For Andrea and Dave, their new house became a home when their six-year old daughter Melissa found a hidden treasure. “Our real estate professional hid a sparkly box from a fairy in her room,” recalls Andrea. “When Melissa found the box, she realized she had found her new room—and her new home.”

Culture shock and sticker shock. Dori and Byron experienced both when they moved from Tennessee to California last year. But thankfully, they found a home that suited their family’s needs. “We knew within seconds it was our home,” says Dori. “It even has a ‘taste of Tennessee’ with a large open floorplan and chef’s kitchen,” adds Byron. As the Canadys discovered, dreams are good—but reality can be even better.

It took a challenging DIY project before first-time buyers Court and Laurel felt their house was a home. “We decided to repaint our tangerine-colored living room to a light blue one weekend—a big undertaking,” recalls Court. By the time the young lawyers finished, however, a feeling of pride washed over them. “This was the first time we decided to make a major change to our home that suited our tastes,” says Laurel. Pride of ownership is a powerful feeling.

Jeremy and Dana are all smiles these days as they make room for their growing family of furry friends: seven rescue dogs and four cats. Not that space will be an issue since their ranch-style home rests on more than an acre. “We love coming home to a relaxing evening,” says Jeremy. “It’s the perfect retreat,” adds Dana. Life’s happiest moments happen at home—and Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage is happy to be a part of it.

Sometimes it’s the little things that make a house a home. In the case of Kate and Kevin, it was their little one—baby Lucca. “He began crawling around and exploring immediately,” recalls Kevin, a financial analyst. “He was actually having sleep problems at our old house,” adds Kate, an accountant. “But the day we brought him home, he slept through the entire night.” Since it was obvious the teeny tyke felt right at home, his parents could rest easy in their new four-bedroom abode. The secret to peace of mind is knowing where to find it.

Some buyers want an open concept. Scott and Molly wanted open space. Coming from a three-acre home in the Rocky Mountain area to coastal California, they faced a challenge—until they found a 1.3-acre house. “I knew it was ‘the one’ when we were standing in the backyard, surrounded by trees and monarch butterflies,” recalls Molly. “It felt like a peaceful sanctuary.” Now the family of four has plenty of privacy with three bedrooms and a guest house, which Molly plans on converting to an artist’s studio. “I can see myself here for the rest of my life,” she says.

There was one crucial element that Kevin and his wife Kelli settled on early in their home search: water. An avid boater, fisherman and lover of the outdoors, Kevin wanted a private home with river views and a dock to store his watercrafts. With the help of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, Kevin and Kelli embarked on a lengthy two-year search for their dream home, hoping “to find the perfect fit.” Enter a rustic 4,765 square feet custom home ideally situated on the Sacramento River. “It just felt right from the moment we stepped inside,” recalls Kevin. “We love being able to float down the river into Old Town for dinner.”

After two cross country-moves, all Adam and Jannie wanted was for their children to feel at home in their new Northern California digs. That moment arrived when their daughter uttered the words “I want to go home” after a long outing. “It makes us happy to know we can give her a home,” says Jannie.

When long-time sweethearts Ed and Susan purchased an expansive mountain house on two acres in the Sierra Nevadas, they knew they were making a decision that would cement their future. Their new home quickly became “the rallying point” for the rest of their lives, meeting all of the couple’s expectations and then some, thanks to bonus features like private guest quarter areas, a 900-bottle wine cellar, expansive garage/shop areas, and upgraded kitchen appliances with hardwood cabinets. “It had more desirable features than I ever thought to ask for,” muses Ed, who credits his Independent Sales Associate with helping them find their “dream house.”

Tyler and his wife Jennie wanted to establish roots for their growing family. Good schools, clean streets, a rich neighborhood culture. They landed that dream with the help of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Northern California: a 1960s-style ranch home in a close-knit neighborhood. “There were only about six streets in this little pocket, and we wanted to live on one of these streets,” says Jennie. For some homebuyers, location means the world. 

Any mother will tell you: time is her most precious commodity. Leah, an organizational development consultant, was no exception. She longed to shorten her commute to the Silicon Valley so she could spend more time with her twin girls and husband, Stephane. “At first, we were luke-warm on the idea of purchasing a house in the suburbs after living in cities like San Francisco and Paris,” she says. But she and Stephane, a sustainability consultant, eventually came around to the idea of suburban living after their Independent Sales Associate showed them a three-bedroom charmer in a community just 12 miles from Leah’s work and a one mile walk from downtown. “Now Leah can get to work in half the time and spend more time with us,” says Stephane. For Leah, her new home has brought a sigh of relief: she gained those precious moments back with her family and found a place to call home in a welcoming neighborhood.

When it came to house hunting, Alison and Steve wanted to settle down, not settle. The East Bay-based couple was hoping to make their seventh move in ten years be their last—for at least another decade. Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Northern California came to the rescue by helping them purchase a 1,900 square-feet cottage with a great room for entertaining. “I love that it’s becoming our home,” says Alison, a product manager, who enjoys picking out paint colors and furnishings. “We’re putting equity into something that is ours.” Sometimes it takes a move to stay put.

Urbanites Christine and Hasan would have stayed in the city—if it weren’t for the birth of their first child and desire for a home of their own. “Originally we wanted to be in the city, but our options were limited,” recalls Christine who does marketing for a tech company. But their view expanded when they happened upon a two-bedroom bungalow five miles from downtown. “We knew this could be our perfect first home,” says Hasan, also in tech marketing. “We loved the layout, the hardwood floors, the backyard and the drive up to the house, where you can see the ocean and watch the sunset.” Adds Christine: “It’s a place we could make into our own.” Sometimes it’s necessary to go above and beyond to set down roots.

Uncovering a property’s potential can be just as captivating as finding a turn-key treasure. Interior design consultant Valerie came to this realization long ago—but it crystallized after the remodel of her current home, which she characterizes as a “diamond in the rough.” Her proudest moment came one evening as she watched her kids eat dinner in her new kitchen, which she remodeled with a 14-foot slider opening to the backyard. “It’s their sanctuary,” she describes.