I Was "Househacking" to Pay My Mortgage--Then Things Fell Apart

When my husband and I first saw the mammoth Victorian, we fell right in love. Like, we stepped into the foyer and were smitten. We were surprised to find out that the 4,000 square-foot beauty cost only $200,000. It was built in 1890 and came complete with a carriage house and a third floor with its own outside entrance. Now, $200k was a sizable chunk of change compared to the tiny shotgun-style fixers-uppers we'd initially been eyeing. But once we did the math, we found it came out to 50 bucks a...