From “Her House” to “Our Home” — How Doorifi Made It Possible

For Nikki and Pierre Penda, a fresh start had been years in the making. Nikki had lived in her Middletown, NJ 07748 home for 21 years; she and Pierre had been married for 14. Ever since their wedding, Pierre had dreamed of buying a place together.

“When we first got married, my husband wanted us to have our own home,” Nikki recalls. “We looked for a while, but we already had a great location and a good mortgage. It didn’t make sense to move.”

Still, Pierre never stopped hoping for a house they could both truly call theirs.

The Right Time to Start Again

Last year, the conversation resurfaced. Pierre, a consulting engineer working from home, needed more space for his office. Nikki, a homemaker, spent most of her time in the house as well. They wanted an updated kitchen, room to grow, and a layout that could accommodate Nikki’s mother — ideally with a bedroom and bathroom on the main floor.

Selling Without the Stress

The idea of selling felt daunting — until Nikki saw an ad for Doorifi. The thought of skipping open houses and constant showings immediately caught her attention.

“That was creating a lot of anxiety for me,” she says. “I have a big, long-haired black cat that sheds, and a husband working from home — how was I going to keep the house ready for buyers?”

She requested an offer from Doorifi and was pleased to see it matched their own estimate of the home’s value.

“I have a lot of emotions about change, and leaving the house was hard,” Nikki admits. “But selling to Doorifi was so easy.”

Perfect Timing

The couple hadn’t planned to sell in that moment. They had a long vacation coming up, then the holidays. But the offer felt too good to ignore.

They consulted a trusted friend in commercial real estate, who encouraged them to accept it. “He asked all the same questions we’d already asked Doorifi and got the same answers,” Nikki says. “It validated our decision.”

From there, the process moved quickly. The week after accepting the offer, Pierre ran a marathon in Chicago. Soon after, Nikki was riding a 27-mile charity bike race. Doorifi made it work — scheduling the home assessment just before they left and handling the rest remotely.

A Seamless Digital Experience

“The idea of selling a home always meant being present,” Nikki says. “But we sold ours while we were away for a good part of it — and it was still easy.”

Much of that ease came from their Doorifi Home Advisor, Emma.

“Emma was incredibly responsive,” Nikki remembers. “We had a million questions — we’d never sold a home before and everything was happening so quickly. Whether we emailed or texted, she’d reply instantly. It felt like we were her only clients.”

By phone, Nikki chose a closing date just a few weeks later.

A New Chapter Together

Today, Nikki and Pierre are settled into their new home in Monmouth County — together, in a space that’s truly theirs.

“We wouldn’t have sold our house this year if it wasn’t for Doorifi,” Nikki says. “If the logistics hadn’t been smooth, I probably would have backed out. But selling to Doorifi was so easy.”