I start this post with the news that we are all counter signed and are only waiting for closing for the house to be ours!!! I am excited that we are very close to having a home again. We are set to close around the end of September but we hope to capitalized on our fortunate situation and do a few things to the house before we move in.
Here are a few of the things that either have to be done or I would like to do:
make all the plumbing work
replace faucets especially leaking ones
repair sheetrock damage
install new baseboards around fireplace
paint the inside of the house
install a vent in one of the bathrooms
remodel kitchen and install new cabinetry and island
remodel master bath by knocking out a closet and enlarging the shower
modify the step down in the garage
move some shelving in the garage
replace all light fixtures with updated ones
install fans in all bedrooms
move a light fixture in one of the bedrooms to the center of the room
replace all outlet covers and some of the outlets
remove all live hanging wiring
replace counter top in one of the bathrooms
tile all bathrooms
install updated mirrors in the bathrooms
install new locks on exterior doors
remove a nonfunctioning spa
install a deck on the kitchen that wraps around the to the back bedroom
remove the deck in the front of the house
It is an extensive list but one that we can accomplish over time. I would say I would like to complete about 1/4 of it before we move in. We would like to try to move in by Thanksgiving or Christmas. Please continue to pray for us and this adventure that we are on. We will be searching out good contractors to do some of it so if you have an reccomendations please pass them on. Free labor is also good if you feel so inclined to donate some time and or any special skills that you have.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
A Bit of Good News
Our offer was accepted!!!! So we move on to the next step. I am excited.
Let me back up a little bit...we put an offer on a house about a week and a half ago. Part of that contract included that the seller would repair the foundation if there were problems. We believed that there we problems and wanted to have it checked out. The seller at first countered our offer (it was low but doesn't hurt to try right??), we countered back and then we started investigating companies to inspect the foundation. We requested and received permission from the seller to have the foundation inspected before a final offer was accepted. After many phone calls to about 6 different foundation companies I was frustrated because the foundation companies wouldn't speak with me because I was not the owner. We finally contacted the seller and asked him to call the foundation companies and have an inspection.
So the signing of the contract was put on hold as the seller investigated the foundation issues. Come to find out that there are not really any issues that need to be addressed. M. talked to the foundation company that did the inspection directly to find out what they thought.
During this time, the seller had placed the house up for lease. I was so disappointed in this as I was afraid that they would not even consider our final counter offer. M. called the seller agent today and it turns out that they agreed to the offer. So tomorrow we go and initial all the paperwork and pay the fee. Then Saturday we will have a general inspector come and inspect the house from top to bottom. I am still not positive that everything is good and it will cost us at least $450 to find out if there are any surprises in the house. M. called an inspector that is also a structual engineer who can give us a detailed report. Hopefully on Saturday we will know more and I pray that all will go well.
I can already see us living in this house and I am excited that we are further in the process than we ever have been before.
On a side note, I am also excited about going back to work. This is a change in outlooks from last week. Please pray for us for God's will in the house process and that we stay healthy as we head back to work and the busiest time of year for us.
Let me back up a little bit...we put an offer on a house about a week and a half ago. Part of that contract included that the seller would repair the foundation if there were problems. We believed that there we problems and wanted to have it checked out. The seller at first countered our offer (it was low but doesn't hurt to try right??), we countered back and then we started investigating companies to inspect the foundation. We requested and received permission from the seller to have the foundation inspected before a final offer was accepted. After many phone calls to about 6 different foundation companies I was frustrated because the foundation companies wouldn't speak with me because I was not the owner. We finally contacted the seller and asked him to call the foundation companies and have an inspection.
So the signing of the contract was put on hold as the seller investigated the foundation issues. Come to find out that there are not really any issues that need to be addressed. M. talked to the foundation company that did the inspection directly to find out what they thought.
During this time, the seller had placed the house up for lease. I was so disappointed in this as I was afraid that they would not even consider our final counter offer. M. called the seller agent today and it turns out that they agreed to the offer. So tomorrow we go and initial all the paperwork and pay the fee. Then Saturday we will have a general inspector come and inspect the house from top to bottom. I am still not positive that everything is good and it will cost us at least $450 to find out if there are any surprises in the house. M. called an inspector that is also a structual engineer who can give us a detailed report. Hopefully on Saturday we will know more and I pray that all will go well.
I can already see us living in this house and I am excited that we are further in the process than we ever have been before.
On a side note, I am also excited about going back to work. This is a change in outlooks from last week. Please pray for us for God's will in the house process and that we stay healthy as we head back to work and the busiest time of year for us.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Holding Pattern
We made the offer on the house that we liked but we are now in a holding pattern. The house needs some foundation work and the seller has agreed to have a foundation inspection and make the decision as to whether they are willing to fix it. We hope to hear something by the end of the week. Until then we wait patiently.
