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…
ashlie says
Congratulations to you all! As a long-time reader who has been drifting away from reading this blog for the last little while, I’m really excited to see this new house and the direction it takes you. Wishing you many happy years and adventures in your new home.
Kelly says
CONGRATULATIONS! I love the new house!
Aly says
Did you know about this move when you redid the fireplace and repainted the kitchen? I know the fireplace was planned already but were they just “look better to sell” things?
Will you exactly copy Clara’s big girl room?
YoungHouseLove says
We’re bringing everything but the walls so all the components from her big girl room will come with us but I’m sure it’ll evolve just like how the items from our first house evolved in our current house! :)
xo,
s
Renee says
CONGRATS!!!! What an awesome surprise to read about today! You guys are such an inspiration, and I’m so excited that your hard work and patients has paid off for you. I’m super pumped to read (pretend that I’m hanging out with you) while you start the next chapter in your dream location!
Keep up the hard work, and all your dreams will come true!
Sarah K says
My first thought was this is an April fool’s joke but then I remembered it’s the last day not the first! Congratulations on your new home! That is so exciting. Looking forward to seeing the befores and afters.
Lisa Van Gemert says
Okay, so I think that you should have a barn raising and come up with some project you need like 50 people for and let those of use who cyber love you to come help. Just fifty or so of your closest blog friends….We can lay sod or strip wallpaper or make a path or something…I mean it.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha sounds like fun!
xo,
s
Lorelei W. says
I’m doing the Carlton! So excited for you guys!
Megan says
I am so excited for you guys!!!! I can’t wait to follow along on this journey with you!!!! I LOVE IT ALREADY! yay! i am doing the happy dance for you!
Megan
Paige says
So very HAPPY for the 4 of you…..counting buger ;)
Gillian says
Congratulations! How exciting for you four! You will love getting your hands on all that outdated decor and making it your own. We recently bought a place that hasn’t seen updating since the late 60s/early 70s, so we know there’s a lot to do (not all of it fun, like the roof). But we’re hoping to start on the fun stuff this summer. What a treat to be able to travel the journey virtually alongside you ;)
Katie Baker says
That’s a lot of wall paper and re-tiling! I’m sooo excited to see what you do with this new house! Now, if I can only convince my husband to leave CA and move to VA so we can buy your house! How could we make this work….
Stacy says
Hopefully the market in Richmond is like the market in Boston – nothing is on it so houses go fast! My husband and I are actually thinking we will be selling our current home sometime in the near future. We were originally thinking we’d just finish our basement and stay here for a few more years but it’s not going to happen. Plus with baby #2 on the way we need more space (we only have 1080 sq ft).
Sara C says
Looks like DIY heaven! Congrats guys!
Chelsea Wilson says
Oh my goodness! While excited for you, I’m also so sad to see your current house go! I feel like my favorite character just got killed off on a TV show!
Elizabeth @ Real Inspired says
Gorgeous house! Congrats on your new home! I can tell from the pictures that there is so much potential there and I can’t wait to see what y’all do with it.
Elizabeth says
Congrats!!!! I know tons of people feel they should be involved in every decision as it happens in your life, but I for one am glad that on occasion you get to enjoy some things like this as a family before sharing it with the rest of the world.
Also, thank you so much for being a great example of being patient and buying/spending within your means. My husband and I recently bought our first house (Norfolk VA! Woot!), and people thought we were crazy for choosing how much we spent instead of just spending every last penny the bank wanted to loan us. Sometimes it’s much smarter to work your way up, and now we can enjoy doing some diy on our house instead of putting all our money on a mortgage. Once again, Congrats! Enjoy your new home!
Michelle says
Congratulations!! How exciting. I can’t wait for the new adventures of beautifying your new home.
Athena says
FIRSTLY–CONGRATS! WHEE! YAY~! Although, I can’t say I’m surprised that you guys are moving–you’ve never said that you’re staying in this place forever, and it’s been recently a bit of a whirlwind with you getting those last touches onto the house–but I am surprised that you guys kept is a secret for so long! It kind of makes me sad. Not that I think you guys have to share every single detail of your lives , but sometimes I come here for advice, like how to house hunt or how to juggle two houses, that sort of thing. Or even how to make decisions for your house based on the ultimate goal: living space or potential sale. The process I think gets a little lost in complete retrospect.
Plus, it kind of makes me a little suspicious of you guys. Like, because you’ve been pestered so much about Sherry getting pregnant again (despite her wishes that it not be constantly asked, which I totally sympathize with), I feel like you’re more likely to announce that she’s pregnant a week before the due date of Baby Bean 2! I think it’s what leads to readers constantly asking “are you guys moving?” “are you pregnant?” “are you guys _____?” because we know that historically you’ll just spring these things onto the blog, even though you’ve obviously been planning/thinking/hoping for awhile. Just my thoughts on that.
