The journey of selling a home, relocating, and embarking on a new chapter is often filled with excitement, anticipation, and, inevitably, a multitude of questions. Following our recent announcement, we were overwhelmed by the outpouring of curiosity regarding our current moving and selling process. To address as many of your thoughtful inquiries as possible, we’ve put together this comprehensive FAQ. While originally slated for tomorrow, your enthusiastic engagement has inspired us to share this update today, with our regular DIY post following in the morning. So, let’s dive into the details of this significant life transition!
Navigating the Sale of Our Current Home
Our experience with home sales has certainly evolved over the years, and we’re always looking for the most efficient and beneficial approach. The decision to sell our current residence involves careful planning and a deep understanding of the market dynamics.
Considering a For Sale By Owner (FSBO) Approach
Last time around, selling our first home ourselves proved to be a highly successful venture, yielding significant savings and a smooth transaction. Given that positive outcome, we are strongly leaning towards a similar For Sale By Owner (FSBO) strategy for our current house. Our plan is to manage the marketing and showings ourselves, potentially investing a few hundred dollars to list it on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) to broaden its reach. Interestingly, even without a ‘For Sale’ sign prominently displayed, we’ve already facilitated three private showings for realtors and local interested parties who have contacted us directly. This early interest has us feeling quite optimistic!
The Decision: Selling Versus Renting
The thought of renting out our current house instead of selling it did cross our minds and was explored in depth. We consulted with several local real estate agents to gauge the rental market in our neighborhood. Their insights proved invaluable: homes for rent in our area, particularly those with larger lots, were experiencing challenges in tenant retention. The typical renter in our community tends to prefer smaller, more manageable yards to minimize maintenance responsibilities. This feedback prompted a strategic pivot back to selling, especially since the sales market in our neighborhood appears to be quite active, with many homes selling quickly. We are hopeful that our property will follow this positive trend.
Projected Moving Timeline and Staging Importance
The timeline for moving into our new home is intrinsically linked to the sale of our current residence. A crucial part of our strategy involves keeping our current house furnished during showings. We believe a well-staged, furnished home presents better to prospective buyers and aids in visualizing its potential. Furthermore, moving all our furniture to the new house prematurely only to have the sale fall through would be a logistical nightmare we aim to avoid. Our optimistic estimate for moving into our new house is June, though the actual date will ultimately depend on when our current home sells and the subsequent closing date. In the interim, we are diligently working on both fronts: progressing with initial projects at the new house while simultaneously finishing up tasks and preparing our current home for sale. This means you can anticipate a rich blend of content, from staging tips and selling insights for our current house to exciting new project plans and reveal photos from our future residence. The mere thought of these upcoming projects fills us with immense excitement!
Clarifying Our Staging Strategy: Not Selling Furnished
A minor clarification is in order regarding a comment I made in a previous post about keeping furniture in the house to expedite the sale. This comment, unfortunately, led to some confusion, implying we were selling the house fully furnished. I quickly updated the post to quell this self-started rumor! To be clear: we are *not* selling our house furnished. Our intention is simply to have furniture present for showings, as empty houses traditionally sell slower and often for a lower price. While our furniture will accompany us to the new house, its layout is vastly different, which means we’ll have the fun challenge of reimagining and arranging our pieces in new ways.
Unveiling Our New Home: First Impressions and Hidden Depths
Discovering “the one” is an experience every homeowner dreams of. Our new house, while different, holds incredible promise and a unique charm that captured our hearts.
The Square Footage Illusion: More Than Meets the Eye
Many have expressed surprise about the square footage of our new house, particularly given its seemingly larger appearance compared to our current home. Intriguingly, both houses boast almost identical square footage, roughly 2,500 square feet. The perception of size difference stems from their architectural designs. Our current house features a significant 1,000-square-foot addition at the rear, completely hidden from street view, making the front facade appear smaller, almost comparable to our first, half-sized home. In contrast, the new house presents all its space upfront, featuring a prominent second story visible from the street. This design choice inherently makes it appear considerably larger than its footprint might suggest.
Beyond the Pretty Cropped Photo: Exterior Renovation Plans
It’s true that our new house looks incredibly charming in cropped photographs, leading some to believe it needs no exterior upgrades. However, that’s the amusing trick of selective framing! Below, you’ll see a wider, panned-out shot that clearly reveals there is indeed substantial work to be done on the exterior. We anticipate that these outdoor projects will keep us pleasantly busy, transforming the curb appeal and functionality of the property to match its interior charm.
