When we met Morgin and Trevor, they were living in a downtown townhouse with their two children, Rory and Quinn. They wanted out. The family wanted to live in a safer neighborhood, near good schools, and in a house with more room for Rory and Quinn as they grew up.
Our first job was to make sure they didn’t rush. When you feel trapped in a living situation you don’t like—especially with kids in the picture—it’s easy to settle for the quickest option, for the “it’ll do” house that you don’t actually like. But buying a home is one of the biggest financial decisions you’ll ever make. A bad decision will follow you for years and years. So step one: relieve the pressure on Morgin and Trevor.
Around the same time we were talking with Morgin and Trevor, I (Johnine) got a call from a past client who wanted help finding good tenants for her rental: a single-family home in Fremont (when we say we do more than the typical Realtor, we mean it!). It was the perfect opportunity. Morgin, Trevor, Rory, and Quinn were thrilled to leave their downtown townhouse and get a good deal on rent, and our other client was ecstatic to fill her house so quickly with responsible renters. Everyone won, and we could move on to step two.
Without the pressure to find a house right now, we could help Morgin and Trevor’s family search for a home they loved. They hoped to find a place in North Seattle, Lake Forest Park, or Kenmore, but as their search continued, they realized they might more easily find a house that matched their top criteria in Edmonds, so we widened our net. Morgin and Trevor were willing to take on a fixer-upper, either cosmetic or major, but as anyone who has experienced Seattle’s real estate market in the last few years knows, it was still tough going. They made six offers, but they were outbid each time.
We’ve been working with them for two years—because without pressure, they were able to look for homes at their own pace. In that time, we’ve gotten to know the family well. I (Johnine) love playing with the girls whenever I meet them at a house, and we all look forward to seeing each other. Their search hasn’t felt frantic or stressful, and although their offers hadn’t been accepted, the frustration was manageable, because they had a good rental situation for the interim.
And then: Christmas.
Two weeks ago, Morgin sent me a house she liked in Edmonds, and I set up a showing for that Sunday. In the Christmas spirit, I bought an adorable vintage doll carriage for the girls, along with Christmas treats from Cupcake Royale. It turned out Morgin and Trevor had the same idea! Morgin brought homemade cookies she had baked with Rory, and the showing felt like a holiday all its own. The girls loved the doll carriage, and the family loved the house. It checked all their boxes—neighborhood, schools, and space—so Morgin and Trevor made an offer.
Another multiple-offer scenario…
…but this time, they won.
We’re all thrilled. Morgin, Trevor, Rory, and Quinn agree that the house is perfect for them, and in my personal opinion, I think this was the best house in our entire two-year search. It’s a beautiful home and a fantastic investment. The search was long and frustrating at times, but in the end, it was more than worth the wait. We couldn’t be happier.
