I am a homeowner once again!
Our closing was scheduled at 9am yesterday. We got there and there were some delays on the seller's side (the bank). So 2 hours later we got everything signed and finalized. We were told to bring a certain amount in a cashier's check for our closing costs, but it ended up being much less! So we have enough left over to get a nice new washer & dryer set. We went to this place called Appliance Smart which is this place for slightly damaged (scratches or dents, mismatched pairs, etc) appliances of all kinds. We found a white Whirlpool Duet front loading washer & dryer set for $799. The only thing wrong with it is that there is a gray accent on each one, and the shade of gray is different on each one. Sso we're getting the set for the price of ONE of the units. Isn't that amazing!? The washer & dryer in the house now are very old and when you turn it on it smells like it's burning. I'd rather not take any chances washing or drying clothes in them.
We also want a new refrigerator. The one at the house is brand new and stainless steel, but its the kind with the freezer on top. We prefer side-by-side with the water & ice in the door. So we'll probably get a fridge from Appliance Smart as well once we find one we like that has the dimensions we need. We'll probably sell the one we have right now since its brand new. All the paperwork is inside and the shelves and everything are still wrapped in plastic. And there are ice cube trays...I dont think I could even remember to keep those things filled!
Our painter started painting yesterday morning. He's painting the whole interior. I think he will be done by Sunday...at least I hope so! We have our new furniture being delivered tomorrow. We bought a king sized bedroom suite, a Serta mattress set, and a formal dining set. We'll probabl start moving some stuff over there today. Chris wants to have everything moved out from the downstairs here and put into the basement at the new house. He's off work today so we can finish up our packing. :)
I may not have internet until Monday or Tuesday so I will be back with an update next week!
Friday, February 29, 2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Getting a package tomorrow!
Remember the bedding I posted a few entries back? Well I bought it! I had a 30% off Presiden't Day sale coupon for Kohl's so I ordered it. It will be here tomorrow. I cant wait! I hope its good quality. It's listed as luxury bedding so it should be nice. The set we have currently on our bed was expensive but we've had it for 5-6 years and it's still in excellent shape. Well, not the sheets. The sheets were replaced about 2 years into it and haven been replaced 2 other times since then. I must not wash them correctly because they wear out too fast. Ah well.
Next week we will go to Hom furniture and pick out a new bedroom suite. We're getting a king bed this time. I cant wait to be able to stretch out in the bed. ahhh!
Next week we will go to Hom furniture and pick out a new bedroom suite. We're getting a king bed this time. I cant wait to be able to stretch out in the bed. ahhh!
They found a renter!
Our landlord called this morning and said he has a renter who wants to move in on 3/15! So that means we only have to pay a half month for our last rent payment! :) Plus we will get our deposit back, including the pet deposit we paid but ended up finding the dog a new home. So that will help out when we get moved in and start to personalize the house.
He wants to have the townhome painted this Sunday, too! And speaking of painting, we're going to have our previous pastor paint the interior of our new house and he will probably go take a look this weekend and give us a quote. We told Chris' dad about that, and he said he'd pay for the paintjob! Our previous pastor is having a hard time making money since he left ministry and he has been a professional painter for years and years so everyone is trying to scrounge him up some painting jobs. Chris even suggested him to our landlord for painting the townhome this weekend. I hope it works out for him (Tom). He's such a nice guy and was a great, humble pastor. And we didnt know if we'd be able to afford having the new house painted before we moved in but since Chris' dad offered to pay for it, it looks like it will happen after all! We are really very blessed to have Chris' parents in our lives. Sometimes we dont all get along, but I'd say about 98% of the time we get along fantastically. :)
I love good news!
He wants to have the townhome painted this Sunday, too! And speaking of painting, we're going to have our previous pastor paint the interior of our new house and he will probably go take a look this weekend and give us a quote. We told Chris' dad about that, and he said he'd pay for the paintjob! Our previous pastor is having a hard time making money since he left ministry and he has been a professional painter for years and years so everyone is trying to scrounge him up some painting jobs. Chris even suggested him to our landlord for painting the townhome this weekend. I hope it works out for him (Tom). He's such a nice guy and was a great, humble pastor. And we didnt know if we'd be able to afford having the new house painted before we moved in but since Chris' dad offered to pay for it, it looks like it will happen after all! We are really very blessed to have Chris' parents in our lives. Sometimes we dont all get along, but I'd say about 98% of the time we get along fantastically. :)
I love good news!
