This is a moment I’ve been waiting for! We have officially survived the wild housing market of 2021! Before I get into sharing all the before-and-afters of this fun project, I wanted to take some time to tell our whole story and answer some FAQ!
how long have we been looking?
FOREVER. Lol, but really. We thought initially about getting a house right when we got married, but with a 4 month engagement there wasn’t enough time for that! We had planned on staying in the apartment 4 to 6 months (Peter even marked on his 2018 calendar “HOME for Christmas”), but things didn’t really go as we had planned! As you know, life happens quickly, and we never had a good enough lead rolling every time the lease renewal would be due. And so every time, the calendar would get pushed back more – a year, nine months, six months – you get the picture.
Our lease was ending last December, so we tried to kick it into high gear last August to be ready in time. We toured houses, looked at lots, and really had our heart set on a home or two. But it wasn’t meant to be. Things didn’t pan out, offers didn’t go through, and we extended our lease again.
Fast forward to February. We started ramping up the search again this spring and combing through any and every neighborhood to see what we could find.
*Enter: 2021 housing market to add some spice*\
We’d like a house, and then it would be off market before we could tour it. The price of building materials skyrocketed and we just couldn’t stomach a new build. We looked and looked, and just couldn’t find the house that felt like home to us.
Three weeks ago, Peter and I were on the balcony early in the morning before the sun came up. I remember Peter saying, “we could find a house today!” It sounded a little too good to be true, actually.
Around 10am I got an email with a new listing that came on the market. At first glance, I saw “one owner home” and a neighborhood that I liked. I decided to give it the “drive by” test before involving Peter or our realtor. (The “drive-by” test is this: scope the neighborhood and the neighbors, see the trees, peep in the windows, and walk the backyard). I drove by and was shocked. A neighborhood that we liked. Cute house. Tons of trees. One neighbor. Great condition.
We got our act together as fast as we possibly could and put an offer in on the house (along with a letter to the sellers). Miraculously, we found out the next morning that they had accepted our offer, and that the letter was why they chose us. We were super blessed to take on such a great house with a great story! We hustled through all the inspections and closing details and got the keys in a three week period.
Is it a fixer-upper?
No. But yes. It is absolutely in pristine condition, but I will be changing the aesthetics to make it more of our style. One of the things on our list was a “grandma-pristine” house – meaning that half of the house was barely used and that everything was left in great condition so that we could spend our time on the “fun” upgrades – which we will!
Are you keeping the same decor style?
Here and there! I like to emphasize something new in each home, so some things will change and some things will stay the same. Right now I’m planning to change my color scheme a bit and add in some new rugs for a different feel! I’m pretty sure my kitchen will be completely different!
What projects are in store for the new home?
Besides the general moving in that will make things feel different already, here are some projects to look forward to:
-Dining Room renovation
-Kitchen Cabinetry update
-Patio Design
-Guest bedrooms
-Home office
-Furniture flips
-New master bedroom
-Closet design
Do you have pictures to show?
What you’ve all been waiting for! Here are a few sneak peeks.
That’s all for tonight! Stay tuned to see how the project goes, room by room!
