THIS STORY IS FROM OUR BUYING IN THE BURBS PACKAGE. READ MORE HERE.
“It was love at first sight” when Lori Waldron and her family first toured their new house. The place was beautiful, for sure – and the neighborhood felt like home. “It’s more than upgrading your home,” she says. “It’s upgrading your life, and what you can offer your children.”
Lori, husband Jaime and their two children had been living in a midcentury ranch in Milwaukee, right on the edge of Wauwatosa. “We were living between two communities and not fully a part of either one,” Jaime says. “Something was missing.”
Their daughter was attending Holy Family Parish School in Whitefish Bay and was involved in multiple sports. “We were working full-time and spending three hours a day in the car shuttling our daughter to school and activities,” Jaime laments. “That was not our dream.”
Tell us who you’d pick to be a Betty this year!
Narrowing the Choices
When Jaimie and Lori married, they shared a vision of their future based on the choices their parents made about where to raise a family. “We would play outside until Mom said it was time to come home for dinner,” Jaime says. “Neighbors knew each other, and the families did things together. It was great and helped to shape our lives.”
The search began with two other guiding lights: The Waldrons were looking for the right neighborhood and extra room for an office since Jaime had been working from home.
Each of the homes the family was looking at had four bedrooms, and all were on Milwaukee’s North Shore “When we toured our forever home, the response was instant,” Lori says. “The natural light, the hominess. I loved the beautiful garden in the backyard. Then my daughter pointed out a cardinal perched on a branch just a few feet away from us, and I felt as if my father was visiting from heaven saying, ‘This is the one.’”
The Waldrons considered these Whitefish Bay Homes.
Which do you think they chose?
The Competitive Offer
What does it take to get an accepted offer in a tight housing market? Remaining competitive. Jaime and Lori closed on their new home with an accepted offer that was $301,000 above the asking price. (Yes, you read that right.)
They wrote their first offer and a letter to pull at the seller’s heartstrings. Quickly, they learned there were many other buyers at the table, so they kicked their effort into high gear. The Waldrons’ Realtor, Katie Corcoran of Corcoran Realty & Co., considered the comps. “Last year, I sold a similar home in the same neighborhood at a much higher price,” she says. “I was certain this home was worth just as much and would hold its value. So I suggested a price that would be difficult to turn down.” Jaime recalls the moment: “I said, ‘Go for it. We’re all in. Write the offer!’”
And it was a done deal; the missing piece in their lives was found. “We truly feel part of this wonderful community, and coach and volunteer to give back,” Lori says. “It’s our dream come true.”
Answer: two-story tudor in Whitefish Bay
