About five years ago, Janice Seaman was selling a dilapidated Tudor-style house on Shelby Street in Montevallo.

Seaman, who owns Shoal Creek Realty, knew the house had potential, and it was one of the last historic homes in Montevallo. Others had been torn down or were already inhabited.

However, it needed work—a lot of work. The home was overgrown with vines and ivy, the floors were bucked and there were raccoons living on the second floor.

“The bottom line is it was not habitable,” Janice recalled. “The house was not going to sell because everyone walked into it and went “money pit.”

The real estate market had bottomed out, and Seaman knew the house could sit for years. So, in February 2009 she decided to buy the home and renovate it.

To read more about Fox & Pheasant Inn, pick up the February issue of Shelby Living. Find your copy here.