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Life Update – We bought a house! And sold a house!

September 30, 2021
bilevel backyard deck

Well, hello again! It’s been 2 months since I last blogged, meaning I took a very long, very unexpected break.  I didn’t plan this, but life got so busy that I had to severely limit my activities in order to focus on one all-consuming task…preparing our home for sale!

Yep, that’s right, we are moving!  

It’s been a whirlwind in slow motion.  But, let me go back to the beginning of the story so you know where it all started.

split level entry

Last year our neighbor told us he planned on selling his house.  We shrugged it off, knowing he’s said this for a while now.  As he started to make improvements to the house, like finishing the basement, we would check out his progress and he would make comments like “you guys should buy this house” or “it has five bedrooms…” gently nudging us to consider trading up.

We joked around, saying maybe we should consider, but knowing how much we loved our current house, we couldn’t really imagine leaving.

split level black railing on stairs

Eventually, after him telling us a few times that we should consider buying his house, I approached my husband and suggested that we seriously consider looking at the house.  I explained my reasoning – the kids (and their stuff!) were getting bigger, we could use the equity we built in this house to get the space we will need in the future and slowly fix it up, much as we did in this house.  

So we weighed the pros and the cons:

Pros:

  • We would get the space we need without having to add on (700 extra square feet!)
  • We could update all the finishes over time
  • We would have home offices
  • We wouldn’t have to leave our neighborhood

Cons:

  • The backyard wasn’t as nice as our current yard and had less privacy
  • We would miss all the customizations we made in this house (the built-in bookshelves! The shed!) 
  • Split level design instead of a one-level home
  • The house was dated and we’d have to make some compromises in the short term

Eventually, we decided to take a full tour of the inside to see if we could see ourselves in the home.  Although split levels are not my favorite, this one wasn’t bad.  I liked that it had four bedrooms and two baths upstairs and a large finished basement downstairs.

avocado green tub

While many of the finishes were old – like the original kitchen! An avocado green tub! The bones were good.  We could see how the house could be made special with some design and remodeling.

We could also see how this house could take our family through the school-age and teenage years.  Especially the bonus family room downstairs, which would be perfect for kids to hang out and play video games or have sleepovers. 

finished basement with fireplace

I love that there are more closets (albeit not larger closets) for storage. Two fireplaces (bonus!) And my personal favorite, a washer and dryer inside the house! No more garage laundry for me! 

So we decided to go for it.

We approached our neighbor and said we were interested. While we had loosely discussed prices, the housing market around us was continuing to go bananas.  We weren’t quite on the same page and he told us to come to him when we had an offer.

We went home and thought about it, did more research on comps, and spoke to our mortgage broker.  

Once we had a better handle on what we could afford and what we felt was reasonable for the condition of the house, we came back with an offer.  Mind you, this was all without real estate agents.  

1969 kitchen cabinets

Once we had an agreed-upon price, we found an attorney who specialized in residential real estate transactions.  He was able to write up a purchase and sale agreement for a flat fee, with no commissions required. 

We signed, our neighbor signed, and then the contract went to escrow.

Then we had to sell our house.

primary bathroom

What followed was more cleaning, more organizing, and more staging to get the house looking its best.  Preparing a house for sale is no joke, especially when you do it all yourself!  But through the process, I learned a lot and hope to write a post detailing everything I did someday.

Since we live in a really hot market, we received many offers on the house and ended up choosing one significantly above asking.  Both the sale and the purchase closed last week and we are now in the process of getting the new home ready for us to move in.  Thanks to a rent back from the future owners of our old house, we have a few weeks to get everything done and moved.  

basement laundry room

I’ll be honest and say this is not a change I saw coming.  But it felt like a door opened and we needed to walk through it.  

While the entire process was full of ups and downs, everything seemed to just come together like it was meant to be.  I know that we are extremely lucky to get an opportunity like this in the current real estate market and I am thankful for all the help and guidance we received along the way.  

split level living room

And as excited as I am about the new house, I’m equally as sad about leaving our old house.  It’s our first home, where we have lived for 12 years and where we brought our babies home.  

Whenever I start getting a bit teary-eyed, I try to think that nothing will ever take away the memories and that it’s okay for us to step into the future, trusting that it’s the people who live in the home that are the most important.  

