So, funny story about the house below. We bought it and we’re moving in.
We know this news probably evokes a whole range of reactions. Excitement for new makeovers. Sadness for leaving our current house. Curiosity about all of the logistics. Confusion. Anger. The inexplicable urge to do The Carlton.
Starting this story requires rewinding seven years, back to our first house hunting experience in Richmond in the spring of 2006. We had just moved from New York City and Richmond real estate felt very spacious and very cheap by comparison. It made dreamers out of us. We checked out a bunch of neighborhoods, and fell for an awesome old area with nice big wooded lots, great schools, charming tree-lined streets, and kids on scooters.
But none of the sweet old character-filled houses in that neighborhood were in our price range, especially because the bank had no faith in us. The issue was not our savings, but the fact that I was less than 2 months into my new job and Sherry was just as deep into her career as a freelance copywriter. In the eyes of the bank, Sherry was unemployed since she was a newbie self employed person (even though she was earning more than me!) so I ended up being the only name on the loan – basically cutting our buying power in half. Goodbye dream neighborhood, hello this looker.
As deflating as that financial reality check was, it turned out to be one of the biggest blessings. Had we not been steered towards a fixer upper, we might not have ever started this blog or learned the advantage of buying a home that’s well within our means. By not stretching financially, we could stash away a lot more project money and build up our nest egg – because we hadn’t lost sight of that neighborhood we first fell for, we had just put that dream on hold.
Fast forward 4.5 years, past a new puppy, a wedding in the backyard, Clara’s birth, and me coming home to work full-time. Our beloved little 1,250 sq ft ranch (with only one full bathroom) was suddenly feeling cramped and we found ourselves house hunting again. Dream neighborhood here we come, right? Try again, compadre. This time I was the financial deadweight (having just left a salaried job six months earlier to come work at home – great timing, right?). So once again we found ourselves approved for something far below our actual mortgage-paying abilities thanks to the bank’s you-haven’t-done-this-self-employment-thing-long-enough-for-it-to-count doubt.
But it dropped another gem of a fixer upper in our laps. And this time we knew that an affordable needs-work home meant even more projects and more money squirreled away for our “maybe someday” neighborhood.
Now, I wouldn’t say we ever consciously thought of these homes as “stepping stones” or rungs on a property ladder that we were itching to climb. Even though we always loved that dream neighborhood from afar, Sherry was fully convinced our first house would be our “forever home” (we even have that statement on video). When we fall in love with a house, we fall hard. But the experience of outgrowing and leaving our first place made us realize that we enjoy the process of loving an old house back to life way too much to stop at just one.
So when we moved into this house, we went into things with a more open attitude. Knowing we’d soak up every second of living here (you know we’re nuts about the journey) but no longer making bold declarations like “we’ll stay here forever.” Admittedly, at halfway through year three of living here, the end came a bit sooner than we expected, but our time here since 2010 has been jam-packed. We’ve celebrated three Christmases in this house, created a book from start to finish here, and enjoyed countless Clara milestones (crawling, walking, talking, Gangnam Style-ing). So this place is by no means a blip on the timeline of our family history. It has been “home” through a heckova lot, which makes leaving it that much more bittersweet.
We just knew we didn’t want our current place to be our last fixer upper (it’s not only what we love to do, it’s our livelihood), so when we felt ourselves tackling the last few untouched rooms on our list we started casually keeping one eye open for a deal that could be a potential rental or even a future Casa Petersik. We’d occasionally flip through real estate listings and drop in on open houses. We always hoped that something would come up in our price range in that dream neighborhood so we could jump on it like a velociraptor, but after two house-hunting experiences that didn’t lead to us ending up there, we weren’t very confident.
And then it happened. Pretty much out of nowhere, we found the sweetest needs-lots-of-love home in that old charming neighborhood that we’ve driven through at least five times a year just to stare creepily since 2006. Yes, this is a seven-years-in-the-making house coup of ours. We would have loved to take you guys on the house hunting adventure with us like last time, but it all happened so fast and before we knew it we were closing on it.
And thanks to putting some of that saved-for-years cash down at closing, our new house’s mortgage amount is almost exactly the same as our current house’s – but our interest rate is even lower. We both spent closing day waiting for Ashton Kutcher to jump out and scream “you got punked!” but all went well and the house is officially ours. We’ve even had it long enough to fix some first-priority issues like a leaking roof, a broken furnace, and even hooked up the alarm system.
