Why We Sold Our Dream Home for a Builder-Grade One

This is probably the most-asked question I’ve gotten in the last year:
“Why did you sell your completely custom dream home… for a builder-grade one?”
Totally fair question.

We built our home in St. Louis from the ground up. It was 100% my design—from the architectural plans to the tiniest finishing detail. We had high-end everything. The layout was perfect. It was spacious and beautiful and had a pool that felt like a resort. I poured my heart and creativity into that house.

And then we sold it.

Here’s why.

The House Was Perfect. But It Was Also… A Lot

When you build a dream home, you don’t really think about what it takes to maintain a dream home. That house came with a price tag, not just in dollars but in time, energy, and mental space. We were constantly cleaning, fixing, maintaining. It started to feel like the house owned us instead of the other way around.

And honestly, it just wasn’t how we lived.

We’re a family of three humans (plus three dogs), and most days, we’d all be hanging out in the same room or two. It didn’t make sense to be paying for—and maintaining—a giant house when most of it sat unused.

Then Came a Spontaneous Summer Trip to Georgia

We took a last-minute trip to visit my best friend, who had just moved to a new subdivision near Lake Lanier. It wasn’t a flashy vacation, but something about the area immediately clicked for us. The nature here is stunning in a way I hadn’t experienced in any of the seven states I’ve lived in. It’s green and peaceful and slow in all the best ways.

Her neighborhood felt like a throwback to simpler times—kids on bikes, quiet streets, neighbors who wave. Our kids are the same age, and it just… made sense. We talked it over and decided to go for it – we both knew we were ready for a new adventure.

We Didn’t Fall in Love With the House. We Fell in Love With the Place.

The house we bought wasn’t a wow moment. It was a builder-grade new construction with every “standard” feature you can imagine. It’s smaller, simpler, and a whole lot less flashy. But it’s also a few houses down from our best friends, surrounded by woods and a lake, and came in at less than half the price of our old house.

And that meant we could invest in making it ours. I love a project. I love turning a house into a home. And with the equity from our St. Louis home, we knew we could take our time, DIY a lot, and upgrade with intention.

It Was a Gut Decision—And a Good One

Moving here wasn’t the plan. It wasn’t on our radar at all. But I’ve learned that sometimes the best decisions don’t come with spreadsheets and long discussions—they come from that deep knowing in your gut. And mine said yes.

Now, we wake up surrounded by trees and stillness. Our daughter plays outside with friends. My husband—who has never felt so at home anywhere—has found his place. We’ve found our place.

We traded square footage for a sense of belonging. Custom design for laughter with friends around the dinner table. A pool for a lake and a slower pace of life.

Will This Be Our Forever Home?

Probably not – I get too stir crazy to stay in one place for too long (we lived in 7 other states!). But I do know that Georgia feels like our forever state. This house, this community, this season of life—it fits. And I’m so grateful we took the leap, sold the “perfect” house, and and followed our hearts into something even better.