And now for some news that falls in the “big” category: we’re in the market for a new Casa Petersik.
That’s right, after tons of thoughtful deliberation we’ve decided that it’s time to sell our current home after four and a half amazing years spent here. Why? Because we love a project and we’re can’t-sleep-excited about the prospect of taking on a new home makeover and sharing every moment with you guys. We know it’s a sickness, but we actually crave remodeling and painting projects, so instead of feeling overwhelmed at the idea of starting all over again we’re actually pretty psyched about it.
Of course it’s bittersweet to leave the place that we love so fiercely, but as John put it best “we’ve enjoyed transforming an old dated house way too much to stop at just one.” And there are definitely some old houses out there that could use some love. At first I was in denial, making statements like “I’m never leaving- this is our forever house!” but John knows me too well. One day I just woke up (a few months ago) and was like “maybe we should look around at some open houses, you know… just for fun.” That sentiment soon turned into “oh my gosh, if we got a new place we could do this… and that…” and my mind nearly short circuited from all the possibilities. It was like someone turned on a light or opened a door and I suddenly couldn’t wait to explore.
So we mulled it over for a while to be certain it was what we both wanted (there’s no sense in being rash about matters of the heart like leaving your first love, er, house). We also discussed the idea with both of our parents (who are all so wise beyond their 35 years, har har) and they were amazingly supportive and excited for us.
So it’s official. We’re about to put our house on the market and we’re actively looking at other homes for sale. For any interested locals (wanna buy our house?) we figured we’d share the news here before it hits MLS. So feel free to email us if you’re seriously interested and ready to move (we’re in Bon Air which has awesome schools and charm to spare, and well, you can essentially take a virtual house tour here).
As for where we’re going, we’re planning to stay in the Richmond area, and we’re definitely in the market for another older dated home that could use our help. So we’d welcome suggestions for areas with great schools and charming older neighborhoods beyond our beloved Bon Air (which we’re definitely still considering, but not limiting ourselves to).
Oh and it’s probably fairly obvious that this won’t happen overnight. Finding a house to love as hard as we’ve loved this one definitely isn’t something we expect to do in a day (plus the act of selling our current house could easily take a few months or even longer). But we’re already actively on the hunt, and we plan to keep you posted about all the projects that we’re tackling to get our house in prime selling condition. We’ll also take you guys along on our journey when it comes to touring other houses, considering other areas, and figuring out exactly what we’re looking for (and what we’re not) before signing on that dotted line and grabbing the keys to our new casa. Of course with the holidays coming up we’ll still be taking on a lot of seasonal decorating projects along with whipping up gift guides, and serving up the regular blog fare like mood boards, House Crashings, Reader Redesigns, and more. Can’t wait.
Sammy says
oh… that’s bittersweet, for sure… but I get your point, especially since you seem to want more children ;)
I somehow hope your new house will have two levels – love, love old hallways with wooden stairs. The only thing your sweet house ever lacked! But that’s just me :)
Hope you’ll be happy with your choice!!
Kindra says
Congrats! I thought this might be coming, and I can’t wait for new projects!! Burger will have a whole new yard to patrol. :)
kathy says
YIPPEE! CONGRATS!
Liz says
Now is a fantastic time to buy with mortgage rates so low. I’m in the middle of refinancing down to 3.875%!
Lessons in Life and Light says
My first thought was, “Is it April Fools Day?” LOL! Wow, I can’t believe it! Looking forward to following you guys on your new journey!
Kasey at Thrifty Little Blog says
Wow, I wasn’t expecting that! This sounds like a great decision for you two considering the growing family. I can’t wait to see what the future holds. (Just be careful about blogging about potential homes in real-time; it will be really easy for people to look up your new home choice if it’s still listed on the mls.)
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Kasey,
Yup, we’re definitely keeping our address under wraps (not listing with MLS for a while) to see if we can do things with a private buyer without sharing our info with the world. Here’s hoping it works!
xo,
s
Lynn van Slyke says
So happy for you!!! If you’re interested my agent sold our house in 4 days heres his info:
http://www.rileyshomesearch.com/
he was very easy to work with and we were very happy with how he handled everything =)
Good Luck!!
Beth says
You know, when you had Clara I wondered if you would eventually decide to buy a new home. So, I’m not all that surprised, but very excited! I can’t wait to see what’s in store for your new place!
Ab says
Bellevue! Great school (Holton), great neighbors, and totally walkable. We moved here a year ago, and love it! Plus, when/if you decide that preschool is right for Clara, we have a bunch of awesome ones within a mile.
