Young House Love

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We Bought A New House!

So, funny story about the house below. We bought it and we’re moving in.

New House

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.

Final Exterior Before

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.

Final Exterior After

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.

Current House Before

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.

Pergola After Full House

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.

Closing Shot

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…

House Peeks

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!

Clara Burger2

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.

Rebuild End Of 4th

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.

Clara Burger1

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…

Comments

  1. Jodie says

    Congratulations!! I can’t wait to see what you transform the house into! My parents bought a mauve-hunter green-coral-blue themed home 10 years ago and it’s amazing what a little love can turn them into. Good luck on the move and excited for what’s to come for your family!

    Reply

  3. Cherise says

    Huh! There the Petersiks go again. Dropping bombs, wreaking havoc on the interwebby. Count me as one of the shocked ones. :-). Congrats guys! Very excited for you that your dream neighborhood dream has become a reality. Good on you!

    Reply

  4. Cair says

    Congratulations! You guys must have had so much fun over the last weeks/months (whatever) keeping your secret from us readers. How many times did you say “if only our readers knew what we were doing now.” I think it’s really cool.

    Reply

  7. NancyY says

    Congrats! Your post made my morning – seriously. We received news this morning that we were outbid on our offer for our first house and I was mighty bummed until I read your post. Hearing your story helped keep the end-game in mind and confirmed our strategy be patient and buy within our means rather than fall to the pressure of bidding wars. I’m sure the 15yr low the nation is experiencing on housing inventory will assist in selling your house very quickly (the ones in good shape in our city have been getting multiple offers within 24 hours of showing). Best of luck!

    Reply

  9. Sena Dees says

    Congrats! I am super excited (selfishly) for being a new reader to watch start to finish (progress) on a new place! Sad thing is Clara barely had big girl room and new porch hasn’t even seem summer yet! ;)

    Reply

  10. caraL says

    Transforming this place should warrant another book deal! Can’t wait to see where you start. I’m sure it will be perfect. So glad Burger and Clara dig it! Let the good times roll..

    Reply

    • Kathryn says

      There original deal was for two, so perhaps the renovation will feature heavily in the second!

  11. Meg says

    Congratulations!

    I get it. We ended up doing the same thing. We were in our second house and we had just completely renovated it and then a major fixer upper fell in our lap in our DREAM neighborhood. So now we are living on more than an acre and it’s on the water. The house is a total disaster but the neighborhood is ideal. Plus, just like you, my parents ended up getting their dream waterfront home when I was 7 (just like my daughter) and 9 years into their marriage (just like us). Life is funny that way. :)

    All the best to you guys!

    Reply

  12. Lauryn says

    Congrats!! So exciting. Really glad you guys get to have a house in your dream neighborhood, and get to turn that house into your dream house!!

    Weren’t you just telling people that just because you say resale value in blog posts doesn’t mean youre moving??? Hmmmm…. ;-)

    Reply

  15. Kim says

    Crazy! That happened so fast! Very sudden. I don’t know how I feel about this. (Like it matters.) Congrats! How are you feeling about “losing” Clara’s big girl room? I guess you can move most stuff over. What about your board and batten? You’re going to have to redo all that stuff! ACK!

    I love the two story house. It looks great on the outside. I know quite a few people in Richmond now. One teaches at Manchester out in Chesterfield Cty. I have another friend in the area. Tempting to move there. SO MUCH CHEAPER than Los Angeles!

    I’m sure your time in the new house will move so quickly.
    I know you said you were thinking about renting possibly if the yard thing is feasable, but if you can have someone else pay enough to cover the mortgage, it’s like someone else buying you a house! (You just get the upkeep and maintenance and tax fees, but those would be covered and one day, it’s all profit.) Can you tell I’ve been wanting to own a rental one day? :)

    Reply

  17. Leiann says

    WOW, I did not see that coming! I’ll admit that a part of my heart broke a little bit when I realized you weren’t joking. I feel like it’s part my house too because we know so much about it! Although I will totally miss your current casa, I am excited to see what the future brings –the new house won’t know what hit it!
    Congratulations! :)

    Leiann

    Reply

  18. Arli says

    Just wanted to throw another CONGRATS out there. Wishing you a quick sale of your current house and looking forward to seeing all the improvements in your NEW home! I see a lot of wallpaper removal in your future! So exciting.

