Young House Love

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The Process Of Selling Our House By Owner & Buying A New House

To the tune of Katy Perry’s “Hot N’ Cold”… WE’VE BOUGHT AND WE’VE SOLD!

Well not really, but we’re headed in that direction. As of 5:57 pm yesterday evening we got word that the the last of our negotiations with some potential buyers of our house have gone through, so the contract on our home is officially “pending.”

Contract Sale Pending Sign

Which means that the contract that we’ve got in on our sweet new house (yes, we fiiiinally found one) should move right along as well (since it was contingent on selling ours first). In fact if all goes well, in a little over a month we’ll be moving from our current house directly into our new casa. Holy bananas. We’re geeking out over here (high fives, jazz hands, the charleston, my own spin on the Elaine-from-Seinfeld dance, the whole nine).

You’ll have to excuse us for not sharing anything sooner. We just wanted to be sure this new found casa could really be ours before getting all excited-slash-attached and making a big ol’ blog-nouncement about it (it would’ve been such a buzz kill if things fell through). But now that both contracts are well underway (inspections have even been completed) and are only dependent on the lending process going smoothly – which should be fine, fingers crossed – we’re ready to shout the good news from the rooftops internet.

We’ll fill you in with all the how-we-priced-&-marketed-&-sold-our-house-by-owner details soon, but first let’s chat about our new house. We’re on the brink of obsessed. Picture us doodling our new address with hearts all over our notebook. It’s a total throwback to how can’t-sleep-excited we were about our current house back in 2006. And we’re so grateful to have that feeling again – especially because we were beginning to doubt that we’d find anything that gave us butterflies. But the moment the front door swung open and we found ourselves standing in our future entryway (complete with some amazing built-ins) we just knew. Which means I broke out my creepy permasmile and probably scared the realtor. So much for a poker face.

Speaking of the realtor, we ended up using a buyer’s agent after calling her to see one of her listings and, well, one thing lead to another and she ended up showing us this other home that she felt would be a better fit. We were skeptical at first because it was one we had already nixed during a late night realtor.com hunt. Why did it get nixed? Get this. It had a carport.

Contract No Carports

I stupidly decided that we strongly prefer an enclosed garage (for storage reasons, bug control reasons, and so-people-don’t-know-when-we’re-gone reasons). So I ruled out all homes with carports. Little did I know that odd parameter was keeping us from finding The One. So we begrudgingly agreed to see the house anyway, and the rest as they say is history. Even more amazingly, the sellers of the house were offering a credit to cover the entire cost of enclosing the carport to create a garage. Is that proof that it was meant to be or what? So the lesson here is to widen those parameters because your perfect house might be right under your nose (and hiding behind a carport).

But enough jibber jabber, let’s meet the future Casa Petersik. Admittedly, it’s not a Jeff Lewis exterior (yet) but we probably wouldn’t buy it if it was already there. And yes, it’s more than a little reminiscent of our current home at first glance, but the inside is larger, more flexible, and it runneth over with potential.

Contract House Filtered

THE STATS:

  • Age: 1960’s
  • House size: around 2,500 square feet
  • Lot size: .75 acres (almost exactly the same size as our current lot, but it’s more square and less long & narrow)
  • Bedrooms: 4
  • Bathrooms: 3

THE PROS:

  • Gave us that “this is IT” feeling the moment we walked inside
  • Open & flexible floor plan that will accommodate a growing family and a home-based business
  • Three modestly sized bedrooms just like the ones we have now PLUS a large master bedroom with an ensuite bathroom & a walk-in closet
  • Great blank slate with tons of potential (we love all the projects that we see when we look around)
  • Large centrally located kitchen- which makes it perfect for family gatherings (we can’t wait to knock out some walls)
  • Amazing neighborhood near our family with great schools (it’s actually very close to where we live now)
  • It’s a ranch, just like our first love house (we were open to all house types, but 50 yr old ranches never fail to steal our hearts)

THE CONS:

  • A bit larger than we expected we’d like (but still very much within our budget)
  • The landscaping will be more of a challenge than our current home’s (but we do love a challenge)
  • There’s a carport (but oh happy day, we get a credit to transform it into a garage)
  • The lot is less private than our current lot (but we have plans to change that)
  • We can’t think of anything else (we’re blinded by love I tell you)

Oh, and I guess we can meet this one minus the artistic photoshop filter. Ooh. Ahh. So crisp and non-blurry.

