Calling Castle Rock Home - Caelyn and Nina's Home Buying Journey!

I'm so excited to share the story of how Caelyn and Nina, the sweetest couple in all of the land, became homeowners in Castle Rock!

In early July I was introduced to Caelyn and Nina through my friend, Ethan Muna, who grew up with Nina (thank you, Ethan)! In a virtual buyer consultation I learned that Caelyn felt ready to buy a home for herself and Nina. Their ideal home was a single family house in the southwestern portion of Denver Metro, spanning from Roxborough to Castle Rock. I discovered that Caelyn and Nina both really enjoyed their peace and quiet and preferred to be as close to nature as possible, while still living in a suburban neighborhood.

The biggest needs for their future home were a spacious yard for their dogs, a basement for Nina to raise her foster kittens in, and access to the outdoors for Caelyn's morning hikes.

We began touring right away, starting with a discovery day! In our initial set of showings we toured several great homes and used the opportunity to learn more neighborhoods and their wants vs. needs.

Though they loved the Roxborough location, they were more attracted to the affordability of the homes in Castle Rock.

We continued our search and within a week we came across an under priced home in the Roxborough neighborhood. Unfortunately, Caelyn and Nina weren't the only buyers looking for a great deal and we were beat out in a 6-offer bidding war on a home that ultimately closed $30,000 over the list price.

Caelyn and Nina realized that if they wanted to get into a home without overpaying, they were going to have to pivot to a different location or find a compromise with less updated homes.

Ultimately, we toured approximately 20 homes over the course of 3 weeks, but Caelyn and Nina kept coming back to one home - a gorgeous property with a view of the infamous Castle Rock rock. It was a home we'd toured on our discovery day, but Caelyn and Nina weren't yet sold on the location.

We went back for a second showing and with fresh eyes, Caelyn and Nina saw the potential unfold.

This home had been on the market for several months and wasn't moving, despite being nicely updated and well maintained. It had gone under contract before, but the buyers got cold feet and backed out. Given this, the sellers had already dropped the price by $25,000 and installed a new roof and radon mitigation system.

We submitted an offer at the current asking price and requested $10,000 in seller concessions upfront for an interest rate buy down. With minimal negotiation we were under contract!

Our under contract process was incredibly smooth. Caelyn was extremely responsive and on top of her deadlines, so we were able to work a day or two ahead of schedule the entire time.

Our inspection was relatively clean, with the exception of some active leaks, a crack in the sewer line, and an outdated electric panel. We negotiated with the sellers and were able to secure an additional $12,000 in concessions to address the active leaks and sewer line and they upgraded the electric panel before closing.

Within 6 weeks of our initial meeting, Caelyn and Nina were passed the keys to a home that they snagged for $25,000 below asking, with $22,000 in total seller concessions, and several major upgrades before closing.

I enjoyed my time with Caelyn and Nina so much! It always brings me immense joy to help my community, especially those in the LGBTQ+ space, access homeownership and it's because of people like Caelyn and Nina. They're both so kind, thoughtful, and down to earth. Throughout our showings we had easy banter and several good laughs. I could see how much love they have for each other and could envision how happy they'd be in their first home together.

I become overwhelmed at the closing table when I see a woman signing the papers - a reality that was merely a dream for most women before the Equal Credit Opportunity Act passed on October 28th, 1974. This law officially allowed women the right to a mortgage without a male co-signer. Today, single women are outpacing single men in homeownership with single women accounting for 19% of homebuyers compared to single mens' 10%.

Congratulations to Caelyn and Nina for building towards their future in such an impactful way. I wish you both an abundance of happiness your first home together!

A special thank you to Maddy Westra with EFT Loans for providing a seamless process on the lending side and to The Kastberg Team at Pillar to Post Home Inspections for a thorough scope of the home.