Happy Friday everyone. In case you didn’t see my announcement earlier this week, we bought a house!
This is our very first home purchase, so there will certainly be a lot to learn along the way, but we’re excited for the next challenge.
Portland is filled with gorgeous, old homes with a lot of history and character. We really wanted to find an older home to make our own, which meant avoiding any of the already flipped houses in town (which there are A LOT OF!).
Our house was built in 1911 and only a handful of families have lived in it. They also have both taken great care of it, so much of our remodeling will be cosmetic updates.
We Bought a House: The Process
Now a little bit about the process. House hunting was not easy for us or even at times very enjoyable. It’s a constant battle of emotions. You have to picture yourself living in the house, but not get too attached or risk being heartbroken when someone else has a better offer.
I wanted to share how challenging a process it was, because I’ve had quite a few people reach out about their own difficult searchs after I posted our announcement.
Portland is one of the hottest real estate markets in the country. So what does that mean for buyers? Often a lot of heartbreak and potentially stretching beyond their means. We had to constantly battle that in this process.
While we loved the house we bought from the start, we had to wait nearly four months for it to drop over $100k before we could afford it. Talk about anxiety.
During that time, we offered on several other houses and got outright shot down or outbid. The first house that we offered on wouldn’t even negotiate with us; they turned us down cold, confident they could get a lot more for their house. On the other house, another person bid way over asking from the start, so we really had no chance.
But I truly believe things happen for a reason. We couldn’t be happier to be moving into this home. This was always the house we liked best and could really picture ourselves in from the start.
As I mentioned, the house sat on the market for over four months at a pretty steep price. It was still hard for us to believe someone didn’t swoop it up in that time, because it’s in a great location.
When we first saw it, every room and trim of every room was painted a totally different color. Think teal and purple. Brown and orange. Half of the floors were unfinished. However, this just goes to show you have to have a little imagination when going through houses. Don’t get scared off by things that are easy to fix like painting new walls and redoing floors.
The family ended up taking it off the market, which is when we finally jumped in and made an offer.
We also wrote a letter about ourselves and shared some of the things we really loved about their homes. This was something many of our friends who are homeowners have been doing.
We Bought a House: Tips
Research the buyers as much as you can. Know who you’re dealing with. In our case with the home we bought, it was a family who had lived there for over 20 years and the parents were moving to be closer to their kids and grandkids. They had already moved out, so they’d be motivated to sell. I found this all out by asking the realtor at an open house.
Also, you can find anything out on Google. In the case of the house that went way over asking price, we also wrote a heartfelt letter. However, from our googling research, we found out the sellers were Silicon Valley folk who bought this house and their next house in cash. We should’ve known that more money would do the talking.
In any case, I hope this helps those hunting for their own dream homes. It took over six months for us to find the right home. There is a house out there for you!
Weekend Reads | 11-8
So this is a cool thing happening in December: a worldwide cookie swap! Every year, Food 52 helps spread holiday cheer by hosting a treat swap. This is my first year participating. You can sign up using this link. P.S. Dietary restrictions (I’m gluten free!) are totally fine. They’ll pair you up with someone with the same restrictions.
I rocked this Brigitte Bardot inspired holiday look for the advanced screening of Last Christmas this week.
Here’s the tutorial I used. This makes for SUCH a cute holiday party hairstyle.
Speaking of holiday hair looks, check out this mini DIY tutorial I put up for a knotted plaid headband.
Did you ever do “the bump”? This post from The Cut has been a MAJOR talking point on my IG this week. Weird that I still sometimes rock it?
I’ve been on the hunt to add another winter coat to my wardrobe. Love this round-up that Fashion Jackson put up.
I had to include this piece on a Bon Appetit contributor’s dads love of cosmos. My dad also makes pitchers of cosmos for Christmas!
Ever wonder what you can or can’t microwave? Find all your answers here.
This Everygirl writer tried over 100 Youtube beauty trends to find which actually work.
Berets are another fall trend I’m loving. Just purchased this $34 cheetah beret.
Won’t let myself start binging holiday movies until at least Thanksgiving week. Prepping with this list of Netflix original Christmas movies.
I bought Winnie this Trader Joe’s Dog Advent Calendar this week! Here’s another real cute one from Dreambone.
Weekend Sales | 11-8
Abercrombie: 25% off throughout the store.
Aerie: 30-60% off the Aerie Collection.
American Eagle: Take 25% off your purchase with code GIVENEWLOVE.
Ann Taylor: Friends of Ann Event. Take 40% off your purchase plus an additional 10% using code FRIENDS.
Anthropologie: Take 20% off all home and furniture. This is a great time to pick up some of their holiday decor items.
Banana Republic: Take 40% off your purchase.
Boohoo: Take 60% off everything.
Express: Take 40-50% off everything.
J. Crew: Friends and Family event. Rewards members take 40% off your purchase using code FAMILY. Non-Members (sign up, it’s free!) take 30% off your purchase with code FRIENDS.
J.Crew Factory: Take 20% off party looks with code SOFANCY.
Loft: Take 40% off your purchase using code FESTIVE.
Madewell: Take 25% off sweaters and shoes using code COZYCOMFY.
Old Navy: Take 30% off everything. 50% off sweaters (FRIDAY ONLY). Check out my Old Navy fall favorites here.
Sephora: Take 20% off for Rouge members.
Urban Outfitters: Take 30% off flannels and outerwear.