 

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Hi! I’m Lisa and I dig smallish homes. I believe they bring families together and provide a constraint on the accumulation of stuff. I’m obsessed with rethinking room design and storage solutions in order to live the life I want in the house I have. I hope you stay a while!
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Only three more sleeps until Christmas and I’ve Only three more sleeps until Christmas and I’ve literally just crossed the last thing off my to-do list.  All the planning, shopping and prep work is done and I’m ready to enjoy the next few days.  If you need me I’ll be eating a gingerbread cookie (or two) while drinking cup after cup of coffee.

Before I go, I wanted to share a few pictures of our minimalist holiday decorations in our living room/ dining room. 

This year we tried something different and cut our own mountain grown tree and I’m LOVING the change.  Even though it’s real skinny, it has the nicest placement of branches and is truly a beautiful tree.

The delicate branches can’t hold heavy lights or ornaments, so I reused the white crocheted snowflakes  and matte black balls from last year, along with a single string of copper LED lights.  So simple, so easy, but still beautiful.  Just what I needed this year.

Wishing you a very happy holiday!
The crows are back! The best decorations are the o The crows are back!
The best decorations are the ones you are  EXCITED to see each year. The ones you instantly pull from the box and start placing in your home. They don’t need to be fancy, or new each year. They just need to bring joy to you and your family. ✨❤️
Surprise! We bought a new home!  And sold our ho Surprise!

We bought a new home!  And sold our home!  It’s been a whirlwind and I’m exhausted.

We are incredibly lucky to have bought our neighbor’s home FSBO.  It’s larger than our current home by ~700 square feet and is a split entry home with most of the living space upstairs and a bonus family room/bedroom in the basement.  

While the rooms (and closets!) are still small, there are more of them.  There will be room for office space for both my husband and myself, a bit more storage, and even a laundry room/mudroom (woo hoo! No more garage laundry for me!)

So what do you think? Do I need to change my name from smallishhome to sortofmidsizehome?  No matter what, I’ll continue to share how I maximize storage in small spaces, because, well, that’s my life and my passion!  

Be sure to check out my stories for a walk through of the new house.  Don’t miss the avocado green tub and original 1960’s kitchen cabinets. So many projects ahead of us!
Hey there! It’s been a while! I’ve had a lot Hey there! It’s been a while!

I’ve had a lot on my plate personally these last few weeks and have had to drop all social media as a way to stay sane and focused on the path ahead.  I love this community, but I just couldn’t give it the time it deserved, so I took a break.  Hopefully you understand. 

I’m trying to ramp back up but could use your help.  What spaces are you having trouble organizing?  What kind of videos would you like to see?  I appreciate each and every one of you and love hearing your suggestions.  It’s what keeps me going when I start to feel stuck!

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Only three more sleeps until Christmas and I’ve Only three more sleeps until Christmas and I’ve literally just crossed the last thing off my to-do list.  All the planning, shopping and prep work is done and I’m ready to enjoy the next few days.  If you need me I’ll be eating a gingerbread cookie (or two) while drinking cup after cup of coffee.

Before I go, I wanted to share a few pictures of our minimalist holiday decorations in our living room/ dining room. 

This year we tried something different and cut our own mountain grown tree and I’m LOVING the change.  Even though it’s real skinny, it has the nicest placement of branches and is truly a beautiful tree.

The delicate branches can’t hold heavy lights or ornaments, so I reused the white crocheted snowflakes  and matte black balls from last year, along with a single string of copper LED lights.  So simple, so easy, but still beautiful.  Just what I needed this year.

Wishing you a very happy holiday!
The crows are back! The best decorations are the o The crows are back!
The best decorations are the ones you are  EXCITED to see each year. The ones you instantly pull from the box and start placing in your home. They don’t need to be fancy, or new each year. They just need to bring joy to you and your family. ✨❤️
Surprise! We bought a new home!  And sold our ho Surprise!

We bought a new home!  And sold our home!  It’s been a whirlwind and I’m exhausted.

We are incredibly lucky to have bought our neighbor’s home FSBO.  It’s larger than our current home by ~700 square feet and is a split entry home with most of the living space upstairs and a bonus family room/bedroom in the basement.  

While the rooms (and closets!) are still small, there are more of them.  There will be room for office space for both my husband and myself, a bit more storage, and even a laundry room/mudroom (woo hoo! No more garage laundry for me!)

So what do you think? Do I need to change my name from smallishhome to sortofmidsizehome?  No matter what, I’ll continue to share how I maximize storage in small spaces, because, well, that’s my life and my passion!  