The house hasn’t been updated since it was built around 35 years ago, and knowing that its interior might scare off others trying to buy in a mostly turn-key community, the sellers priced it way under assessment. It was over $100,000 less than another house of the same size that was for sale down the street. A low-priced fixer upper in a neighborhood that we’ve dreamed about for almost a decade? Yes please. 70’s wallpaper, blue trim, lumpy carpet and all…
Beyond the price, neighborhood, and glaring need to be rescued – this place is perfect for us in so many other ways. It’s nearly the exact same size as our current place (huzzah, no more extra square feet to clean). The street is beautiful and quiet (perfect for someday teaching Clara to ride a bike). It’s still just as close to our family (maybe they can watch Clara while we strip wallpaper). And it presents us with so many new design challenges and opportunities that our minds are spinning with ideas. I mean, hello, we have stairs for the first time in seven years of home-ownership!
Perhaps the funniest thing is that at our age, my parents were moving into their third house, which was where they stayed for over three decades. So apparently it’s in the Petersik blood.
We know that you guys probably have dozens of questions – When are we moving in? (Don’t know yet) When can you see more pictures? (Soon) What does Clara think? (She already picked out her room… based on the closet size. Is she 16?) But this post would be ten thousand words if we tried to cover everything, so we’ll get to those things in time. We also have a few things to finish around here to get our current house sold (anyone interested?) so in an effort to keep our own minds focused on those to-dos, it won’t be all new house posts all the time. We’ll just be moving at our usual real-time pace and sharing a little bit of everything that’s happening (selling, packing, planning, moving, and diving into our new house adventure).
Did I mention these two are the most excited of all? Okay, three if you count Ariel.
We can’t wait to continue sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly with you guys. Seriously, who wants to come paint some mauve trim with us? And if there were a moral to this story, it’s patience. This is not “the house the book bought” (we still haven’t hit our royalty point), it’s the house that seven years of saving up and living within our means bought. Had we strained our wallets and gone for a larger or more turn-key house back in 2006, we probably would’ve had a very different financial path, and most certainly would have had a different career path. So even though we had to wait a while, it just makes this new chapter in our lives that much sweeter. Who knows, we might just stay there forever…
Misty says
Amazing! I am so happy for you. I can’t blame ya, that place is a beauty! Cannot wait for more projects!!!!!!
Nicole says
What??? :) I had to scroll down to the bottom to see if you were punking us. I’m so excited for you. ADORABLE house. Sooooo much potential!
Karyl says
Congrats on the new adventure!! And better neighborhood aside, I appreciate you buying a new house if only for the sake of keeping your readers on their toes! Way to go :-)!
S says
Congratulations! I can’t wait to see how the new house comes along. You should be so proud of yourselves and the good decisions you’ve made along the way.
Gabbi @ Retro Ranch Reno says
What amazing news!! Congratulations on your new home, you guys! I can’t wait to start the new journey with you both! :)
Brittany D says
I was beginning to wonder if a move was in the near future for you guys. You have done an amazing job with the first two homes. I can’t wait to follow along with the next one. Congrats on finding your dream home!!
Ashley says
SO EXCITED FOR YOU GUYS!! Congrats!
Kate Craig says
I literally gasped! haha! So excited to see what you do with it!
Jeremy and cynthia says
Félicitations!!!!!!congratulations from France!!!!! Hippy for youpiiiiiii
Lesley says
So EXCITED for y’all! I grew up much like Clara with home improvements happening consecutively. I learned a lot and have awesome memories of helping my Dad paint, build fences, sheetrock, and as I got older we would sit down and brainstorm about our next projects. Our family home went from 1300 SF to 3,000 SF so you can imagine the projects! We were inspired growing up and that is why I am a Landscape Architect and my little sister is an Architect. I feel like I am re-living those years growing up reading your blog! Good Luck Petersiks!
Sheri says
OMG what day did you guys close? Sorry but I have to know we just closed on our dream two story red brick house on 4/19. Same boat – needs full house renovation. Ours is 80’s though so not quite as bad.
Congratulations!!!!
Sheri says
By the way – can’t wait to see what you do with this one!
YoungHouseLove says
Your house sounds aweosme! All the best with everything Sheri! We’re trying not to share any obvious info that makes locating our house easier, so the closing date is our little secret :)
xo
s
Katja @ Shift Ctrl Art says
Waaahooooo I am super excited for you guys.
Honestly, I was a bit surprised when you tried to sell me the idea not too long ago that you were staying put and instead considering a second home to upgrade.
I think this is such a smart move! (pun!)
So excited to follow along …
MeredithB says
Congrats Petersiks! The new house looks beautiful! Can’t wait for the before changes house tour!
My Fiance and I just bought our first house, so I am excited to watch you guys start from scratch in real time! (instead of just looking through the backlogs!)
Kerri says
My sister texted me this morning and said, “Young House Love is moving!? Did you read today yet?”. I don’t usually read your blog at work but I just had to come check it out! Congratulations and good luck – can’t wait to see what the new house has in store for you!
Lisa says
So happy for all of you!
We are going on 7 years in house 3. We moved out temporarily last summer to add on so its really like house 4 with the new space and overhaul of existing space. We’ll stay put until our teens are settled into adult life.
