It came as an unholy shock.
A seemingly guilt-ridden hoarder, who loved both his faith and porn, fled his house, leaving his entire collection of X-rated and religious materials behind — which later caused problems for the home’s new owners.
Sydney Lima, 27, and her boyfriend Kieran Walsh, also 27, were in a desperate search for an apartment when they stumbled upon the three-story Jersey City, New Jersey, home that was cheaper than most apartments.
After booking a viewing in February 2022, the couple made the unholy discovery that the entire house was covered from floor to ceiling in porn, Bibles and other trash.
Both Lima and Walsh recall having to tip-toe their way through 3-foot-high stacks of clutter in the two-bedroom home.
“You couldn’t get inside the door, that’s how much stuff there was, which is wild,” Lima told Jam Press. “When we finally got in, I was just mind-boggled. I’ve never experienced anything like it.”
The hopeful homeowner said there was not “an inch of the house that wasn’t full.”
“I feel like I was in the person’s brain. There was so much stuff to excess, 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 that we found in the house was books. He had books everywhere,” recalled Lima. “There wasn’t a part of the house where books weren’t stacked up.”
Lima also revealed that the previous tenant seemingly kept every single piece of mail he ever received.
“He was just a very ironic man,” recalled Lima. “He had so many religious things, like stuff for the Catholic church and Bibles, and he also had a lot of porn.”
In April 2022, the couple decided to give the apartment a new lease on life and began clearing out the stacks.
“I’m into vintage fashion, and I really only shop at thrift stores and second-hand shops, so I was like, ‘I will take on the responsibility, this is my dream come true,’ ” said Lima. “I feel like it was meant to be.”
She said they first began with “all the little things, such as mail” and then moved on to books, trash and various other items.
Lima recalled that she made many trips to a local shop where she was able to re-home several truckloads of the hoarder’s books.
“We found this bookstore nearby that took all of the books,” said Lima. “We probably went back and forth about 20 times with a big truck full of books and they welcomed them with open arms.”
The couple didn’t throw out everything, though. According to Lima, both she and he boyfriend saved several records, glasses and vintage Playbill covers to use as decoration.
“It really has consumed my brain. It really amazes me what we found inside, and then to see the transformation is unreal,” gushed Lima. “I am so excited to just make it our own, make it cozy and try to incorporate some stuff that we found in the house into our home.”
After a year’s worth of arduous work, Lima said she loved the process, and the pair is excited to move in later this month.
“I’m constantly thinking how lucky I am that I get to have this treasure of all this stuff inside,” said Lima. “I get to see a glimpse into the past and get to live in a place that we built with our hands.”