I shared the news on Instagram yesterday: MARK AND I BOUGHT A HOUSE!
After touring more than fifty homes and placing a bid on one other property, we finally found a place to call our own. If you live in Minneapolis, you already know how intense the housing market has been—listings move quickly and you often have to be ready to submit an offer the same day a house appears. Some homes are snapped up within hours, and a few never even hit the public listings. Our situation was one of those rare wins: the house we wanted never formally went on the market.
The Story
Here’s how it all unfolded. We visited an open house that was packed—about twenty other couples showed up for the same tour—and quickly realized that the property we had come to see was too small for our needs. From the beginning, we knew a large kitchen and an en-suite master bathroom were non-negotiable. Those features are surprisingly hard to find in our price range in this market, so we expected the search to be challenging.
As we were leaving that open house, I spotted something that felt like fate: the house next door had a “coming soon” sign and appeared to be the same basic layout but with a larger kitchen and an expanded upstairs—exactly what we had been looking for. It felt like the universe was finally on our side. We reached out to the listing agent and, yes, we did a little benign stalking to learn more. After some persistent communication, we persuaded the agent not to put the home on the public market so we could make an offer directly.
We submitted a strong offer and, to our delight, it was accepted. The closing process moved quickly—17 days from offer to closing—and before we knew it, we were signing the final papers. It still feels surreal to say it out loud: we are homeowners. That realization brought a huge sense of relief; honestly, I can finally sleep again.
We’re keeping our current lease in place through the end of June, so we’ll be taking our time with the move and settling in. That timeline gives us breathing room to plan the updates we want to make. First on the list are painting the entire interior and replacing the windows. Those two projects will make a dramatic difference in how the house looks and feels, and they’re the foundation for the rest of our renovation plans.
I’ve already been shopping for accents and furnishings—yes, I took advantage of the West Elm Memorial Day sale—and I’m excited to bring our vision to life. There’s a short list of other projects we’ll tackle over the coming months: cosmetic updates, layout improvements where needed, and small renovations to personalize the space while preserving its character. We’ll approach the work thoughtfully, prioritize what will improve livability right away, and plan larger projects for when the timing and budget align.
Want to see more inside the house? I’ll be sharing photos and updates with subscribers via email, and we’ll be chronicling the renovation process and other projects as they happen. If you’d like to follow along and get the details directly, get on my email list—I’ll be sending a special message to subscribers with additional photos from inside the house and a roadmap of what’s coming next.
Thank you for all the well wishes so far. This has been an emotional, exhausting, and thrilling chapter in our lives, and we can’t wait to make this house our home. Stay tuned for updates, before-and-after photos, and a lot of paint swatches.