In Their Own Words

When selling a home, it's easy to get caught up in the practicalities: square footage, number of bedrooms, and location. But what truly makes a house a home are the memories, words, and feelings of the people who have lived there. 

I like to encourage sellers to share their stories with potential buyers so they can connect with them on an emotional level and tell them what I cannot easily describe myself in my marketing copy.

Below are a few excerpts from letters written by the owners of homes I’ve had the privilege to list in the past few years.

The letters speak to the sellers connection with their neighbors and childhood memories, of generations of families:

We three grew up in this house and attended local schools. All three of us still live within five miles of this home and love this great neighborhood. We have wonderful memories of all the good friends and neighbors we’ve known. 

Our parents moved to the United States from Switzerland in 1968.. In 1971 they came across Eunice Street and immediately fell in love with the home and the surrounding neighborhood.

We’ve loved spending weekends playing at Codornices Park and the Rose Garden (our daughter learned to play tennis at the Rose Garden courts), and strolling down to Peets, the Cheeseboard, and Epicurious Garden. 

When we moved into Grizzly Peak in 1999, we had a one-year old son, a two-year old daughter and an 8 year old German Shepherd. Over the years, the house grew and changed with the children and our needs.

Bought in 1962, nearly 60 years ago. This was one of the most enjoyable and loving homes on the block. There was a family of nine (Mom/Dad and seven children.)

The neighbors invited us into their homes, helped us find our first puppy, and included us in earthquake preparedness drills,  making it hard to imagine a better place in Berkeley to have landed.

We feel like we hit the lottery with our neighbors and neighborhood and loved our Sunday afternoon sidewalk chalk parties.

They tell us why they loved their outdoor spaces and the connections to nature:

The square footage of the house doubles again once you wander into the front, back, and side yards. We’ve taken special care to make each space feel like an extended living area and we spend a lot of time outside enjoying the beautiful weather.

We’ll miss the backyard / garden more than we can say. Countless evenings have been spent barbecuing, entertaining with friends, making s’mores with neighborhood kids, and just relaxing after a long day while listening to birdsong. It has been our refuge, and tending to it has been a labor of love.

They describe the magic of living in the house:

Living in this house will make you feel like you own the sky.

It feels like you’re sleeping in a treehouse. If you’re ever up for a midnight snack, there’s a peak of the twinkling lights in the Berkeley Hills from the kitchen that feels a bit magical.

And often convey their best wishes to the future owners:

This special place has been our home for the past seven years and we delight in knowing that it will become a special place for you.

Grizzly Peak has had a lifetime of memories that we will always cherish. We can’t wait to see it get a new breath of life and fresh experiences by its next owners!

As I leave this personal paradise to join my family on the east coast, I am excited for you to discover it for yourselves.

As we are moving to Europe for family reasons, we will always remember this house as the most beautiful home we ever had. We took good care of it and trust that the next people lucky enough to call it home will do the same.

While buying and selling a house is a financial transaction, often the largest most people will have to handle in their lifetimes, a home is also a container of memories and a witness to life’s milestones. 

At District Homes, we like to be there for all of it. All in. Always.