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…
Liz says
Pretty sure this is my first comment and certainly my first one with slight criticism! I’ve been reading your blog for years and it’s helped me with simple and cheap updates right for my rental apartments right out of college etc and I’ve loved being along for the ride. Lately, though, I’ve been feeling like I’ve out grown you guys a bit – your aesthetic and purchase decisions still seem to keep with that right-out-of-college, immature vibe. I completely understand if you’ve decided to keep with a target market of readers (20s, first home) – this is your business, after all, and it seems that you’ve found a formula that is successfuly. If thats the case my readership will slowly decline (as it has been over the last few months). However, I’d love to see you grow up so I can continue to come here, learn and be inspired for the long haul! I hope this step is one in the direction of growing. If so, I look forward to reading for years to come!
Either way, congratulations on your new chapter.
Tiffany says
I can see where Liz is coming from, but I would say that using the terms “immature” and hoping you “grow up” came across pretty harsh. It sounds like Liz wants you all to spend more money and buy some shiny, new furniture since that is what “adults” do. Dang, now I am coming across as harsh right back.
Personally, I have made more expensive purchases than y’all for my house but I would absolutely love to do more DIY and cheap options and you inspire me to do just that. DIY just isn’t in the time budget and I just try my best to find the cheapest option that I love when I am buying something new. I search through craigslist and thrift stores, but either I have no vision or we have complete crap for options here.
I’m not sure what exactly I where I am going with all this, but I do want to say that I think Liz should have chosen her words better. Her style has evolved in a different direction than yours over the years and that is not your fault. But I’m sure you know that!
Oh and congrats on house #3. I am so, so, so excited to see what you guys do with it!!!
Laura b says
CONGRATS! The new house is gorgeous!!
Totally shocked you closed already, but I admit I was suspicious when you painted the kitchen blue!
I have to ask, did you paint the kitchen to make it more sell-able? Or would you have changed the grellow no matter what?
YoungHouseLove says
We actually had that in our Listy McListerson for a long time (maybe even 9 months?!) – well before we were thinking of selling/moving. So after a few list reviews of ignoring it, we decided to pull the plug! It definitely didn’t hurt resale, but we typically just do everything for us. Haha! We’re selfish little buggers.
xo
s
Meredith says
Wow! Congratulations!! How very exciting for you guys! Looking forward what projects you have in store for the new house! Very happy for you!
My husband & I are getting ready to sell our first home, so I can wait to see what you guys do to prepare to sell your house!
Meg says
OMG!!! I can’t believe it…first CONGRATS, the new place looks beautiful on the outside and has charm on the inside. I can’t wait to see what you guys do with it. Second, I can’t believe it. I so did not see this coming! I wish I lived in VA soon, I would love to buy current house – but of course not in a stalker-ish kind of way – more in a I love what you’ve done with the place, and I’m obsessed with your decorating style kind of way :)
I seriously read the first paragraph of your post three times, I swore I read it wrong or my eyes were playing tricks on me or something. AHHHHH!
Donna says
Congrats! Not surprised either…could tell cuz you were completing your “to do” list…if this becomes your home to stay in you can always start buying houses to “flip”!!!
Hannah says
SO AMAZING! I’m fairly new to your blog (been reading for a year or so every day now) so I am beyond excited to be able to follow a house from the beginning. You have inspired me to keep working on our house and to try projects that we would never have before. Our summer to-do list includes spraying the hardware (we have lots of gold and solver mis-matchy doorknobs etc happening) and maybe even tackling crown moulding. Eeek!
I’m so excited to see what is next for you and a huge CONGRATS!!
Lil says
Ooh! Good point! Watching a house from start to “finish”…exciting!
Sarah Kate says
Congratulations! Add me to the surprised list, though I guess I really shouldn’t be. Not sure if this has already been asked/answered, but just curious if you guys now feel like you *have* to move every few years to give yourselves lots of DIY opportunities since that is now your livelihood?
YoungHouseLove says
I think as long as we love what we do, we’ll keep doing it! And if we ever don’t love it, we’ll do something else!
xo
s
myamogabi says
Congratulations! The house (at least on the outside for now) looks beautiful! Thank you so much for being so open and honest with your readers. Can’t wait to see what you will do with the new house!
Gina M. says
Oh Lawd!!!! That house has good bones but that interior needs sooooo much help! Perfect you guys. The Before and Afters are going to be AMAZEBALLS!!! Cannot wait!!
Celia says
The new house is beautiful on the outside! I’m excited to see how your style evolves from second to third home, just as it was fun seeing it from first to second. Best wishes!
