So I haven't posted in a while, and this one will be brief.
We went and signed papers yesterday for the house. I called and arranged for a wire transfer for our closing costs yesterday afternoon. Then I began taking apart furniture and packing boxes. I had started on boxes before but I really got a chunk done. Today we should be getting the keys, and starting to move our stuff over there.
We're turning in our cable modem to the cable company today (they will pick it up before noon). So we'll be sans internet and home phone (VOIP) for a few days. Still have the cell phones though!
Ok back to work!
So bummer! Bryan talked to the bank tonight and they are so busy with mortages that they won't be able to close our loan in time for our set closing date with the sellers (May 7). They are saying they can close it by May 28. That's an extra three weeks.
The downside of that is that the sellers can back out of the offer if they don't like this change in plans. And that we were really looking forward to getting out of here sooner than later. But as long as the sellers hang in with us, we can be patient and wait three weeks longer.
The upside is that it makes getting Caleb to and from school a little easier for three more weeks. We're moving out of this school's area, so we have to drive him to and fro every day once we move. We don't mind, of course. It's way too late in the school year to make him change schools. It's going to be hard enough for him, we don't want to make it worse!
So right now we are praying that the couple who is selling the house sticks with the offer and agrees to the new date. We don't want to lose the house because the bank couldn't get their ct together in time!
We had the inspection done last week, now we're just waiting on the financing to come through. Aside from that, all systems are go for closing on May 7. Which means that we could be moving the following weekend!
Let me tell you I am NOT looking forward to packing up the house. This will be move #6 since we got married in 2001. We have done all the moves ourselves except the one from WA to CA in 2006. Let me tell you (again) that I am NOT looking forward to packing up the house.
Sure, this house is smaller and a good half of our belongings (and most of our furniture) is still in storage in my mom's barn. But still. Let me tell you (yet again) that I'm not looking forward to packing.
Bryan will be on swing shift, which means he'll be heading off to work around 1:30pm every day. Not sure what the word is on which days off he'll have. So I might be on my own for the UNpacking as well. Great!
This time, I'm having a friend of my sister help me with the cleaning of this house after we move out. I am willing to pay handsomely (sorta) for this favor. I've done the post-move cleaning enough times that I know I'm not going to want to go it alone.
On the upside, my little sister (our most faithful moving helper) has volunteered her horse trailer. Sounds yucky on the outset, but she said she'd sweep and hose it out first. And that thing fits like two full grown horses and then some. That would more than cover even the biggest pieces of our furniture. Plus, it has a great ramp to make loading big and heavy items easier than into a pickup truck. Speaking of which, they have a big, big truck to tow the trailer, which means more room to put boxes and other smaller pieces of furniture.
So as long as enough of our friends and family love us (or are collecting brownie points for return favors, which I'm willing to entertain), I think I will survive this move... Even though I'm not looking forward to it.
I've been dreaming of how to personalize and upgrade our kitchen-to-be. It's plain and boring in pale wood cabinetry and faux-wood trim, soft white paint, and blah vinyl flooring. Of course this is not a project we can afford to undertake anytime soon, but it's fun to dream and plan and suppose.
There are some cool materials out there these days that I'd never heard of. On top of being awesome looking, they'd make your kitchen (or wherever you used them) rather unique.
My favorite find: IceStoneThis is really cool stuff. It's made of recycled glass and concrete. Super earth-friendly. This "Heirloom Grey" is my favorite shade of it which is rather neutral, actually, but still interesting.
They have lots of fun colors, but knowing myself, if I were going to have something fairly permanent installed in my house, whatever fun color I like today I may be sick of next year. So I'd pair this with a fun paint color on the walls, which I can change relatively cheaply when I'm thoroughly done with it!
See all the colors: www.IceStone.biz
Also Really Cool: Pebble TileThese are individual pebbles (some varieties are rounded pebbles, some are flat) glued onto a mesh backing, something like those tiny 1-inch tiles you may have seen on home remodeling shows on tv (or real life if you're handy with a trowel). Theydon't have rectangular edges, though, so you can interlock the "tiles" without any seams to give away the fact that it was easier to install than it looked.
I haven't picked a favorite on these, they are all really cool and look so high-end, like some craftsman painstakingly mortared each and every piece into place.
See supercool varieties:
www.NaturalPebbleTile.com
We made our offer on the house, and the seller made a counter offer... So we put in another counter offer and.... It was accepted! We are buying the house!
This Thursday will be the home inspection. Bryan will be meeting the home inspector at the house and the guy will go over everything to see if anything major (or minor) needs repair or will need repair in the future. There was a spot of moisture we noticed in one of the windows in the kitchen, so for sure that will be checked. The inspector takes photos, so we have not only his report but images to go on.
If there is anything that needs attention, we will ask the current owners to repair/replace the items, and they may choose to fix all, some, or none of the items. The home appears to be in great shape so we are not too worried, but it's a necessary step.
The Buying Phase
So we think we've found the right house. Bryan is calling our bank right now, trying to get our interest rate locked in and our pre-approval letter
re-written to the amount we're going to offer. They pre-approved us for $120,000 MORE than we figure we can comfortably afford, and if we go in with that higher amount, the seller's agent (apparently) can find out what that is and use that as a tool against us.
The house seems to be in pristine condition. It's only had one owner, a lovely elderly couple who have taken excellent care of it inside and out. It's has three bedrooms, one and three-quarter bathrooms (second bath has sink, toilet, and stand-up shower), a decently sized kitchen, and a two car garage with built-in storage. The window you see on the far left is the master bedroom, the second and third bedrooms are on the back side of the house. Most importantly, it's in a quiet neighborhood off a dead-end street and has a great back yard. They have a bird feeder near the kitchen window, and when we visited the house the second time, there were birds flying around in the back yard and eating from it.
I'm trying not to think of it as my own yet, since it certainly isn't... But it's hard not to start daydreaming about furniture placement, cooking breakfast for the boys, letting them go play in the back yard, or watching them ride their bikes on the sidewalk. Take a deep breath! Settle down!
We have an appointment with our (fabulous) agents today. They are a married couple who work together in a larger real estate office. The wife has showed us the houses, match-making is her strong suit (except this one, the first time we saw it she already had an appointment so her husband took us in). The husband will soon take over with the contract writing and negotiating process, as that is his strong suit. What a great idea.
At the appointment we'll be making the offer, and we'll be hearing back within two days of the seller's response. They could accept, turn it down, or counter-offer. We're expecting a counter offer, which is where the second (higher) pre-approval letter would come in!
Will update soon!
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