Gina at Temporary Nest says
WOW! I didn’t see that one coming. I’d say this is more in the “monumental” category! I’m sure it will be a phenomenal adventure for you guys! Congratulations!
Jennifer says
My huband is laughing his head off right now, because I started yelling in his general direction when I saw the facebook link!! He isquired as to how I can get so emotionally involved with someone I have never met. I tell him that they have let all of us into their growning home, and growing family! And of course they have given me so many decorating and money saving ideas that we use in our own home so they feel like friends!
He just shook his head… :) Men.
Glad to hear you guys are making choices for you and not holding onto things, I love starting so fresh and so clean clean (yeah I went there)
Zoe Feast says
Gosh I can’t wait to see the transformation of your new house. I am just going through the whole thing myself having recently moved to Chicago. A Realtor told us to buy an ugly house, one that everyone else turns their nose up to, you get a better price. That is exactly what we did, our new house has great bones but cosmetically was horrible. A few months down the line we are really starting to see a tremendous difference.
Good luck in selling, unfortunately the market is terrible. We still have not sold our old house, it has been on the market for 9 months and living in a house which is on the market is very stressful, plus I had to paint all the walls in my house a neutral blahh.
It is probably really uncool but here is a link to a great house in the Wildwood area of St Louis
http://ow.ly/2LI8w
If you deny this comment I understand!
Lisa says
I am excited for you guys and look forward to you blogging about it all. One question though – why stay in Richmond? Since you both work full time on the blog (and baby) you could move ANYWHERE – such freedom!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Lisa,
Friends and family! Plus we love it here- we’re definitely not planning to go anywhere else for a while!
xo,
s
Ana says
Ack! I could never move to Richmond in time to buy your house. But whoever does will have a great place to live.
I bought what I thought was my forever house in early 2005. I fixed it up slowly and sold it last year, which was tough but exciting at the same time. And now I have projects again.
I think you guys have a great attitude toward the sale. Real estate is hyper-local. If you price and present the house well and you live in a desirable area, you should be able to snag a buyer. You may be moving before you know it so I hope you’re packing already. :)
lauren says
What a surprise! I knew it couldn’t be much longer before you all announced you were moving but I didn’t expect it so soon!
I live in The Fan District and love it! Granted I am a renter but I am in love with the neighborhood, the restaurants, the people, everything. I have been house hunting myself but in an area that I don’t think you and John would be too interested in (Highland Park/Northside). I have fallen in love with the old homes but the neighborhood/area/schools/crime leaves a lot to be desired even now after cleanup efforts, etc.
Here’s to hoping you guys pick another older (maybe historic looking home)? I would love to see how you all would transform such a hidden gem :)
Sarah says
Aww, I am a little younghouselove-homesick already! But it will be an exciting change and adventure for you all! Best of luck on the house search :)
amy says
Congrats YHL’ers… this is awesome news. What a wonderful adventure to work through with your readers with so many new homeowners and potential homeowners out there. It is so nice to see the process from the beginning even though it is your second go at homebuying.
Congrats again!
Meredith says
What an exciting time for you guys! Looking forward to seeing what you end up buying, and I’m jealous that the market is doing well enough where you live to even consider selling!
Melanie says
WOW! I almost spit out my morning coffee when I saw the for sale sign! At first I thought it was going to be a joke or something. Well good luck to the both of you, I actually know how you feel, we have been working on our home ever since we moved in and I thought that I couldn’t wait to be done, but now that we are close, I am kinda getting the itch for something new to work on. I am curious how much you two have added to the property value of your house with your big remodel?
YoungHouseLove says
Melanie- Our house appraised significantly higher than when we bought it for (around 30K higher even though we bought in the bubble and are now selling in a bad market) but appraisals don’t mean much- it’s all about the market and the offers. We’ll see what happens!
Beth- Yes! Stay tuned!
xo,
s
Beth says
p.s., will you be sharing tips on selling / listing a home? Like using a realtor vs DIY? I would love to hear your input on that whole process! We’re considering listing our home too and feel very nervous as we’ve never done this before. Thanks!
Debbie says
Although I kinda guessed you two would eventually move, I never thought it would be this soon.
I can’t wait to see what new plans you have in store for your future house!
Maggie says
You guys are so smart! There are tons of your readers that would kill to have your house! HOpefully they’ll come forward with their checkbooks and loan papers! Good luck!
Rachel says
Whoa! That is some big exciting news! I’m so thrilled for you guys. The people who buy your home will be so lucky, and it will be soooo much fun to watch your search for a new home and of course all the projects that will come along with it.