Be sure to check out my stories for a walk through of the new house.  Don’t miss the avocado green tub and original 1960’s kitchen cabinets. So many projects ahead of us!
Hey there! It’s been a while! I’ve had a lot Hey there! It’s been a while!

I’ve had a lot on my plate personally these last few weeks and have had to drop all social media as a way to stay sane and focused on the path ahead.  I love this community, but I just couldn’t give it the time it deserved, so I took a break.  Hopefully you understand. 

I’m trying to ramp back up but could use your help.  What spaces are you having trouble organizing?  What kind of videos would you like to see?  I appreciate each and every one of you and love hearing your suggestions.  It’s what keeps me going when I start to feel stuck!
⁣I woke up today and saw it - 10K. I’m in sho ⁣I woke up today and saw it - 10K.  I’m in shock. ⠀
⠀
I’m so grateful for each and every one of you who chose to follow my account and watch me organize my smallish home. ⠀
⠀
My goal has always been to share my love of organization and design - while hopefully inspiring others to show their own home some love. ⠀
⠀
No matter how small or large your space may be, I hope you are able to walk away with a few ideas of ways to maximize the space you have.⠀
⠀
In the meantime, I’ll keep working space by space in my own home, adding functionality and order that fits the needs of my family and the space that I have.⠀
⠀
I’d love to know what you would all like to see more of - let me know in the comments what you’d like to see me tackle next!⠀
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#10k #10kfollowers #organizationmotivation #motivation #simplifylife #simplify #organizedmom #organizing #homeorganization #declutter #diyorganizer #diyorganization #smallhomeliving #getorganized #stayorganized #letsgetorganized  #tidyhome #mysmallishhome #lessismore
⁣It’s a rainy Monday here and all I want to do ⁣It’s a rainy Monday here and all I want to do is drink mugs of hot tea nonstop.  But tea can be a tricky item to store!⠀
⠀
When it’s in the box, you never know how many tea bags are left.  But take them out of the box and they slide all over the shelf!⠀
⠀
Using some sort of small, clear, lidded container keeps the bags together and helps you see when it’s time to restock.  Bonus points if the containers can stack, allowing you to store multiple varieties in a small space. ⠀
⠀
These containers are from Target, but any food storage container will work. Even the cheap plastic food storage containers from the grocery store. ⠀
⠀
What is your favorite variety of tea?  I’m a big fan of English Breakfast if I need a little caffeine boost (which I’m definitely in need of today!)
⁣Do you ever have weeks where you just can’t g ⁣Do you ever have weeks where you just can’t get back on track?⠀
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Where you feel tired, and all you see is work that needs to get done?⠀
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It can be hard to figure out where to start.⠀
⠀
I’ve been struggling to get myself moving the last few weeks after experiencing a family emergency that knocked the wind out of my sails. ⠀
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But I know it’s time to turn things around.  Here are my go-to steps for getting back on track: ⠀
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1️⃣Get those machines working for me.  I always get the dishwasher running and then start a load of laundry.  It makes me feel productive and gets the momentum going for the rest of the day.⠀
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2️⃣Grab a pen and a notebook, plus either a glass of water or a cup of coffee, and sit down.⠀
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3️⃣Take everything in my head and write it down.  Everything that needs to be done, everything that needs to be bought, every card that needs to be written, bills that need to be paid, people I need to message back.  I write it down so it isn’t in my head.⠀
 ⠀
4️⃣Circle one thing that I can do now and finish.  Maybe I only have 10 minutes, but in those 10 minutes I can pick up a room, put away laundry, or go through a stack of paperwork.  Anything that will make progress on my list but Isn’t too big of a project that I can’t finish.⠀
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5️⃣Once I’ve done just one thing, I try to reward myself with some sort of self care.  It can be anything that makes me feel good - going for a walk, stopping in at a store, looking at a magazine, or maybe just scrolling on my phone for a few minutes.⠀
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6️⃣Then, I look back at my list and prioritize in order of importance.  I’ll choose the task with the highest priority and start working down. ⠀
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While this process works, it sometimes takes a few days.  I just keep repeating it over and over until things start clicking again. ⠀
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Getting outside helps too.  Fresh air and movement seem to do a world of good.⠀
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How have you been feeling lately?  Are you crushing that to-do list or are you feeling like you need like 3 clones of yourself in order to get it all done?⠀
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Photo by @callimechemphotography

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