The House Hunters Thread

[Snooper]

Mer great progress!

I think mine''s a bit delayed after getting 3 feet of snow...

And we''re supposed to get 6-12 more inches on Tues-Wed in No. VA... BOOOOOOOO

 

[meresal]

Clairitek- Hey girl!

I just keep praying for no rain! As soon as the roof is complete, they can begin the inside without having to worry about the weather anymore.

Lynnie and Snooper- Thanks ladies!

Snooper- I''m sorry to hear about the weather and then impending weather. When did you sign your pre-closing documents? Was the construction supposed to start before the heart of winter started?

 

[Snooper]

Meresal well I think the whole process was started shortly after yours and like you, we had to wait months before the actual digging. Still hoping the closing date of early-mid May is set (the contractor said that includes days for bad weather).

How exciting that your home will be done sooner than later! ALWAYS a plus Just going to sit back and watch the progress of yours and other ladies'' home loans/search go through.

Again been fun and helpful reading everyone''s ups and downs!

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Mer, I just wanted to pop in here to tell you that when I saw the most recent picture of your house, I didn''t think it was yours, haha! I can''t believe how much progress they''ve made in such a short time!! That is amazing. And I''m so glad that they are scheduled to be done in March, you must feel so much relief!

Snooper, I''m so sorry that you''ve been hit with so much snow at the most critical time of building your house!! I lived in DC for about 5 years and never saw that much snow--how ironic that the one winter you could use less snow is the winter that the DC area gets dumped on!

 

[rhbgirl24]

WOW Mere! That looks like a HOUSE, gorgeous, progressed, YOUR HOME! Congrats!

Snooper, so sorry for the delay with the storms.

We actually went out house hunting this past Sun and most of the homes weren't cleared, which means we went TROMPING! lol I guess we're motivated.

 

[PilsnPinkysMom]

It has been too, too long since I did a read-through on this thread.


Mere: Holy fast progress!! But you definitely deserve to see your house moving along quickly- you waited long enough for them to get started. That''s some awesome progress. It looks terrific!


Snooper: Any more progress on your end? Do you expect yours to move along as quickly as Mere''s once they do the framing? New construction is so interesting!


Burk: Break ground?


NEL:

Sorry this week was a bit rough. I *hate* when people say, "It wasn''t meant to be!" but- maybe it wasn''t. I know you guys will find a fabulous house, perhaps not even when you''re actively looking. I may be wrong, but I have a sense that if your "dream home" popped up on the market, you guys would be emotionally and financially prepared to make an offer on it.


RHB

Gah... this home thing is FRUSTRATING. And it''s hard not to get wrapped up in it all and start dreaming of paint colors. I''m glad you''re motivated & continuing your search. Aint nothin'' gonna hold you back!

Lynnie Tax returns are wonderful things. Can''t wait to see photos when you get rid of the ugly metallic-ness!

As for us, we actually (drumroll) made an offer on a home tonight! Eek! We should know by 9pm tomorrow whether they accept, counter, or reject. I don''t know what to expect, really. We''ve stopped & started our search so many times and were really annoyed with the market and perhaps overly picky about neighborhoods. Then we found a home we really liked in a neighborhood we can stand, with property values that are appreciating at a moderate rate. Not a dream home, but a great starter. We''ve had a few unexpected financial gifts in the past two months which have allowed us to move NOW. Without them we would have needed to save for another 6-10 months. I''m very grateful but also a bit.. hmm.. sad? Feeling like we cheated the system? I really wanted to wait and save slowly and build excitement and pride of ownership. I feel like we ''lucked out'' but missed out on doing it the old fashioned way. Anyway... I guess I''m over it. We locked in at a stellar, stellar rate and our monthly payments are less than 25% of DH''s take-home pay: Can''t go wrong, right?

It''s just scary... I like looking at homes, but.. wowza- buying a home is a whole different story!

 

[Snooper]

PilsnPinkysMom oh best of luck that your offer is accepted!! Especially with a good rate and payments that would be 25% less than your husband''s take home! Hopefully this is a sign.

Burk, yes I second PPM''s question, have they broke ground yet?

