-[Dana] Look at this. -[Nate] Oh, this is new.
This is as big as probably our condo,
-just this room. -[Dana] Yeah.
[narrator] With a baby coming,
Dana and Nate want to upsize from their condo
to a house in Miami.
[Dana] I love the fireplace.
I also love those doors.
Yeah, they're doors.
[narrator] She wants an old charmer near the city,
but he'd rather spend their money on a place
that's big, farther out, and turn-key.
I'm liking what I'm seeing, Wes.
The finishes are not what I would have picked.
Finishes look good to me.
[narrator] But with the hot Miami market,
their broker Wes is having to manage expectations.
This is a city home.
When you get closer to the city,
we're talking smaller lots, smaller homes.
If we could pick this house up
and move it,
then this house would be great.
It would be over $1 million.
-Yeah, well... -Significant money.
-[doorbell rings] -[opening theme music playing]
Finally the weekend, which calls for some wine.
-Sorry. -Not for me.
We knew each other back in college.
Nate definitely made the first move.
I don't know if he would agree.
-But let's go with-- -No, I don't agree.
Let's go with Nate made the first move.
That was about nine years ago,
and now we've been married for almost two years...
-[Nate] Right. -...and we have a baby on the way.
-Well, you seem-- -We have any plans this weekend?
[Nate] Hopefully, I get to play some golf.
But something tells me otherwise.
I'm an implementation manager.
-[Dana] And you golf in all your spare time. -And I golf.
[both chuckle]
I work from home.
I am a director for customer success
for a software company.
We love our condo.
We bought it a few years ago.
It was perfect.
But we're really growing out of it.
The space has to come first,
and our family has to be prioritized.
We have baby on board.
-So now... -Time is of the essence.
Time is of the essence.
Everything just got a little bit more real,
a little more serious,
and it's time to find a house.
And the market in Miami is just outrageous.
We have looked at a lot of homes.
We have made a lot of offers,
-and we've lost a lot of homes. -We've lost a lot of homes.
We need to start getting specific
on things that we need versus want.
Yeah, so, bedrooms.
How many do we absolutely need?
At least three.
Four would be better,
because then we have dedicated office space.
We have dedicated nursery space,
and then we have a dedicated, actual guest room.
So, you want three or you want four?
-[Nate] At least three. -[chortles] Okay.
As long as there's nice outdoor space
where we can entertain and still go.
We would probably have some more success,
and it might be a little bit easier
if we maybe expanded the search more.
If we go out too far...
...we're not gonna be in our zone anymore.
All of our friends and the restaurants we love...
[Nate] I'm hoping that we can get into something
a little bit more contemporary.
I don't know if I have enough patience left
to go through a reno.
My family has built two houses,
so we've always kinda been in construction
at one point or another, as I was growing up.
So, move-in-ready or bust for me.
As long as there's charm,
that would be fine.
I grew up in New York,
and everything's a little bit older there
and a little bit more charming.
Nate really loves a cookie-cutter Florida home.
It's not just about doing projects.
It's about how the house really feels.
Another thing we can consider is the money.
Why don't we start looking up to $1 million?
We have the money to spend.
[Nate] I don't necessarily wanna push that price point
above $800,000.
Just because we can doesn't mean we should.
At around $800,000,
that money can go towards our newest addition.
Of course, the lower the better.
But I think we have to be realistic about...
...what, what it's like out there.
We're bidding over on almost every house
and we still don't get them, so...
It's a tough pill to swallow, but we kind of have to do it.
[narrator] Today, they're seeing a home in the city
just five minutes away from where they currently live.
Okay. Interesting.
-I don't know if you're gonna love... -"Interesting."
[Dana] I don't know if you're gonna love the specs of this house.
[Nate] All right, hit me with it.
[Dana] The price is $899,000.
It's up there.
And it's only
1,180 square feet.
But I think I can see--
Yeah, I was hoping for a "but" in there somewhere.
I, well, you're not gonna like
-what I have to say next, probably... -[Nate] Mmm-hmm.
...'cause it was built in 1912.
-That's when the Titanic sank. -Good math.
It is when the Titanic sank.
But it's in the MiMo, Upper East Side area,
-which we love. -Yeah.
-So we'll-- -Near the water.
We'll be walking to restaurants and shops.
