In a life-altering announcement that has been years in the making, we are thrilled to officially share the monumental news that has taken center stage in our lives: we are moving to Florida! For those who might have missed our recent podcast episode or its accompanying transcript, we felt it was imperative to dedicate a proper blog post to this significant transition. This isn’t just another home renovation project; it represents one of the most substantial lifestyle shifts we’ve embarked upon in the past decade, and we are eager to bring all of you up to speed on this exciting new chapter. Your outpouring of support and encouragement for our upcoming adventure has been truly heartwarming, and we cannot thank you enough. We are beyond excited to embrace a lifestyle focused on living with less, spending considerably more time outdoors, and indulging in even more fresh-caught shrimp than we ever imagined. And for everyone who has been asking, rest assured, we absolutely plan to share every detail of our journey – from the intricate process of downsizing and moving, to renovating our new home, and even the nuances of settling into a brand-new community and truly making it feel like home.
No Joke: We’re Moving to Florida – Seriously!
Let’s clear the air right away: No, this is not an April Fool’s joke! We are genuinely and permanently relocating to Florida. While this announcement might strike many as sudden or even audacious, the truth is, this isn’t a rash decision. Moving to Florida has been a recurring conversation in our household for several years, a persistent daydream that we often shied away from. Our primary hesitation always circled back to the deep roots we’ve established here in Virginia. Richmond has been our home for a remarkable 14 years, and our current house has sheltered us for nearly seven. We’re surrounded by an incredible network of family, friends, and neighbors whom we adore and will undoubtedly miss. However, after much deliberation and introspection, a confluence of factors has convinced us that now is the definitive moment to take this leap – as monumental and perhaps a little crazy as it might seem. As Sherry candidly put it on the podcast, the time simply came for us to make a decisive move.
Discovering Our New Home: The Florida Panhandle
The immediate follow-up to our big news was overwhelmingly: “Where in Florida are you moving?” We’ve pinpointed a fantastic location within the Florida Panhandle that feels like an ideal fit for our family. Specifically, we’re heading to the northwestern part of Florida, nestled along the breathtaking Gulf Coast. This region boasts the most incredibly beautiful blue-green waters and offers a climate that, while still warm, avoids the intense heat often found in more southern areas of the state. Our family, being avid sun-worshippers, thrives in warmer climates – a preference evident in our consistent choice of Florida for our last four Spring Breaks, and even our winter escape to Costa Rica.
At this moment, we’re not quite ready to disclose the exact area. Our offer on the house has been accepted, but the closing is still pending, and it doesn’t feel right to reveal the specific location until it’s officially ours. The house is currently vacant and, being a significant fixer-upper, isn’t yet fully secured, making it prudent to keep the spotlight off the precise region for now. However, we promise to share more details about the general area down the road when the time feels right. Many of you shrewdly guessed Destin, given it’s the airport we often fly into and a place we’ve enjoyed on past trips (the photo above is from one such vacation). While we did explore a few properties there, our dream home ultimately manifested elsewhere. Oh, and I might have already said too much!
The Driving Force: Simplifying Our Lives
At the heart of our decision to move to Florida lies a profound desire for simplification. The core appeal was the prospect of owning one smaller, more manageable home that perfectly meets all our needs, not just for a season, but year-round. This concept deeply resonated with us.
Our summers spent at our beach house in Cape Charles, Virginia (pictured below), truly ignited our love for a specific type of lifestyle. We fell head over heels for being near the water, living in a place where daily necessities and pleasures – shops, restaurants, and parks – are all within comfortable walking distance. This small-town urban vibe offered a refreshing contrast to the suburban sprawl we experience in Richmond. So, while being close to a beautiful beach is undeniably a key objective of this move, it’s far more than just seeking a permanent vacation with our toes in the sand 24/7. It’s about embracing a more relaxed, intentionally slower pace of life that inherently encourages less driving, fewer errands, and a greater emphasis on quality time with each other and our community. The charm of small-town walkability, especially to unique, locally owned businesses, feels nothing short of magical to us.
