Tasteful Friends Who Believe Miracles Can Happen: Palestine, Texas

What a bargain!

And it looks so cozy!

Good place to film a horror movie.

Just remember, it's pronounced "Pal-es-teen"

I imagine the previous elder person died in it, and could not afford to maintain it for the last two decades. Pass.

The dinning room and the bedrooms explain the faux wood paneling and the drop ceiling in the entryway. I guess either they weren't able or simply chose not to repair the rest of the house. They have a satellite dish. Even though the walls and ceiling were falling down around them. Its nice that they could at least enjoy watching television.

Do the furnishings and the Lincoln Continental come with the house? Did no one want the items left behind?

That house is haunted!

I love it - I bet it has stories to tell…

The decayed interior is strangely beautiful. Looks like it could be in a film.

I don't know why people obsess about details. A roof that doesn't leak; being out of the weather; plumbing, electricity, a washer/dryer... I'm good.

They removed the freezers filled wit human meat, I guess.

My compliments to OP for his title -Seeing this place all spruced up and refreshed in your mind's eye really would take a belief in miracles!

What's sad is that at one time it might have been considered quite a nice place. Though it would always suffer from location problems.

From the outside it looks like quite a lovely old Victorian home. The roof and structure appear to be in good shape.

The interior though.... needs a LOT of work needless to say. Not quite a gut reno, I'd want to leave all the original period detail intact, but just everything else. I'd expect to be installing new electrical and plumbing throughout for a start, and the roof even if its good now clearly has been leaking in the past by the look of it.

Would it be worth it to live in Palestine Texas? Is a gay man as likely to be killed there as in its Middle Eastern namesake (one of the worst places in the world for LGBT people) or would the persecution if any be fairly low key?

"Good place to film a horror movie. "

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre comes to mind. Funny, the one thing I find the most horrendous is the cheap paneling used to cover probably years of neglect. God that stuff was awful even when new and in style

It got good bones.

Unfortunately those bones are buried in the cellar.

It's $100k, probably could be negotiated down from that, it could be rehabilitated. I don't know where Palestine, TX is, but I assume it's the middle of nowhere, which is a desirable place for many people.

It's being criticized by people who can't spell "dining room".

It's like a stray. Someone needs to give it some TLC.

I wouldn't, but some brave do-it-yourself soul will find a bargain here.

Frame of reference, also hideous.

Don’t worry, under all that crumbling, water damaged plaster is ship-lap! We can fix it up in under an hour.

That's where Murphy filmed S1 of AHS

This looks like the type of place Rehab Addict Nicole Curtis would have an orgasm over. She loves those dilapidated old houses.

For just a few thousand more you could live in sunny Fresno Ca.

[quote]They removed the freezers filled wit human meat, I guess.

It looks like the place where Leatherface's grandma lives. Tidier than LF, still with that lunatic cannibal decorating sense.

Palestine is in the middle of NOWHERE with the closest town being Waco. Can you imagine how beastly hot that house is in the summer?

Talk about a fixer upper. How does one know that none of those cracks indicate serious structural problems? Even if a buyer had the money to renovate the house to tip top shape, I doubt he / she would make their money back when selling. Quite a depressing place.

Water damage. All is lost. Tear it down before it hurts someone.

Must have been a nice neighborhood decades ago. If you look on google street view, some of the buildings around the courthouse and town hall look like they've seen better days, especially the Masonic Temple. I assume the whole town is economically depressed.

I'll take this place instead, OP. Probably any people with a bit of money live on the outskirts of town.

Hideous clor scheme, could be fixed up to look great.

[quote]The interior though.... needs a LOT of work needless to say.

Well, I would recommend these flat panel white cabinets to give it a more Contemporary feel; these white quartz countertops, and these light colored floors to make it feel bigger...

and I would take down these walls and extend the peninsula....

Now who says the Palestinians don't have a home?

Wikipedia says that when Palestine was doing well because of the railroad in the late 19th century, people with money would build their homes along South Sycamore Street.

"In 1875, IGN President H.M. Hoxie moved to Palestine and built the first Victorian mansion there. Successful merchant owners and railroad executives built other elaborate homes along South Sycamore Street."

I'd love to spend a long Winter there...with my family

From Palestine's better days - Hearne House at 503 East Hodges Street.

Isn't that the sign of a town with economic challenges - lots of "parking space" downtown.

^ Gorgeous!

It's move in ready!

True, R33. Probably not the most lgbt friendly town in the U.S.

"Take a step back in time"

Don't you love real estate copy? "Imagine what this place was like back in the day circa 1900 and hold it in your mind like grim death which is not far off for this structure and town."

Jesus could raise the dead and turn water into wine, but even he could not turn that house into a liveable abode.

"Imagine what this place was like back in the day circa 1900"

No A/C, no indoor plumbing, no electricity, no central heat, gracious living at it's finest

[quote]no central heat...

It's Palestine, Texas. It's not like living through a winter in Toronto without central heat in 1900.

Palestine is less than 2 hours from DFW.

there is really nothing wrong with living there. it's all the same small-town stuff for miles around.

it's very sparse. friendly enough. tons of privacy, mostly. that's a good price for so much home.

the only real drawback is that if you are seeking quality medical care for some reason, you're going to have long drives to DFW to Tyler, Texas.

I put in a cash offer on this house, and it had 8 other bids, not including mine. Houses in Palestine, like the rest of Texas are going like hotcakes. This one wasn't even on the market long.