[Nate] This is the oldest house I think I've ever seen.
[Dana] Oh, stop. It's adorable.
I love these trees in the front,
sort of flanking the front door.
Looks very charming.
[Nate] I think you're grasping at straws here.
[Dana] Okay. [laughs]
Wes?
Hey, hey.
-[Dana] Hi. -[Nate] Hey, Wes.
[Wes] I'm with Dana and Nathan.
I have to tell you, they're very particular.
They had big dreams when we started this process
quite a while ago,
and I'm really working with them
on trying to get them to pare back their expectations.
But I still think we need to get a little more realistic
with what's possible within range.
Most of the homes, uh, closer to the city core are older
and they get multiple offers and go over ask.
[Dana] Wow!
[Wes] Dana, you said you wanted charm.
-Beautiful. -Is this the original door?
It's the original front door.
-[Nate] Wow. -Love the door.
-It is cool. -Love it. It's really cool.
[Wes] Nate, although it's older,
it has been updated, okay?
So I think you're gonna like some of the modern finishes.
-[Nate] Okay. -[Dana] Looks pretty modern. Look at the floors.
-The floors are new. -[Nate] Yeah, we got some newer floors in here.
I love the beams.
I love the ceiling.
It's already giving me the charm
and the warm and fuzzies.
It's technically a 3-bed, 2-bath home.
-"Technically"? -It's just under 1,200 square feet.
-Yes, technically. You'll see why. -[Nate chuckles]
-Okay. -[Dana chuckles]
-[Wes] So come in here to this great, big living area. -[Dana gasps]
[Dana] I love the fireplace.
I also love those doors.
Another great detail in here.
Yeah, they're doors.
-All right. -[Wes chuckles]
-[Dana chuckles] -No, they do bring some character to the room.
Uh, I will say that.
[Wes] This kitchen is bright white
and it has been updated.
-[Dana] Okay. -[Nate] Okay.
Nate, it's been updated.
It's been updated a little bit, yeah.
-"A little bit"? -Is this enough space for you, though?
Uh, it's definitely not the biggest kitchen,
but I like the finishes.
-I think with some new appliances... -[Nate] Yep.
[Dana] ...it'll be ready to go.
Dana, you like to entertain.
Yes, I do. Um...
Where are we gonna do that?
-I don't know that we can have big parties in here. -[Wes] You can entertain...
You can entertain right out here.
Add a little bistro lighting,
very vibey.
It's great for a dinner party,
but it's a pretty small yard.
[Wes] Well, remember, guys.
This home is so close to Downtown Miami.
This is a city home,
and when you get closer to the city,
we're talking smaller lots,
-smaller homes, okay? -[Dana] Yeah.
[Nate] Wanted more space, right,
especially at a price point like this.
Well, this is definitely more space than we have now,
-so, compromise. -[Nate] That's true.
-[Nate whispers] Compromise. -[Dana] Compromises.
Remember when I said, "It's technically a 3-bedroom"?
-[Nate] Yeah. -Right.
Well, come on in to this space.
-[Nate] This is a bedroom? -[Dana] No...
-[Nate laughs] -[Dana] This is a bedroom?
-[Wes] This is one of the bedrooms, yeah. -Oh, no. [laughs]
This clearly would have to be used as the office, then,
'cause I don't think we could use it as a bedroom.
-[Wes] I think it would make a great office. -[Dana] I think, yeah.
Then you have a little en suite bath here.
-And it has... -[Nate] At least it was done.
[Wes] I know that's not your traditional bedroom,
but you have to remember, these older homes,
-they have their quirks, right? -[Dana] Yeah.
Speaking of quirks...
[Dana titters] Oh, a sink.
-[laughs] -This is your vanity
for the upstairs bathroom.
[Dana] Once we get past the idea of having a sink...
-At the top of your stairs? -...in the landing of our stairs,
maybe it'll work.
You might even have room for a double sink.
[Wes] I think you actually might.
-[Dana laughs] -Okay.
It is a quirk.
-There's a big word for that. -[Wes] Then you have two,
two bedrooms upstairs.
[Dana] It is a really charming room.
-It would make a really sweet nursery in here. -[Wes] It would.
-[Nate] Mmm-hmm. -[Dana] I just hope maybe this is
the smaller of the two bedrooms.
The other one is a little larger.
