When Jamie Petersen moved to North Carolina last fall, she needed fresh air and a fresh start.
Ms. Petersen had faced a string of hardships while living in Brandon, Fla., a suburb of Tampa. In 2012, her brother died from complications of cystic fibrosis. A few years later, her son Wolfgang, now 10, was successfully treated for a cancerous tumor.
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Then, on Labor Day weekend in 2023, Ms. Petersen was sitting in a car in the parking lot of a bar when an assailant fired several shots through the passenger-side window and fled, leaving her with five bullet wounds. “I almost lost my left arm and had to learn how to walk again,” she said. (A suspect was arrested in January 2024, but official charges were never filed due to lack of evidence.)
As she recuperated, she decided it was “time to get out of Florida.”
“I wasn’t happy with my job, the schools weren’t great, the weather was too hot,” she said.
She didn’t love her house in Brandon, either — a three-bedroom, two-bath ranch behind a shopping center in a flat, congested neighborhood.
After ending a relationship last summer, Ms. Petersen, 47, looked for job openings through HCA Healthcare, the hospital system she works for as a radiology technician. She applied for a position in Brevard, N.C., about 45 minutes outside of Asheville, in a smaller hospital that could accommodate her post-injury limitations. The job also came with a raise.
She and Wolfgang visited in August and quickly fell for the area’s majestic mountains and laid-back Appalachian vibe.
“We loved the beauty of it,” Ms. Petersen said. “Also the weather. It was noticeably cooler here, and there were much less people.”
The pair moved up to North Carolina in December, staying in an Airbnb while exploring the housing market. Sometimes they toured listings with Caroline Ericksen, a Coldwell Banker Advantage broker Ms. Petersen found online. Other times, they simply drove around checking out exteriors.
“It was fun, actually,” she said. “We’d pack up snacks, and you can get a feel for a place if you like the look of the outside or the neighborhood.”
Her house in Florida sold in March, giving her enough for a roughly 20 percent down payment on a $400,000 home.
Ms. Petersen wanted an updated home with at least two bedrooms, a porch, a nice view and some privacy. Ideally, it would be within 30 minutes of her job in Brevard, and near a good school. She also wanted some outdoor space where Wolfgang could run around and explore.
And, coming from Florida, central air-conditioning was a must. “I’d die without it,” Ms. Petersen said.
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Heather Senison
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