606 Portage St Houghton, MI 49931

Early 20th-century bungalow close to campus and schools. Owner remodeled home to vintage 1950s in 2008 to retain the character of the home and yard. The home has been updated for energy efficiency, with energy-efficient windows, 1kw net-metered solar system that can be expanded, an on-demand gas water heater, 200-amp electrical and additional insulation. The furnace is older but runs well and was inspected on August 19, 2019. Average annual heating cost is well below $700. Electrical use has been under $600 annually. The basement is of old-school design, commonly called a "wet basement" where channels direct water along the perimeter to a French drain at the lower end of the basement. Due to recent rain events, a sump has been added to assist in water removal. The home has three bedrooms and a bath upstairs. Closets are lacking, so one bedroom has been used as a walk-in. All rooms have original softwood painted floors meant to be covered with linoleum or oriental carpets, or easily be resurfaced with laminate. The downstairs has birch wainscot in the living room and the original 1950s kitchen, all with 10-foot ceilings. The home sits on two city lots set up for two home gardens and privacy. Picket fencing and hop trellising protect the gardens from deer. Grapes, raspberries, rhubarb, asparagus, hops, herbs and fruit trees are among the perennial plants in the yard. The property has a detached one-car garage and an outdoor parking pad. Two additional lots on Portage Street come with the property. They provide an additional buffer or can be developed for a single home or duplex. Here is a breakdown of the utilities from 2015 through 2018. The solar was put in in fall 2016, and the electrical use reflects that. Also note to any buyers that net metering is limited to existing systems like this one until the laws change. Plus a homeowner can add up to another 19 Kw of panels. This is a 1Kw system. The 3 year average for ALL Utilities is $1522 per year -- water, gas and electricity. I used the 3-year average because the solar panels were not installed in 2015, and that year was $180 higher than the years since.