new beginnings.

This is our new house.

We are advocates of downtown revitalization in Jacksonville, and we have always thought it was important to put our money where our mouths were. We rented in San Marco and began our search there, admittedly, but found that our money did not go very far, so after branching out to Riverside and still finding disappointment, we turned exclusively to Springfield.

This is a neighborhood that needs love. It has a rich history but also experienced a sharp decline a number of years ago. It was not a safe place for a while. Lately, though, there’s been a surge of investors and loving residents buying up these historic homes and restoring them. These folks love Springfield, and they love everyone who joins the neighborhood! We made lots of friends before even buying a home – just telling people we were looking in the area got us invitations to join in all sorts of neighborhood activities, from baseball games to potlucks.

That said, the home we bought, like many others, was a foreclosure that had seen better days. The home was in the middle of a renovation when the previous family lost it. It has a lot of upgrades, but it’s missing some basic things – interior trim, for example. It’s in good shape, but we have some work ahead of us. Luckily, it’s very much worth it. As you can see, it’s a stunning house.

This blog is going to be a documentation of our journey to bring this house into a fresh start. We hope our family and friends enjoy it!