From humble beginnings
WHERE IT ALL STARTED…
When Brandon and I bought our home in 2014 we were totally clueless about what we were getting into. I remember Brandon naively telling his grandfather that we would be done with the construction in a “few months.” 5 years later we were finally hanging the kitchen cabinets on the wall. You might remember the days of us living upstairs of the house we resentfully- er, I mean, affectionately called our studio apartment, complete with our closet kitchen.
Both of us have always loved doing projects. For me, I first got my hands dirty refurbishing old furniture at our first apartment. I have always had this creative side to me that I loved expressing through art and decor. I fell in love with the process while transforming a piece of furniture. So when this opportunity to buy a fixer-upper on the river came along, of course, I jumped on board.
During the process of our renovation, I decided to get my real estate license. I thought, “Hey, if Chip and Joanna can do it, we can too!” My business took off, but not in the way I had imagined. We weren’t flipping houses like I initially dreamed we would do. I was helping my friends and their friends find houses in a real estate market that was shifting faster than you could say: “Sold!”
Brandon and I have taken what we’ve learned over those 5 years of rebuilding our home from the inside out and are now applying that knowledge to the 450 sq/ft addition we are building onto our little river cottage. We already have some important takeaways from the process. I hope you enjoy reading along and learning with us as we go along.
the latest from the blog
Best Practices For Winterizing Your Home
Now that it's officially November, Brandon and I are starting to prepare our home for winter weather. No, I don't mean hanging Christmas lights!! I'm talking about the down...
Kitchens That Influenced Our Final Decisions
I literally cannot believe that Brandon and I are nearing the end of this full house renovation journey. Brandon recently described it as approaching the light at the end of...
Technology Hack: Boost Your Personal Security Online
Recently, Brandon and I were talking about online security, passwords, and hacking scams. If you know my husband, you know this is totally on point with his character!...
What To Do Immediately After Closing on a House
So, you just purchased a house. Congratulations!! I'm so happy for you. The closing is over and you just unloaded the last of your boxes into the house. You are ready to...
Watch: Our Downstairs Bathroom Reveal!
Due to the overwhelming majority of votes, I am very excited to share with you our downstairs bathroom reveal!! This post has been a year in the making. Ever since we bought...
How to Successfully Handle a Computer Catastrophe
Back in June of this year, I had a terrible accident with my computer. I had just home after a day trip with my friend and it was late. Like I always do, I tossed my water...
Watch: What to Know Before You Buy a House
When Brandon and I began the process of looking at houses to buy, I was clueless. I had no idea what the process was like. Terms like "Days on Market" or DOM, "market...
The 5 Questions That Changed My Career
Back in January, I attended a conference with my broker, seen in the photo above, called Agent 2021, hosted by VaynerMedia. There were a ton of fantastic keynote speakers...
House Update: All the Projects Downstairs
The number one question I am asked besides “How’s the market?” is: “How’s the house coming along?” It’s crazy how so many people have been following along on this journey...
What is a Short Sale vs. Foreclosure?
What’s the difference, & how does it impact the purchase? * From time to time, a buyer client will ask me if they can see a property that is one of two things. It’s...
Do I Really Need a Buyer’s Agent?
Work with someone who has your best interests in mind. There is a big misconception many buyers have about a listing agent.* The listing agent is the Seller's Agent, AKA,...
Tips on Selling a Multiple Family House
The best practices to successfully sell a property with tenants. So, you own a multiple family home. Or maybe you have a single-family investment property that you are...
A Peek Into the Past: 3 Years Ago
Throwback to where it all started. Hi there! Remember me? My apologies for the lack of posts in the last several weeks. Brandon and I hit the turbo button again on the...
Watch: RIP Closet Kitchen & New Stairs
If you are wondering where I've been for the last month, this is what we have been up to! Brandon and I have reached another milestone at the house, and I'm so excited to...
The Most Common Question I’m Asked
It's no surprise that as someone who posts about my life online, I often get asked questions in person about the content I publish. I receive a ton of questions about real...
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Building a Personal Brand
Last month I had the pleasure of attending Agent2021 for the second time, hosted by Vayner Media. This conference is geared toward real estate, mortgage, auto and insurance...
Why I Decided To Go On a Spending Freeze
It's no surprise that with the New Year comes new visions and aspirations. As you know, I started writing out my goals for 2019 back in December. Now that Brandon and I are...
Watch: Our Kitchen Cabinets!!!
This post has been a loooong time coming. We started filming this in September, right about when our kitchen cabinets arrived. Today, I'm beyond excited to share with you...

