R41 Do you know if Texas has a lot of developers buying properties like these (under the U.S. median price for single famiiy homes.

The parking lots are off-putting, but what remains is quite handsome and it look as if I see a '20s picture palace mid-photo.

The house seems more sad to me than creepy - a once-comfortable structure with some attempts at fashion, forgotten and decaying to a sepia-toned image of itself.

"Let's take down these walls and open up the kitchen! I see a black slate tile mantel and this grey and white subway tile backsplash for the kitchen. We'll add a walk-in closet and this dramatic chandelier made from the old cast iron bed!" ----- Every HGTV Show Ever

Some unusual staging choices.

Yes R42. Almost all the sales of these "fixers" are going to LLCs. I was interested in this one, because it was in decent enough shape, I could live there, while I remodeled it. I only offered the $100K asking, because that's basically what is was worth. I'd like to know what the accepted offer was. In North Texas houses are going to $60K and up over asking. Regular buyers are getting on waiting lists for new builds in developments. The wait time is usually around a year, so they just rent until their house is ready.

I get Dallas, Houston, SA and Austin, R46

But why Palestine? What would someone do there for work?

R47 A lot of people are remote these days, along with being priced out of Austin, and Dallas. If you only have to go into the office, once or so a month, it's not a big deal to live in the smaller Central Texas towns. The towns, along I-35 between Austin, Dallas, and Frisco are all the new hot spots. Because the competition is so fierce, its driving buyers, flippers, and developers out to the East, and West small towns.

R48 Thanks for the info. I figured it must be happening in Texas (I'm in California) because of the tech boom there. I saw that Palestine really isn't "in the middle of nowhere" but is in the middle of somewhere.

@r39, "It's Palestine, Texas It's not like living through a winter in Toronto"

The same Palestine Texas that froze over for a week with 6 inches of snow last year? That Palestine Texas?

Shit happens, get central heat with your electricity

Thanks R48

I would think for families towns like Palestine would be lacking in services and good schools but clearly there is a market and the allure of small town life is definitely a thing.

Appreciate the explanation.

^^For families coming from the Bay Area or other big metro areas, that is. But again, lure of small town/small city life is definitely big.

That was an exceptional cold snap, R50. I'm saying that having fireplaces for heat in 1900 wouldn't have been that horribly bad.

R50 , Palestine, along with the entire state except El Paso (It's not on the Texas grid) lost power, had snow and froze. It was a once in a century storm, and was exacerbated by a corrupt, and incompetent energy board, and government.

Fun Fact: If you pronounce it paleSTINE, you will get corrected. They say Pa-le-STEEN.

[quote]Fun Fact: If you pronounce it paleSTINE, you will get corrected. They say Pa-le-STEEN.

"It's Frankensteen!"

Ok, average temps for Dec-Feb 30s at night, 50s day. Just sayin' having central heat would be preferable to not having it. Along with A/C, electricity and indoor plumbing. Life in 1900. Not arguing the point, just making an observation as to what life was like when this house was built

- r38

R16 that place is beautiful. I could move into that as is!

R25 that basically looks like a McMansion, and its out of town and more than double the price of the charming home at R16. Hard pass. If I was to live somewhere like Palestine TX I'd want to live in a beautiful home as compensation

R41 etc thanks for the insight into this place - so I take it Palestine TX is not too bad for LGBT people then if you'd consider buying there? Sure as hell couldnt be worse than the other Palestine which is terrifying

I see, R57. You'd rather live in OP's house than the McMansion. I hope you have the deep pockets to do the extensive renovations that place needs. Who knows. Maybe you'd have to demolish OP's house and build an exact replica (with a much nicer interior).

R58 Actually I would prefer OP's house to the McMansion, but the house at R16 is a far better option then either of them, ideal compromise - beautiful traditional home that isnt a massive project like the one OP posted. You could buy the house at R16, upgrade heating and add a big garage and still have change leftover from the purchase price of the MacMansion

R57 As far as gay life in moderate sized Texas towns goes, its pretty much a "I don't care what you do in the bedroom, as long as you're not in my face about it" vibe with the locals. I've always been the type that keeps to myself, don't advertise, and I've never had issues. Don't get me wrong there are plenty of places in Texas, where its not ok to be anything but a straight white christian man, but Palestine isn't one of them. The more transplants we get, the more diverse, and accepting it's becoming, but there's still a long ways to go in some parts. (Looking at you East Texas)

I like seeing an original kitchen for once. The peeling walls look 100% better than the cheap wood paneling.

Still, kinda pricey for a major fixer-upper in bumf**k Texas.

What a dump.

R60 thanks for that. Sounds perfectly manageable if not ideal, and for the cost of housing there I can see why you'd go for it

R12 Murdered? Probably not.

Bored to death? Much more likely.

I went and looked at this house too while I was down there. It needs a fair bit of internal upgrading, and cosmetic work done to it. At the price it's at now, it doesn't make sense to pay asking or above, for what it needs done. I'm sure someone will snatch is up. I low-balled them, so Im sure it will be refused.

[quote]The same Palestine Texas that froze over for a week with 6 inches of snow last year? That Palestine Texas?

Just imagine it surrounded by snow, all isolated and cozy...

^ I love the English cottage, and it actually looks livable and cozy as it is now.

Palestine is breathtakingly scorching in summer and really a dump and poor, I'm from Louisiana and we know dumps.

That's what I thought, R69. Hard to believe people are snapping up houses there.