angel97701
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,568
Jun 26, 2014 2:04:25 GMT
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Post by angel97701 on Feb 5, 2023 2:57:58 GMT
Last winter we bought a very small cabin on Gull Lake in MN. We were testing the waters to see if we liked the area . . . and we did! So we started thinking about moving there. DH can work from anywhere, and I am basically of retirement age at 63. As the school year progressed this year it became more aware that we needed to do move for DS's senior year. ( See this thread for info.) The Brainerd area is a very desirable area, and homes inventory wasn't expected to start opening up until after Valentine's Day, and was expected to be low this year. Many people want to move to this area or have a summer home on Gull Lake as it is around 2 hours from the Twin Cities.
We have done several virtual tours, plus one live one last summer. The four we looked at since November have all gone into multiple offers/bidding war. We have had an excellent real estate agent with a large brokerage working with us since last fall. Homes that are with in the brokerage we have had a chance to look at before listing. Every home has been gone in two days!
We found out about this home on Monday, with 14 photos and a little information. The home was totally remodeled last year, including a hillside tram down to the waterfront. Everything is brand new! Tons of storage, smaller than what we are in now, but it is totally workable. We did a short virtual walk through on Monday, then another on Wednesday where I took screen shots of the home. The sellers wanted to sell it off market with no MLS listing. I absolutely loved the view! The kitchen is very nice, as is the living room, sun room (which is where the front door enters the home.) Closets galore, along with a pantry right at the center of the house. Master on the main, with a large bath and separate shower. Downstairs is a large 27' x 19' family room and two bedrooms. The down stairs bedrooms both have sliders that open onto a concrete patio below the full deck.
Thursday was spent finishing up the paperwork for the preapproval letter as we will need to finance some of the purchase. We submitted our offer yesterday and it was accepted this evening. Can you say we are excited!!!!! It is contingent on the sale of our current home, which will go on market around 2/20/23. So that is the next big step! I've been madly de-cluttering and packing personal items since the New Year. Something every day towards the goal. Now I need to go into over drive! We hope to move between April 16th and May 20th. Keep us in your prayers as we continue this journey!
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Post by mom on Feb 5, 2023 3:05:07 GMT
Congratulations!! And good luck selling your home!
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Post by putabuttononit on Feb 5, 2023 3:23:54 GMT
How exciting!!
Hope you share some pics. Best wishes selling!
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Post by elaine on Feb 5, 2023 3:39:31 GMT
Yay! Congratulations. 🥳
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Post by natscraps on Feb 5, 2023 3:49:35 GMT
So excited for you! So how big will the scrap room be?
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angel97701
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,568
Jun 26, 2014 2:04:25 GMT
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Post by angel97701 on Feb 5, 2023 4:57:26 GMT
So excited for you! So how big will the scrap room be? Most likely smaller than what I have now, but we are in the down sizing mode. One kid at home that in a few years will be out . . . we haven't decided where my scrap room will be yet. It may be part of this room? If we build DH's office above the garage. But DS will also have part of this room for lego and model building. I should get him a dream box of his own just for the lego collection. This room is 27' x 19'. We will only have one TV and use the area on the main floor.
If this room becomes the craft area, I will hopefully have custom built cabinets below the windows and a center island with tops that lift up and fold away . . . that way layouts in progress will get covered by a island top. This just happens to be the front door of the home because of their huge remodel just last year. Coat closet etc is on the other side of the house. They built a huge attached 28' wide 38' deep garage that is now the garage entrance to the house where the original front door was before. Previously it had a detached garage. Which to me makes no sense for MN winters!
How exciting!! Hope you share some pics. Best wishes selling!
Most of my photos are taken during a Facetime virtual walk through. They are not the greatest, since the house was not listed they did not do professional photos. Posted now in OP.
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Post by Lurkingpea on Feb 5, 2023 5:16:07 GMT
Congratulations. What a wonderful view.
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FurryP
Drama Llama
To pea or not to pea...
Posts: 7,280
Site Supporter
Jun 26, 2014 19:58:26 GMT
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Post by FurryP on Feb 5, 2023 5:35:45 GMT
Looks great! The view is spectacular. Well wishes on selling your home.
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Post by malibou on Feb 5, 2023 7:35:15 GMT
What a beautiful view you'll have. It's a lovely home. Fingers crossed for a quick, easy sale of your current home.
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Post by cawoman on Feb 5, 2023 8:50:03 GMT
I love what you've shown us so far! How exciting for you!
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Post by hop2 on Feb 5, 2023 10:46:20 GMT
Congratulations. I hope everything goes smoothly!
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teddyw
Drama Llama
Posts: 7,159 
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Post by teddyw on Feb 5, 2023 11:13:13 GMT
Congratulations! It looks nice. I’m curious about your tram.
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Post by Spongemom Scrappants on Feb 5, 2023 11:34:43 GMT
That view is a huge selling point! And I love how open that upstairs is. Congratulations on your new home!
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Post by mikklynn on Feb 5, 2023 15:55:42 GMT
Congratulations! I think you'll love it there, with the exception of a couple weeks in January, LOL.
Take that fabulous sunroom for your space!!!
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Post by crazy4scraps on Feb 5, 2023 16:08:55 GMT
Congrats! Hope your house sells quickly! 🤞
ETA: Personally, I would choose the downstairs room for my scrap area. While all the windows in the upstairs room would provide lovely natural light, it will also cause anything left out or stored in the open to fade pretty quickly. Just something to consider!