My husband''s co-worker sent us this picture last night from his cell. The drive to our future home is an hour each way from our current residence so we''re not able to drive out often. So here''s a preview!! Windows, front porch, columns, doors, siding, etc., are next but again, there''s another snow storm coming today so here''s hoping the weather cooperates

I do hope I didn''t miss anyone''s post previously. Any updates ladies?

 

[Lynnie]

PILS>.... Lots of dust for your offer!!! Waiting is ridiculously nerve-wracking - probably the worst part of the whole process.

Snooper... Fingers crossed for good weather, and good progress! It''s yucky here, too. We got 26" Saturday, and they''re calling for another 14-20 today.

 

[meresal]

Pilsn- Congratultions of the offer! I hope you get great news!

Snooper- The house looks great so far! If you don''t mind me asking, how many square feet is your house? How wonderful that you all have a friend that will drive by for you. I would be on pins and needles if I couldn''t track the progress or at least have updates.

NEL- To hear the words March, is a HUGE relief! I feel like it is going to fly by, I just hope that nothing gets screwed up. However, if it does, we are perfectly find pushing the closing date as far back as it needs to go, in order to make sure everything is perfect. Once these builders get you to sign on your final documents, those workers are off to the next property, and it could take forever to get things fixed.

Rhb- Thanks! It''s amazing how quickly it can go from a pile of 2x4''s to an actual house. I think that I could be a home builder in my next life (like actually putting up walls and doors kind of building, not the behind the sceenes people). I just love seeing how things come together, and all the steps in between. I''d love to be a part of that. If I ever become a stay at home mom, I will definitely be doing as much with Habitat for Humanity as I can.


Today I am taking a half day from work to go meet with our mortgage guy. Trying to get all of the documents and down payment issues ironed out. This is the guy that doesn''t listen very well, so I''m hoping he will give me straighter answers when I''m sitting in his office. *fingers crossed*

 

[PilsnPinkysMom]

Just have a minute- will check back and comment on everyone''s updates later...

but...


THEY ACCEPTED OUR OFFER!!!!

It was a decent offer, if I do say so. We offered 3k less than asking, asked for closing costs & requested they leave the washer & dryer. Their counter was ''we''ll take it, except we need to keep the washer and dryer.'' We agreed. Hooray!!

We''re supposed to be IN the home by March 10th. A month. Crazy, crazy, crazy quick process.

 

[Lynnie]

HOORAY!!!! Congrats, Pils!!!!

Exciting, right???!?

 

[meresal]

OMG One month!!!! How exciting!!!! Congrats!!!!

 

[Snooper]

Congrats PilsnPinkysMom!! Wow, one month!! Super happy for you!!

Meresal, the finished basement is a little over 1000 sqft, and the main and 2nd floor are 2100. We turned the den into a 5th bedroom, 3 full baths, and 1 half bath. It''s just me and my husband (no kids yet) and cats.

Lucky that you get to visit your property often!!

 

[Burk]

Meresal~WOW!! The house looks great and yay for a closing date!!

PPM~Yay!! Congrats!!! As for us, no, haven't broken ground.

Weather is NOT cooperating. Rain, sleet, snow, temps in the teens do not mesh well with building a house.

The weather is supposed to warm up in the next few weeks so hopefully then!

Snooper~Looks great!! Boo to the weather! That's an big house for you, DH and the cats....are there kiddos in the near future?

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Pils!!! That is fantastic news!!! Oh my gosh, a month! You are going to be one busy lady!! Is the inspection this weekend? How long does that give you to sign the P&S before you meet your mortgage commitment? I hope it all goes very smoothly!!

 

[rhbgirl24]

OMG congrats PilsnPinkysMom!!!! Yay!

And Snooper - your home looks GREAT! Congrats!

 

[rhbgirl24]

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH! We put an offer on a home yesterday! I am so nervous its ridiculous! Everyone fingers crossed please! They say we should hear back by Fri or Monday. Sat is my birthday, wouldn''t that be a great present???

So its everything we wanted (a little short on the land though, its only .5 acre.) But its 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths, 2 half baths, with a morning sunroom, finished family room in basement (huge room 24x19) and a 2 car garage.