[Dana] Looks about the same.
We'd have to figure out where Nate's stuff will go,
that's for sure.
Thanks.
[both laugh]
[Nate] I'll give it to them
as far as how they did the house.
They did a great job, um, on the finishes.
But we need more space.
It might be a little high
for the space that you're getting.
-So I do think that there might be... -[Nate] Yeah.
- ...some wiggle room here. - [Nate] Okay.
Location, charm, huh?
Homeyness?
-[Wes laughing] -[Dana] Love it all.
Those are two big ones for me.
[Nate] I'm gonna go work on, uh,
throwing out all of my clothes.
-[Dana laughs] -[Wes] Yeah.
[narrator] So Wes takes them farther out
to see how much they can get for their money.
[Dana] This is huge.
Nate, this one's for you, buddy.
-How is it $699,000 and 2,200 square feet? -[Nate] I mean, that's...
-It's a great price. -[Dana] Yeah.
-I hear sirens. -And we need space.
It must be in the middle of nowhere. [titters]
[narrator] But with a baby on the way,
the distance from Downtown
might be worth it to get more space.
Technically it's like Miami, right?
[Dana] Yeah, Miami's huge.
So you could be in Miami and still be an hour away.
I just would like to be closer to all of our friends
and all of the restaurants that we know.
[Nate] House looks pretty good.
[Dana] The house does look pretty good,
but look at this busy corner.
[Nate] Yeah.
-[Wes] Hey, guys! -[Dana] Hi!
-[Nate] Hey, Wes. -Come on in.
-Oh! -Check it out.
-[Nate] All right. Oh, this is new. -[Dana] Look at this.
This is huge.
It's north of Dana and Nate's desirable area,
but it is very affordable.
I think after such an exhausting search,
maybe they'll walk into this home
that's completely redone,
and they'll say, "Hey, it's not our dream neighborhood,
but this is so comfortable.
Let's make this work."
This home is older.
It was built in 1957.
But it's turn-key. It's been completely updated.
Nate, this one's for you, buddy.
[Nate] I'm liking what I'm seeing, Wes.
This is a nice island.
This is definitely more along the lines of a Dana kitchen.
It's huge.
Like, this is as big as probably our condo,
-just this room. -[Dana] Yeah.
-Right? -I would agree with that.
I understand that Wes is showing us this home
to show us the scale of what we could afford
if we go outside of our dream neighborhood.
But I don't think it's the right move
just to move in somewhere because it's all done.
Nate is sort of over the search.
I am too.
We've been looking for so long.
But he's not thinking realistically, logistically,
about the distance
and how it's gonna work for us and our family.
This is the primary?
[Wes] This is the primary bedroom.
[Nate] Good sized room.
[Dana] I actually thought it would be bigger
for the size of the house.
Maybe this will dazzle you.
[Nate] This is huge.
-[Dana] This is where all the square footage went. -This is where... [chuckles]
-[Wes] That's right. -[Nate] Shower's awesome.
[Dana] It's nice that it's done.
It obviously takes a weight off of our shoulders.
The finishes are not what I would have picked.
Finishes look good to me.
-[Dana] Do look good to you, don't they? [laughs] -[Nate laughs] Yeah.
-Don't have to do anything. -[Wes chuckles]
-I know. -Put a toothbrush right here, and that's it.
-We're home. -Yeah.
[Dana] Okay. Wow.
[Wes] Actually, a really spacious backyard.
-Plenty of room. -Yeah, I really do like the clusias
and the landscaping.
[Dana] It's a nice size.
[Nate] They did a good job.
[Wes] We got three whole bedrooms
on this side of the house,
completely away from the main suite.
Any of these bedrooms could be a beautiful nursery.
[Dana] I wanna do one thing.
-[Nate] Nice, only one. -I wanna be quiet and see if we could hear the road.
[Wes] Okay, let's do a test.
Well, there's no cars going by right now.
-[laughs] -That's not fair.
-[all laughing] -[Wes] The windows keep out a lot of the noise.
[Nate] It's definitely a great option.
Just come right in, make ourselves at home,
and call it a day.
If we could pick this house up
and move it closer to the city,
closer to our friends, everything we love,
-then this house would be great, but it's just... -[Nate] I agree.
-It's not the reality. -Then it would be over $1 million.
-Yeah, well... -Significant money.