We’re already talking about the next type of house to renovate, maybe a craftsman or a bungalow that needs TLC and a fresh perspective.
I’m so excited for you and can’t wait to see your new projects.
Sherry says
Wow!!! What a surprise!!
That’s kinda of like us. We are now in our fourth house. Hopefully it’s our last. But it was/is horrible. Everything needs to be re-done but it’s a labour of love! It will be years and years before we are done…lol
Nikky says
WOW!! Many many Congratulations!!! Love your blog.. Can’t wait to see what you do with your new place!!!
We just bought our first place and can’t wait to move in and decorate :)
Melanie says
How exciting! But you are going to be hating life on the mauve trim. In our master bath, the previous owners had painted the ceiling and trim a pale, pale pink. I thought it would be no problem to get it back to white, the pink was so pale, but it took two coats to cover it up. That was no fun, especially on the windows. Can’t wait to follow along!
Amber says
Woah that’s awesome! I’m going to agree with everyone else and say that for about 3/4 of the post I thought you were punking us! Then I realized it was for real and I’m so happy for yall! I wish we lived in VA because I would totally buy your old house!
Also I’m excited because I spy several outdated bathrooms with colored tile in your pics and I can’t wait to see what you do with them (because we have 2 we are working on now!)
KatieV says
I’m gullible and naive and hadn’t even thought you’d be moving so soon. Congratulations!
Alex says
The warmest congratulations to your family!!!!! It’s so great to see all your hard work and enthusiasm paying off! You guys deserve it!!
Stacey says
Congrats! How exciting for you three! And for me too, since I get to follow along and see all the new changes you make. ;)
Karen Q. says
Holy YAY that’s awesome!!!!!! Congratulations Petersik family! How exciting and so well deserved! I’m so geeked to see your fabulousness come into this house and make it your home- I can’t wait! Let the new adventures begin!!! :)
Karo says
I’m at once happy for you and yet wistful and nostalgic! I started with YHL just after you moved to the current place, so it will be a bit hard to see you go. But so excited to see what you do with the new home! Congratulations.
Olivia says
Never realized how much this blog is a prt of my life until you gave me this earth shaking news and my heart started pumping faster! It was like I was buying a new house :) Congratulations guys!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Olivia!
xo
s
Sam says
Wow! Congratulations! It really does look like a DIY-ers dream!
MandaWolf says
I was shocked but I can’t say it was unexpected. I wondered when you would start looking again. One as a DIY junkie myself (although I will build my next house I swear I won’t remodel again) your house was looking really nice, really finished. Also I didn’t understand how you guys could make a living once the house was done. I saw you mentioned rental in the post would you mind sharing the thought process of to be or not to be a landlord? Seems like you would do really well fixing up old beat up homes and then renting them out for an extra source of income.
YoungHouseLove says
We just didn’t know if that would work for the blog since we wouldn’t get to furnish them (most people want to bring their own furniture) so the before and after of a room like a living room without furniture might not be very exciting, ya know?
xo
s
Kirsten says
It would be of interest to foreigners or other shorter-term renters!
Sandra says
WOW! It’s nice to know that patience and savings let you find your dream. They always seem just out of reach, and it is awesome that you managed to do it.
Happy dance coming on!
AMK says
WAHOO!!! Another house to watch yall transform!!! SO PUMPED! :)
Ashley McCormick says
I was listening to Pandora (90’s pop! haha) and eating breakfast when I started to read this and I had to put my food down and pause the music so I could focus on the post! So excited for you guys, the new house is beautiful! I’ve been a read for many many years and I always love seeing what you guys do. Cannot wait to see what you do with the new place! *and now back to some Back Street Boys ;)
Lori Castellanos says
Wow! Congratulations y’all!! That is so awesome! Although, shocking this post was it is still so fun and great that you did keep it under wraps! Can’t wait to see all the fun posts to come!
lisa says
Exciting! I can’t wait to see what you do with those stairs/stairway wall…and how you repair/repaint the blue trim. I need to see what the yard looks like too! Ahhh! So excited for you guys but also feel so out of the loop at the same time. LOL when did you find time to do this?!
Annie says
I knew you were gonna buy a new place! I was just thinking the other day about your guest bathroom and how you guys were leaving the tile as is and in my head I was like “hmm, they’re done, aren’t they?” CONGRATS!
Katie says
I’m dying!!! Congratulations on your new home! I CAN. NOT. WAIT. To see all the changes you are going to do!!!!
Jessica says
What the what??? Holy crazypants…I didn’t see that one coming! Congrats!
Cori says
OH. MY. GOSH. This is so exciting, congratulations, you guys!!!! I was wondering when this was going to happen, although I never expected a “So we bought this house and we’re moving in” post with no warning! How fun!!!!! I cannot wait to see what you do with it, and I wish I could be there to jump in and tackle some projects with you! I’m super excited for you guys, and I’ll pray your house (sniffle, sniffle) sells quickly!