We genuinely considered making Cape Charles our full-time residence. However, one significant factor consistently held us back: the weather. Due to Virginia’s climate, we could only truly savor the aspects we loved about Cape Charles for perhaps four or five months out of the year. During the colder seasons, outdoor activities become less comfortable, the streets are less bustling, and many of the beloved shops and restaurants we enjoy walking to close their doors for the off-season. If we could somehow magically extend Virginia’s summer to span most of the year, Cape Charles would undoubtedly be an almost perfect choice for our family.
This persistent weather limitation is precisely why Florida continually captured our attention, year after year. We’re realistic; we don’t delude ourselves into thinking Florida offers a perpetual summer devoid of any cool days. Yet, we knew that transforming our current four-ish months of summery weather in Virginia into the nine to ten months available in the specific Florida region we found would be a monumental improvement. For our sun-loving family, who simply yearns to be outside exploring on foot, this extension of pleasant outdoor living is a game-changer.
Beyond simply fulfilling the “Cape Charles boxes” of warmth, walkability, and proximity to the beach, we also hoped our Florida location could satisfy the “Richmond boxes” – those essential urban conveniences that contribute significantly to our daily quality of life. This includes access to excellent schools, a vibrant array of dining and shopping options, and those seemingly small but vital amenities like a nearby Home Depot or a movie theater. Finding a place that balances these aspects was paramount.
Achieving this balance would eliminate the need to drive back and forth between two houses located 2.5 hours apart. More importantly, it would allow us to own less, spend less, maintain less, and clean far less. This reduction in overhead is immense. We’ve been actively striving to lighten our load, most recently by selling our duplex, but even after that, the reality of maintaining two separate homes – with their respective utilities, yard work, and general upkeep – remained. While we understand this might sound like a trivial complaint to some, we’ve genuinely come to believe in the adage: more houses, more problems. Our long-standing commitment to simplifying our lives, discussed for years, made this move an opportunity to truly put our philosophy into practice.
Another Key Motivation: Embracing Downsizing
In addition to streamlining our housing situation by consolidating from multiple properties to a single home, this move also presented a crucial opportunity to significantly reduce our square footage – both inside and out. Nearly two years ago, in Episode #95 of our podcast, we openly confessed that our current Richmond home, at approximately 3,200 square feet, felt simply too large for our family. In contrast, our beach house, closer to 1,800 square feet, consistently felt like a much better fit. Honestly, even 1,800 square feet sometimes feels expansive for our needs! Currently, we possess far more space than we truly need or wish to maintain, both within the house and in the yard. This realization has been a simmering thought in our minds over the past few years.
For a while, we grappled with what to do about this excess space. Short of closing off rooms or demolishing parts of the house, options seemed limited. Moving to a smaller home nearby was an obvious consideration, but it felt like an immense effort – packing up and relocating – just to achieve less space without also gaining the year-round warm weather we craved. Consequently, our daydreams often revolved around moving into a smaller house in Florida. However, we’d frequently talk ourselves out of it, reminding ourselves that we had originally envisioned our Richmond home as a long-term residence within a long-term community. And for John “Spreadsheets For Days” Petersik, deviating from a meticulously planned trajectory is notoriously challenging!
Why Now? The Perfect Alignment of Events
A pivotal factor that finally gave us the confidence to alter our long-term plans was a recent, significant pivot we had already navigated: the sale of our duplex. The entire story of that process is thoroughly covered in Episode #160, with a complete transcript here. We understand that the timing of this Florida news might lead some to think, “Ah, I see, that’s *really* why they were selling the duplex…” And a part of me wishes that had been the chronological order of our decisions – it certainly would have simplified the duplex sale! However, it was actually the *experience* of going through the duplex sale that unexpectedly opened us up to the broader idea of moving. It was a realization that “if we can deviate from the duplex plan and feel truly excited about it, perhaps we can deviate from other plans too.” Successfully removing one significant commitment from our plates and experiencing the profound sense of lightness and freedom it brought made us eager to pursue even more simplification.
