It’s been how long????

Man, it’s been awhile since I’ve posted last. The past year has been a whirlwind. Moving to Connecticut, renovating another house, getting my real estate license up here, and working with buyers and sellers in two states, all while juggling being a full time mommy and building a real-estate transaction business that focuses on doing the paperwork for other Realtors. (I need a cup of coffee just writing that out). I feel like I hit the ground running. 2018 has been my busiest year so far! I am so sorry for neglecting this page. Renovation and design is my life’s passion and I hope you will continue to join me as I explore the fabulous world of rehab.

I’m working on finishing up the Connecticut Colonial and getting professional pictures taken so you can all see it. Here are some pictures from our past rehabs to hold you over:

The Southlake House

The Plano House

The College Station Condo

I thought it would be fun to take a little trip down memory lane, and revisit how we got started with this crazy renovation life. The story below is a brief overview of our life the last five years… I hope you enjoy!

How it All Got Started:

Our adventures with renovation started completely by accident. We bought our first home one week before we got married in 2013. We painted, and moved in, content to update things a little at a time while we lived there. Fate had other plans. One week after coming home from our honeymoon, I came home to water running out the side door. Needless to say I freaked out. We spent the next four months living in a hotel room, with four dogs, while we renovated our home. The insurance claim was over $100,000 including our hotel stay. Busted pipe in the foundation. Seriously no fun. But we got to remodel the entire house and we took what we learned and moved on.

I had so much fun picking finishes and remodeling I seriously considered going back to school to get a degree in Interior Design. I settled for buying a condo a year later in College Station (home of Texas A&M, and our Alma Mater). We spent every weekend of the following three months driving down there (3 hours both ways) and renovating the entire place. New kitchen, new baths, new flooring, new paint, new everything. We rented it out as our first investment property.

A year and a half later, my husband was getting sick of his commute to work (45min each way), and I was itching for another project… So we sold our first home, and bought the Plano house. This place was straight out of the 80’s. In fact, it sat on the market almost 365 days in a hot Dallas market because it needed new AC units and was so outdated. (We’re talking green tile in the kitchen/living room.) This home was by far our largest project. There was not a surface we didn’t touch. 4 new bathrooms, brand new kitchen, flooring, paint, backyard, landscaping… I mean EVERYTHING was new. We had gotten a fantastic deal on this one… $445k when (at the time) I figured it was valued at about $550k. You see, I’m a Realtor, so I spend all my time looking at homes (when I’m not renovating stuff). Anyway, we got a fantastic deal, and we took the profits from our first house sale to put about $95k into this new house.

Fast forward 1 year. My husband received a job offer we couldn’t pass up…. in Connecticut. So, we put the Plano house on the market and sold it in 3 days at $630k…. almost a 100k profit! And that is the moment I was fully hooked.

Our home in Connecticut was mostly move in ready. We have done a bit of updating… since I could never just leave a house as is. We’ve remodeled the kitchen, put all new hardwoods in, painted the exterior, redone the fireplace, updated all the lighting, and we still have a few more projects to go before we’re done.

A few months ago, we decided keeping up with the Condo in College Station was too much work from across the country… so we listed it, and it sold in 2 days. I’m taking the cash from that sale and searching for our next project. As soon as I find a cute little Cape Cod to renovate we will officially become Home Flippers. I. Cannot. Wait!

It’s hard to believe that all of this started only 5 years ago. 4 homes in 5 years. Some people think we’re crazy… and maybe they’re right. But we’re addicted to beautifying this world…. one house at a time.”

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I never thought I would say these words but…. WE ARE MOVING TO CONNECTICUT! Oh my. So many emotions!

My Husband was offered a position that we couldn’t pass up, and so we’re moving 1600 miles across the country. The last 2 months have whizzed by in a blur. We sold our home in Plano in 3 days… crazy Dallas market. Our things are packed up and are now being stored in Connecticut. The transition has been trying at times. I stayed behind in Dallas to finish up with some clients, and just flew back to Connecticut to help with our new home search about a week and a half ago. Now that I’m here, I’m quickly falling in love with the area and the people! We’re buying in a little area called Newtown (more about our new house later). We close on the new house in about 3 weeks. And in true “Christine” fashion… there will of course be some renovation. Haha! I can’t wait to get started.

BUT… before I delve into the renovation process on our new Connecticut house, I promised I would post professional pictures of the Plano House! SO, here they are:

As Always ~ Happy Renovating!