Are you considering an older home than your current one? We just moved into an adorable home built in 1924 and there are definitely more positives than negatives.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Rachel,
Yes! We loooove old homes! We even drove out to see a farm house from the late 1800s a few days ago!
xo,
s
Yvette says
Congrats~
Can’t wait to see what you find! I’m sure it will have tons of charm and you will fix it up and it will be an amazing dream home. Wish I had your skills and talents. You two make a great team and before you know it Clara will be hammering right next to you ;)
staceys says
ACK! I’m shocked! I feel like mom& dad are selling the ol’ homestead while I’m away at school! I’ve learned so much on the rehab of casa petersik. Ok, I’ll come to grips with it. (sigh) Time to grow up and move on. More lessons on the horizon for me with new casa petersik! Congratulations. good luck and I KNOW a young family is going to see this diamond of a house and swoop it up.
Catherine says
Congratulations! However, I must admit that I am confused by this because I don’t see the point in putting so much love into a home, plus getting married there, and then selling it in such a short span of time. It almost seems as though just when you finally got the house the way you wanted it, now you don’t want it anymore. I understand your passions for DIY and renovation projects, but it just seems so sad that you created Young House Love from your excitement and love for fixing up this home and now you’re ready to move on without enjoying it with Clara for a few more years to come.
But that’s just me, sorry to be a debbie downer…. good luck with your new house search!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Catherine,
We’re all about doing what makes us happy and works for our family! And sitting on the sofa watching TV with nothing else to do in our finished house isn’t it! We like to get our hands dirty and plan new projects so we just feel unsettled with the house looking and feeling so close to being “finished” and our to-do list dwindling down. It’s just our personality type, we love to be working hard and shining up an old seen-better-days home, so we feel like we could be rescuing another home and creating a new nest for our growing family and that excites us to no end!
xo,
s
erin says
I’d also think about the near West End, aka the Mary Munford area. Lots of older, help-me homes off the expensive Libbie and Grove streets toward Monument Ave/Pepper.
Kacey says
Wow, very exciting! Wishing you guys the best of luck on selling your home and finding your next home to love!
Amanda@The Hand Me Down House says
What a HUGE change for you guys! I’m SO glad you’ll be taking us along on your moving journey and how you transform another home. It might sound weird — but I feel like I know you and your house so well — so I feel a little sad (but excited!) that you’ll be moving to a new place. Congratulations!! :)
Cat@BudgetBlonde says
=O My jaw just hit the floor!
Ashley Stinson says
WHOA!!! I am shocked!!!! How exciting, you guys! I can’t wait to see what you do next. A farm house would be amazing… :)
Vanessa says
Wow! I am a newbie to this site (1 month), but I am as addicted as if I had been here since day 1. :) I have to say that I was nearly knocked on my rear end reading your blog post this morning, however, at the same time, I am VERY excited for you (and selfishly me since I adore tuning into your adventures)! Congrats on your decision to continue this journey following your heart. – Vanessa
Kristin says
Congratulations, you two! I think you are both incredible at what you do and there is a slightly run-down, seen-better-days home out there that is going to get so lucky when you guys come along. :-) I’m also thrilled that your home will stay on the blog, because I have taken so much inspiration from it.
Melanie says
Wow, 30K even with the bubble! Way to go! I think you guys have a hot commodity and tons of exposure, you will probably sell in no time! Good luck, or should I say happy hunting! :)
Jules says
This is so exciting !! YAY !! Maybe you’ll consider becoming my neighbor in The Fan… We’ve got great schools and charm by the bucket full ! Good luck, guys this is a wonderful new step on the YHL adventure !!
Snickrsnack Katie says
Wow, I totally called this one! I recently said to myself “No way are they going to want to stay in that house once it is all fixed up! They are addicted to fixing up!” LOL. I think it is awesome that you are looking for a new place, but I bet it is a little sad leaving this house. I am sure your new place will be so much fun and give you even more room to grow as a family!
The thing is – do you think you will ever be happy with a house in the long run? Once you renovate this new house, will you want to move again? LOL. Hey nothing wrong with that – I think I would just want to relax and breathe and enjoy my house for a little while! But to each his own. I think it is pretty neat what you are doing – and how cool that someone will be able to buy your current house and won’t have any remodeling to do!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Snickersnack Katie,
I guess time will tell! We could see how a few years down the line if our family was bigger and we were in a house that was perfect for us in every way it would be hard to say goodbye!