This isn’t to say changing plans is easy. As much as we loved the duplex, our emotional attachment to our Richmond house and our beach house runs even deeper. We are acutely aware that this is a truly significant change, and we certainly don’t intend to downplay its magnitude. However, after years of discussing downsizing, simplifying, and yearning for a warmer, more walkable lifestyle, it simply felt like the definitive moment to seize the opportunity rather than continue to postpone it or talk ourselves out of it.
As mentioned, the idea of moving to Florida has been an intermittent discussion for a few years. It first sparked three years ago when some dear friends relocated there, and they’ve consistently shared how transformative and positive the change has been for their family (they have three children around the same ages as ours). When they first announced their big move, our initial reaction was, “That’s amazing! What a bold and brave decision! But we could never do something like that…” Yet, 2020 marks the third consecutive year this idea has resurfaced in our minds, and each year, we’ve taken the notion a little more seriously than the last.
Last year, when the idea emerged for the second time, we moved beyond mere daydreaming. During our annual Florida Spring Break trip (that’s our Airbnb below), we intentionally carved out time to drive around and explore different neighborhoods. The idea still felt somewhat fantastical, but we wanted to see if we could identify any street or community that truly resonated as a potential “home.” We were in the Fort Lauderdale area that year, and for whatever reason, we just didn’t encounter anything that felt like the right fit for our family. So, we tabled the idea for another year, keeping it private from family, friends, and all of you. We simply assumed that was the end of it.
Then, like clockwork, the idea bubbled up again last month. Why did it keep returning? Did it signify something deeper? Now, feeling more empowered by our successful pivot with the duplex sale and the subsequent sense of liberation, we realized the moment had arrived for a definitive decision: are we finally going to do this, or are we letting it go once and for all?
While this newfound courage spurred us to *consider* the move more seriously this year, the ultimate decision to *actually move* was significantly driven by our children and their schooling. We strongly felt that transitioning them to a new community and school while they are still in elementary school would be the most beneficial approach. Our son is just starting Kindergarten, but our daughter is in Fourth Grade, meaning her transition to middle school is fast approaching. In Richmond, middle school typically begins in Sixth Grade, so we initially thought we had about a year and a half to finalize our decision. However, we then discovered that in some of the desirable areas we were exploring in Florida, Fifth Grade is housed within the middle school. This revelation truly lit a fire under us. If we were to end up in one of those neighborhoods, we would want to move *before* this August, ensuring our daughter could start Fifth Grade simultaneously with other students transitioning to a new school, making her integration smoother. Suddenly, if we were going to go, *now* felt like the imperative time to act, rather than idly waiting another year.
Acknowledging the Imperfect Timing
We’ll be the first to admit that, from the perspective of our current house, the timing of this move isn’t exactly perfect. For starters, we literally *just* finished our bathroom renovation, and we know Sherry was eagerly anticipating many more months to luxuriate in her beautiful new tub. Furthermore, we still have a hall bathroom awaiting renovation, and we’ve harbored plans for years to add a back patio. We had a clear vision for continued renovations in this house, projects that would enhance its value and provide fresh content for the blog. We can completely understand how this might appear to some as, “Oh, they finished their bathroom, so it’s time to move on – this must be driven by the need for new DIY blog content, right?!” But the reality is, our house is far from “finished.” We still have, for instance, two seashell-shaped sinks that are quite the statement to contend with!
As a side note, there are countless easier ways for us to satisfy our perpetual itch for home projects without the drastic step of moving, let alone relocating five states away. And speaking of just completing our dream bathroom, we actually joked about a “blogger’s bathroom curse.” We watched our friends Chris and Julia move shortly after finishing theirs last year, and we, along with many of their readers, collectively gasped at the time: “How can you possibly leave that stunning bathroom? Stay a little longer and truly enjoy all the hard work you poured into it!” But now, finding ourselves in a remarkably similar position, we completely understand.
There are deeper, more significant life factors that ultimately dictate where someone chooses to live, and many of these are inherently difficult to articulate or share fully online. For reasons of privacy and personal boundaries, many of us understandably don’t delve into exhaustive details about our specific neighborhoods, schools, or wider communities. Consequently, it’s often challenging for outsiders to grasp the full spectrum of motivations for a move beyond the aesthetics of the house itself. In reality, one can deeply love a house but still yearn for a different lifestyle, a new location, a shorter commute, an altered daily routine, a change in climate, or countless other factors that have absolutely nothing to do with how beautiful your four walls are. Numerous complex considerations contribute to why someone decides to move or stay put, and very few of them are solely based on the visual appeal or completion status of a house.
