thank God for power and water! what does this mean? well, let me back this story up a few weeks ago to let you know how i got to "thank God for power and water!" i'm going to "Tarantino" it, if i may (thank you, Dane Cook).
about two weeks ago, i was preparing for a family trip to myrtle beach. i was scrambling to get the last pieces of information that a certain lender needed to approve my mortgage loan application. the first being an unofficial transcript from W&M. apparently, they needed to make sure that i wasn't using an MBA degree to provide substance abuse counseling. i had faxed the request the week before and heard nothing for a few days. when i called, they told me that requests were taking 3-5 business days. on the 6th day, still nothing. on the 7th, i go over to the Registrar's office to see what the deal was. i had called beforehand and was told i could come pick it up. one lady thought i was imagining things because she could not find it anywhere (of course the man i had spoken to was not there). another woman told me to fill out another request and then handed the transcript. if i had only known it was that easy . . .
this probably seems like a ride going nowhere so just be patient. next step: my most recent bank statement. by the friday before my vacation, it still had not reached my mailbox. fortunately for the miracle that is the internet, it was available on my online account. i printed it and had it ready along with the transcript on thursday. things were going pretty well, right?
not quite! waiting in the mail for me on the friday before i left for the beach was a letter from the lender listing the things that they still need before they could approve my loan application. some of the things i had just completed. the other things made no sense to me. i tried calling people to get clarification but could not reach a single person. i'm freaking out at this point! i shouldn't be going to the beach when there are things i may need to send straighten out first. i calm down and decide that i have done all i can. the week at the beach was great! that is until i get a phone call telling me that the lender will not have the funds sent to the lawyers by my closing on the monday i get back. fortunately they can reschedule it to wednesday at 10am.
this is taking too long so here's the short version. closing is then rescheduled to 2pm on wednesday. i set up the electricity to be turned on in my new house for this wednesday. after the closing (woo hoo, i have a new house!), i stop by my house and the power is not on yet. i come back later that night to move stuff in, and it's still not on and it's freaking hot and humid! i call the power company the following morning (yesterday) and they tell me that the account was set up for the house across from me. they got one number in my address wrong. fortunately, the lady i spoke with was able to correct it and have a technician turn it on the same day. so . . . thank god for power and water!
oh yeah, i own a house!!!
Friday, June 29, 2007
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
New house!
On 5/19/07, I made the fastest big decision of my life: I made an offer on a new home. It was sheer luck that I even looked at the place. Along with my realtor, my parents, and Annie, we had looked at two other homes that morning. Both houses weren't what I had hoped they would be. After seeing how bad the last house was, I was discouraged. My realtor told me about a townhouse in Carleton Falls that she had just heard about. I agreed to take a look at it even though I had had my mind set on buying a house. This place didn't jump at me either. The view of the reservoir wasn't as asthetically pleasing as my Dad had thought it was. The layout I admit was interesting, but there was just something about it that I didn't like, and I couldn't put my finger on it.
Annie had seen another townhouse with an "Open House" sign in the front yard. We decided to take a look just to satisfy curiosity. All it took was one step inside this place to know that I wanted it! The deck itself was awesome! I could have sworn that this was a model that we were looking at. All the light fixtures were new and very modern. The colors of the walls would be perfect with my stuff. The owners were throwing in a flat-screen TV located in a cut-out just above the gas fireplace as well as a home theater system with the speakers hanging from each corner of the living room. The kitchen was spotless and the appliances looked fairly new. And then we walked upstairs! Two bedrooms and two full baths in addition to the half bath downstairs. As I walked into the master bedroom, I thought there were two closets. As I opened the folding glass doors, I was surprised to see an office instead of a closet. The room was large enough to be another bedroom. And then there was the private deck just off the master bedroom. I couldn't believe that I had spent over a month looking at only houses! I knew that this was the place for me! This is the thing that shocked me the most: this place was $7000 less than the first townhouse we had seen.
There was another interested buyer there before us who said to me, "Sorry, it's already sold." I thought to myself, "Not if I have anything to say about it." I asked my realtor how quickly we could write up a contract on it. We got in the car and booked it back to her office in Williamsburg and wrote the contract a little after noon. I offered owners exact asking price. I even asked for a 1-year home warranty as well as the washer and dryer. Apparently, the owners were looking to sell the house quickly. On the way to Richmond for my best friend's medical school graduation BBQ, my realtor calls me at 2:15pm to tell me that the owners had accepted the contract. I was in shock! I didn't think that they would accept my contract as quickly as they did. They even threw in their microwave! I close on the townhouse in just a few weeks.
Last week, Annie and I met with the owners, our relators, and my home inspector to clear up a repair that he was recommeding. They fortunately agreed to make the necessary repair. The owners took us for a walk in the neighborhood where we got to meet a few of the neighbors. They are moving to a larger house in the same neighborhood. Comfortable is the best way I would describe how I felt during the walk. It gave me a good chance to soak everything in and realize that this would be my new home soon. Owning a new house is definitely going to be a challenge but one I gladly accept!
Annie had seen another townhouse with an "Open House" sign in the front yard. We decided to take a look just to satisfy curiosity. All it took was one step inside this place to know that I wanted it! The deck itself was awesome! I could have sworn that this was a model that we were looking at. All the light fixtures were new and very modern. The colors of the walls would be perfect with my stuff. The owners were throwing in a flat-screen TV located in a cut-out just above the gas fireplace as well as a home theater system with the speakers hanging from each corner of the living room. The kitchen was spotless and the appliances looked fairly new. And then we walked upstairs! Two bedrooms and two full baths in addition to the half bath downstairs. As I walked into the master bedroom, I thought there were two closets. As I opened the folding glass doors, I was surprised to see an office instead of a closet. The room was large enough to be another bedroom. And then there was the private deck just off the master bedroom. I couldn't believe that I had spent over a month looking at only houses! I knew that this was the place for me! This is the thing that shocked me the most: this place was $7000 less than the first townhouse we had seen.
There was another interested buyer there before us who said to me, "Sorry, it's already sold." I thought to myself, "Not if I have anything to say about it." I asked my realtor how quickly we could write up a contract on it. We got in the car and booked it back to her office in Williamsburg and wrote the contract a little after noon. I offered owners exact asking price. I even asked for a 1-year home warranty as well as the washer and dryer. Apparently, the owners were looking to sell the house quickly. On the way to Richmond for my best friend's medical school graduation BBQ, my realtor calls me at 2:15pm to tell me that the owners had accepted the contract. I was in shock! I didn't think that they would accept my contract as quickly as they did. They even threw in their microwave! I close on the townhouse in just a few weeks.
Last week, Annie and I met with the owners, our relators, and my home inspector to clear up a repair that he was recommeding. They fortunately agreed to make the necessary repair. The owners took us for a walk in the neighborhood where we got to meet a few of the neighbors. They are moving to a larger house in the same neighborhood. Comfortable is the best way I would describe how I felt during the walk. It gave me a good chance to soak everything in and realize that this would be my new home soon. Owning a new house is definitely going to be a challenge but one I gladly accept!
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