b'Surprised byRanch LivingWorking with Victoria CarterBY ELLEN DONKERD I N G H ON MIF EM ollieandBenBen and Mollie look forward to welcoming their baby to their new home. house when they had seen it on Zillow, didntpictureCarters nudge prompted them to give it themselvesina shot anyway.anexpandedThey liked what they saw. When we ranchhome.came in, Ben says, were like, Oh, wow, Havingfo- we like this place.Mollie agrees. Once cusedtheirwe were inside it, it was the right place search on Maplewood and South Orange,for us.they assumed they would be buying the type of house these towns are knownThe house has two bedrooms and a bath on the first and second floors, for: a Colonial-style house from the 1920s or 30s. a large basement with pine paneling, a pool table and a bar, and a spacious Victoria Carter, the Weichert realtor with whom they were working, mayback yard. Mollie describes the first floor as being a partial open concept lay-have sensed things differently. She first connected with the couple duringout. She says, This has a really nice flow where its open, but it doesnt feel an open house in South Orange. It was a Colonial. Although they liked itslike everythings all in one big, massive group right in the middle.layout and gorgeous kitchen, they found the basement ceiling too low andThe couple was one of four that put a bid on the house. They ultimately had the back yard too small. So they passed on it. They didnt, however, pass onthe winning offer. Mollie says, Victoria definitely walked us through whats Carter and continued visiting homes with her. expected from buyers in this crazy market and competitive space. As first-time We thought that she was very sharp and knew what she was talkinghomebuyers, she says Victoria held our hand. Were really appreciative of that. about, says Ben. She was very honest and upfront about everything. WeShes super responsive. But also, her admin team was awesome. You know, get-really trusted her judgment and trusted what she was saying. Mollie adds,ting us everything we needed, answering any questions we had. Immediately there was really good chemistry. Ben and Mollie moved into their home in June and are impressed by The couple, who had been living in New York City for several years, chosethe friendliness of their neighbors. One of our neighbors already gave us the SOMA area for its easy commutability. Ben, an engineer, works in thea welcome basket and a gift card to eat at their favorite restaurant, Mollie city. Mollies job is in human resources in Jersey City. She recalls how hersays. And they have young children too, which is really nice for our future father traveled 1.5 hours each way to New York for 30 years. [Ben and I]infant. A family across the street had them over both said that life isnt really for us she says. We dont want a 90-minutefor drinks and showed them around, so they al-commute. We wanted something under 45 minutes.ready feel at home. Ben mentions other qualities they were looking for in a town. We want- Now that its summer, they appreciate their ed a good school district, nice downtown and good community. Being ablesurroundings even more. Ben says, This town to walk into town was also important because Mollie and Ben grew up inisreallygorgeouswithallthetreesandthe suburbs that required driving to get anywhere. plants. Its just a beautiful neighborhood. Now with a baby on the way, the couple were eager to settle into a home.ThecouplesbabyisdueinlateAugust. By March, they stepped up their search, but nothing really attracted them.They look forward to introducing him or her Although they had been looking mostly at Colonials, Carter mentioned sheto Carter. Ben says, She was our friend. We would be holding an open house for an expanded ranch on Prospect Streetintend to stay in touch and have her over to the in Maplewood during the upcoming weekend. Ben says, Shes like, Whybaby shower. We like her a lot, and the feelingVictoria Carter helped Ben and Mollie find their dont you come on by and say hi.After having purposely overlooked theis mutual.first home.36/ matters magazine / school 2024'