To the tune of Katy Perry’s “Hot N’ Cold”… WE’VE BOUGHT AND WE’VE SOLD!
Well, not quite yet — but we’re headed in that direction. As of 5:57 p.m. yesterday we received word that the final negotiations with potential buyers of our house have gone through, so our home is officially under contract and listed as “pending.”
That means the contract we have on our new house (yes, we finally found one) should move forward too, since it was contingent on selling our current home first. If everything continues smoothly, in a little over a month we’ll move directly from our present house into our new casa. Holy bananas. We’re geeking out over here — high fives, jazz hands, the Charleston, my own version of Elaine-from-Seinfeld’s dance, the whole nine yards.
Please excuse our silence until now. We wanted to be certain this new casa could genuinely be ours before getting attached and making a big announcement — it would’ve been a major buzz kill if things fell through. Now that both contracts are in progress and inspections are completed, the main remaining hurdle is the lending process. Fingers crossed it goes smoothly. We’re ready to shout the good news from the internet.
We’ll share details soon about how we priced, marketed, and sold our house by owner, but first let’s talk about the new place. We’re on the brink of obsessed. Picture us doodling our new address with hearts all over a notebook. It’s a throwback to how sleepless and excited we were about our current house back in 2006. We’re grateful to have that feeling again — especially after doubting we’d find anything that gave us butterflies. The moment the front door swung open and we stood in the future entryway, complete with some lovely built-ins, we just knew. I’m sure my perma-smile creeped out the realtor — so much for a poker face.
About the realtor: we ended up using a buyer’s agent after contacting her about another listing. One thing led to another, and she showed us this house she thought would suit us better. We were skeptical at first because it was a property we had already dismissed during a late-night realtor.com search. Why did we nix it? Because it had a carport.
I had decided we strongly preferred an enclosed garage for storage, pest control, and for the privacy of not advertising when we’re away. So I ruled out any home with a carport. Little did I know that this restriction was keeping us from finding The One. We reluctantly agreed to see the house anyway, and the rest is history. Even more amazingly, the sellers offered a credit to cover the cost of converting the carport into an enclosed garage. Fate? Maybe. The lesson: widen your search parameters — your perfect home could be right under your nose, hiding behind a carport.
Now, let’s meet the future Casa Petersik. Admittedly, the exterior isn’t a show-stopping remodel yet, but that’s fine — we wouldn’t want everything to be done already. At first glance it’s a little reminiscent of our current home, but inside it’s bigger, more flexible, and brimming with potential.
THE STATS:
- Age: 1960s
- House size: about 2,500 square feet
- Lot size: 0.75 acres (very similar to our current lot, but squarer rather than long and narrow)
- Bedrooms: 4
- Bathrooms: 3
THE PROS:
- Immediately gave us that “this is it” feeling
- Open, flexible floor plan suitable for a growing family and a home-based business
- Three modest bedrooms plus a large master with ensuite and walk-in closet
- A fantastic blank slate with tons of project potential
- Large, centrally located kitchen ideal for family gatherings (we’re already planning to remove a few walls)
- Wonderful neighborhood close to family and good schools — it’s actually near where we live now
- It’s a ranch, like our first love; mid-century ranches have their hooks in us
THE CONS:
- Somewhat larger than we initially thought we wanted, though still within budget
- Landscaping will be more challenging than at our current home, which we’re excited to tackle
- There’s a carport — but we have a seller credit to enclose it as a garage
- The lot offers less privacy than our current yard, though we already have plans to improve that
- We honestly can’t think of much else — we’re a little blinded by love
And yes, here’s a photo without the artistic Photoshop filter — crisp and clear.
We’re thrilled to have found our perfectly imperfect house. The potential is everywhere. Cross your fingers that everyone’s loans continue to proceed smoothly and that we close in mid-December without any hiccups. Until then you’ll find us gushing about the future home, playing with paint swatches, sketching layout ideas, virtually shopping for every room, charging John’s drill batteries, decluttering, packing, and generally being unnaturally excited. We can’t wait to share the next chapter with you.