Buying a Home; Decorating Ideas; Easy Recipes; Getting Pregnant : from The Nest by The Knot

Real Estate from The Nest

Your guide to the basics of buying your first home and tackling your new home checklist. Plus, find everything you need to know about hiring a real estate agent, purchasing homeowners insurance, calculating your home mortgage payments, and acclimating to your neighborhood.

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Home Buying Help – Money Management Tools – Home Decorating Ideas – Free Recipes

I Wish I Lived Here: Rustic & Coastal Georgia Cottage

Atlanta Cottage

Who says cottage living has to be rustic, farmhouse-inspired, and sparse? Jayme Armour Leffler, who owns Armour & Co. Home Emporium in Atlanta, moved into this beautiful two-bedroom, one-bath stone cottage in the Ponce de Leon Heights of Atlanta, Georgia, two years ago. The cottage itself was built in the 1920s out of stone from a local quarry. Of her decor, Jayme says: "Stylistically it's a little bit French-coastal mid-century -- it's got such a mix of items. A lot of my accessories lean toward a coastal feel, and I also like Asian accents."

I love the idea of having a cottage that maintains its rustic, simplistic feel outside, yet also looks stylish and elegant on the inside. What's your favorite part about Leffler's cottage life, Nesties? Share below!

Home Buying Help – Money Management Tools – Home Decorating Ideas – Free Recipes Posted by Lauren Le Vine on Tuesday November 17, 2009 10:37 AM
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Just Moved: Pamela & David

Just Moved: Pamela & David

Find out how this couple scored a 3-bedroom, 2-bath colonial in Connecticut.

Ages: Both 27.
Careers: Pamela's a therapist; David's a lawyer.
Married: May 27, 2007
Location: West Hartford, CT
Setup: 3 bedrooms, 2 baths
House Style: Colonial
Square Footage: 1,546
Price Paid: $292,000
The Deal:
$189/ sq. ft.

How long were you looking?
We began looking a year ago, but stopped eight months ago after our first lowball offer was rejected. We saved money during those months and found our house within two weeks!

How many homes did you visit and look at?
We visited seven condos and eight houses, but we looked at hundreds of condos and houses on the Internet.

What was the hardest part about finding your new home?
Agreeing on location. I preferred a smaller home in a great location, but my husband preferred a larger home in a less desirable location. Ultimately, we got a great home in a great location!

What was the best part?
Browsing decor magazines and imagining each home with our touch.

Was it hard to compromise and find a home you both loved?
It seemed that we would never agree until we set foot in this home. It felt right to both of us instantaneously.

Do you have any advice for Nesties who are still looking for their first home?
Don't settle and don't be afraid to bargain with the sellers. There's never harm in asking!

What is your favorite thing about your new home and what's unique about it?
We have a Jacuzzi tub and tons of natural light!

Inside Their Home
The living room is our favorite room in the house. Notice our kitties lounging! The natural sunlight and simplicity make this room warm and welcoming. We wanted a "spa" bathroom on a tight budget, and we put a lot of work into creating this effect. We love the built-in hutch in our dining room. Every home in our neighborhood has one, and each is unique. We were especially happy to upgrade our plastic bedroom set to this teak and rattan one. It blends my classic and David's modern style.

Did you Just Move?

Show off! Submit photos to be in The Nest magazine
Get in good with your neighbors
Find decor ideas for your new space

The Nest Editors Posted by The Nest Editors on Wednesday November 11, 2009 03:01 PM
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I Wish I Lived Here: Swedish Apartment

I Wish I Lived Here: Swedish Apartment

Just when I thought IKEA had given me a lifetime's worth of love for Sweden, this gorgeous apartment that's for sale in the Linnestaden district of the city of Gothensburg rolled across my decor blog transom and opened my heart up to Swedish decor that much more. Nesties, I may have to relocate. Look at the street view picture -- this city has mass transit via cable car. And the indoor decor only sweetens the deal.

Swedish apartment, kitchen, bathroom, office

Almost every room has a beautiful accent wall (the wallpaper in the bedroom and dark wall above the living room sofa are vying for my "favorite" award), and the whole apartment is furnished in clean oak boards and painted white woods. Then, of course, there's the tile work. Look at the kitchen backsplash. Just look at it! It's chartreuse! Oh, its vibrancy brings a warm glow to my day. I hope this place gets the owner it deserves.

If you do happen to be looking for a lovely apartment in Gothesburg, here's the apartment listing on the realtor's site. I highly recommend viewing it with Google Translate, unless you speak Swedish!

Photos courtesy of Alvhem Brokerage & Interior

Home Buying Help – Money Management Tools – Home Decorating Ideas – Free Recipes Posted by Lauren Le Vine on Tuesday November 10, 2009 02:06 PM
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Just Moved: Kerri & Mike

Get the scoop on this Connecticut couple and their new 3-bedroom home!


Location:

Danbury, Connecticut
Setup: 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms
House Style: Contemporary
Square Footage: 1,814
Price Paid: $510,000
The Deal: $281/sq. ft.

How many places did you look at before finding the right one?
We looked in six different towns -- at close to 100 different houses.

How long were you looking?
It took us over a year to find and purchase the house. We made offers on three other houses, but they all ended up falling though.

What was the worst part about house-hunting?
It consumed our weekends. The first few weeks were fun, but then it became a chore. We got up every Saturday and Sunday morning and left to go find a house.

What was the best part?
We really got to see what we wanted or didn’t want in a house.

Was it hard to compromise and find a house you both loved?
Yes. After looking at 100 houses, there was only one other one that we both really liked. It happened to be one of the other three that fell through.

Do you have any advice for other Nesties who are house-hunting now?
Don’t settle. It took us over a year to find our house, and toward the end of the year, we were getting frustrated and started to think about settling for a house that wasn’t completely what we wanted. Then we came across our house and fell in love with it. Also, there will be frustrating times. We had to sell our condo in order to buy our house, and we had to move in with friends for about two months until we were able to move into our house. We’re grateful that they welcomed us to live in their home with them. In the end, it was worth it because we can’t picture ourselves in any of the other houses we looked at -- only ours!

Did you Just Move?

Show off! Submit photos to be in The Nest magazine
Get in good with your neighbors
Find decor ideas for your new space

The Nest Editors Posted by The Nest Editors on Tuesday November 03, 2009 03:12 PM
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Quiz: What Kind of Celebrity Home Would You Own?

celebrity home

Imagine that you’re red-carpet-ready (with the income to back it up!) and can have your dream home of choice -- what would it be?

Take our quiz to find out!

Remember: You’ll be in the paparazzi’s eye, so location is everything!

Want to drool over more cool houses? Check out these amazing pads and daydream away…

Home Buying Help – Money Management Tools – Home Decorating Ideas – Free Recipes Posted by Sharon Stimpfle on Monday November 02, 2009 03:23 PM
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buying a home

5 replies

Underwritters suspended approval?

posted by Hwrd2be on Thursday, November 19, 2009

1 replies

WWYD? a buy vs rent vs assume mortgage question

posted by Birdyne on Saturday, November 21, 2009

2 replies

Did you have to request a final walk-through?

posted by Ali2302 on Friday, November 20, 2009

4 replies

XP: FHA Streamline Refinance?

posted by Mrs.S.on.01.19.08 on Thursday, November 19, 2009

2 replies

Is there an IRS number specific for tax credit?

posted by MommaToBatman on Friday, November 20, 2009