The Sweet Spot: Finding the Perfect House in the Ideal Neighborhood
The decision to purchase a home is never solely about the house itself; the neighborhood plays an equally crucial role. We were certainly not going to settle for just any house within our budget. Our primary goal is always to find a home that perfectly suits our family’s evolving needs. We firmly believe that the “right house in the wrong neighborhood” is as much a disappointment as the “right neighborhood with the wrong house.” The true sweet spot, for us, is finding both in perfect harmony. The moment we drove down the street and laid eyes on this beauty at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac, we were utterly smitten. The absence of through-traffic, a safe spot for Clara to ride her bike, and a potential bug-hunting paradise for Burger immediately sealed its fate. And when the interior layout lived up to our high expectations, we practically leapt at the opportunity to submit an offer. While she might not appear grand in her current state, we have a strong feeling she’s going to clean up beautifully and become our dream family home.
The Secrecy and Strategy Behind Our Move
Keeping this exciting development under wraps was undoubtedly one of the most challenging aspects of our journey. This house appeared on our radar very suddenly, prompting a swift decision.
The Challenge of Secrecy and Unexpected Issues
Keeping this news a secret was, without a doubt, the hardest part of this entire process! There were countless moments where I yearned to share every minute detail with all of you. This house quite literally came out of nowhere, presenting itself at a time when we were only casually browsing, not anticipating a serious move until summer or even later. But upon seeing it, we had that undeniable “go for it or risk losing it” moment, and we quickly realized we couldn’t bear to let it slip away. We actually closed on the house in the fall – which gives you an idea of just how difficult it was to maintain secrecy for so long! We had a million things simultaneously demanding our attention: a book tour, a flurry of projects to complete at our current house before any announcement or sale, and a few immediate, critical upgrades at the new house. These included addressing a leaking roof, replacing a faulty furnace, installing a new alarm system, and even dealing with an opossum in the crawl space! Rest assured, we can’t wait to share all these detailed stories with you.
We extensively debated revealing the news much earlier but ultimately decided against it. Our concern was that sharing too soon would leave us feeling torn: we needed to remain focused on finishing and selling our current house, but we knew many of you would mentally “move on” to the new house, diverting our collective attention. Furthermore, safety was a paramount consideration; we weren’t comfortable broadcasting to the entire internet that we had a new, unoccupied house for an extended period. Therefore, we made the challenging but ultimately correct decision that waiting was best for our family, our blog, and the security of our new home. This approach allowed us to fully concentrate on completing our tasks here before smoothly transitioning into “new house mode” when we were ready. It feels incredibly liberating to finally be in that mode now – I’ve even been running around the house singing this joyous song!
The Strategic Decision: Buying Before Selling
Our previous move involved a simultaneous closing on both our old and new homes, a seamless transaction. This time, however, the situation was different: we purchased the new house before selling our current one. This decision was a calculated one. Once we were absolutely certain that this was “The House,” we knew that including a contingency clause requiring the sale of our current house would significantly weaken our offer. We were unwilling to risk losing this exceptional property. There was another offer on the table, reinforcing the need for a strong and compelling proposal. Rather than bidding above the asking price, we strategically decided that submitting an offer without a sales contingency would make our proposal stand out. We were incredibly relieved and grateful that the bank finally recognized both of us as full-time self-employed individuals – a testament to nearly three years of dedicated work on this blog. This was a vastly different experience from when we purchased our first and current homes, as detailed here. Receiving that “you guys got it!” call was truly an amazing moment.
Naturally, carrying two mortgages, even for a limited time, is never an ideal financial scenario. However, before submitting our bid, we meticulously reviewed our savings and ensured we had the financial capacity to manage this overlap. We also identified other avenues for savings. For instance, if we successfully sell our current house ourselves, as we did with our first home, the savings from avoiding a seller’s agent commission could potentially exceed the total cost of all our overlapping mortgage payments. Moreover, these dual mortgage payments are actively contributing to paying down our loan, thereby building equity – a tangible return on our investment, unlike renting or paying a commission check that offers no such benefit.
Balancing Transparency with Personal Privacy
We understand your eagerness for more intricate details, and we are just as eager to share them! However, it’s important to us to maintain a certain level of privacy. Therefore, we will not be disclosing specific identifying information about our new home or the closing details on the blog, such as its exact neighborhood. While real estate records are public, and a determined individual could likely uncover such information, we are not going to make it easy by handing it over on a silver platter. We appreciate your understanding and respect for our need to keep some personal details private. We take comfort in knowing that despite our previous address being leaked even before we moved into our current house in 2010, we haven’t encountered any issues. Our robust alarm system provides immense peace of mind, featuring advanced monitoring and surveillance capabilities. And of course, we have our incredibly ferocious guard dog!
New House Features and Renovation Philosophy
Every home tells a story, and our new residence, built decades ago, is ready for its next chapter with us. Its features and our renovation approach are designed for family living and long-term enjoyment.
Key Specifications and Initial Renovation Dreams
Our new home was built 32 years ago, giving it a charming, established character. It features four bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms, which, for me, happily means one less bathtub to clean! The main bathroom on the first floor is a half-bath, a space I’m already envisioning transforming once we tackle the exciting task of stripping all the wallpaper.