Friday, February 15, 2008
Dramaaaa!
Too much house drama for me to handle! So we got the toilets installed at the house, then we had a plumber come out to check things out and turn the water on to the house. As soon as he turned it on, the meter outside cracked. Sigh. We didn't know how long it would take for the city to have a new one installed so we were afraid we wouldn't get to move on schedule. Well then we found out that someone with the city would meet the plumber at the house this morning and install the meter, check the pipes, etc. Chris met them there at 7:30 this morning and they are still there.
Apparently there are a couple cracked pipes. Chris thinks its not too bad because they were able to pump the air pressure through the pipes at 40psi (they typically use between 40-60psi) and they held up. But they will have to be fixed or replaced somehow. As of now those are the only pipe issues. We were afraid if it was too bad that we would have to pull out entirely and find a new house. And with a closing date 2 weeks from now, this is all last minute and scary. The brand new dishwasher is either bad or wasnt installed correctly. Hopefully its just the latter. It looks like we will need to buy a new water heater and water softener as well. One thing after another.
Some advice - never buy a foreclosure if you dont have gobs of money to put into it (even if its in GREAT shape there are issues somewhere that will be uncovered) and time and patience.
Chris just updated me that the pipes aren't cracked, just some 90 degree fittings. The plumber thinks there was a bad batch of them and he replaced them already. Whew. So thats one hurdle we've crossed.
Normally I would be anxious and really freaking out about all this but I've been trying to be positive and trust that God will get us through it no matter what happens.
I'm so ready for February to be over with.
Apparently there are a couple cracked pipes. Chris thinks its not too bad because they were able to pump the air pressure through the pipes at 40psi (they typically use between 40-60psi) and they held up. But they will have to be fixed or replaced somehow. As of now those are the only pipe issues. We were afraid if it was too bad that we would have to pull out entirely and find a new house. And with a closing date 2 weeks from now, this is all last minute and scary. The brand new dishwasher is either bad or wasnt installed correctly. Hopefully its just the latter. It looks like we will need to buy a new water heater and water softener as well. One thing after another.
Some advice - never buy a foreclosure if you dont have gobs of money to put into it (even if its in GREAT shape there are issues somewhere that will be uncovered) and time and patience.
Chris just updated me that the pipes aren't cracked, just some 90 degree fittings. The plumber thinks there was a bad batch of them and he replaced them already. Whew. So thats one hurdle we've crossed.
Normally I would be anxious and really freaking out about all this but I've been trying to be positive and trust that God will get us through it no matter what happens.
I'm so ready for February to be over with.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Toilets? Check!
We bought, and installed, 3 new toilets this weekend and went and installed them in the new house. Some time within the next few days we will go over and fix the water damage spot in the kitchen and replace the damaged segment of the fence in the backyard. That will be difficult considering how much snow is back there! Chris already had to scrape the driveway and walkway yesterday in below zero temperatures. Otherwise we couldn't have gotten the car into the garage. The toilets look great though. We'll have to have a plumber come out and turn the water on and check everything to make sure there are no more leaks.
I walked through the house yesterday with some paint samples. I love this one sunny yellow color but if I paint the kitchen yellow, the dining room, family room, and living room will have to be yellow as well and while *I* could handle that much bright color, I dont know if Chris or any visitors can. My backup safe color is a taupe color. Upstairs we will paint the master bed/bath a blue color. Once we buy the bedding for our new bed we will take a sham up to Home Depot and coordinate it with some paint and see what looks good with it. The boys' bathroom will be the sunny yellow color, for sure, and the guest bedroom will be a sage green to match the bedding we have right now which will be used in the guest room. Ian wants his room to be "Lightning McQueen Red" but I dont know about that! Quinn's room will probably either be the same color as whatever we paint Ian's room or it will be the yellow color. Too many decisions to make!
My Pampered Chef orders came in on Saturday and Chris helped me put everyone's orders together. I got so much nice stuff! I had to box it back up though since we're about to move. I cant wait to use it all.