Contract House Unfiltered

We’re so glad that we found our perfectly imperfect house. The potential is so thick you can cut it with a knife. So cross your fingers that all continues to go well for everyone’s loans and that we end up closing in mid December without any hiccups. Until then you’ll find us gushing about our future home, playing around with paint swatches, brainstorming all sorts of layout ideas, virtually shopping for every room, charging the batteries in John’s drill, organizing and paring things down, packing, and just generally being freakishly excited. We can’t wait to share the next chapter of our lives with you guys.

Comments

  2. Kristel says

    Congratulations!
    My husband and I just put in an offer today on our first home. The sellers have already responded with a counter offer and we have fired back with our own counter offer.
    Here’s hoping everything works out! I’m excited to get decorating.

    Reply

  3. Claire says

    Congrats! As I’m still tackling my project list for my first house here in Richmond a full two years after I bought it (I still haven’t even painted any interior walls-which was the first thing I swore I’d do since I. Could. Finally. PAINT!-oh how life gets in the way.) I’m excited to be in at the beginning to watch your reno’s and DIY on the new place and get tips and tricks.

    I must admit I did have to chuckle when I saw the pic of the second house. I did a double take thinking “wait they accidentally used the wrong pic” and then I reread what you wrote about them being strikingly similar. But you know what you like!

    Cheers!

    Reply

  4. marissa says

    How exciting for your family! I have to say, I’d sure be excited to see you guys tackle more exterior/landscaping projects in the future. I could definitely use some inspiration in that department! :) Best wishes on your move!

    Reply

  5. Shreya says

    CONGRATULATIONS!
    So happy for you am grinning from ear to ear! :D
    I am excited to see what you do with your new home and wish you all the very very best for this new chapter!

    Reply

  9. Jen says

    So exciting! Congrats on this fantastic next step, I can’t WAIT to see some more fantastic before and after transformations :-)

    Reply

  14. Amanda@The Hand Me Down House says

    I’m SO excited for you guys! Congrats on the pending sale of your first house! :) I’m sure it’s bittersweet for you guys! And your new potential pad just SCREAMS Young House Love!! :) I hope everything goes smoothly for your transitions!

    Reply

  15. jane says

    Wow, what a surprise! I thought we’d have to wait longer.
    Being a 1953 ranch home owner myself, I was hoping you’d get another ranch… or even a very plain ranch that could be turned into an arts and crafts style house. (That’s what I wish I could do to my house).
    I was initially drawn to your blog because I was impressed at what you could do with a plain jane rectangular room. Can’t wait to see more!
    Congratulations!

    Reply

  18. Lisa says

    CONGRATULATIONS!!! We sold our townhouse back in ’07 after it was listed for just 18 days. Isn’t it a wonderful feeling when things work out just how you hoped they would? Do you have any plans to celebrate? Maybe breaking out the cardboard boxes is enough!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Hmmm, celebration plans. Well (as tacky as this sounds) we did go to Red Robin last night as a mini-victory meal (it’s a leftover craving from Sherry’s pregnancy days). But other than that our celebration plans just include day-dreaming about the new house and contemplating packing up this one!

      -John

  20. Diane says

    Congratulations!

    Having an ensuite bathroom & a walk-in closet is the height of luxury, believe me.

    Especially if you have kids.

    Reply

  21. Irina@CanDoGal says

    Yay! Congratulations! And holy cow, that was fast! At least it seems fast to me. Our house took about 3 months to get squared away, from offer to closing. Very excited to see the inside.

    Reply

  22. Christa M says

    So Excited for you guys! Can’t wait to see the interior and the projects for the years to come.

    Do you have any idea where you’ll start first project-wise? (Of course once you’re unpacked)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Hey Christa M,

      Our minds are spinning with where to start so we can’t say for sure yet. We definitely plan to not rush into too much at once, so the first order of business will probably be unpacking, painting and figuring out where we’re short in the furniture department. But there are plenty of big and small makeovers on the to-do list so just be patient with us! :)

      -John

  23. Summer says

    Woohoo! Can’t wait to see how you turn this one into your very own! Your projects have been so inspiring. Congrats! :o)

    Reply

  28. Najlee says

    I am so happy for you!!! I’ve been dying to see what you would end up buying. It’s so your style:) Can’t wait to see interior pictures!