Improvements for Enjoyment vs. Resale Value: A Balanced Approach
Many of you are curious about the financial impact of our home improvements on the sale of our current house. Much like the detailed post we shared when we sold our first home, we are eager to analyze how our investments in home improvements translate into the final sale price. The interest in our current house, evidenced by the three showings we’ve already hosted, suggests that our listing price is well-received by realtors. This gives us hope that we might even see a modest profit this time around! It will certainly make for an engaging post to break down all the numbers.
Regarding our recent projects, almost everything we’ve undertaken in our current house has been on our long-term to-do list for over a year. These weren’t projects specifically added for resale; rather, they were tasks we genuinely wanted to tackle and enjoy, many of which had been on our radar since we first moved in. So, it was less about choosing projects for resale value (there were none purely for that purpose) and more about prioritizing items from our existing to-do list that we decided to move forward with. For example, converting a storage room into a functional playroom and enhancing the curb appeal were logical improvements that wouldn’t hurt resale, but doubling the siding on the fireplace (a load-bearing structure requiring a mason and contractor) felt more like an “if we were staying longer” project. Consequently, there were a few financially impractical items we skipped, but we completed almost everything else on our desired list. We plan to share a final “Listy McListerson” rundown, showing everything checked off, with a special section at the bottom for those “would have been nice” projects we skipped – secretly hoping the new owners will undertake them so we can house crash them one day!
Clara’s Room: A Flexible Space and Emotional Connections
The question of leaving Clara’s beautiful “big girl room” without her moving into it is a poignant one. However, from the moment we moved into this house in 2010, our long-term vision for that particular room was always for it to be a playroom. Despite a two-year stint as an accidental “junk room,” it has been incredibly satisfying to finally see that space utilized exactly as we intended. Even if Clara wasn’t quite ready to sleep there, she has logged countless hours of playtime in it. Had she moved into it, her nursery would have become empty. The reality is, she couldn’t sleep in both spaces, so one would always serve as her bedroom and the other as a playroom. The wonderful thing is that almost everything, except for the walls themselves, is coming with us. Since we didn’t make any structural changes (like adding a built-in accent wall or a bunk-bed system) or cover the walls with anything permanent and fancy (like custom wallpaper or a large mural), all her beloved items and decor can easily transition to the new house with us.
Embracing Change: Improvements We Can’t Take With Us
It’s true, there are certain improvements we made to our current house that are simply not portable, such as the intricate penny tile, the newly renovated fireplace, and the beautiful pergola. We absolutely adore these features and will genuinely miss them. However, the fact that we undertook these projects ourselves is a source of comfort. It means we have the skills and knowledge to tackle them again in our new home, perhaps even modifying them in fresh and creative ways. We are simply enthusiasts for showing a house some love; we would never want to live anywhere and “hold back” on making improvements simply because we can’t take them with us. For us, the process of creating and doing is half the enjoyment. So, we’ve cherished our time with these beautiful additions, and we know they will live on. I’m deeply comforted by the thought that we can always drive by and wave at the pergola. Yes, that’s definitely going to happen!
Future Living: Two-Story vs. Ranch Lifestyle
Our previous homes shared a similar layout, so moving to a completely different style offers exciting new possibilities for how we live and work.
Embracing the Two-Story Layout: New Dynamics for Family Life
Having lived in homes with similar ranch-style layouts, we’re incredibly excited to experience a completely different house dynamic with a two-story home. While we anticipate missing certain conveniences of a single-floor ranch, we’re eager to discover how a two-story house will uniquely benefit our family. One feature we particularly love is the placement of the laundry room on the second floor, alongside all the bedrooms. This was a significant advantage of ranches that we appreciated – avoiding the tiresome task of lugging piles of laundry up and down stairs.
Beyond the practicalities, we secretly hope that the upstairs will help us establish a clearer separation between work and family life. We envision instituting a “no-laptops-upstairs” rule. In our current house, our office is literally twenty steps from our bed, making it difficult to fully switch off. The prospect of having an entire floor separating our living spaces from our workspace in the new house feels incredibly appealing. Furthermore, we’re excited about the possibility of not having to meticulously clean the entire house every time guests visit. If they primarily stay on the main level, we can simply close the bedroom doors upstairs and discreetly ignore any mess, much like we did growing up in two-story homes!
Looking Ahead: New Adventures Await
We hope this extensive FAQ post has provided valuable insights into our ongoing moving and selling journey. We are incredibly excited about the chapters ahead and cannot wait to share the detailed floor plan and those wonderfully wild, wallpaper-and-blue-trim-laden “before” pictures of our new home. As we diligently work to finalize things at our current house and secure its sale, please keep your fingers crossed for a smooth and successful transition. The adventure is just beginning, and we’re thrilled to have you along for the ride!