We turned the car around and at that very moment, I received and email from my realtor that the listing price of this cottage had just dropped to 40,000 as a short sale. I pounced.

I called the realtor and was in the house the next day. It was a mess, a disaster and horrifically dirty. The windows were broken, the doors had been kicked in and battered, the bathrooms were terrible and the sunporch had a massive whole in the roof.

It was heartbreaking but I was not deterred. This house had good bones and a solid structure. The rest was cosmetic except for the sun porch roof and that could be repaired.

So I submitted an offer of 35,000 and it was accepted. Thus the journey began.