It seems that some people have been concerned as to why M. and I are currently living in my family. We simply are inbetween houses. It is not because there is any concern with us. So we have this little efficiency dorm type room where we have our bed and our couch and recliner and TV. Other than sharing cooking and bathroom facilities we are fairly self sufficient. The A/C in our little apartment doesn't work so great so we have fans to keep us cool.
That is all for now folks!
It seems that some people have been concerned as to why M. and I are currently living in my family. We simply are inbetween houses. It is not because there is any concern with us. So we have this little efficiency dorm type room where we have our bed and our couch and recliner and TV. Other than sharing cooking and bathroom facilities we are fairly self sufficient. The A/C in our little apartment doesn't work so great so we have fans to keep us cool.
That is all for now folks!
Sunday, August 10, 2008
House Hunt Resumes
So we recently found out that our buyer realtor was moving to D.C. so we were assigned a new one to continue our house hunt. This weekend we went and looked at a few homes. One of the homes that we looked at was one we had seen several times before. For some reason we continue to be drawn to this house. It is a 4 bedroom and a study. It is a small 4 bedroom but is in a really desirable area of town. It fits all our needs and with a few modifications over the coming years could even have everything I want. So after visiting it for the 4th time we decided that it was time that we made an offer on it. Unfortunately there might be a little foundation problem that needs to be corrected. We are including a stipulation in the contract to have the seller fix the problem. This is required in order for us to get a loan for the house. We are currently waiting for our realtor to properly prepare the contract for us to sign and officially make the offer. Hopefully by tomorrow we will have officially put an offer in and then we begin the waiting game.
We will pray that the seller will be willing to make the repairs. That might mean that next week we might be doing an inspection and see what comes of that. We are to the point of placing it in God's hands. I know that I can't predict how a seller might respond. I hope that the fact that the house has been on the market for more than a year will make him more willing to make some consessions including fixing the foundation. I pray that if that is the case that it is an easy fix for the sake of making everything easier.
Please join M. and I in praying for the appropriate outcome of this offer.
We will pray that the seller will be willing to make the repairs. That might mean that next week we might be doing an inspection and see what comes of that. We are to the point of placing it in God's hands. I know that I can't predict how a seller might respond. I hope that the fact that the house has been on the market for more than a year will make him more willing to make some consessions including fixing the foundation. I pray that if that is the case that it is an easy fix for the sake of making everything easier.
Please join M. and I in praying for the appropriate outcome of this offer.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
We are out
We finally moved out this past weekend. Thanks to our friends who helped us pack and move some of our furniture to our new location. Without them I think I would have had a mental breakdown. We were out mostly by last Sunday with a little bit of cleanup on Monday. I had planned to cleanup on Monday and Tuesday but with TS Edouard approaching on Tuesday I had to finish everything on Monday. This included touch up paint and minor repairs. On Wednesday we closed on our old home. This was a bittersweet moment for me. On one hand I was glad that we were done with it so that we can move on but on the other this was my home. The fact that I don't have another home to move into made it all the more hard to sign away my house.
I never thought that I would feel that way about that house. While it was the first house that M. and I lived in as husband and wife it was not MY house. He had bought the house even before we met and I just acquired it when we married. But for the last two years it has grown on me and become my home. So as I sat in the title company office with just M. and I and the title company representative and signed away my house it was not a good feeling. I paid a bunch of money to some realtors that I haven't even met. Add to that leaving there feeling homeless.
Since we haven't found a new house yet we are staying with my parents. I am greatful that they have opened their doors to us but it is super difficult to go from a 3 bedroom house to a converted garage.
We also recently got a new realtor to help us buy a new house. Our old one moved away to another state. Looking for a house is stressful too. I live in a pocket of stress right now. I am sure that it will smooth out eventually but for now I go day by day.
I never thought that I would feel that way about that house. While it was the first house that M. and I lived in as husband and wife it was not MY house. He had bought the house even before we met and I just acquired it when we married. But for the last two years it has grown on me and become my home. So as I sat in the title company office with just M. and I and the title company representative and signed away my house it was not a good feeling. I paid a bunch of money to some realtors that I haven't even met. Add to that leaving there feeling homeless.
Since we haven't found a new house yet we are staying with my parents. I am greatful that they have opened their doors to us but it is super difficult to go from a 3 bedroom house to a converted garage.
We also recently got a new realtor to help us buy a new house. Our old one moved away to another state. Looking for a house is stressful too. I live in a pocket of stress right now. I am sure that it will smooth out eventually but for now I go day by day.
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