Early last spring we decided to put our well-loved house on the market. It has two bedrooms, one bathroom, and our family of six (kids ages 5, 4, 2, 1) had outgrown it.
After a few months for sale by owner and 83 days with my husband as our realtor, we sold our house!!! And then I was freaking out.
We looked at about 50 houses in 6 different towns. We knew we wanted to be closer to my husband’s work, which is now 50 minutes away. But the more we looked really close to his work (and closer to my family), the more frustrating it was. My standards are very low. But houses were either too small, the lot was too small, the home was more than we could afford, it needed way too much work, or it was on a BUSY road (there were lots of houses on busy roads!!!).
After scouring the MLS and getting really annoyed, we wondered if there were towns we were overlooking. We did a quick Google maps search and found a town we hadn’t looked in, 15 minutes closer to his work. We made a list to look at the next day, which is really easy to do when your husband is a realtor.
(spoiler alert)
Our new house was the first house we looked at that day.
The more we walked through the house, the more I felt that this house was just TOO nice for us! It had everything we were looking for and things (like granite countertops) we didn’t even need.
It is light gray, not white, so I hope you’ll forgive me cause I’m not changing my blog name. But I do plan on adding some black shutters for those huge windows. :)
A white picket fence could be fun after the landscaping gets a little bit of a cleanup.
I love the details! My dad (a carpenter) and the inspector both thought this was a great, well taken care of house.
From this picture you can get an idea of the upstairs and basement. The upstairs has two large bedrooms (one girl room and one boy room), a full bath, and a door to walk-in attic storage. Then the main floor, with two more bedrooms. Then, the full basement with windows that open to the outside. Half is finished, the other half for mechanicals and storage.
Here’s a closer look at that upper deck right off of the kitchen and eating area, it’s huge!
We would have settled for a third of an acre, maybe a quarter acre if the house was that good. We got .57 acres. :) #onehappylady
Lily was so excited about that lower deck. “WE HAVE A STAGE!!!!” :)
A little bit of privacy. Not that we need it, more that our neighbors will need it from us. ;)
And room to play. Room for running and kicking a ball. Room for a swingset AND our trampoline (so many houses we’ve seen with yards that wouldn’t fit even one of those).
Great family space, everything we wanted, plenty of room to play and grow, and nothing needed to be done right away?! I could not believe that we found this house after all of the frogs we kissed! Prayer and patience pay off, God does have a plan.
thank you so much, Barbara!
It looks beautiful! And that yard?! What a blessing! Enjoy your new home-sweet-home!
Love the new house; can’t wait to see more inside. Offer was accepted? What state are you in?
Offer was accepted, we move in a month! We are in Illinois. :)
How awesome! He is faithful! Can’t wait to see more and putting your persinal touch on it
Oh she’s a keeper–big time and the perfect
“next home” for your family…congrats!!
SO thrilled for you! That yard…and the picket fence! ohmygoodness. I can’t wait to see more.
xo
I adore your new home and I’m so stinkin’excited for you!
Beautiful place! So happy for you!
Thank you so so much, Ellie! Big hugs. :)
So exciting! We are in Carol Stream and I would love to move somewhere that has a bigger yard and a bigger house, but still be less than an hour train ride from the Loop, where the hubby works. Congrats that you found something of great size and closer to your husband’s job! That can definitely be a hard thing to find in the ‘burbs!
This was in Sugar Grove! We originally looked in Naperville, Lisle, and Downers Grove had a really hard time finding something in our price range (or even slightly above it, lol). Keep your eye out for those areas though, I believe those three have express lines and did have neighborhoods with 1/2 acre or bigger lots. We don’t need to be closer to the city (Doug works in Lisle), so Sugar Grove worked for us. :) Best of luck if you do decide to take it on, it definitely can be hard to find!
shut up!!! looks so awesome!! (cue everything is awesome song)
Looks like a wonderful family home! Love to see the big yard with trees, for all the kids to grow up playing in. Congratulations!
I just l your new house. I agree about your shutters idea. I really love the back of the house and the deck area. Good luck in turning it into YOUR home!
Great news! Great house!
Congrats on your new home, thrilled for you!!
Congratulations! Your kids are gonna love that space!
I want you to know you have inspired me greatly in this year with your 40 Bags mission. I went from there (with mainly just clothes closets) and into my basement this year – a HUGE undertaking – and have it so well organized I could move without stress right now. Thank you for the inspiration! Did you know macaroni necklaces have a shelf life of over 23 years? Yes indeed, I cleaned out my kids’ school papers from that long ago – and much, much more. :)
Rita C at Panoply
Your house is so cute!!! I’m so glad you found something. (And I’m seriously impressed with it being in such good shape.) Congrats!
Love it, did you stay in the St. Charles area?
Congratulations….manifesting what we want in our life often makes it happen. My adult children and I believe this and good things have come to each of us. You deserve this wonderful home for your family and blessings abound.
Congrats! That is so exciting! It is the perfect house for you!
Wow! Your new home is beautiful! And you have given me such encouragement that God WILL lead us to the perfect place for us in the right time. Thanks for sharing.
Congratulations !~! It looks so large, spacious with a half acre plus lot !~! Wonders of the world have fallen in front of you and you have picked them up and run !~! Lovely and so perfect for your growing family. We grew up on half an acre and it was truly a big yard in which we could do lots of different things with space for all. You too now !~! So wonderful-can’t wait to see your family make it into your personal place.
Blessings be yours as you start this new chapter.
Congrats on the new house! It sounds perfect for you! I love the outside, it is super cute. That backyard and deck area is amazing! Can’t wait to see the inside and see how you make it your own.
Hallelujah! I am so happy for you all!
It looks very beautiful. Congratulations! Love the space.