YoungHouseLove says
You won’t miss a stitch of info about the hunting and buying and selling process. We plan to cover it all, we just thought this was the best time to share the news for our family (specific info like “we closed on our house today!” can compromise the privacy of your new address, etc). But now that we’ve shared the news we can look back on (and explain) the entire process. Let the over-sharing begin!
xo,
s
Carly G says
Is it weird that I’m a little heartbroken because I’ve fallen in love with your current house? If I had the money I would absolutely buy your house! With that said, congratulations and I can’t wait to see how you make us all fall in love with your new home!
Lise-Lotte Just says
Congratulations. I look forward to seeing your new home come to life. To young house life…
Lisa says
WOW!!! So exciting for you guys! You know, you’ve plowed through so much lately and been so over the moon for the fireplace, the carport pergola, etc, that I was thinking, “there’s not much left to do in this house” numerous times! So glad you’re movin’ on up and into the neighborhood you’ve dreamed of. I am so glad we get to go through another fixer upper with you!
Steph says
1. It is beautiful! 2. You guys deserve it! 3. Thank goodness the rescuing, renovating, book writing (reality-show having?) ; ) will continue because the inspiration you guys give out is priceless!!!!!
I don’t think I could me more excited if it was my own house!!!!! Fun!
maria @ lift love life says
I am so excited about this one! It looks beautiful and I’m very happy that the house has worked out for you guys. Good things happen to great people, totally well deserved :)
Erin says
Congratulations!
Dani says
I love houses and could live in and love any size house. I’ve always felt this fear about what I’m going to do when ours is done. Your move to the “next project” makes me feel normal-ish! Maybe your move will help me convince my husband that I’m really ok;)
hollyloo says
congratulations, petersiks! can’t wait to see what you do with your new place!! the outside looks a lot like the sorority house i lived in back in college—love that style. so give us a hint—what’s first on the listy mclisterson??
ps—you know what they say … new house, new baby!! ;)
YoungHouseLove says
Our heads are spinning with what to do first! Can’t wait to write everything out and figure it out! I smell a list coming on…
xo,
s
Jennifer C. says
The new house looks lovely (the exterior at least :))! Can’t wait for a tour. Congratulations!
candice Q says
Congrats!! Can’t wait to see how you revamp the new home!!
Lady ID says
Oh wow. That’s very exciting. Congratulations!! I’m looking forward to all the posts.
Nita says
My first reaction was, “Uh, what?” and then re-checked the title and first paragraph to see if I missed that it was a guest post or someone else’s makeover, etc.
Is it weird that I like the patterns on some of the wallpaper? Granted, probably not a whole room of it, but still…
YoungHouseLove says
Not weird! I want to frame some leftover pieces in remembrance!
xo,
s
Lucy S says
Hooray! I am so excited for you all! And eager like everyone else to watch the magic as you do your thing. Congratulations and may you all be richly blessed in the new digs.
Lucy living in Germany at the moment… :)
Kate says
I’m seriously SO EXCITED to see what you guys do with this new place! I love the exterior, and from the details shots you posted it looks like the before and after pictures are going to be AMAZING! Congratulations!
And thanks for kinda giving all that background on living within your means and saving up to get into your dream neighborhood- as part of a young married couple that hasn’t bought yet, that’s always been our intention for the future but it’s reassuring to see that it actually works :)
Aaron says
Oh my good golly. I seriously started tearing up when I read this. I’m an 18 year olf boy living in Utah, and I didn’t realize that I had become so emotionally attached to your house. I feel like I’m watching my youngest child graduate or something. I love you guys and good luck!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks so much Aaron, you’re so sweet!
xo
s
Leah says
I read your blog everyday but only comment when there’s a contest at stake. :-) I was just guessing yesterday (to no one but myself) that you’re getting ready to sell your current house. You seem to be on a serious home improvement bender of late and I thought it might be in preparation for a move. Congrats!
Sarah says
Wow, what a range of emotions! Shock and disbelief and a little sadness at first. “What?! I love their house! They can’t leave!!” But then I thought about why I (and apparently lots of other readers) feel so attached to your current house…it’s because we’ve gotten to “experience” the whole process of showing it love and fixing it up and turning it into something beautiful and personal. We’ve gone along for the ride with you guys and gotten invested and a bit attached to your DIY masterpiece…*sniffle*. So I wallowed in your big news for about two minutes this morning, before realizing…”wait, we get to go on that awesome ride AGAIN! WAHOOO!!!!” Can’t wait to see what’s coming next. Thanks for keeping your crazy internet mega-fans entertained and inspired. And congrats! xo, Sarah
jessica w says
Totally surprised and very excited for Ya’ll, CONGRATS! We are currently saving for a house and are planning on getting in a fixer upper so we can afford one. So I hope you love your next house!
