My husband called from our condo to say "bring more towels."  I arrived to a couple of inches of water over the entire floor and water still gushing.  You could say this first major renovation project happened by accident. Or it  happened to us.  It was the first property we ever owned.  It had been rented-out problem free until....well, it wasn't.  Then work began to rebuild our condo.  The whole thing took much MUCH longer than promised by the construction company hired by the HOA to put it back together.

The water damage turned our condo into a complete gut-job.   As it goes in true HGTV fashion, I was expecting our first child during the renovation.  I selected the palette and materials myself and I found I really liked choosing materials and designing the space.  Buyers agreed.  When we sold the unit a few years later, we accepted an early offer for $50,000 over asking. 

Having kids changed what we valued in a neighborhood and a home.   High rise living and walkability to restaurants and bars in Downtown Seattle wasn't ideal anymore.  We set out to buy a single-family home and fell in love with Magnolia.   

The Seattle sellers market came as a bit of a shock.  We put in 9 offers until finally our 10th offer was accepted.  You could tell from satellite imagery that our house needed a new roof.  We waived all contingencies anyway and decided to make it our own.  We planned to add a second story to our two-bedroom, one bath brick bungalow.   Our plans snowballed. 

It also prompted my transition from more than a decade as a strategist in the aviation industry to becoming a real estate agent.  I'll put my skills in problem solving, strategy and operations to work in the Seattle real estate market. 

You can find or make your dream home.  Either way,  I'm here to be your guide.  If you decide to take on a project or two, you can skip some of the headaches and learn from lessons I learned the hard way.

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