Do you love to look at homes? Does it matter what the home looks like? Is it interesting to think of the possibilities? Do you “flip” homes in your mind? Is Pinterest your secret pastime? I have pages and pages of images cut from magazines, full of ideas which I’ve categorized into three oversized ring binders, each properly labeled.
I have garden designs, gates, rooflines, guest homes, brick flooring patterns, Master bathrooms—you name it. I spent weeks during the beginning of the pandemic going through my saved magazines and cutting out pages and categorizing them into my idea books! I know it sounds crazy, but it’s really helped me gather my thoughts by referring to my ideas within specific categories for touches and ideas I might not have remembered.
An idea may be easily mentioned; however, a spot-on image is worth preserving. Our success in conveying our thoughts is further assured by referring to images that may resonate with the person to whom we’re conveying that idea. Describing the floor-to-ceiling windows in an entrance to a home is less constructive than showing images.
If this is intriguing to you, I think you may be a House Whisperer. Your inner creative process for making a home, creating memories, exercising your creative juices is fun, and a terrific way to unleash an incredibly positive process for creating the home you’ll enjoy. It doesn’t matter if the home is small, large, old, new, or has just the right “bones” to be something special. Trusting your judgment and enjoying the process of hunting for your perfect home may broaden your perspective on purchasing in a fast-moving market such as ours.
Trends are of a particular moment in time sure to become dated (shag carpet, avocado appliances—remember the blog post where I referenced that bidet?), and even though we like to think we have a handle on the latest and greatest design trends, it’s not necessarily the right move for everyone.
Just be careful you don’t start with the vision and abandon the dream; so many times we mean well and start the process, only to later find we don’t have the will to take it over the finish line.
Remember, you can do this! Keep motivated, stay the course and make your vision a reality. Sometimes it’s just a change in paint color, window treatments, and a few small details to turn a room around and make it your own. If you can’t help yourself but can see the possibilities in a home, you are a House Whisperer…
You don’t need to be an architect, contractor, developer, or interior designer to enjoy finding a home that has possibilities and speaks to you. Trust yourself. There’s no one-home-fits-all for purchasing, and your tastes and dreams may be best expressed by creaky floors and eclectic furnishings.
If you’re a minimalist, enjoy paring down “too many” details and cleaning up a cluttered floorplan. Take time to trust yourself: Don’t jump at the first home you see. Let your inner House Whisperer take charge.
I wish you happy hunting, happy buying, happy selling, and most of all a happy life!
Bainbridge Island Stats the past 30 Days
25 active residential listings High $2,349,000, Median $838,000 Low $296,000, Average days on market 6
38 pending residential listings High $2,148,000, Median $982,500 Low $299,000, Average days on market 8
59 sold residential listings High $5,495,000 Median $1,210,250 Low $405,000, Average days on market 14
5 sold unlisted properties High $3,375,000, Median $1,050,000 Low $455,000 Average days on market 0
4 active vacant land listings High $899,000, Median $650,000 Low $225,000, Average days on market 58
1 pending vacant land High $679,000, Median $679,000 Low $679,000, Average days on market 83
3 sold vacant land High $2,000,000, Median $1,250,000 Low $167,000, Average$850,000 days on market 395