Matt says
Congrats! I am a new-ish reader, came in around just before you started the kitchen makeover, and honestly I was kinda jealous of other people who knew about your blog before i did and got to see you start working on this house (or even seeing you work on the previous one)….
So as a reader and fan, I am excited that I get to take part in seeing this new house transform from the beginning – and not have to lift more than my mousing finger to do so!
Actually, that’s not true. It’s blogs like yours and your friend the Bowers, that inspires me to do work on my own home.
Angel says
I already posted to say wow and congrats but,
do you think you could talk a little about how you find balance between decorating for you, and decorating for resale? Like, how do you make a house feel personal, but keep in mind that you may sell it?
Also, we are getting a video tour this afternoon, right? LOL
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, in a nutshell it’s this: we decorate for us! Always. Last time our house sold in a few weeks (within a few days of being on MLS!) and we didn’t “redo” a single thing for resale other than removing a rug in the kitchen and a bath mat in the bathroom (to show off the tile/wood flooring). I think in this day and age people can see past all the beige in a model home and can actually be attracted to a playful home where someone actually lives – at least we hope so!
xo
s
Candice says
What?????? Is this April Fool’s Day again? Didn’t you just finish the carport pergola and the hallway revamp? And the deck? And the kitchen remodel? A new home is a new challenge for you guys. I can’t wait to see what’s around the corner for the remodel of this new home.
Ashley P says
Biggest. Bomb. Drop. EVER. Y’all!
Lindsay says
Congrats! Can’t wait to see what you guys do with it!
Ally says
Even Carlton is doing “The Carlton” at this HUGE news! :)
Warmest Congratulations, Petersiks! :)
(Did Ariel sport some clothes in honour of the big announcement? She’s usually nekkid at family events :)
xox
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, nothing except for her painted on bathing suit!
xo,
s
Amanda says
Wow!!! I read YHL between 10-10:30est almost daily but today got busy and I just sat down to take a break and “check in” and OMG I missed the biggest news next to a second bean on the way (not making assumptions, this is just huge news!)!!! So excited for you guys, glad to see you’ve done things in such a financially smart way. It makes me feel more confident I will be able to “build” a house I can love without breaking the bank in the coming years. And you’re obviously inspiring a lot of people to do the same. It’s also a good reminder that a house is just a house and a home is really what you make of it!
Gretchen says
Well that was a surprise . . . kind of! It did seem like you were getting to the end of your projects, and what’s a house tranformation blog/businiss without a great/ugly house to transform?
Hurray for patience, self control and frugality! Let the (ideas, work, triumphs, try agains, inspiration, wows and) fun begin!
Sara says
Congrats!!!!!
Barbara in CT says
You definitely caught me by surprise. I’ve loved both of your homes so far and I am sure I’ll love this one. You both have your financial heads on straight so no worries there. I am glad that your blog has been so successful financially that you can do this.
House #2 will be sold in two weeks. You have turned it into a very appealing home. It wouldn’t surprise me if a reader purchases it.
You are very wise to keep your location less obvious although neither of your first two houses was obvious to readers who have no connection with Richmond.
sarajane says
Congratulations! Can’t wait to see what magic you work on a slightly older home!
Suzanne says
Congratulations Petersiks! My husband and I did the same thing 15 years ago – buying the worst house in the best neighborhood. We’ve never regretted one piece of stripped wallpaper, one hideous bathroom tile smashed or one inch of wood floors brought back to life. Joy on your new journey!
Theresa says
Could’ve been George Jefferson, “movin’ on up!” Oh wait, you’re too young for that… Anyway…
I for one am very excited for your move. I found you guys in January (I am very late to blogs…) and I’ve missed years! Now there will a whole new house full of inspiration for all of us. (but especially me) Really though, I’d like to say thanks to both of you for giving me ideas and pushing for doing what you love. And of all the blogs I’ve come across, you two make it all so fun and real. Plus, you include every detail which I love (and every single penny which my husband loves). Again, thank you so much for helping out this middle aged, hip hop loving, new to blogs mom. So looking forward to this new adventure!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks so much Theresa!
xo,
s
Tamrah Ryan says
Such exciting news!! Yay! Congrats to you! :)