So, to cut a long story short, we recognize that it’s a hard truth to accept that we just finished our bathroom (which, by the way, we are *realllllly* happy with!) and will only get to enjoy it for another five months or so. However, we’ve also come to a powerful realization during our years of renovating: there’s something profound about the process that reminds you of your inherent capability. You had the power and skill to create that beauty before, and you can absolutely do it again. This conviction empowers us to look forward.
Our Neighborhood Discovery Journey: A Reconnaissance Mission
Earlier this month, Sherry and I embarked on a discreet reconnaissance trip to Florida. Our wonderful friends (the same ones who moved there three years ago) graciously invited us to stay at their home in the Florida Panhandle. This provided the perfect base for us to conduct some intensive, in-person house and neighborhood hunting – not only in their immediate vicinity but also in several other promising areas a bit further afield. We deliberately chose not to share this trip on Instagram (a particularly difficult feat, especially considering Sherry’s extraordinary talent for creating fun boomerangs!) because we wanted to ensure this profoundly personal life decision was made purely for ourselves and our family. We aimed to make it privately, driven solely by what we genuinely believe is best for us, free from any subconscious influence or pressure from online opinions.
For two and a half intense days, from morning until night, we tirelessly drove through countless different towns, explored various neighborhoods, visited over a dozen houses with a local realtor, and even met with a trusted contractor to get his professional insights on a couple of promising fixer-uppers we had found. Our due diligence was extensive: we meticulously checked out local schools, physically tested the walkability to the beach, local shops, and restaurants (including those serving fresh shrimp!), and even road-tested the *drivability* to essential big-box stores like Target, movie theaters, and craft stores (because priorities, people!). This was an absolutely monumental decision for our family, and we truly endeavored to gather as much information as possible and thoroughly test our gut feelings every step of the way.
This trip proved to be incredibly important, primarily because it’s exceedingly difficult to accurately assess intangible qualities like “community feel” or “walkability” solely from an online real estate listing. Before our journey, I had probably saved well over 75 houses across our Zillow and Realtor.com apps that we intended to view in person. And yes, I meticulously pinned them all on a map for efficient drive-bys *and* created a detailed spreadsheet of stats like square footage and number of bedrooms – because that’s just how I operate! Despite our best efforts to scrutinize satellite maps, pore over street views from afar, and even consult sites that provide “walkability scores,” the vast majority of houses felt profoundly different once we experienced them in person.
Remarkably, the neighborhood we ultimately fell deeply in love with was one I had almost entirely dismissed (!!!) based on the limited street view visible on Google Maps. However, in person, we were captivated by its beautifully wooded character and superb walkability. It’s not just right near the beach; it’s also within walking distance of numerous shops, fantastic restaurants, and wonderful green spaces. We even spotted a deer there – a deer! Near the beach! – which felt like an undeniable sign that we had truly found the place that beautifully combines the cherished elements of both Richmond (our beloved deer sightings) and Cape Charles (the idyllic beach life).
Falling in love with a neighborhood was a fantastic first step, but we completely surprised ourselves by stumbling upon “The House.” Oddly enough, it wasn’t even among the properties we had “hearted” during our extensive online searches back in Virginia! We almost didn’t see this house at all! Thankfully, once we realized how much we adored the neighborhood, we decided to stop by and take a look. This initial visit led to a return trip the very next day for a second, more thorough inspection. That, in turn, led to meeting with a contractor to get his professional assessment on a few key aspects. All of this culminated in us excitedly submitting an offer, a mere 12 hours before boarding our plane home. The very next day, as our plane landed on the tarmac, we received the thrilling news: our offer had been accepted!
Introducing Our New Fixer-Upper: The Details!
