A four-bedroom, 4,197-square-foot vintage and prominently located Palatine home that has been the subject of a couple’s popular Instagram account sold on Aug. 23 for $950,000.
Built in 1885, the Victorian-style wood house on Plum Grove Road long has been the subject of a popular Instagram feed, @happilyeveretter, that has 51,500 followers. Run by the married couple Philip and Nathan Etter, the Instagram account has captured the pair’s self-described obsession with the Palatine house, plus their two dogs.
The Etters paid $700,000 in 2018 to buy the house. They were drawn to it because they “have a real love and passion for historical homes,” said their listing agent, Jennie Lussow of @properties Christie’s International Real Estate.
What the couple had going for them, Lussow said, was that they bought it from a builder who already had bought it and renovated it entirely in 2014.
“The builder originally had intended to live there. He did not cut corners. But then his wife decided they really didn’t want to leave Arlington Heights, where they lived, so they ended up putting up the house for sale,” Lussow said.
So the Etters — Philip works in human resources and Nathan works at an adoption agency — bought the updated Victorian, which had much original detail preserved, such as original flooring, doors and hinges, but with new electrical and new plumbing. They then started their Instagram account, chronicling their design efforts and daily life in the home.
“What they loved about the house is that everything had been updated,” Lussow said. “In real estate, I will tell you, we overuse this phrase all the time that a house is the ‘perfect blend of historical charm and modern updates.’ But in this case, it really was done to perfection. So Philip and Nathan bought the house and have lived there and have really turned it into their own — they have so much passion for the decor, and for the landscaping, and it really has been such a showpiece for the neighborhood. Their whole Instagram feed is their home decor, their gardening and the holiday decorations.”
The house has 3 1/2 bathrooms, a family room with a fireplace and an intricate mantel, a hand-carved banister a kitchen with granite countertops, a finished basement and a large patio, all on a 0.28-acre property.
“Everybody in Palatine follows them on Instagram,” Lussow said. “But for the two of them, it’s been a lot of house, and it just got to the point where they decided it was time to simplify and downsize, so they decided to sell and just bought a gorgeous condo on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago that they’ll be closing on in two weeks.”
The couple first listed the home July 31. Lussow said they received multiple offers on day one, and the home went under contract two days later and wound up selling for its asking price. Public records do not yet identify the buyers.
The house had a $14,200 property tax bill in the 2023 tax year.
Goldsborough is a freelance reporter.