[narrator] So Wes finds something back in the city
that's also a good size.
But it might mean their baby has to live in a construction zone.
Go with me here,
I think you could bust out, open this whole wall,
create a total open concept.
You do have the space to work with.
[Nate] When was this house built?
1948.
You know how old our parents were in 1948?
-How old? [laughs] -They were zero years old in 1948.
It is pretty over here.
I'll give that to Miami Shores.
We could still go to the same shops and restaurants.
We'll be close to all of our friends.
What do you think?
[Nate] It's old.
-[Dana] Yeah. -[Wes] Hey, guys.
-[Dana] Hi, Wes. Look at this. -Check this out, huh?
-[Nate] Mmm-hmm. -[Dana] Yeah.
[Wes] This home has actually been in the same family
-for 60 years. -[Dana] Cool.
[Wes] So you're gonna have to have a little bit of vision.
-[Nate inhales] -[Dana] Vision.
-[Nate] Mmm, all right. -[Dana] All right, let's do it.
-[Wes] Come on in. -[Nate] I trust you.
I do think that Dana has a bit more vision than Nate.
So I hope that Dana can first see the potential in the home,
and then she can share that with Nate,
and we can eventually get him on board
for a home that might be a little bit of a project,
but in a great location
that they'll both really enjoy.
-[Dana] All right. -[Nate] Okay, there's some space in here.
-[Wes] So as you can see, it's pretty open in here. -[Dana] Yeah.
I didn't really expect it to be so open
for such an old house.
I thought it would be really boxed up.
Are these floors original?
[Wes] These are original wood floors,
-really beautiful shape. - [Dana] Yeah.
You have a great, big sunroom
-that opens up to the backyard. -[Nate] Okay.
[Wes] So even though you have some work to do,
it gives you a lot of space, a lot of options.
-Okay. -All right.
-[Dana] Pretty big, actually, bigger than I thought. -[Nate] Where's the kitchen?
[laughing] Yeah, where is the kitchen?
Come over here and check out the kitchen.
-It's hiding. -[Dana] Okay.
Remember when we talked about, like,
-a big, open kitchen to cook in? -[Wes] Uh-huh.
-[Nate] This is not one of those. -[Wes] This is not that.
-[Dana] Yeah. -But, go with me here.
I think you could bust out, open this whole wall,
create a total open concept.
You do have the space to work with.
Do we have the money to do something like that, though?
[Wes] A kitchen renovation like this,
you could probably land somewhere
between $40,000 all the way up to $60,000.
The house is $849,000, so you have some room.
[Nate] I don't think we just have that sitting around.
Do you have that in a shoebox somewhere
that I don't know about?
-Because I would like to know. -[Dana] I might.
-[Wes laughs] -[Dana] I might.
My father's built, uh, basically every house
that we've lived in,
not by his bare hands,
but he's had contractors, and...
What he says, "If you're gonna get yourself into a project,
it's gonna take twice as long
and probably cost twice as much as you think."
We're expecting our first child, so...
Is that something that we should get into right now?
That's a tough ask.
There are three bedrooms, two bathrooms inside,
and then there's an extra 1-bed, 1-bath
-guest suite outside. -[Nate] Okay.
-Little view of the backyard. -[Wes] Not huge, but maybe not bad
for, you know, a nursery,
-kid's bedroom. -Perhaps, yeah.
Could be a nursery,
-my closet, could be an office. -[Nate] An office.
-Probably more of an office. -[Dana] We need all of those things. [laughs]
-[Nate] Yeah. -[Wes] Yeah. This is the main suite bedroom.
-It's actually a decent size. -Yeah, it's a nice size.
Oh, no. [laughs]
Okay, so another project.
I'm trying to stay positive about this house,
because it's in the neighborhood that I love
and it's close to everything.
But it is really daunting
to think about all the work we have to do,
and I know that Nate is really not into that
and is getting scared by that.
I know that we could make this house really work
for what we need at the end of the day.
I just don't think it's something we really want to do.
[Wes] Take a look at your awesome, covered entertaining patio.
-[Dana] Wow. -[Nate] Okay, some good space here.
I do really like the big windows and sliders
that walk out to the yard.
It's covered from the harsh sun
-or the harsh rain. -You could put a big dining table out here.
You can have over all of your friends and family.
