The buyers: Chris Payne, 35, marketing director; Tessie Payne, 35, physical therapist

The house: A 2,185-square-foot colonial house in West Chester with four bedrooms and three baths built in 1986.

The price: Listed for $749,900; sold for 781,000.

The agent: Alison Simon, Keller Williams

The ask: Chris and Tessie Payne’s Manayunk rowhouse was the perfect starter home. It had a backyard for the dog. It was close to Main Street. But at 1,200 square feet, with only one bedroom and one bathroom, it was cramped. “We were always on top of each other,” Chris said. The couple wanted more space, so they put their home on the market and began searching for a bigger home in fall 2024.

Their number one priority was location. They wanted to be closer to their aging parents in Baltimore and central Pennsylvania while still being able to commute to Center City, where they both worked. Those parameters narrowed their search to the southwest suburbs and small towns like West Chester, Downingtown, and Exton.

At first, they weren’t sure what they wanted other than at least three bedrooms and two bathrooms. But after seeing a few houses, they developed a more specific wish list.

They wanted a colonial-style house, clear separation between upstairs and downstairs, so no split-levels, and more than half an acre of outdoor space. Mostly, they wanted a place that felt like it could carry them into the next phase of life.

The search: The couple moved in with Chris’ mom in the Baltimore area to save money while they searched. They saw 25 houses with their agent and went to 20 open houses, but they were selective with their offers, making only two before the one that finally worked. The first, on a house in West Chester, left them “pretty heartbroken,” Tessie said, after they lost out despite thinking they had put together a strong offer. It ended up going to a couple who offered at least $25,000 over the asking price. They were outbid on the second house, too. They offered $750,000, and it sold for $780,000.

The appeal: The third house they pursued was also in West Chester. They saw it on a Thursday evening after a big storm. The power was out. As they stood in the primary bedroom, the sun emerged from behind the clouds, and light poured in through the windows. That’s when Tessie realized she liked everything about the house. Usually, she had a list of things she wanted to change. Not this time. “I don’t have any notes,” she said to Chris.

They also toured a house in Exton that was closer to their budget, but it sat next to a busy road and came with a pool they didn’t want. After a weekend of back and forth, they decided to bid on the West Chester house. “We knew that was the best house for us,” Chris said.

The deal: The house was listed for $750,000. The Paynes offered $773,000. Then the sellers came back and asked whether they could do better. After a few rounds of negotiation, the Paynes agreed to pay $781,000.

They increased their offer with several additional concessions. They waived the inspection and the appraisal, agreed to pay the seller’s transfer tax, and gave the sellers a free 30-day rent-back so they would have more time to move into their new home. That last concession stung a little. “We closed, and they gave us the keys, and I had to hand them the keys right back,” Chris said. “That dampened the day.” Still, he understood the logic. Their agent had explained to them that little things like a free rent-back add up in a seller’s market. “You won’t miss that rent,” she told them. “But you will miss this house.”

The money: The Paynes put 20% down, or about $157,000. A good chunk of that money came from the sale of their Manayunk rowhouse in 2024. They put the proceeds into a high-yield savings account and spent the next nine months living with Chris’ mother while they house-hunted. Without rent or a mortgage to pay, they were able to save aggressively and use that additional savings to cover the rest of the down payment.

The couple also received financial help from their parents. Chris was blunt about how much that mattered. “To buy a house in 2025,” he said, “I don’t know how people do it without it.” The gift from their parents helped cover closing costs and some post-move-in expenses.

The move: The Paynes had no interest in moving themselves. They had done so before, and it went terribly. This time, they paid for movers to get their stuff from storage and set it up in their new house. “I feel like we paid for our time and sanity,” Tessie said.

Any reservations? The only thing the Paynes would change about their house is the neighborhood. They’re both runners, and their small housing development isn’t very walkable. But even that hasn’t been a big deal. They just run in the larger neighborhood across the street.

Tessie occasionally browses Zillow just to see how their house compares to what’s on the market. “We definitely made the right decision with this house,” she said. ”It has all the things that we wanted.”

Life after close: The Paynes made several meaningful improvements before they moved in. They painted the whole house, fenced the yard, replaced the water heater, installed two new toilets, and swapped out the door hardware.

Now they are figuring out what to do with all their extra space. “We moved from a one-bedroom to a four-bedroom,” Chris said, “so we’ve got a lot of rooms that are empty right now.”