Sara and Isaac Shayesteh were among Landed's early customers, purchasing their home in San Mateo, CA in August 2017. Like some families we work with, both grown-ups are essential professionals: Sara is a high school science teacher at Carlmont High School in Belmont, CA, while Isaac is a veteran who continues to serve his country by working at the VA. (And on top of that, both of them also grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area!)
Isaac, Sara, and their children (Daniel and Soraya) when they purchased their home in 2017.
Four years after purchasing their home, the couple decided to take advantage of record-low rates and refinance, which allowed them to exit their partnership with Landed at the right time for them — and also helped fund a remodel of their kitchen!
We asked them to share some reflections on their graduation experience as well as any advice they have for others considering Landed:
Q: How did you decide it was the right time to end the partnership? What things did you consider?
A: We decided it was the right time due to a number of factors:
- Mortgage rates were at historic lows. For example, our initial rate was 3.25% whereas our new rate for the same type of loan is now 2.50%!
- Isaac received two job promotions since the purchase of our house, which allowed us to qualify for a higher loan amount.
- With our little family growing, we wanted an open concept kitchen/living room for the family to enjoy.
Q: The market was competitive and moved fast when you bought, so do you have any tips for people hoping to buy in a similar market?
A: Our recommendation to new homebuyers is to have patience while at the same time not be too picky. For over two years, we went to countless open houses looking for the perfect house for the perfect price. In the Bay Area real estate market, that is simply not feasible. When we first purchased the house, we saw it as a first-time homebuyer opportunity with the intention of eventually upgrading to a bigger house. Since then, we have invested so much time and money upgrading/renovating our house that we now have no intention of moving.
Q: Have you seen any appreciation in your property value since you bought the home?
A: Yes. We bought our house for $1.1M in 2017 and in the spring of 2021 when we refinanced, it was appraised for $1.3M!
Q: What’s the best thing about homeownership?
A: The best thing about homeownership is having a true place to call home without worrying about lease agreements and potential rent increases. We don't have to ask a landlord for permission to do anything to the house, like when we planted a tree in the backyard! :-)
Q: We heard you renovated your kitchen recently. How did it go? Are you happy with the end result?
A: The kitchen and living room renovation exceeded our expectations! We wanted an open concept kitchen but it feels like we got a completely new kitchen and living room area with skylights!
Before Isaac and Sara's kitchen remodel:
...and after(!):
Q: Would you recommend Landed to other essential professionals?
A: I highly recommend Landed to other essential professionals. Looking back and seeing how the real estate prices continued to climb after we purchased our house, there is absolutely no way we would have purchased our house without Landed. To this day, we still feel so fortunate to have partnered with Landed and have a place we call home. :-)
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Are you a current Landed homeowner interested in exploring your exit options? Contact us at postpurchase@landed.com and we will be happy to help!
And if you want to learn more about buying a home with Landed, here's how you can:
