Times Union: Spaces Real Estate Cover Story (June 2021)

She bought her first house in Saratoga Springs —then got to work

I was 3 or 4 years old when I first knew what it felt like to be home. From the back seat, I’d hear the sound of the car shifting into park as my family of four returned from a weekend away. Lamps and lanterns lined the walkway up to the house, lighting the path my parents took to gently carry me and my sister inside to trade our car seat snooze for a restful night of sleep.

Coming home was a predictable, comforting moment. It was a familiar reunion with my favorite things and smells. There’s something about pulling into the driveway signifying you’ve reached your final destination. You’ve safely landed.

I confirmed that last part recently when a childlike giddiness raced through me, met with an unexpected calm, as I waited to meet a Realtor in the well-lit horseshoe driveway of a little green ranch in Saratoga Springs.

I saw the lamps and lanterns line the walkway up to the house and suddenly felt like being small again: closing my eyes and getting carried inside. I had to remind myself I wasn’t home yet.

First-time homebuyers have a tendency to be nervous, indecisive and picky — but not me. I knew when I saw the house I wanted it, but getting it in the current, hot real estate market would be tough. 

Days before my driveway déjà vu, my boyfriend, Keith, and I got a preapproval letter to begin our search after the downtown property we’d been renting fell through. (Literally, the ceiling in the living room collapsed.)

Our online search in the ZIP code 12866 brought back few results and fewer possibilities. A three-bedroom was about as particular as I wanted to be if this was going to happen.

I submitted a request to see the house with the horseshoe driveway (something I always wanted) and spoke with Brandon Orszulak, a licensed real estate salesman with Howard Hanna Real Estate Services. Less than 24 hours later, he was our Realtor and we were buyers with an accepted offer.

“I did not imagine you putting an offer on the first house and getting it,” Orszulak  said. “I was excited because it was such a great place, and nervous since I figured there’d be at least one other offer.”

Surprised and encouraged by our decisiveness, Orszulak skipped his typical process — getting to know his client’s needs, setting up multiple showings and driving around town — and quickly drew up the only offer the sellers would receive. I convinced my partner this house had it all: A renovated, open kitchen with upgraded appliances and marble countertops. More than an acre of semiprivate land in our ideal location. Built-in curb appeal. And, importantly, the home was recently listed below our maximum budget. Its few flaws would easily be overcome with do-it-yourself projects and a creative, aesthetic eye. It’s a first home.

“We went in strongly with an offer slightly over asking,” Orszulak explained. “You didn’t have a house to sell nor were you locked into a lease, and so we were able to move very fast and avoid a multiple-offer situation.”

The upfront part of the process happened so fast it would have fit into the first half of a house-hunting show on HGTV. (P.S. Where do you think I learned to offer slightly over asking? More than a decade of dedicated network television watching partly prepared me. That, and having a true understanding of the market from being a real estate writer for the paper. I knew there was no time to wait.)

“I do think I show some people the perfect home very early on, but they’re too hesitant to commit,” Orszulak said. “Typically, my clients don’t purchase the first and/or only house I show them. The high demand and low inventory has made it difficult for buyers to 'sleep on it.”

Working with a lender and negotiating the contract wasn't the fun part of the buying experience — I know why that part is left out of TV shows — but I'd do it again rather than go through the repeated disappointment other buyers have experienced of losing bidding wars. My sense and my sources say people are either getting outbid on their dream home, or overpaying on a contender versus what should’ve been the one — or both.

As we waited for our own deal to be done, I did my best in waiting to click “purchase” on furniture and other design elements until we had a closing date. Too many people said don't dare pop a bottle of champagne before we had the keys in hand.

I manifested a mood board and dreamed up a new style for each space months before hanging wall art and zipping up duvets. I relished in the creative freedom as my boyfriend became more interested in finding a used lawnmower on Facebook Marketplace than comparing accent pillows for the couch.

I started with fresh paint — everywhere — from a matte finish “limousine leather” on the two traditional brick fireplaces, to “polished marble” to neutralize the walls that had once been coated with a generic baby blue and a truly horrific, shiny shade of green. 

Working within the style of the home’s new kitchen, I pulled a bluish gray from the marble back splash to re-energize the open dining room and smooth the transition. I’m a terrible and impatient painter, and was lucky my mom lives less than 30 minutes away and was happy to help. 

I wanted wallpaper for the powder room but it was insanely expensive. I chose color called “torch red”  for the walls, then hung an array of gaudy, quirky and occasionally meaningful photographs and artwork. You can lock eyes with a black-and-white portrait of my great-grandmother, Miriam, before you wash your hands in the petite pedestal sink.

I added a few more modern pieces throughout the home like floating metal bar stools from Target, and did so carefully knowing I’d need to integrate some of the natural wood elements in a way that was a little more “me” and a little less farmhouse chic. Architecturally, a ranch is a relatively blank slate without too many fixed elements to dictate a set direction for decor.

My mood board was a fantastic use of time. It allowed me to more purposely fill my online shopping carts, virtually rearrange my must-have pieces and keep track of ideas from room to room. The past few weeks we’ve turned our attention to the outside of the house, where I’ll design flower boxes for the front while Keith perfects the lines of fresh cut grass with the marketplace mower.

We've accomplished a lot in our first few months as homeowners, but there’s been nothing more emotional or satisfying than relearning that childlike memory of coming home. I feel it all over again, every time I pull in the driveway.