With baby no. 2 on the way, Jonathan and Andrea Hildebrandt had to face an expensive reality. They needed more room.
Their home had only two bedrooms, and nowhere for their 2-year-old to play without waking up her future little brother. Moving didn't seem viable. The family loved their Queen Anne neighborhood in Seattle, and given that home prices had fallen 20% since they had bought four years earlier in 2007, they doubted they would recoup the $530,000 they paid. So they started talking seriously with builders about refinishing their basement or adding a second floor.
Those conversations came to an abrupt halt, though, when the Hildebrandts found their perfect house, a $618,000 three-bedroom just blocks away.
Their home had only two bedrooms, and nowhere for their 2-year-old to play without waking up her future little brother. Moving didn't seem viable. The family loved their Queen Anne neighborhood in Seattle, and given that home prices had fallen 20% since they had bought four years earlier in 2007, they doubted they would recoup the $530,000 they paid. So they started talking seriously with builders about refinishing their basement or adding a second floor.
Those conversations came to an abrupt halt, though, when the Hildebrandts found their perfect house, a $618,000 three-bedroom just blocks away.
