It came as an unholy shock.
A seemingly guilt-ridden hoarder, who loved his faith as well as porn, fled his house, leaving behind his entire collection of X-rated and religious material – which later caused problems for the house’s new owners.
Sydney Lima, 27, and her boyfriend Kieran Walsh, also 27, were desperate for an apartment when they stumbled upon the three-story home in Jersey City, New Jersey, which was cheaper than most apartments.
After booking a viewing in February 2022, the couple made the unholy discovery that the entire home was covered from floor to ceiling in porn, Bibles, and other trash.
Both Lima and Walsh remember tiptoeing their way through 10-foot piles of junk in the two-bedroom house.
“You couldn’t get through the door, so much stuff was there, which is wild,” Lima told Jam Press. “When we finally got in I was just stunned. I’ve never experienced anything like it.”
The hopeful homeowner said there wasn’t an inch of the house that wasn’t full.
“I feel like I was in the person’s brain. There was so much too much, and you couldn’t walk without tripping,’ she continued. “There was stuff everywhere, but at the same time it was so organized, it was so amazing.”
“The biggest thing we found in the house were books. He had books everywhere,” Lima recalls. “There wasn’t a part of the house where books weren’t stacked.”
Lima also revealed that the man seemingly kept every piece of mail he ever received.
“He was just a very ironic guy,” Lima recalled. “He had so much religious stuff, like Catholic church stuff and Bibles, and he had a lot of porn too.”
In April 2022, the couple decided to give the apartment a second life and started clearing the piles.
“I love vintage fashion and I really only shop in thrift stores and thrift stores, so I was like ‘I’ll take the responsibility, this is my dream come true,'” said Lima. “I feel like it should have been.”
Limda said they started with “all the little things, like mail” and then moved on to books, garbage and various other items.
Lima recalled going to a local store at least 20 times, where she was able to reposition several truckloads of books from the hoarder.
“We found a bookstore nearby that had taken all the books,” Lima said. “We probably drove back and forth about 20 times with a big truck full of books and they were welcomed with open arms.”
However, the couple did not throw everything away. According to Lima, both she and his friend kept several records, glasses, and vintage Playbill covers to use as decorations.
“It really consumed my brain. I’m really amazed what we found inside, and then it’s surreal to see the transformation,” gushed Lima. “I’m so excited to just make it our own, make it cozy, and try to incorporate some of the things we’ve found around the house into our home.”
After a year of hard work, Lima said she loved the process and the couple are excited to move in later this month.
“I’m constantly thinking about how lucky I am to have this treasure trove of all this stuff inside,” said Lima. “I get to see a glimpse of the past and get to live in a place we built with our hands.”