    Reply

  29. K says

    Congratulations! We love ranches as well and are currently in one similar to your current home (a little smaller but it works just fine for us). Ranches are harder and harder to come by where we are from (Metro Detroit). I’m so glad you found one. I can’t wait to see what you do with it!

    Reply

  30. Patti says

    As you guys say, woo to the hoo! Congratulations! I can’t wait for what the future will bring. I already know I’m going to be stealing many of your future remodeling ideas down the road. Thanks for taking us all along!!

    Reply

  34. mribaro says

    It’s been exactly one month since you announced that you’re selling your house: https://www.younghouselove.com/2010/10/sweat-drops/
    Although I had thought you would sell in one week, I think now that selling a house in one month (and finding another one to buy) is pretty fast too! And what is also soothing – the picture of the new house resembles a lot the old one, so your new web-site header won’t take much to get used to :)
    Congratulations!

    Reply

  35. Lyndsay M says

    I am SOOOO excited for you all! Excited to see all the new projects :) since my hubby and i just bought our house in March, i am excited to be in the same stages as you will be with your new home.

    I am also really thrilled that you plan on sharing more about the FSBO process as my hubby and i are both in sales and hope to do it this way someday as well :)!

    CONGRATS AGAIN!!!

    Reply

  36. ivette says

    Omg! I’m so thrilled for the three of you, and I can’t to see all your diy projects. We will be moving to our new house about 2 weeks before you, and so excited about designing it all! Your blog gives me great inspiration.

    Reply

  37. Molly says

    Congratulations! Seeing as I am one of hundreds who have already commented, you have some loyal readers!! Like others have said, I am way too excited about someone else finding a house they love! Cannot wait to see what you guys do with the place!

    Reply

  38. jenniferf says

    super excited for you! I can’t wait to see this house put together from the beginning.

    The only sad part (for me anyway) is since you will be moving in december…does that mean no holiday decor posts??? LOL

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Hey Jenniferf,

      We plan to tackle some holiday stuff around here and put all of the real decorations in the new place since we should be in with a few weeks to spare before Santa comes.

      xo,
      s

  41. Dina says

    First of all, yay, congratulations youngsters!!! How exciting!!!

    Second, in regards to your comment above about interior photos, I hate hate hate to be a downer, but I’m super paranoid about privacy too, so I just wanted to warn you that even though the MLS listing may be taken down right away, a lot of the other search engines (Zillow, Google, etc.) keep the listing and photos up for a long, long time. When we bought our house I was freaked out by how long the listing info and photos were on the Internet after the sale. I’m sure you’ve considered this already, but you might want to think about editing out some of the details in this post, because they’re already enough for a determined person to find your address. I’m sure all your readers are friendly, but you can’t be too careful!

    Otherwise, congratulations again!!! Don’t forget to buy a bottle of champagne for both closings!!!

    Reply

  43. Oona says

    Well, I can’t say anything the last 250 people did already say, but Congrats! anyway… It’s going to be so great and I am happy for you guys!!

    Reply

  44. CW says

    My husband and I found our first home by widening our search as well! The one we got wasn’t on the list until the last second because it was smaller than the rest, but we couldn’t be happier in our home! Congratulations and I can’t wait to see the photos to come!

    Reply

  46. Pammy says

    WOW… that is insane that this all happened so quickly for you guys! We close at the end of November on our 60’s split level. But we have been looking since… January!!! Of course, there was a contract on a short sale in there for a bit that we bailed on after never hearing anything from the bank… So a bit jealous of how fast it went for you guys! BUT CONGRATULATIONS!!! I am super excited to see you tackle the interior while we tackle ours! We have a huge list of projects :) Maybe we’ll have some similar ones!?

    Reply

  48. Monika says

    congrats! i am so very pleased for you, my fingers are definitely crossed. cannot wait for the next update saying it is a done deal.

    :)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Hey Erica,

      We’re planning to share the layout next week. We’re just trying to find a moment to finish up the little floor plan we’re making for everyone.

      -John

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