We have some exciting news to share...WE BOUGHT OUR FIRST HOUSE!!! (again lol)
As many of you know, after Alec and I moved back from southern California we moved in with my dad to help us save some money, so we could purchase a house. Then back in March, we started the house buying process, but unfortunately it ended in quite the fiasco (be sure to check out this blog post if you have no idea what I’m referring to for a good laugh). So you could say after our first attempt at buying a house, we were nervous and very skeptical to go on this journey again. However, we were hopeful with the housing market shift and trusting that the right house would come our way when it was meant to be.
After checking Zillow all day every day for about a month, on Monday, August 22nd, we decided to reach back out to our amazing realtor and get the ball rolling. Luckily, since we had just been through this process a couple of months ago, we felt like pros this time around. We started by really inspecting the houses posted online and favoriting ones we were heavily considering, while our realtor set up some tours for us for Saturday, August 27th. After touring 4 of the 5 houses, we were pretty tired, but feeling very hopeful about the last one on our list. The second we pulled up, Alec and I both had such a good feeling about the house and immediately knew why our first house buying process didn’t work out. Even though throughout that process we were disappointed and annoyed, we knew God had an even better plan for us than we could ever imagine. After we finished touring, Alec and I could envision all the different ways we could make this house our home, so by the end of the day we had officially submitted our offer. Similar to the last house, this was a vacant house that Open Door was selling, so we knew the process well and knew everything would move very quickly!
On Sunday, August 28th our offer was accepted, and we were officially under contract! Throughout this whole process, Alec and I were so skeptical and just waiting for the shoe to drop, but continued trusting the Lord’s plan for us and that whatever was meant to be would happen. Since things were moving along smoothly, so were we. Next, we reached out to our incredible inspector to set up an appointment for him to come out to the house and check it out. With our last house, neither Alec nor I were at the inspection, which we regretted. This time, Alec was able to meet him at the potential house and walk through every imperfection he could find. Luckily, there were no major issues, which was a great sign and such a relief compared to the last house. After he was able to gather all of his information and notes, we went back to Open Door with a counter offer on the price of the house and patiently waited for their response. By September 2 we came to an agreement and an amendment was signed by all. At this point all we were waiting on was the appraisal which came back on September 8th. Originally we weren't supposed to close until September 19th, but like I mentioned before, the house was vacant. So after a lot of work from our realtor and mortgage broker on the evening of September 8th, we were able to get everything ready for us to close the next day. So on Friday, September 9th we officially signed and sealed the deal…the house was ours!!
Now if you can remember with our last house on signing day during our final walkthrough we showed up and the house was flooded. So as you could imagine we were very nervous of something crazy like this happening again, but alas, after closing we went to the house, and it was perfectly fine! You could imagine the sigh of relief we both felt when we showed up and realized this was officially our first home together!! After celebrating with some friends on Friday night, we got to work on Saturday, September 10th arranging cleaners, movers, and ordering all the things. That next week felt like the longest week of our lives, as we were just SO excited to move into our first home together. Throughout the week, we did swing by the house a couple of times to start on a few small projects and let some contractors in so they could give us some estimates on some home renovation projects we were hoping to start on right away. Since the house was built in 1968 there are definitely some outdated features in the home that we want to update, but that was one of the things that excited us most about this house. When we were hunting for our home, we wanted something with good bones and that we could make our own, and that is exactly what we found in this charmer. So as we continue renovating and flipping each space throughout the house we will be sure to document it and update y'all along the way.
Since the house was officially ours, we could finally start dreaming up our big plans and bring everything
to life. We started by thinking about each room in the house and brainstorming all the things we wanted to change about each space. Once we listed it all out, we then prioritized what was most important to us while also determining the cost of each renovation. First thing we knew we had to do was remove all the textured walls in the kitchen + popcorn ceiling in the master bedroom & living room. Before doing that however, we had to decide if we wanted to remove anything else off the walls/ceilings (lights, cabinets, bookcases, etc.) so when we got the texture removed everything in those rooms was the same. We decided the master bedroom and living room were good as is and once we removed those popcorn ceilings the rooms would be transformed. That only left the kitchen to make some decisions on so we decided to remove 3 cabinets to allow more light in, let the gorgeous windows be the focal point of the kitchen, and add some floating shelves for display. Since we were having a contractor come out and fix the walls + ceilings the following week, we needed to remove the cabinets asap!
It was honestly a lot easier than expected! After Alec removed all of the screws (which was slightly difficult because at the time we had no power so we had to use a normal screwdriver lol) we just used a crowbar to gently remove them. We wanted to be sure to not damage the cabinets as we plan to reuse them in the garage. Once we removed all 3 cabinets, we were so happy with how it helped transform the kitchen and make such a difference already! We still have a ways to go but we are reminding ourselves daily to be planted in progress over perfection.
That same evening we did some small renovations, we also got to enjoy our first meal in our new home. As cheesy as it was, it felt symbolical to eat our go to Chick-fil-a orders on the living room floor while watching Parks & Recreation on Alec's phone and dreaming about all the love and future memories we get to make in this space. These are definitely the small moments that make up our lives that I will truly never forget.
Once Saturday, September 17th finally rolled around, we were more than ready to pack up our stuff and head to our new home. Since we moved straight from our California apartment in January 2022 to my dad’s, we actually never fully unpacked, so our “pack up process” was fairly simple. We had a majority of our stuff in boxes in a storage unit and just the essentials with us. So throughout the week we packed up our clothes and shoes (and some more shoes because we both have a problem lol) and patiently waited for the movers to show up that morning. We ended up picking Brother Bear Moving Co. because we did have quite a few larger furniture pieces + appliances and just felt more comfortable paying professionals to move it all, and boy are we happy with our choice. We had a team of 3 show up promptly at 8:30am, pack up all our items from my dad’s and our storage unit in a moving truck, and deliver to our new house by 12pm. Honestly, we couldn’t recommend using Brother Bear enough for their efficiency, friendliness, and timeliness. It truly made our moving process so much smoother and more enjoyable! Once the guys left, it was then time for us to get to work!! Alec went to pick up lunch for us from Whataburger while I began unpacking and organizing (seriously, my happy place).
All throughout the weekend, we just unpacked, cleaned, organized, moved furniture, and reminded ourselves how blessed we truly are. When I say this was a dream come true for us, it really was. Hard to believe those 17-year-olds from 10 years ago are here now, making unforgettable memories in our first home together and even more in love than we were back then. This life sure can be crazy, but no one else I’d rather spend it with than my best friend!
xo,
the stegalls
Be sure to check out this list of home vendors we put together if you're in the market for buying/selling a house or just need some repairs done! You can follow along on our insta home highlights as well as on the blog. Also stay tuned for house renovation updates and room reveals as we continue to make this house our home!!
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