Have you ever had feelings for a house? In early August, I walked into a house and became totally infatuated with it. It was creaky and awkward and outdated, but I could see its potential right away. It had all of the old-house charm one would hope for and more. The soaring ceilings, the original wood floors and casings, the grand staircase in the entryway… it all made my heart flutter a bit.

The potential was so evident to me that I drew up the new floor plans that afternoon . The kitchen would move here, these walls would come down, a new bathroom would go here… and the budget would go up and up. Nothing like an accountant husband to alert you that reality. For the next two months, I crunched numbers and made secret Pinterest boards for this fantasy house of mine. My husband was confused and annoyed at my fixation. I would say “but the stained glass windows!” and “of course we need a front parlor!” to no avail. We kept looking, but how could anything compete when I thought I had found the one?!

All the while, I was afraid that someone would snatch it away from me, but the property continued to sit on the market. Having done my research on the real estate market and added up the renovation costs, I wasn’t surprised no one was biting at that price. Eventually, I made a more practical argument to my husband about our needs/wants, the neighborhood, the potential for appreciation etc. and got him to agree to take a chance. As a Realtor, I also had some idea of what might be happening behind the scenes with the seller and listing agent growing impatient. We made an offer I thought was fair and… we got it! It turned out to be a win-win for all involved.

After months of pining for this house, it was almost unreal that it actually worked out for us. But like I said, renovations are no joke — we are in the thick of it now. I am still obsessed with designing every corner of the house, except now it is actually time to make those decisions for real. I hope that this blog can serve as part diary as I hash it all out and part entertainment for those of you who care.