Buying Our First House + New Kitchen Sneak Peek!
Most of you know already, but... ba-dum-ching… we are buying a house! Our very first house to be exact. My excitement CANNOT be contained, so I won’t even try to act cool about this. I’M OVER-THE-MOON EXCITED. I’m also scared AF, but more than anything, I’m ready and raring to go. Before I give you a sneak peek of our beautyyyy-ful new kitchen (and epic SAMSUNG FRIDGE!), let me give you a little backstory.
How the Process Began
When we moved from NYC to Austin only a year ago, we had every intention of eventually buying a house here. We knew Austin was the city we wanted to put roots in, which is why we picked it [Related: Why We Moved to ATX], but we didn’t know when exactly we’d be ready for it financially or mentally.
We arrived in Austin in May of last year, and I started casually chatting with realtors in June. So, yeah… I wasted no time. But, when I say casually… I truly mean it. We had just moved cross-country, bought a new car, and we were in the process of fully furnishing our new apartment. We were TAPPPPED out. We were very upfront with our realtor about NOT being ready for at least another year or two, but we wanted to start learning about the process so we could prepare ourselves.
After a few months passed, we started to get into our groove here in Austin. Our monthly expenses were back to a healthy budget once the apartment furnishing was complete. Andrew and I each started to slowly rebuild our savings and the thought of buying a house was back on the brain.
Well, that escalated quickly...
Long story short, we started hunting again in November, and it quickly turned from casual house hunting to serious house hunting. By December, we ended up falling in love with a beautiful brand new build in a neighborhood we love. We took the leap and made an offer in January - it was accepted and here we are.
The timing has worked out perfectly with the house being ready to move in right when our apartment lease is up (in May!). Everything aligned, and we managed to save 20% for our down payment sooner than we thought. We worked our asses off to get here, but Andrew and I are both endlessly grateful for what this platform has allowed us to do. So, thank you all for being here, for reading the words I write, and for allowing me to create with purpose every single day.
New Kitchen Sneak Peek + the First Fridge We’ve Ever Owned!
Technically, buyers aren’t supposed to move in personal items until you officially close on the house. But, lucky for us, our builder is an awesome guy and allowed us to go ahead and move in the fridge of our dreams. Andrew and I had our eye on this 4-Door French Door Fridge for months, and Samsung swooped in like the Fairy freakin’ Godmother of Appliances and made it happen. We are SO excited to partner with Samsung over the next few months to share the appliances we’ve picked for our new home. Starting with this fridge…
^ Text from my dad.
Why we chose this fridge:
It’s counter-depth, meaning it fits more seamlessly with our counter-tops, keeping our kitchen nice and open.
It is ENERGY STAR® Certified which means it is energy efficient. This Samsung refrigerator actually exceeds the energy efficiency specifications set by the government.
It fits our lifestyle. The layout of a french-door fridge is just so much more logical. We love the wider shelves, larger bins, and it just feels more seamless to access the things we need on a daily basis.
It’s super sleek and intentional. It’s not a huge n’ hunky fridge, but on the inside you can really maximize the space. It makes this aspiring minimalist’s heart flutter.
All of the inside features support maximum efficiency. Your food can be strategically placed for optimal freshness, while also achieving your most organized kitchen. Win, win, win!
You can shop our exact fridge here and check out all of Samsung’s appliances here!
We cannot wait to move in, turn that baby on, and fill it with all of that vibrant, fresh goodness. It’s the first fridge we’ve ever been able to CHOOSE and own! And it’s got beauty and brains, that’s for sure. Getting to finally choose our own appliances that fit OUR lifestyle has been so fun. We love hosting friends for dinner and game nights, and our new house with this open kitchen will be taking our social wellbeing to a whole new level. We’re excited to nourish our bodies, build community, and make some beautiful memories in our very first home together.
Stay tuned for a Rapid Fire Q&A where I answer all of your first-time home buyer questions! If you have any more questions for me, leave ‘em in the comments below.
Love y’all! x