    Reply

  20. Jeanine says

    Congratulations!!!! Im so happy for you two! Can’t wait to read about all your new adventures in the new place!!

    Reply

  21. Lauren says

    you may break a record on comments today and on shock value! best wishes to you and your family – can’t wait to see everything unfold

    Reply

  23. Emily says

    Ohemgee Petersiks! I totally thought April Fools.. Then my jaw hit my desk, then I got sad and then I got super happy and excited!! I was thinking recently how close your house was to being ‘done’ and wondering if you would move again, or take on a fixer upper while staying in your ranch. But I am so freakin excited to see what is in store for this new house!! Stairs! New kitchen and bathrooms! Wowza. So amazing. So happy for you! Sherry… Have you had a talk with the penny tile… It’s not you, it’s me, kinda deal? Lol, * I’m* going to miss your kitchen :). Bon voyage!

    Reply

  24. Sapphira says

    So excited for you guys!!!!!!!!! I started reading the blog about a year ago so I’m excited to see the new house brought to life from scratch in real time (I’ve pretty much read the whole blog in a crazy “I-must-go-through-the-archives-and-read-every-amazing-post” kind of way) haha.

    Reply

  25. Stephanie @ Legally Blinde says

    Oh my gosh, yes, so many emotions! I’m excited for your new house but feel a strange personal attachment to your current house. I actually got really sad thinking about you guys not being able to use the new deck, and no twinkly lights!! But congratulations, I can’t wait to find out more about the new house and probably develop a strange personal attachment to it, as well.

    Reply

  27. Sara says

    my emotions are a mix of confusion and doing the carlton for sure! I am suprised there was no hinting about this coming or anything. (Not that you are obligated to share that info lol, but I just would have assumed there would be some hints dropped along the way) New house looks beautiful on the outside, and I know that inside will be amazing when you guys work your magic!

    Reply

  28. Susan S. says

    Congratulations you guys! After more than a decade of being a military family, we’re going to be looking for our first real home so stories like this are doing a lot to help cut down the ‘gotta find the perfect forever home but what if we don’t’ freak-out.

    So don’t be shy about sharing! What I’ve always loved about your blog is that you are regular people so seeing how you look at things like crazy trim, hideous wallpaper and bad carpeting helps normal people like me realize maybe I can too!

    Reply

  29. janetl says

    I really love posts like these that come out of left field. They are really exciting. :) congrats! I like how all of your houses look like a little family.

    Reply

    • Kathryn says

      Ha! I hadn’t thought of that. All of them together do make quite the striking portrait. I’m a fool for serendipitous continuity.

  30. Theresa says

    Congratulations! I was so excited reading this, I thought it had to be a prank at first. I can’t wait to follow along. I just love the look of your new home and I can’t wait to see what you make of it!

    Reply

  31. Lisa says

    This is so great and I don’t want to read any comments before leaving mine. You guys are so smart. I am 49 and my husband 50 and we just moved into a 20 yr old brick ranch that needs TLC. It happens to be our 3rd house. We were a little late figuring out the financial part but thanks to God and Dave Ramsey we had good savings and bought this house before selling the one we moved out of just a month ago. It is about to go on the market and we are encouraged by the real estate market right now.

    There may be other big changes in our lives and we are working to start a blog to chronicle what we change in our new-to-us house. Best wishes to you guys and I can’t wait to see what you have in store for us–your readers.

    Lisa Brooks

    Reply

  33. Jenn says

    I have been following your blog for over 3 years (y’all are my 5-minute “morning internet routine” at the office) and this is my first comment…I told myself that it would have to be a REALLY big announcement for my first comment….nicely played, Petersiks, nicely played!
    And of course, congratulations! I cannot wait to see what y’all do with the place….the front is almost identical to my childhood home :)
    Next time y’all are in Texas, swing through San Antonio and see us!

    Reply

  34. Katie says

    My hubs & I (along with our 2 yr old son & 12 lb dog) are also considering moving out of our ‘forever’ house after only 3.5 years! The timing of your announcement cracked me up.

