289 Congress St, Duxbury

by Dawn Hadley

They Searched for Months and Toured 37 Homes. When the Right One Came Along, They Got It.

When Sarah and Keith first reached out to me, they weren't just looking for a bigger house. They were trying to figure out how to outgrow the home they already loved.

Their Scituate beach cottage had been perfect when they bought it as newlyweds. But now they had two kids, a dog, and a list of needs their current home couldn't meet: a yard where the kids could actually run, more storage, a space for Keith to decompress, and room to grow into instead of out of.

They came to me through a referral — their friends Andrea and Josh, who I had helped buy a home in Duxbury earlier that year. When people trust you enough to send their closest friends your way, that means something. I don't take it lightly.

Starting with the Dream Session

Before we looked at a single home, we sat down and talked. I call these conversations dream sessions because that's what they are. We talked about what the family needed, what they were hoping for, and what they were willing to wait for.

One thing became clear early: Sarah and Keith were going to need to sell their Scituate home at the same time they bought in Duxbury. That's a common situation on the South Shore — and one that requires a plan from day one.

The Search: 37 Homes Over Several Months

We started looking in February. The kids came to showings. We toured home after home — 37 in all — and every one of them helped us get clearer on what this family really needed.

Not enough yard. Wrong layout. No room for a man cave. We kept going. And that's the thing about a patient search: when the right home finally comes along, you're ready. You know it immediately.

The Home That Checked Every Box

Then 289 Congress Street came on the market in Duxbury. The yard was there. The space was there. The entertaining layout was there. A deck overlooking a pond — that was the bonus. And the water view? In their price range? In Duxbury?

Sarah and Keith were leaving their Scituate beach life behind. Finding a water view they didn't expect — in the town they'd set their sights on — made all those months of searching feel exactly right.

We put in the offer. We got it.

The Financing Challenge: Buying and Selling at the Same Time

Here's where the story gets real.

When you're buying and selling simultaneously, your offer can look weaker to sellers than a buyer who has already sold. To make Sarah and Keith's offer competitive, we needed a creative financing strategy.

Working with their lender Colin Brennan of Maritime Mortgage, we structured a bridge loan. A bridge loan allows buyers to tap the equity in their current home before it sells, giving them the funds they need to close on the new home first.

This approach took longer than a standard transaction. There were tough moments. But the team — listing agent Christine Daley of William Raveis, seller Jim, attorneys Mike Brust of Kellem and Kellem and Kelly Barden of Tim Sherman Law, and Colin — stayed at the table and worked through every one of them.

The Closing

On closing day, we handed Sarah and Keith the keys to their new home in Duxbury. Jim, who built the home in 2014 and had cared for every inch of it, got to move forward knowing the gardens he planted would be in good hands. The peonies were in bloom. It was one of those moments.

If you're thinking about buying and selling at the same time in Duxbury, Scituate, Marshfield, Kingston, or Norwell, I'd love to talk through your options. Call or text me at (617) 834-7844.