Nice to meet you
We are Chris and Malley, this is the story of how we are creating our version of home.
Nice to meet you
We are Chris and Malley, this is the story of how we are creating our version of home.
Nice to meet you
We are Chris and Malley, this is the story of how we are creating our version of home
How did we get here?
Growing up in Queens NY – Chris’ family had a cabin in Andes, located in upstate NY. He created many fond memories there with family and friends, spending weekends away from the hustle and bustle of the city. This property was sold in 2017 just around the time he met Malley. Knowing how challenging it was for him to let go of his place stuck with her.
Just a couple years later, they discovered a great place just outside of Mt Rainier National Park. Chris stayed there on a solo snowshoeing trip, in an Airbnb located in a small development. Later, Chris and Malley went together – staying in a different Airbnb they ended up loving. This got Chris looking into real estate options there. As it was looking more enticing and feasible to buy a property there, the pandemic hit in early 2020 causing a rush of people purchasing properties away from Seattle and the inventory went down while prices quickly became out of our range.
Chris still watched Zillow and one day Malley had a wild idea – what if they started to look at upstate NY. It only took a little nudging to realize it wasn’t so crazy after all so the search shifted to the other side of the country. Chris connected with a realtor who started scoping out properties. After lots of research, pros and cons lists, a video tour from their realtor, and figuring out financing, they made an offer on a cute cabin located in Preston Hollow NY. It took a lot of blood, sweat, and tears but by fall of 2022 they were putting the final details in place to get it ready for guests.
Let's do it!
Months of successful bookings got Chris and Malley thinking about the next possible property and what steps they’d need to get there. Thinking it would take some time, they moved into a smaller apartment to save up. With that, Chris still frequented Zillow, and dreams of the next house started forming.
They found Cooperstown and started having their realtor start scoping some out. One didn’t have enough heating, another was in horrible shape, another they liked, made an offer, and then discovered major problems. After more searching, they found the one, a four-bedroom house, with a large deck, on 15 acres. The house appeared in good condition and is nestled in the middle of a forest – it feels remote but is still close to nearby towns. They made a competitive offer and got it – things started moving quickly, inspection, closing, and now, getting ready to move.
Now they have moved in and are getting ready to tackle fixing it up, and making it their own. Eventually, it will also host guests – many people visit this region for all the baseball activities and other great things that bring people to upstate NY like breweries, cideries, antique stores, farms, and so much more. In the meantime, they are looking forward to friends or family who get the chance to visit.
This is for our friends and families to keep up with us and hopefully feel connected to our journey. Follow along to keep up with our DIY projects and adventures in between.