    Looking forward to many more house-loving posts!!!!

    Reply

  36. jaime says

    Congrats! That’s so exciting, I’m sure you just can’t wait to get your hands on a whole new batch of projects! I would be! Good luck with selling your house, I can’t imagine it wont go fast!

    Reply

  37. Brooke says

    wow congrats! I can’t wait to see all the new posts on how you rejuvinate this home :)

    I came a bit late to the YHL train so I have yet to see you guys start a house from scratch. I’m really looking forward to it!

    Reply

  38. Denise says

    We were going to move to Richmond and in the back of my mind I was thinking, “wouldn’t it be great if they had their house up for sale? We could buy it and just sit back and enjoy.” We decided to move to NC instead for work related reasons. We put our house up for sale and we had two offers in 5 days, now we are in the process of closing and it’s so exciting!!

    Congratulations, the house looks amazing and the two of you, possibly three (Clara) will do an amazing job of renovating. Your blog is my first morning read with my cup of coffee, it’s the only way to start the day off.

    Reply

  39. Tracy D. says

    I apparently feel like I live with you guys because my first thought was…”but I don’t waaannnnaaaa moooooove!!!!” But I’m so excited for y’all and can’t wait to see the house in more detail!!! Now, which bedroom is mine? :P

    Reply

  40. Lindsay says

    What an exciting new adventure for you guys! I’ve been reading your blog daily for several years now, so I remember when you announced the news of the move to your current house. Really excited to read about this new journey and see what you guys do. You guys are an inspiration, that’s for sure–from your DIY projects to your personal lives. I’m really happy to hear about good, exciting things happening to people who deserve it! All the best!
    Lindsay

    Reply

  41. natasha says

    YAY! So happy for your new adventure. And I also want to applaud you both for being patient and keeping your eye on the prize. We are constantly struggling with patience and it’s so nice to see when it pays off for two lovely people such as yourselves!

    Congrats!

    Reply

  42. bekah says

    CONGRATULATIONS!! That is so exciting! I cant wait to see what you do with it! We are one month in to living in a fixer upper – and so far I have gone through eight layers of paneling in the hallway – so I am wondering if you can top that? :)

    Looks like that house DEFINITELY needs your love! It will be AWESOME!

    I like to remind my husband that the more hideous the ‘before’ (carpeted bathroom anyone?) the more amazing the ‘after’ will be!

    Reply

  43. Sasha says

    Wow, Congratulations! I am such a nerd that I actually got a little misty eyed reading this post, and thinking about how exited and happy your family must feel. I’m sure it will be bittersweet (so many milestones in your current house!) ,but I have truly enjoyed watching your family make this house your own and know this next chapter will be just as great!. Good luck, God Bless!

    Reply

  45. Marilu Luna says

    Holy Christopher…I’m so excited for your family, but so sad about the move. I was sad with the first move, I’m sad with the second one. You guys have done such a terrific job on both homes and I’m sure that this new dream will be just as beautiful. It seems everything that you touch turns to gold. Good luck and I hope your move is flawless.

    Reply

  47. Jenne says

    Yay, that is indeed exciting news! Congratulations and I look forward to following along with all the brand new projects you will need to tackle!

    Reply

  48. Cassie B says

    Yep, you are right .. range of emotions for sure! I was so confused. But after reading the post, I really did want to do the Carlton!! I am SO excited for you guys! And excited for me and your bloggowers (blogger followers? Guess not every mash up works) because of all the amazing projects and inspirations to come! Congrats, you guys!! Eeee!! :)

    Reply

  49. Tanja says

    CONGRATULATIONS!!! I am beyond happy for you and so excited to watch the journey of updating this new house. Thank you for including all of us in this new adventure.

    Reply

  50. LC says

    OMG, congratulations! Just yesterday I stumbled upon the post where you bought your current house and thought to my (apartment-dwelling) self, “I can’t imagine how exciting it must be to start fresh in a new house. I bet it feels like pure, unadulterated potential.” So far each of your spaces has developed its own style — I can’t wait to see what’s next! Enjoy your new space =)

    Reply

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