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My First Place

The Good, The Bad, The Really Funny

(Continued from Page 2)
"My husband, John, and I bought our first home in February of 2004. It was a duplex in a neighborhood outside of Chicago—and a learning experience for us. The first lesson was never to buy a home in the winter because you don't know what will "pop up" in the spring. When the weather turned warm, we had flowers in the middle of the lawn and mysterious dirt hills in the backyard that turned out to be the previous owners' attempt to save on garbage services by burying their biodegradable trash!

We also decided to tear down the paneling in both bedrooms. Yes, our bedrooms had paneling because they were built in the 1950s. Once we tore the paneling down, we got another surprise. We were looking at the outside siding. The drywall was missing in a few places, and there was no insulation anywhere. No wonder is was really cold in the winter and so hot in the summer. Always make sure that the house that you purchase has insulation."

Julie and John Abrahamsen
Hometown, IL

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