By Living Room Realty, March 31, 2022
Skip and Zoe were my very first clients! They bought their first home together in Cully several years ago and since then have both begun working at home. Skip needs a private office and Zoe’s craft business needs a lot of room for creativity and storage, so their current house is just not going to work long term.
They have been searching for a new place that meets all their house and yard needs- sunshine for a garden, room (and a panel) for a hot tub, and it seemed like SW was the likely place to find that house. Skip was onboard, and Zoe a little more reluctantly, so we looked at several place over a few months. Either they just did not work- Zoe would have to work in an uninspiring basement, or the yard was too small, too shady, or 12 other people thought it was the house for them as well.
They started to get a little downtrodden, and I wondered if we would ever find the house that would satisfy all their needs and wants. Then, I got an email from Zoe. They have a neighborhood route they walk frequently and a favorite house along that walk. One day while she was on her own, Zoe noticed a sign post in the yard, so she knocked on the door and spoke to a friend of the owner- yes, the house was being prepped for sale. She wondered if the owner would be willing to take an offer before they went on the market? She told me she and Skip always said if they could buy that house, they would.
As it turned out, the owner was a realtor, so I gave her a call and she said she would be willing to entertain the idea. She has elderly dogs and saving her the stress of people coming through the home was appealing. It’s not the way this usually works, but my clients and I went to see the place, met the owner and they hit it off immediately. They both had 2 elderly dogs, and both their little brown and black dogs are named Izzy. They all love to garden, and bonded over the owners amazingly landscaped yard, her garden and the greenhouse filled with citrus.
The house has enough room for an office, and there is a separate workshop that is perfect for Zoe’s business. We were able to come to an arrangement that worked for all parties and now they are in contract on the house of their dreams. The owner is happy to be leaving it to new owners that appreciate all she has put into the house and garden, and I am profoundly grateful to be a part of this semi magical transaction!
