During the first eight months of 2023, Chad and I spent almost every weekend touring houses. The process was time-consuming – looking through listings online, driving around to the homes and then the actual walk throughs. It was also defeating – imagining your future in the home and then being rejected. Chad and I took turns being the sad, hopeless one and the positive, optimistic one.
Our REALTOR® Ana Lee was one of the bright spots while house hunting! She made the process fun and brought a lot of insight, always helping us strategize the most competitive offer for our budget. The market was, and still is, tough for buyers; there’s not enough homes and too many all-cash offers to compete with.
A ton of houses and 13 rejected offers later, Chad and I got accepted! (And he finally tells me 14 is his lucky number…)
I will never forget the moment I found out because I was washing my hands at my future sister-in-law’s house. I saw on my watch that Ana was calling me. Normally, she texts us when we’re rejected, so I knew a call meant good news. I ran out of the bathroom so fast to get my phone, screaming something like “I think we got the house.”
Besides the basics of “Congratulations, you’re buying a house,” my brain could not comprehend what Ana was saying. I even asked follow-up questions like “What happens next in the process?” and have no clue what she said. It was honestly an adrenaline rush for a few minutes. Our lives were changing!
We closed on the house in mid-October and the more work we put into the house, the more I love it. Ultimately, we are glad our house-buying journey took so long because this house was one of our favorites, making it worth the wait. Although there were some things we compromised on like the number of bathrooms and no garage, we were in love with the large backyard, updated kitchen with a large island, and plenty of entertaining space indoors and out.
I also didn’t realize how ideal the location was. Only visiting Phoenixville once before, I didn’t know how great the town is. There are so many restaurants, breweries and shops, and we are only a five-minute drive away from it. We live so close to town, but on a quiet, residential street with barely any traffic, enjoying the best of both worlds.
Since moving in, we hired painters, cleaned the carpets, made small updates like switching lights and replacing smoke detectors, and are still buying a lot of new furniture. Small things like rugs, curtains and décor give it character and make it feel like home.
There’s also been a lot of challenges: projects not going right, and trial and error, but that’s all part of homeownership. As people keep telling me, “The to-do list never ends” and there’s no one else I’d rather do it with.
Kellie Dietrich 