Our Home Story
Illustration by Rebekah Melchert
We slowly outgrew our tiny townhouse that we called home for seven years. We knew we wanted to give Maya girl (our 80lb lap dog rescue from the St. Paul humane society) and our toddler Nora a yard to frolic in. We dabbled in the Spring 2021 housing market, but were ultimately left heartbroken, like many, over many multiple bid or highest and best bid offers. We were not willing to over pay on a house.
Fast forward to Summer 2021. We found out we were pregnant with Ellie, our second daughter, four days before Nate’s dad passed away from a battle with Melanoma. It felt like time stopped completely after that for a while.
Fall 2021 came and we started our [more serious] house hunting journey. September and October 2021 brought more heartbreak with losing offers when ‘I was sure THIS was the one’. It was hard for me to separate my emotions from the numbers. Thankfully, Nate always brought me back to reality, calculating the monthly payment for each one and sharing that with me after we’d leave each house.
Side bar (skip if you don’t want a lesson on finances today): I am not a financial expert or advisor by any means, however, I have picked up a thing or two from my husband who is an expert in this category. He makes small business loans for a living, but has been exposed to many real estate deals and some mortgage deals. MOST banks will approve you for a MUCH higher loan than you should be spending. They do not take into account all of your additional monthly expenditures. Keep that in mind when setting a budget and stick to that number!
Okay, let’s skip to the good part. November came and blessed us with a for sale by owner opportunity in an extremely challenging (to put it lightly) buyer market. When I pulled up to tour the house for the first time, I was hopeful but guarded, trying not to let me emotions get the best of me (even harder to do pregnant). There stood a humble, green siding + brick exterior, multi-split level home built in the 90’s.
We walked in to the house and met the NICEST couple who wanted to make sure the house went to a good family. My emotional flood gates were wide open after that comment. In a housing market where it felt like people cared MOST about making the most money on their house vs it going to a good family, this was a breath of fresh air. This felt like a sign from Tim (Nate’s dad) and had us in our feels after one hell of a year. They had built this house in the 90’s, raised their family there and have been there since. We knew this house had good vibes and you could feel it during the walk through!
We locked in the deal via purchase agreement and closed one month later! So begins our home DIY journey.