Jessica says
Ahhhh!!! Congrats are in order, you guys! we just bought our first home and moved in two weeks ago, so I am elated for you and now know what that “bought-a-house joy” is like! Our house is similar– but stone facade as opposed to brick. We can have a long-distance painting party while we paint our crazy colored trim together, lol. Big hugs! :)
cappy says
Say What?! Congratulations!!! I love our new home! (of course I include myself the reader). You both are so inspirational on your journey as home owners and DIY’ers, and now I want to add, working within your means to save for a big picture. I know that you have wrote on budgeting topics here and there, but I wonder if you would consider doing a “stay within your means” post and how you did/do it. Make up numbers etc. I think so many people in these tring times could really use the advice.
YoungHouseLove says
That would be a fun post!
xo
s
Elizabeth says
I keep hoping for an updated post on how you save money/stay simple/stay within your means/budget.
YoungHouseLove says
We still do a lot of the things we’ve blogged about already, but the other night I got an idea for another post for the Save It series! Can’t wait to write it up :)
xo,
s
Adrien says
Congratulations! I can’t wait to see what you guys do to the new place.
Adrianne D says
CONGRATULATIONS!! How exciting! I know exactly what it means to want to be in that ‘dream neighborhood’. We’re still in the saving boat, so can I live vicariously through you? I am secretly jealous but not so secretly happy for you guys! Can’t wait to see the transformation. I’m sure it’ll be a great roller coaster of a ride.
Michelle says
Congratulations Family P!
This is so exciting for you and for us. Admittedly, if I had done the work you have, I’d go into meltdown if someone suggested I sell. Selfishly, this is perfect for those of us a little afraid to take a leap ourselves. I guess that’s why you’re such an inspiration – not just aesthetically, but in how you embrace change and keep such a positive attitude.
All the best in your new home.
Ava says
AHHH! I can’t believe how ridiculously excited I am for you all! Congratulations!!!
Rebecca says
WOOT!
Super jazzed to see how you transform this baby!
Congrats!
Ashley says
I just recently found your blog and fell in love!!! It’s definitely inspired me & I already have tons of plans for my home! My boyfriend may or may not hate you guys because I come up with a new project that I want to eventually tackle just about everyday! Since I just found YHL I was immediately greeted with the finished product, aka your current house, so I was feeling a bit rushed as if I needed to redo my whole house in a weekend! This new buy is very exciting for me so that I’ll be able to watch it step-by-step! Congratulations I can’t wait for what’s to come! Oh, and I’m also a Richmonder myself :)
Laura says
So happy for you all! I can’t wait to see what you do.
Lisa says
You’re the perfect couple to bring that blue (and mauve) trimmed place back to life!
It’ll be fun to see what you do.
Best of luck
pattilouwho says
Great – now I have the moving bug! So excited to see what’s to come. Congrats you guys!
Chrissy Henry says
First of all… BIG Congratulations to you!!
Secondly, your 2nd house is styled so different from the 1st that I am super excited to see what the new (3rd) house turns into!
Lastly, you Petersiks are sneaky! I love it!
Sarah says
Super happy for you all! It’s so exciting to find and renovate your possible forever-home!! Hurray hurrah!!!
Also loving John’s GIF usage. Impeccable.
bethblntn says
Oh my goodness, I am SO SO SO excited for you guys! What a blessing this is for the four of you. I know its not easy holding out on your dreams like that but boy is it rewarding when things finally fall into place. I know you will have lost of fun working on it and can’t wait to see what you do with it.Please tell me your keeping the old door nobs and molding around the doors. Charm like that is what gets my heart beating. :P
Ashley M says
Congrats guys!!! Can’t wait to see what you guys do with it! I’m really interested to see how that wallpaper removal goes b/c we just moved into a brick ranch that has it in several rooms. I’ve removed it in one area with a fabric softener/water mix and it was slooooow goings so interested to see if you guys have any tricks up your sleeves :) best of luck on selling your current house, I’m sure it will be gone in no time!
Katyrenee says
Love this! So excited for you.
Oriah says
Ok….this is a great surprise and i have to be “the tacky one” and ask how much you’re listing your current house for? I live in C-ville and the hubalicious and i have been thinking about moving to Richmond.
YoungHouseLove says
It’s not on MLS yet, so that info isn’t public but once it is we’d be happy to email you the listing to check it out :)
xo
s
Rachelle says
Great news! Can’t wait for all the new inspiration that’s coming our way! Congrats!