Meagan B. says
Congratualtions! We will also hopefully be moving to a new house soon too :) sooooooo, I have a question… I remember a while back (last year maybe?) you painted some test paint samples onto the outside brick, do you have a way to cover that up? Or is it in a place that is inconspicuous enough that it won’t matter when selling?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes we had house paint on hand from the previous owners so after we realized that project might not happen for a while we just painted them over so our neighbors weren’t wondering what the heck those were :)
xo
s
linda says
my first thought (after making sure it wasn’t a joke) was “clara won’t be using her big girl room you spent all that time fixing up!”
congratulations and i can’t wait to see all the new projects!
paintergal says
Wow! This is a shocker. But yay! How fun to see you work your magic on another house. Love its exterior, by the way.
sonia says
It’s so amazing that I don’t know you at all,(and I probably never will because among many other facts, I’m Spanish) and you totally made my day with this!
Hope you the best of lucks, buena suerte!
Debbie says
Oh wow, congratulations on the new place! Definitely wasn’t expecting that announcement this morning. :)
I can’t wait to see what you do with it!
Amber L. says
I’m so excited to see how this new house turns out. It’s exciting to see what you do with a colonial and not a ranch. We just bought a new house in a new town, but it’s a 1988 colonial contemporary and I have no idea what to do since it’s such a typical suburban home… Which is why I’m so happy you started that forums page!
Nicole says
Hi Sherry – I emailed you about this but know you may not see it. And I may not see your response to this because I am having issues with the comments. I can only view the first page of comments. When I click to further pages, the comment number jumps all around and it only lets me view a few comments over and over. Each page I try to click shows a different total comment number and it changes every time. Just want to let you know in case there’s a problem. Wish I could actually read the comments to today’s post!
Nicole says
So I can read them on my iphone, just not on my computer. No idea why!
YoungHouseLove says
So sorry! Maybe it’s a cahce thing? Like you phone caches comments faster than your computer?
xo
s
YoungHouseLove says
So sorry, we have so many comments coming in that it’s acting up. But hopefully in a few hours things will calm down so if you come back to read through them then it’ll be all settled :)
xo
s
Jackie Toye says
I’m Over the Moon Happy for You!!!!
God is Good … All the Time and All the Time … God is Good!!! :)
Can’t wait to follow along with you.
Sarah says
Super excited for you guys to have found your dream house! (even though I love the one you have now).
Having just bought our first house (mortgage confirmed today!), keys in a few weeks (eek!), we’re experiencing the frustration of myself recently becoming freelance, and affecting the mortgage. We’ve definitely got some ‘fixer-upper’ bits in ours (not quite as bad as 70’s decor though!), so it looks like we’ll be going through the processes at the same time! :)
(Any advice for how to work with super long, thin (25′ by 7’4″!) kitchens welcome!)
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh super long rooms lend themselves to making smaller zones within them to break them up. Like a cooking area on one side and a dining area on another, that’s defined with a nice big rug and hanging pendant or something :)
xo
s
Sarah says
Mmm rug in kitchen = perfect idea… All the more incentive to spend more time baking! Thanks Sherry :) Really looking forward to reading about all the new adventures in your new house (with stairs, exciting!) – having lived in a flat for two years, I’m itching to get at my house stairs and go crazy! x
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, good luck with everything Sarah!
xo
s
Mara Smith says
This is so exciting. I can’t wait to see what you guys do. Congratulations!
BTW, totally did the Carlton dance after realizing that this was not an April Fool’s Day kind of post!
Jane says
Congrats guys! That is amazing news..that house looks gorgeous from outside :) When you finish up this house , feel free to fix up our house and blog about it..I will baby sit clara,burger and maybe possible kiddos…jussayin
erin says
wow! i actually had been wondering like what you guys were gonna do because it felt like everything’s just about done with your house now! minus a few fixers! awesome!!!!
britney rule says
I love it! It’s my house, all the way down to the blue trim and 70s stripped wallpaper, although mine isn’t nearly as charming on the exterior. Beware, that blue trim takes several layers of paint to really cover. Mine took 4. . .
britney rule says
Also, get someone to spray those doors or rent a sprayer whyou paint then. It’s worth every penny.
YoungHouseLove says
Great tip!
xo
s
KJ says
I’m so happy for you guys! Congratulations.
It’s nice to hear a story of financial responsibility and patience winning the day. It gives me hope that my 7 years of renting and building my nest egg will be worth all the restraint to some day get in my own dream neighbourhood. In our over-accepting culture of debt and spending I find it so refreshing to read about how responsible you both are.
So so happy for your wonderful news. Enjoy it!