Working as a Realtor in a vacation home market, I finally decided to test the waters myself and buy a second home. We looked around and decided to start small, with something “move-in ready” as to not disrupt our day to day lives with a place that was meant for vacationing.

The view was spectacular and the home looked well maintained in an area that was well maintained and we finally bit the bullet and put in an offer a couple of days before Christmas 2022. Our present to ourselves.

The original plan was to stock the home with things we had in our current house and replace what we needed back in NC instead of buying for this place. The best laid plans, right? Our first weekend there, after the sun went down, we sat there and looked at the kitchen chatting about what type of refrigerator to get.

Every day, I advise clients on what they should do to make a home ready to rent or sell for the most money. I help stage homes, design furniture layout and improve a home’s value. I not so innocently suggested the refrigerator should move to the back corner and maybe we could put a counter next to it with a cooktop closer to the main living area. After all, while I was cooking I didn’t want to be stuck back away from that view. After dinner, we loaded the dishwasher and water started running all over the floor. And then the dryer broke the following weekend. Time to shop for all the appliances…

With sales running for President’s weekend that next weekend, we made plans for ripping out the kitchen and starting over. And while we were at it, we might as well do the whole place, making it truly a reflection of who we are. This way our guests and ourselves could enjoy the view inside at night as much as we do during the day out on the decks.

We hope you love our place away from home as much as we do. And if you’re curious about how the transformation happened, check out the blog page or of course our Instagram account.