Renee says
Wow! You guys really know how to shock a person. Like many other posters, I had to go back and re-read it to make sure I read it right! So happy for you! The house looks like a classic. From the pics you posted, it definitely needs your love. Looking forward to each and every project! Happy times!
Andrea says
Congratulations!!! I can’t wait to see all the new projects and adventures! I must say, I’ll be sad to see your current house go. Maybe I should move to Richmond?!
Sarah says
MIND BLOWN! I’m so happy for y’all!
Gabrielle says
Wow!! Félicitations!! More beautiful work to come!!
Jamie F says
If you squint, real hard, it almost looks like that door handle is ORB’ed for you already! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Hahah!
xo,
s
Belinda says
EEK! I’m so happy for you! I will be sad to say goodbye to your current house, but I am super duper excited to see all the new things that you will tackle and how you will put your stamp on it! My head is spinning for you, but in a good way! Congratulations! Cannot wait for the journey to begin!
Kristin says
Congrats! Can’t wait to see what you come up with. I was getting a little nervous that the current house was so “done”. This is going to be fun!
Jen @ Migonis Home says
CONGRATULATIONS! Cannot wait to see what you do with this house… It’ll be fun to see you work your magic on a colonial! :)
CChristy White says
Well, if I were in your part of the world, I’d be looking at your home for a forever home for me! What luck…you are creating your own next book, too! Looking forward to all you do with this house!
Katie F says
Congrats! So excited to see what you have in store for the new house!
katie says
Wow! Congrats guys! We have been pondering the thought of buying another home for the past year. But its just been a thought not much more than that. I can’t wait to read about your new journey!
meglacasse says
whaaaaaaaaaaaat!
Christina says
Congratulations! So happy for you!
Starr @ The Kiefer Cottage says
It’s funny–the other day I told my husband I bet you were going to move soon. You were reaching the end of feasible projects at this house (without re-doing everything or getting seriously nitpicky), so of course, there had to be a new house. Congrats! Glad to be seeing some new stuff soon.
Desiree C. says
Young House Love, you sure know how to keep us on the edge of our seats! Wow!! My best girlfriend emailed me at work this morning saying, “Pack your bags. It’s official, we’re buying YHL’s house…” I hadn’t read the post yet, but I was all in a panic (a happy, giddy panic, if you will). Congratulations! I cannot wait to see the progress you make on your new-to-you home! It appears to have SO much charm (those old door knobs? how you doin’!?) and I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that I think the wallpaper that mimics a scallop pattern could be pretty darn awesome as an accent in a bookshelf or on a small wall/nook. :) All the best!
-Enchilada
YoungHouseLove says
Haha I love that!
xo,
s
Melissa says
HOLY SH*T! Can I say that?! I had to reread multiple times and make sure it wasn’t April 1… Can’t wait to follow along. SO exciting! CONGRATS!
Elaine says
S&J,
I am so excited for you guys! Love love love the black shutters on the new house! Very exciting to see you guys grow as a couple, a family, and as financially responsible home buyers/owners.
Would you mind shedding some light about why you didn’t share this during the thought/casual house hunting/offers timeline? With the exception of pregnancy and book deal (two topics which completely make sense), it seems like you two always share everything — what was the thought process for deciding not to share this? (If you don’t mind sharing lol! Talk about circular reasoning!)
-Elaine
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! Sure! We’d actually love to share the process of the hunt in a future post for you. Just couldn’t handle doing that at the same time as some other stuff so we saved it for after the reveal :)
xo,
s
LARY@ Inspiration Nook says
OMG OMG OMG Congrats!!!! So looking forward to follow this new house adventure. Love it!
Nicole says
WOW!! Congratulations, Petersiks! I saw it coming, but I didn’t see it coming. Either way, I’m super excited for your family and wish you all the best! And I looooove the look of your new house, cannot wait to see what you two do with it!
Leeann says
I’ll be the eleventy billionth person today to tell you “Congrats!” I can’t wait to see what you have up your sleeves for this new house. I’m closing on my first home in 5 years (have been renting) and will be pulling a lot of design inspiration for your first home (Dune Grass bathroom, bamboo shades and white curtains in living room, etc.) I’m really excited!
Michele A. says
Oh my gooooooodness. I’m so happy for you guys! That place is awesome (minus the blue trim/doors!)!
I have to admit, I almost started crying at my desk > “But I love our current house!!!” {don’t you love the ‘OUR’ part?} But then I thought…NEW WALLS TO PAINT! YES!!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! My paint decks are calling my name!
xo,
s
Kelli says
Way to go guys! Thanks for sharing the new house story! I couldn’t be more excited for all of you and the renovations to come!