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Post by gramasue on Feb 5, 2023 16:24:51 GMT
That sunroom is perfect for a crafting area. When we purchased our home 5 years ago, the sunroom was one of the features that I loved. So much natural light! Unfortunately, my crafting has taken over and now it's mostly a sunny mess. I like your idea of a centre island. I'm going to think about that!
Good luck with selling your current home. I just know you will be very happy in this new one.
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Post by quietgirl on Feb 5, 2023 16:44:13 GMT
Congratulations, and best wishes on the sale of your home!
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purplebee
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,801
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Post by purplebee on Feb 5, 2023 16:51:02 GMT
Gorgeous! Living by water is my dream. Congrats!
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kitbop
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,623
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Post by kitbop on Feb 5, 2023 17:20:06 GMT
Amazing - I'm so happy for you!!!
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Post by lucyg on Feb 5, 2023 17:48:29 GMT
That’s a big move for you. Congratulations! Hope you love your new home.
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Post by originalvanillabean on Feb 5, 2023 21:38:16 GMT
Congratulations!
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angel97701
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,568
Jun 26, 2014 2:04:25 GMT
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Post by angel97701 on Feb 6, 2023 5:46:01 GMT
I grew up on Kodiak Island, and watched the ocean every day. Didn't realize how much I would missed it all these years until we went back to spread my Dad's ashes in August. We had already spent time around the lake.
My husband has been a sailor since his teens . . . he and his father won the Buccaneer North American Nationals (or took 2 or 3 once or twice) for 15 years straight. He also went to the 1992 Olympic trials in a Flying Dutchman. He owns 3 sailboats and sails maybe twice a year if lucky. My heart of hearts wants him to be on a lake with a yacht club so he WILL SAIL. Life is too short and he needs more balance in his life. It just so happens I got the view I really wanted, in a home that was remodeled and finished just last March (can we say NEW home!) and it is less than 5 minutes across the lake by boat to the yacht club. His one boat that can be sailed single-handed will be docked on our dock. The other two that need a skipper and crew will probably be docked at the yacht club.
The view is spectacular because it is at least 100 feet above the lake level on the steepest area around the lake. No beach for us (play dock will be installed) to take advantage of the hard sand bottom. Here is the tram system teddyw
We will also probably put in a meandering slate stair system through the trees so we can walk down or up and not totally depend on the tram working. FYI the tram was installed last May.
AND no we do not believe that they did the remodel to flip the home, everything is high end, even put insulation for sound in the interior walls.
My thoughts on the sun room for my crafting space will require custom cabinets or very creative Ikea hacks to create an area where everything is hidden away when not in use. I am thinking of a flip up hinged area on the center island that slides into the center of the table. Underneath will be an area where a layout or project in progress an be left. To the right and left will be pull out drawers with the inks, stamps, etc in use will be until put away in their normal spot. It's a dream . . . but will some ingenuity, time, and probably more $$$ than I want to think about it could be done? I am very aware of sun damage, as my current room has a large window and I have faded a paper or two. I also want it to be tidy as it is where people will enter my home, that is if they do not go through the garage first. LOL! The sun room is almost 12' x 15", so an island possibly on coasters would fit. Since all the storage would have to be low below the windows, I've got to be creative to keep things within reach! Maybe even put cushions on top so people can lounge there?
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froggyscraps
Full Member
Posts: 171
Jun 26, 2014 0:43:39 GMT
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Post by froggyscraps on Feb 6, 2023 10:29:09 GMT
Congrats! It's beautiful. Best wishes for selling your current home. Having a home with a beautiful view although smaller is great and you may spend more time outside like I do, I love it and so happy we did something very similar to you, no regrets. I'd love to see your kitchen.
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lisaknits
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,538
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Post by lisaknits on Feb 6, 2023 13:21:13 GMT
Congrats! The lake views are so beautiful and I can't wait to see what you do in your new scrap space!
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Post by Bridget in MD on Feb 6, 2023 14:38:40 GMT
Congratulations. What a wonderful view.  |
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Post by smalltowngirlie on Feb 6, 2023 14:46:09 GMT
Love that area. One of my favorite breweries was in Gull Lake, but it closed. You are going to love it there and the house looks beautiful.
CONGRATS!!
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Post by bbkeef on Feb 6, 2023 14:51:02 GMT
The Gull Lake area is incredible! What side of the lake are you on? I'm going to guess the west bank.
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angel97701
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,568
Jun 26, 2014 2:04:25 GMT
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Post by angel97701 on Feb 6, 2023 18:53:35 GMT
Congrats! It's beautiful. Best wishes for selling your current home. Having a home with a beautiful view although smaller is great and you may spend more time outside like I do, I love it and so happy we did something very similar to you, no regrets. I'd love to see your kitchen. I can't get the other photo to load into flkr because it is live, but this is one direction:
Opposite direction:
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angel97701
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,568
Jun 26, 2014 2:04:25 GMT
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Post by angel97701 on Feb 6, 2023 18:54:10 GMT
The Gull Lake area is incredible! What side of the lake are you on? I'm going to guess the west bank. Yes, West side between Sandy Point and Quarter Deck. |
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DEX
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,404
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Post by DEX on Feb 6, 2023 21:39:27 GMT
Good for you. You will love it up there. If you need some suggestions for great food, let me know. I have a few suggestions.
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