We’re going to hold off on sharing actual photos or intricate details of the house until the closing is officially complete; it feels a bit jinx-y to say too much before it’s 100% ours. However, there are a multitude of reasons why we are incredibly excited about this property. It’s helping us tick all the essential boxes: a warm, walkable location, a significantly downsized interior and exterior space, and a prime spot near the beach.
The house we are purchasing is *less than half the size* of our current Richmond home, unequivocally checking the “downsizing” box. In terms of square footage, it’s actually most comparable to our very first home, which was around 1,300 square feet. As former residents of New York City, where we literally struggled to fit a sofa into our minuscule apartments, we are keenly aware that many people live comfortably with far less square footage. So, while this isn’t a “tiny house” or a studio apartment, it represents a substantial shift from the expansive living situation we’ve had for the last seven years.
We are incredibly excited for the challenge of living with less, and we truly believe it will be profoundly beneficial for our family. However, we’re also realistic; we know the process of paring down our possessions will be a significant undertaking. Having lived at our beach house throughout this past summer, we’ve already experienced firsthand that we can thrive with considerably less space and fewer items. Nevertheless, the journey of deciding what to keep, what to let go of, and how to effectively fit our belongings into smaller bedrooms will undoubtedly be an interesting and transformative process.
Crucially, it’s also a fixer-upper, which, as many of you know, is our absolute favorite type of house! In its current state, it boasts only one bathroom, and that bathroom is completely non-functional (literally, there’s no running water to this house – which, amusingly, seems to be a recurring theme for us at this point!). However, we have ambitious plans to reconfigure the layout to create two fully functional bathrooms. Presently, the only sink is ripped off the wall and sitting in the tub, the HVAC system doesn’t work, and there are noticeable holes and buckles in the flooring. In fact, we’re fairly certain the previous seller assumed whoever bought the house would simply bulldoze it and build something much larger on the prime lot (its location is truly fantastic). But we are absolutely thrilled at the prospect of saving and lovingly restoring this charming little beach house on its delightful wooded lot.
Speaking of the lot, the yard is definitely smaller, but in the most desirable way possible. We’re looking at approximately 90% less outdoor space to maintain compared to our Richmond property. To put it into perspective, we’re transitioning from an acre lot to a mere tenth of an acre. While there’s undeniable beauty in a large, sprawling yard, the pink house’s tiny yet lush and private lot taught us an invaluable lesson: we absolutely adore smaller yards, especially when situated in a highly walkable neighborhood (the nearby park and the beach effectively become extensions of your own yard!). And this new lot is wonderfully wooded and incredibly lush. Added bonus: no lawnmower required! Seriously! And remember: beach deer!
We even have exciting long-term plans for the property, including adding a pool and a small guest house for visiting friends and family (think of it as a glorified shed – you know my affinity for sheds!). Since this house is significantly smaller than our pink house, it currently only offers enough bedrooms for our immediate family. In fact, it technically only has one “bedroom” right now, but we’ve already planned layout adjustments with our contractor to create three functional bedrooms. Meeting with him during our visit was crucial; it allowed us to ensure we felt confident taking the initial steps to get this house into a safe and livable condition, even from a distance. Having a trusted local professional who can fix the floor holes, create operable bathrooms with running water, and replace the broken HVAC system *before* we descend upon the house with our kids, our dog, and a big moving truck is absolutely paramount.
Ultimately, the most compelling aspect of our new house has nothing to do with its current condition and everything to do with the fact that we were able to find a place that embodies that small-town community feel in a genuinely warmer climate. A place where we can effortlessly walk a few blocks to the beach, charming shops, delightful restaurants, and even a legitimate grocery store – twelve months out of the year! Aside from our lives in NYC, where we could walk to small corner bodegas, we’ve never had the convenience of walking to a full-size grocery store. This simple fact is, oddly enough, incredibly exhilarating to us.
Yes, We’re Selling Both Our Beloved Homes
Naturally, the other significant facet of this life transition is that we will be selling both our beloved pink beach house in Cape Charles and our cherished home here in Richmond. This decision is undeniably bittersweet. As much as we are brimming with excitement for this next phase and the adventures that await, it’s tinged with sadness to leave behind these houses that we love so deeply and that hold countless cherished memories for our family. However, we firmly believe that we can honor and treasure what these homes are and what they have meant to us, while still moving forward to something new. After all, we still feel a strong emotional connection to our first house – the one where we exchanged vows in the backyard – and we haven’t lived there for over a decade!
