The buyer: Amanda Caroccio, 41, child and adolescent psychiatric nurse practitioner

The house: A 966-square-foot home in Haddonfield with two bedrooms and two bathrooms built in 1924.

The price: Listed for $385,000, sold for $407,500.

The agent: Christy Oberg, Weichert Realtors

The ask: Amanda Caroccio, originally from Ocean City, New Jersey, was living in an apartment in Haddon Township when she re-evaluated her long-term goals and decided she wanted to buy a home for her and her daughter, Giuliana, 8.

“Owning a house had always been in the back of my mind, but as a single mom, for a long time I didn’t think it was going to happen,” said Caroccio. She had money put away, but in September 2024, she began working overtime to build savings.

“There were months where I worked every single day,” she said. She cut out spending, including shopping and dinners out, except for special occasions.

The search: Education was Caroccio’s top priority for home location, and she was impressed with Haddonfield School District. “My main goal was Haddonfield,” she said, “but I was open to Haddon Township.” Caroccio started searching in February 2025, hoping to beat the spring competition. Her budget was up to $600,000, but she was looking for something small to keep expenses down. “I wanted something that didn’t need a significant amount of upgrades,” she said.

They looked at several twins which Amanda liked, but her agent pointed out that each one had some potential structural problems, and Caroccio worried about issues with the neighboring homes.

The appeal: In mid-March, the house that she ended up buying went on the market. She saw it on Zillow, and texted her agent. It was exactly what she had been looking for. The house she’d found was in the center of downtown Haddonfield and walkable. Plus, it looked updated and like it would not need major renovations — a big priority in Caroccio’s search.

“It was my version of hitting the lottery,” said Caroccio, “because it had every single thing on my checklist: updated, small, close to downtown, within walking distance of schools.” They toured it that night.

The deal: Other people were interested, and the sellers asked for each bidder’s best offer. Caroccio offered $405,000. The sellers came back with a counteroffer of $410,000, and Caroccio negotiated to $407,500. The home inspector said that for a house built in 1924, it was in good condition. The builder-grade windows would need updating, and there were some issues with the back deck. She got a seller credit for some repairs needed, but, “nothing major.” They went under contract six days after it went on the market, and closed on April 11, 2025, only two months after Caroccio had started her search.

The money: She purchased the home for $407,500 after negotiation. It was originally listed for $385,000. She received a $6,000 seller credit. She put $41,000 down (10%), and her mortgage interest rate is 6.625%. Her closing costs were $19,000. She received a $3,000 grant credit through the Freddie Mac ⁠Homeownership Preservation Foundation (HPF) BorrowSmart Access Program which she put toward closing costs. Her monthly payment is $3,021 with escrow, interest, and principal.

The move: To save money, Caroccio moved herself with the help of family, rather than using a moving company. “Because of the timeline with my apartment lease, I had about 10 weeks until I had to be out,” she said. She had to break her lease, paying a one-and-a-half month’s rent fee, because the home-buying process had gone much faster than she’d imagined.

She moved gradually, getting rid of old things, and making aesthetic upgrades to the new house. She hired people to install carpets in the bedroom, painted throughout, and hung Morris & Co. wallpaper in the laundry room. She also had the outdated builder-grade upstairs windows replaced after breaking one while painting. She and Giuliana moved in on June 30, 2025.

Life after close: After a year in their new home, Caroccio and Giuliana are settled in. Giuliana completed this past school year in Haddonfield. They adopted a dog, Simba, a Havanese. Caroccio has been pleased with the ease of upkeep, and with a manageable gas and electric bill over the winter, which allowed her to keep saving. Because it’s a smaller house, she said, “our cost of living is lower, so I’ve been able to meet all of our financial goals.” Her total mortgage payment is also less than what she was previously paying in rent.

“Purchasing this home has been one of the greatest accomplishments of my life,” said Caroccio. “We could not be happier with this house.”

Did you recently buy a home in the Philadelphia area or South Jersey? Share the story of how you did it. Email Inquirer real estate reporters at properties@inquirer.com.