To the tune of Katy Perry’s “Hot N’ Cold”… we’re almost there: we’ve bought and we’ve sold—or at least, our home sale is officially pending.
Late yesterday evening we learned that the final negotiations with buyers on our current house went through, so that contract is now pending. That means the offer we have on our new house, which was contingent on selling ours first, should move forward as well. If everything goes smoothly with the lending process, we’ll be moving from one home straight into the next in just over a month. We’re excited, relieved, and a little giddy.
We didn’t announce anything sooner because we wanted to be sure the new place was actually ours before getting emotionally attached and sharing it publicly. Now that both contracts are in motion and inspections are complete, the biggest remaining steps are the financial ones—and we’re keeping our fingers crossed that they go well. For now, we’re happy to share the news online.
We’ll write soon about how we marketed and sold our house by owner, but first we want to talk about the new house. We’re smitten. It brings back the same can’t-sleep excitement we felt when we bought our current house in 2006. When we stepped inside this one and stood in the entryway—complete with handsome built-ins—we both knew it could be ours. I probably broke into a goofy, permanent smile that may have startled the realtor, but I couldn’t help it.
We ended up working with a buyer’s agent after initially calling her about another listing. One thing led to another, and she showed us this house she thought would be a better fit. Interestingly, it was a property we had dismissed during a late-night realtor.com search—why? Because it had a carport. I had ruled out carports in favor of enclosed garages for storage, pest control, and security. That narrow parameter almost kept us from finding our perfect house. We agreed to see it anyway, and were thrilled to learn the sellers were offering a credit to convert the carport into an enclosed garage. Lesson learned: broaden your search criteria; your ideal home might be hiding behind something minor.
So, meet the future Casa Petersik. It’s not a glossy designer exterior yet, and that’s fine—we like the potential more than a finished look. The home shares some familiar cues with our current house at first glance, but it’s larger inside and much more flexible. It’s a wonderful blank slate packed with possibilities.
THE STATS:
- Age: 1960s
- House size: approximately 2,500 square feet
- Lot size: 0.75 acres (nearly the same as our current lot, but more square than long and narrow)
- Bedrooms: 4
- Bathrooms: 3
THE PROS:
- Gave us an immediate “this is it” feeling the moment we walked in
- Open, flexible floor plan that will support a growing family and a home-based business
- Three modest bedrooms plus a generous master suite with ensuite bath and walk-in closet
- Plenty of potential—a true blank slate with so many projects to love
- Large, centrally located kitchen ideal for family gatherings and open-plan living
- Lovely neighborhood close to family and good schools, conveniently near where we live now
- Single-story ranch layout, which we’ve always adored
THE CONS:
- Somewhat larger than we originally planned, though still comfortable within our budget
- Landscaping will require more work than our current property, which we’re ready to tackle
- Carport instead of an enclosed garage—but the sellers offered a credit to convert it
- Lot is less private than our current yard, though we already have ideas to enhance privacy
- Hard to find more negatives—when you’re in love, you get a little biased
We’re thrilled to have found a perfectly imperfect house with so much potential. Right now we’re busy planning paint colors, sketching layout ideas, and mentally furnishing every room. We’re also organizing, paring down belongings, and prepping for the move. Please root for smooth loan approvals and a mid-December closing without hiccups.
Thanks for sharing our excitement. We can’t wait to show you the updates as we renovate and settle into our new home. Stay tuned for the story of how we sold our house by owner and all the creative changes we plan to make at our new place.