I just waxed my upper lip and its stinging. =(
I walked through the house yesterday with some paint samples. I love this one sunny yellow color but if I paint the kitchen yellow, the dining room, family room, and living room will have to be yellow as well and while *I* could handle that much bright color, I dont know if Chris or any visitors can. My backup safe color is a taupe color. Upstairs we will paint the master bed/bath a blue color. Once we buy the bedding for our new bed we will take a sham up to Home Depot and coordinate it with some paint and see what looks good with it. The boys' bathroom will be the sunny yellow color, for sure, and the guest bedroom will be a sage green to match the bedding we have right now which will be used in the guest room. Ian wants his room to be "Lightning McQueen Red" but I dont know about that! Quinn's room will probably either be the same color as whatever we paint Ian's room or it will be the yellow color. Too many decisions to make!
My Pampered Chef orders came in on Saturday and Chris helped me put everyone's orders together. I got so much nice stuff! I had to box it back up though since we're about to move. I cant wait to use it all.
I just waxed my upper lip and its stinging. =(
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Come on 2/28!
We got our official closing documents in the mail yesterday. We close on our new house at 9am on 2/28. We received a copy of our appraisal last week and the appraiser had included a section of things that need to be fixed before FHA will fund the loan. Well the trouble comes from the fact that we are buying a foreclosure so there is not an actual seller to fix these things before we move in. Our realtor is asking the bank to provide $1000 in concessions so we can get the things fixed before we move in.
All 3 toilets are busted due to the tanks freezing, then thawing. There is a little bit of water damage on the kitchen ceiling, underneath one of the bathrooms. It's really just a stain and not damage since it was a one time leakage issue and not continual water damage. Also, 2 of the electrical outlets upstairs do not work. The fence in the backyard is one of those cheap section by section fences, and one section is damaged and has 'nails protruding from the wood'. So we need that section replaced or repaired. Eventually we will get rid of the fence and install a privacy fence instead. This has to be done before our closing, so our realtor is sending a handyman out to do an estimate and see what it would cost, whether the bank awards us the concessions or not.
I'm really excited to move, but haven't been motivated to start packing. We've been going through stuff and getting rid of clutter, donating old clothes, selling some baby stuff we dont need anymore. We really need to get with it and start packing. The 28th will be here before we know it.
We also have our old pastor from church who will come by the new house and give us an estimate about painting the walls inside. They are all plain white and it's so boring. We may just have him paint the main level and we'll take care of the upstairs. Unless he gives us a really good deal, then we may have him do it all. Either way, the walls need to be painted before we move anything big into the house.
I cant wait to meet my neighbors! I hope they all have kids and they're all friendly. I hope they do some kind of neighborhood activities too. If not, I may have to take it upon myself to start something. Chris and I may start a neighborhood association website for the subdivision. We can list events, neighborhood news, classifieds (garage sales and fundraisers, etc) and a babysitting co-op. All kinds of ideas.
I cant wait to decorate! Come on February! Let's get this over with! (BTW - patience is not a strength of mine...)
All 3 toilets are busted due to the tanks freezing, then thawing. There is a little bit of water damage on the kitchen ceiling, underneath one of the bathrooms. It's really just a stain and not damage since it was a one time leakage issue and not continual water damage. Also, 2 of the electrical outlets upstairs do not work. The fence in the backyard is one of those cheap section by section fences, and one section is damaged and has 'nails protruding from the wood'. So we need that section replaced or repaired. Eventually we will get rid of the fence and install a privacy fence instead. This has to be done before our closing, so our realtor is sending a handyman out to do an estimate and see what it would cost, whether the bank awards us the concessions or not.
I'm really excited to move, but haven't been motivated to start packing. We've been going through stuff and getting rid of clutter, donating old clothes, selling some baby stuff we dont need anymore. We really need to get with it and start packing. The 28th will be here before we know it.
We also have our old pastor from church who will come by the new house and give us an estimate about painting the walls inside. They are all plain white and it's so boring. We may just have him paint the main level and we'll take care of the upstairs. Unless he gives us a really good deal, then we may have him do it all. Either way, the walls need to be painted before we move anything big into the house.
I cant wait to meet my neighbors! I hope they all have kids and they're all friendly. I hope they do some kind of neighborhood activities too. If not, I may have to take it upon myself to start something. Chris and I may start a neighborhood association website for the subdivision. We can list events, neighborhood news, classifieds (garage sales and fundraisers, etc) and a babysitting co-op. All kinds of ideas.
I cant wait to decorate! Come on February! Let's get this over with! (BTW - patience is not a strength of mine...)
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