Our Journey Buying A House in Raleigh
After years of dreaming, months scrolling Zillow, going to open houses all over the Triangle, we finally found the one and we couldn’t have done it without Christina Serafino from the Morgan Womble Group. Christina is a total rockstar, and we’re endlessly grateful for her guidance, patience, and local know-how. If you’re house hunting in Raleigh, we can’t recommend this team enough.
Now that we’ve officially moved in, we wanted to create one big post to track the journey. We’ll be sharing a few of our DIY adventures, but the heart of this blog is all about the amazing local businesses that helped us turn this house into a home.
We’ve worked with some truly talented people and we’re excited to pass along their info, reviews, and tips to anyone else navigating this process.
DIY Projects
We kicked things off with a few beginner-friendly projects that made a big impact. Our Instagram followers were so supportive and super helpful as we made some small tweaks to the home ourselves!
With help from some very patient friends, we sanded, primed, and painted all the interior doors, then swapped out the old hardware for a much cleaner look. We also repainted the bedrooms, which turned out to be more of a learning curve than expected (who knew choosing white paint could be so complicated?).
We replaced all the outlet covers and even upgraded a few outlets themselves which sounds intimidating but was surprisingly doable with the right guidance. The best part? We didn’t have to spend much, since our friends already had most of the tools we needed. If you’re thinking about tackling similar projects, borrowing tools and recruiting some helping hands makes an enormous difference.
Flooring
I will scream this one from the rooftops - rip out your carpet! One of the biggest upgrades we made right away was replacing the floors and we’re so glad we did. We worked with Right Step Flooring and can’t say enough good things about the experience. They made it super easy to choose a style that fit our vibe and budget, and the installation was fast and seamless.
>> Check out the transformation video here <<
We went with laminate flooring that’s scratch-resistant and perfect for dogs, which has already been a game-changer. It instantly made the whole house feel more modern and pulled together. Highly recommend checking them out if you’re considering new floors!
Deep Clean & Moving In
After finishing up the floors and some of our more ~ messy ~ DIY projects, we needed to deep clean the house. Before we brought in a single box, we had Enovana come out for a full deep clean. They use eco-friendly products, which was important to us, and they did an incredible job making every corner of the house feel fresh and ready. Nothing beats walking into a sparkling clean space on move-in day.
For the actual move, we stuck with our tried-and-true team at Dogwood Moving Company. We’ve been using them for over three years now, and they’ve never let us down. They’re efficient, careful, and just all-around great people to work with, which makes moving day a whole lot less stressful.
If you’re preparing to move, schedule your move with Dogwood and mention us on your inquiry for a discount!
Mosquito-Free Backyard
We moved in the summer (which, as y’all know, is mosquito season) and one of the best investments we’ve made so far has been installing a custom mosquito spraying system from MosquitoNix. The system uses essential oils instead of harsh chemicals, so it’s safe for pets and kids, and it keeps our backyard completely mosquito-free. It’s been a total game-changer for spending summer evenings outside without getting eaten alive.
Furniture
When it came time to furnish the new place, we went straight to Capital Discount, our go-to for years now. At this point, almost all of our furniture is from them and we’ve loved every single piece!
We picked up our dining table, couch, and even our bedroom set from them, and we couldn’t be happier. The quality is solid, the prices are unbeatable, and the team there is always a pleasure to work with.
Essential Fixes
Like most older homes, ours came with a few surprises that needed attention before we could settle in. Thankfully, we had some great pros to help us out.
We brought in Awar Electric to take care of a few things that were out of our DIY league, like fixing old outlets and installing new fan/light combos in both bedrooms. Ryan was awesome to work with, super responsive, and made the whole process easy. If you need any electrical updates, we definitely recommend giving them a call.
Carolina Chimney came out early on and did an amazing job getting our chimney in working order. They were quick, professional, and really knew their stuff.
Tradewinds Roofing handled our roof replacement, which was a must-do right after closing. Steve Huss and his team were fantastic—from the first inspection to the final cleanup. Now we’ve got a solid roof that should last us well over 10 years, and peace of mind to go with it.
Cornerstone Foundation Repair & Waterproofing came out to fix a joist that was broken when we bought the house, causing a slight dip in the floor.
Most importantly, we had friends and family who came with us for this journey and, for that, we will always be extremely grateful. We are still decorating and making the place our own but we couldn’t be happier with our new home.