This is the 1-bed, 1-bath guest suite.
-It's more of a little studio. -[Nate] It's a little box.
This is a really cool room.
-There's a lot we could do here. -Yeah, this is helpful.
[Wes] I know it's older.
I know it needs quite a few projects.
-But... -"Quite a few" is an understatement.
-But yes. -It's great space.
Um, it's a really awesome place to entertain and relax.
We do have a lot of space to work with.
I just don't know if we have the time or money to do it.
[Wes] I know this house has a lot of projects to do.
But remember the location,
-close to all the best restaurants in town. -[Dana] Yes.
If you think we could swing it,
it could be good.
[Nate] It was listed at $849,000.
In this market, is that what it's gonna cost?
It might go over ask, honestly.
I think we'd have to go in very strong
in order to get this house.
-Okay. -All right, well...
Obviously, a lot to think about.
I think we need to get an offer out there
on at least something that we've seen.
[narrator] After months of losing out on homes
in the hot Miami market,
Nate and Dana need to decide how much to spend on a house
before their baby comes.
[Dana] Let's talk about the really charming house.
-It was over 100 years old, but it was just so cute. -A shoebox?
No, I was gonna say, "It was so cute."
It did have the location.
It was the closest to where we live now.
You have to consider that.
[Nate] The sink was literally in the landing
-at the top of the stairs. -[Dana] Yeah.
I did not love that.
[Nate] And that one was only a three-two.
[Dana] That third bedroom was a little bit tricky,
the one downstairs.
-'Cause it kinda wasn't... -That you walk through...
-...really a bedroom. -...from the living room
-to the staircase? -Right.
[Nate] And I didn't like the price
of that house, either.
Yes, Wes did say there's probably some room for negotiation.
But, really, the whole point of doing this
was getting more space.
We do have the option that Wes showed us up in North Miami.
It's got the space that we'd need.
Yeah, it's a little bit far out of the way,
but move-in-ready,
and we could just move there.
Let's also not forget about price.
[Dana] But it didn't have everything.
It was on a busy road.
I just don't know if I'm willing to go that far away,
and it's not the most perfect house.
-[Nate] Yeah. -What about the house that does need a lot of work?
It's a bit intimidating,
but it has location and it has space.
[Nate] What was that one listed at? $849,000?
[Dana] $849,000.
But even if we go a little bit over
in negotiation,
we still have some room for that.
[Nate] Just the projects...
Is that something that we really wanna get into, though?
We're gonna have a baby soon.
You're right, I mean...
I don't really want that stress, either.
-But... -I feel a "but" coming.
[chuckles] But, will it be worth it in the long run?
-Hmm? -I don't know.
[doorbell rings]
I think that I'm leaning towards the white versus the gray.
[Nate] Well, we chose the mid-century modern home
that needs quite a bit of work.
This one was ultimately the best choice for us,
because it has the location that's perfect,
and it has all the space that we need,
that we're gonna grow into.
So even though it needs quite a bit of work,
I'm excited to take it on,
and I feel relieved
that the buying process is finally over.
-I told you the gray wouldn't really work, didn't I? -[Nate] I know.
-Yeah. -[Dana laughs]
I definitely had to give up some of the charm
that I originally wanted.
But I think since we are gonna be doing a lot of renovations
that I can weave some of that in
and I can make it feel really cozy
and like the home that we wanna be in.
So, this whole wall here comes down all the way across.
We do need to leave, like, a beam right here
-just for support standpoint. -[Dana] Okay.
But that's really about it.
I love it.
I think it's gonna look really good.
It was a pretty tough little bidding war that we got into.
But we wound up getting an offer accepted at $890,000.
We have set aside for our projects
right about $150,000.
It stings a little, but we'll really have everything that we need.
We're going to open up this kitchen,
redo all of the bathrooms,
redo all of the floors in the home.
We're going to knock down some more walls
and create a great, big primary suite
that's gonna have a nice, big bathroom
and a really nice, big walk-in closet.
And then the other bedrooms will serve as a nursery,
an office,
and everything else that we need.
And by the time the baby comes,
we'll feel good about it.
And then that'll be the den, family room,
baby stuff, toys...
I'm so excited that I'm ready to just take a hammer to this wall.
I'm not going to, but...
I might later today.
[laughs] Just get started.