707 Gilbert Lane

Somebody has just been through this house properly, and the work is already done. The kitchen is new - gray shaker cabinets, white subway tile, counter space you can actually work on - and it opens through an arch into the living room, so whoever is cooking is still part of the room. The floors are the find. Wood, original to a 1945 house, running through the whole place with a color you cannot buy new. Fresh paint above them, paneled wainscot below, and the ceilings have kept their texture and trim rather than being flattened out. Square rooms, windows on every side, light all day. Outside, a red metal roof over cream siding - the kind of roof you stop thinking about - a deck across the back wide enough for a table and chairs, and mature shade trees over a level lawn. Four tenths of an acre on a quiet lane, with real room between you and the neighbors. Here is the part that matters. There is nothing left to do. No projects waiting in the garage, no weekend list, no we-will-get-to-it. Move the furniture in and start living. For what it costs and how much of it is already finished, this is a rare thing to walk into.