Jan and Mike – The Courage to Change

Jan and Mike had it “made”. They loved their home and enjoyed deep ties to their neighbors and their community. Still, they longed for a change. Finding out where to go and the logistics behind finally getting there was a long, carefully thought out journey.

 We had been looking for a perfect home somewhere in Puget Sound, Washington State for about 1-1/2 years. We had lived in our Spanish house in Glendale for almost 30 years but were ready for the quieter life and the cooler weather. Finally found our dream home that we both could agree on (no easy task). After our offer was accepted we had to act fast and called Kendyl to spring into action in selling our house.

What was going on in your life at that point?

We had made the decision to move a while ago so were gradually downsizing to get rid of the clutter. Spent our free time searching on Zillow and Redfin for a home and flying up a few times to look at houses on the market. We engaged a real estate agent on the Kitsap Peninsula who was fantastic and will be a friend for life.

You have very strong ties to your community.  How hard was it to consider moving away from those ties?

It was a hard decision to leave our home and neighborhood in Glendale. 30 years ago we were the kids on the block but now were the oldies. We have made life long friends who all threaten to come and visit. We were ready for a change of a simpler lifestyle with actual four seasons. We were not enjoying the extreme heat, nor the drought restrictions. Our community was experiencing more crime, traffic congestion, and increased taxes. Our neighbors, although quite sad, were excited about our new adventure. A wonderful send off party was thrown with a special book of notes and photos penned by the neighbors.

How did you decide on where you wanted to go?

 Upon our first visit to the Pacific Northwest, we fell in love with the beautiful scenery. Between the mountains and the sea, Puget Sound and the land surrounding it offer breathtaking sights for the avid nature-lover. We were mainly looking on the Kitsap Peninsula, predominantly Fox Island and Gig Harbor. We looked at homes in Bremerton and Hansville but felt they were a little isolated from the rest of the world. We did not know anyone in the area but soon became good friends with our real estate agent who schooled us on the different areas. We wanted an updated home, private, not on top of neighbors yet easy access to shopping, restaurants etc. We wanted to have easy access to ferries right into the City of Seattle if we needed a little action and culture.

How did you figure out the money?

As we had purchased our home in California nearly 30 years ago and had paid off the mortgage, we were in a financial position to be able to get everything we were looking for in regard to privacy, an updated modern home and acreage. The cost of living is somewhat cheaper, no extreme air conditioning bills although get back to us after a cold winter.

Tell me about the process of selling your home.

When we finally found our dream home and our offer was accepted, we had to act fast and called Kendyl to spring into action in selling our home. We had run into Kendyl over the years at various open houses and found her to be approachable, friendly and straightforward. We had interviewed several agents in the Glendale area but kept gravitating back to Kendyl’s bubbly personality and knowledge of sales in the area. She was straightforward in schooling us in the process and we were extremely impressed by her presentation, particularly the professional illustrated print outs of the comps in the neighborhood. She answered all our questions of what to expect regarding, escrow, home inspections, appraisals, open houses and private viewings. As time was of the essence, we scheduled our first open house within days. No time to “stage” the house but we made it as inviting as we could. I believe at the first open house over 100 people toured our home, but I suspect a lot of them were neighbors. Many favorable comments were received about the house and we had our first offer within a few days.

You had some bumps along the way that were stressful. Can you share some of your thoughts and actions that helped you get through it all?

We cannot say the whole process was smooth sailing but Kendyl calmed us every step of the way. Her team at Diggs were extremely professional yet caring and patient to all 100 of our questions. Go with Diggs for all your real estate needs. You will not be disappointed.

What advice would you give to someone who is thinking about relocating?

Although it was an emotional time for us to leave our home of 30 years, we look forward to our next adventure. We think everyone can sense when it is time to uproot to a new home, whether it be in the same state or thousands of miles away. It is a great feeling to put our stamp on this new home, making it comfortable and pleasing for us in every way. Gives us a new lease on life!

Epilogue

Jan and Mike have settled in nicely! They are enjoying the milder summer weather and Jan loves her huge lot and all the gardening space. They have already made lots of new friends, but old friends have been coming up to stay for long visits. Saying good bye to the old life was difficult, but they have no regrets.