xo,
s
Jessica G. says
Wow! I just had to check the calendar to make sure this wasn’t April Fool’s! I’ve absolutely loved following your blog for the past couple of years and I will be sad to say good-bye to your house — I can’t imagine how hard it will be for *you*! But I wish you the best of luck and will gladly follow you to a new adventure. :)
Jackie says
WOW! I thought this was going to be a joke! I completely get it though. We bought our place 1 year ago and I still look at MLS listings to see what’s out there. We live in a condo, but I adore older homes and dream of living in one someday! Good luck on the hunt! It’s going to be like House Hunters on YHL! :)
Andrea says
OMG! I am truely soo excited, but at the same time sad… only because I’ve followed you guys for so long and love your home now. Still so excited to see you recreate a dream home for yourselves from an older home. I agree totally with you that old homes are the best! I don’t think there is anything better than taking something old and most of the time outdated and making it into something so fabulously new and refreshing. While letting your personality show through. I love it guys! I’m also trying to sell my home and have a lead at the moment. So wish me luck and I wish you all the luck back! Can’t wait to see what’s ahead! -Drea =]
Valerie says
I second the vote for the near West End near Mary Mumford. I live out that way and I love it. So close to everything, and you can be literally anywhere in this city in 20 minutes. AND(!!!!) it’s close enough to the Southside and all the new stuff they built out there, that you never have to go to Short Pump again, unless you want to! It’s a winner for me!
Elizabeth M says
Hey guys well first Congrats on the huge decision!! : )
I am not sure if someone has already asked this question but here it goes.
Will you guys keep your old house’s pictures/ projects up? If yes, what if the new owners have a problem with their homes pictures being all over the internet? Remember some one stole your bathroom : ) a couple of months ago.
Just a little curious of what would happen. Does this mean no more of the old house?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Elizabeth M,
Everything currently on the blog will remain on the blog! Sharing photos of a house that we made over (the befores and the afters) is totally our content, whether we own the house or not. And we’d love to House Crash the new owners (to share what our house looks like with their furniture) down the line if the new owners are game. Ideally someone with an appreciation for our blog and what we do will buy our house so they’ll play along and keep us posted on this casa forever. But even if someone who hates our blog buys our home we’ll definitely still have the rights to our before and after pics along with all the archived info about our house on the blog since those projects and tutorials and photos aren’t something that belong to the new buyer just because they’re purchasing the house. Hope that makes sense!
xo,
s
Tiffany Morrison says
Congrats! We’re in a similar boat, though we can’t blog about it for fear our employers will find out before we’re ready for them too. I refer to your blog a lot for remodeling advice as our list projects in endless and our budget limited. We’re moving out of state. Good luck to you and yours!
Katy says
I think you guys are making the perfect decision! I think it is what you need and your blog needs to keep things fresh. I also think you’ll be suprised at how quickly you sell. I wouldn’t repaint ot stage anything..it’s perfect.
I think it would be interesting to hear about getting a new mortgage being self-employed. Not specifics of course (credit scores, points, rates, ect..)just if you ran into any hurdles.
I can’t wait to see what your new home/project!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Katy,
We’ll definitely be sharing a bit of info about the mortgage/loan hurdles that we’re dealing with. Let’s just say taking a huge pay cut to be your own boss isn’t the best idea to get the bank on board with you. Thankfully we have enough saved up to move forward, but we’re not approved for a loan unless we sell this house (as opposed to some people who can buy a house before selling their own). Stay tuned…
xo,
s
Amber says
I’m sad and happy about the news of moving. I have loved watching you improve your home that is so very similar to my own. I know you moving will only be for the better, and allow us to keep learning from your creative minds. Good luck on your house hunt! I can’t wait to come along on your journey :)
Kristen says
Wow! That is some big news! I’m really excited for you guys and can’t wait to see all the projects coming up!
Catherine says
Yes, to each his own. I’m not judging you, I just wonder the same thing SnickerSnackKatie is.
Kate says
That is so exciting!!! I’ve loved following your blog for the last year and I can’t wait to see what you guys come up with. It’s my dream to one day find an outdated house and make it awesome!!
Jennifer says
You guys are an inspiration to me and I just know that you will find the perfect house and a perfect buyer for your current house.
I just sold my house in August and it was the best decision I ever made. The house was up for 19 days when I received an exceptable offer – don’t let the haters bring you down!
I am excited for you guys and can’t wait to see all of your wonderful new ideas and experiences in buying your next house.
Kim S says
I’m in shock! I love your house (and especially your yard! definitely jealous of your yard…) but I know you guys will find another house to spruce up and love just as much. Thanks as always for taking us along with you on all that you do! :o)
Carla says
OH MY GOSH!! I about fell off my chair!! Wow – this is bittersweet for you, I’m sure… BUT all the new projects – WOO HOO can’t wait!! Some lucky home is dying for neutral paint, pops of color and white ceramic animals! The best of luck to you!!!!