Their agent told them to skip this house. They bought it anyway. | How I Bought This House
he buyers: Kyle Taveira, 29, architect; Martin Alfaro, 34, business owner
The house: A 2,200-square-foot colonial in Palmyra with four bedrooms and two baths, built in 1920
The price: originally listed for $450,000; purchased for $400,000
The agent: Ryan Windt, KW Empower Realty
The ask: Kyle Taveira and Martin Alfaro were living in South Philly, in a two-bedroom house Taveira owned, when they started talking seriously about what they wanted their next chapter to look like.
They are getting married soon and wanted to start a family. And the city, for all its convenience, was starting to feel a little tight. “The hustle and bustle of the city was stressful,” Taveira said, “We wanted a place to escape.”
But they were not looking to disappear into the suburbs. Both still worked in downtown Philadelphia, and they didn’t want long commutes. “Location was the biggest thing for us,” Alfaro said. They ruled out the farther away Pennsylvania suburbs and narrowed their search to South Jersey, looking primarily in Pennsauken, Merchantville, Collingswood, and eventually Palmyra.
Aside from a short commute, the couple wanted an older house with character, a front porch, and a porch swing. They also wanted a fenced yard for their dogs. They were not interested in a development where every house looked the same, Taveira said.
The search: The couple saw about 15 houses overall. They made an offer on one in Merchantville, but it was contingent on them selling their home in South Philly, and the seller needed to move right away. Alfaro, who didn’t like the house as much as Taveira, was relieved when the seller went with a different offer. “I was happy we didn’t get that house,” he said.
Their agent had scheduled 10 showings for the next day. The first one was in Palmyra, and Alfaro had a good feeling before they even walked in. “It was stunning from the outside,” he said.
Then, as they arrived at the front door, their agent texted, suggesting they skip it. The house was over budget, and he did not think they would like it.
They went in anyway.
The appeal: The couple liked that the house sat on a corner property, and they appreciated its red exterior, which stood out from the beige siding they had seen on other houses.
Inside, the house had the kind of character they had been looking for. There was a small foyer, an original wood staircase, stained glass windows, and little built-in bookshelves that still had their original wood. “You could tell that this house had history,” Taveira said.
For the young architect, the house had the right kind of potential. It needed work, but it also gave him the chance to make thoughtful changes. “I’m not somebody that’s just trying to make things look pretty,” he said. “I’m thinking, ‘How can I change this layout? How can I add value to this house?’”
The deal: The house had originally been listed for $450,000, but by the time Taveira and Alfaro saw it, it had dropped to $425,000. That was still more than they wanted to spend, so they offered $380,000. The sellers countered at $400,000. Taveira thought it was a fair compromise — $20,000 above their offer but $25,000 below the asking price — so they accepted.
The inspection turned up several issues. The detached garage needed work; the fence was falling apart; there was a leaking pipe in the basement.
The sellers gave the couple a $5,000 credit to handle the repairs. And because Palmyra requires a certificate of occupancy, they also addressed several safety issues, like the loose handrails and missing carbon monoxide detectors.
The money: Most of the money for the Palmyra house came from selling Taveira’s South Philly home.
He bought it five years earlier for $220,000 and put $45,000 into renovations he largely did himself. The couple listed the house for $375,000 and quickly received a cash offer close to the asking price. But the buyers pulled out after the inspection.
They eventually sold the house for $332,500. It was less than they had hoped, but it still gave them enough to put 35% down, or roughly $150,000. Their monthly payment is now $2,600.
The move: Moving day was a logistical mess.
Taveira and Alfaro closed on both houses on Dec. 19. They had to get out of the South Philly house first thing in the morning, but they couldn’t get into the Palmyra house until late afternoon. Hiring movers would have meant paying people to load the truck, then sit around until they had access to the new house. So they did it themselves. They rented a 26-foot truck, parked it on their tiny South Philly street, and made two trips. Taveira drove the truck. It rained all day.
“It was pouring,” Alfaro said. “It was horrible.”
Life after close: Since moving in, Taveira and Alfaro have changed a lot. They reworked the second floor to accommodate a master suite. Taveira closed off some doors, opened up others, combined closets, created an office and primary bedroom, and turned one small bedroom into a large walk-in closet. He also connected that space to the bathroom and began turning a laundry room and kitchenette into what will eventually be another full bathroom.
Outside, they fixed the fence and the garage and added new landscaping. The renovations, Alfaro said, are a “pain in the ass,”but they are also worth it. “It’s an investment.”