So, we are definitely experiencing a full spectrum of emotions as we prepare to close this significant chapter in Richmond. Our plan is to remain here through the end of our children’s school year, which concludes mid-June. This timeline provides us with crucial time to get both the pink house and our Richmond home thoroughly prepared for sale, successfully sold, and all packed up. Simultaneously, it allows our trusted contractor in Florida sufficient time to get our new house into a livable and safe condition before our family – complete with kids, dog, and a very full moving truck – officially arrives.
Maintaining Connections: Friends & Family
Hopefully, it goes without saying that one of the absolute toughest aspects of this entire move is leaving behind our wonderful network of friends and family in Virginia. However, we are wholeheartedly committed to returning to Richmond regularly to visit the people we love. And already, many of them have enthusiastically “called dibs” on staying with us in Florida – and we haven’t even moved yet! So, we anticipate hosting many cherished visitors and deeply appreciate their excitement for a free, beachside place to stay. It’s a true testament to our strong bonds.
Their unwavering support for this next chapter of our lives has meant the world to us. My parents, for instance, have already volunteered to drive the moving truck, and my dad is eagerly looking forward to hitting the bike paths there with me. It’s also worth noting that our extended families are already quite accustomed to being spread out across the country and regularly traveling for family events and holidays. This existing dynamic provides a great deal of reassurance. My little sister’s family and Sherry’s mom reside on the West Coast, Sherry’s dad and brothers are in New Jersey, and my oldest sister and her three children call New York City home, where they’ve lived for the past decade. So, we already have wonderful examples within our own family of how strong connections are maintained and cherished, even when family members don’t live in the same state.
Our Kids’ Perspective: Enthusiastic Campaigners
This was another very popular question yesterday, partly because some people mentioned they would struggle to make such a big change if their children were resistant. However, in our unique case, our kids have actually been campaigning for this move for even longer than we have! They pretty much beg to permanently relocate to almost any warm, beachy place we visit for vacation (consider how many years we’ve been going to Florida for Spring Break – it’s a constant refrain!). Consequently, we’ve had absolutely no trouble getting them excited for the move; their enthusiasm is boundless. But honestly, if they hadn’t wanted to do this, or if we hadn’t genuinely believed this was the absolute best decision for our *entire* family, we simply wouldn’t be doing it.
Sherry and I have closely observed how much they thrive in a simpler, more outdoor-focused environment, similar to the lifestyle at our beach house. This firsthand experience solidified our conviction that this move would be incredibly beneficial for them. And seeing that they felt the exact same way made our decision-making process significantly easier. In fact, our current challenge is not generating excitement for the move, but rather working on their patience for it! They have excitement in spades.
To summarize this long and winding story, we are navigating a giant mixed bag of emotions about this entire undertaking. However, the overwhelmingly dominant feeling is one of profound excitement for the life that lies ahead. Making such significant changes is undoubtedly scary, but we are incredibly eager to take decisive action on many of the long-held desires and aspirations we’ve been nurturing for a considerable time.
When we shared our news with one of our closest friends, their immediate reaction was incredibly validating: “I’m just surprised you didn’t do this sooner. You can work from anywhere. You’re such beach people. This feels SO YOU.” That was arguably one of the most reassuring and affirming things we could have heard, especially from someone we were quite nervous to break the news to. And then, true to form, they immediately asked when their family could come stay with us. Jackpot!
We’re certain there are still many details we might have missed, and undoubtedly, you’ll have a plethora of questions. We may not have all the answers just yet (for instance, the precise timeline for when our houses will officially go on sale – likely within the next few weeks, but we’re not entirely sure), as this entire plan truly just came together very quickly this month. Nevertheless, we are absolutely looking forward to sharing every step of this grand adventure with all of you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to Google if “BeachDeer” is an available license plate in Florida!