I''m so anxious! I really hope this works out...............

So how is everyone else doing?

 

[meresal]

Rhb- The house is Grogeous!!! Fingers are most definitely crossed for you!!!


We had our pre-sheet rock meeting yesterday, and it went great. Sheet rock should have started going up yesterday after we left. AS soon as that is done, they will start on all the finishings inside. I was able to see that every nook and cranny had insulation! (My biggest fear was that the house was going to go up without insulation)

The supplier dropped off the stone as we were leaving and our site manager told us that they would start putting it up by Wednesday! He also assured us that we will be in the house by the time baby gets here, so that is a huge relief.

I will have updated pictures later this week.

Anyone else have updates?

 

[rhbgirl24]

Mere, thank you and that is great! It must be so neat to be able to see every little thing. But I''m obsessive like that. Its going to be so much fun for you guys when all the little details you''ve been thinking about come together and you get to see it step by step! Yay!!

 

[Snooper]

rhbgirl24, I hope EVERYTHING goes smoothly for you!!! That would be a fantastic bday gift indeed! I love the house!!! And extra bonus, morning sun room! Nice!

Burk, no plans for starting a family this year, but in a year we plan to start a family Sorry to hear the weather isn''t cooperating for you! Been a terrible winter huh

Meresal, very good news that they will finish your house before your new addition comes Things seem to be going right on track for you!

We plan to drive out to our house this weekend, but as of today, we know the Green guard just got put up, roof is complete, so next is the windows, doors, front porch, pillars and then siding! Now that our roof is up weather won''t hold us back! YAY!

Anyone else have news?

 

[Amandine]

Well, guess I am joining the house hunters! DH and have been casually looking since last summer, and actually had a home we were quite interested in. When my parents were visiting in December, we took them over to see the house. My Dad (who is an experienced woodworker and home renovator) noticed that there was some decided unevenness and settling, to the point that in one half bath the wall and floor were separating. So, that house was out!

We didn''t look for most of the fall and only recently have I started searching again. This time around, we have a different real estate agent, and she is much more familiar with the area we are looking at. Soooo...last Thursday I went out with her and saw a number of homes. I really liked two in the same neighborhood, and DH was able to come out and see them. They are very similar layouts with beautiful sunrooms. One has a walk-out basement and a more open floor plan, but I like the second floor better on the second home. DH likes the house with the basement best, and I could really go either way. Of course, that house is also at the top of our price range! So now we are better investigating mortgages and the realtor is looking into the water damage that the house had. It was from the terrible storms Atlanta had in September of last year, the "hundred year rain". So, hopefully, we won''t be experiencing anything like that again...but would still make sure to get flood insurance.

So, until we hear further from her and figure out the mortgage, we are in a bit of a holding pattern. I''ll still keep looking online, but its nice to finally have found a home we like and a second choice home we like almost as well.

 

[Lynnie]

Rhb... Congrats on your offer, and lots of dust!!! My fingers are most definitely crossed for you!!! The house is beautiful!

Mer... Looking forward to more pics!

Amand... Welcome! Are you thinking about putting in an offer on one of them? Or still looking for more options? Good luck, in either case!

What ever happened with the mortgage rates? Are they holding still? Who''s locked in?

 

[rhbgirl24]

Snooper: Thanks! I really hope this works out......
and congrats on the progress. I want to see pics!

Amandine: Welcome! Good luck. I love sunrooms and the one with the open floor plan sounds great! Good luck with the mortgage stuff... its a pain.

Lynnie: Thank you! We haven't locked into any rate, but were just quotes at still 5.25% so I guess its holding.... at least in this area.

 

[jcrow]

i hope i can join in too. hubs and i just started the house hunt. we've owned previously [actually built our first home] but hubs got a job transfer, so we had to sell our beloved house

we've rented for a year, but with a baby on the way, i think it's time to buy again.

i went yesterday with our realtor to check out about 6 houses. only one was a "yeh this may work!" house. it has everything we're looking for except that the kitchen + dining is on the small size and the way it's laid out we wouldn't be able to increase the size even with a redo. we could make it work, but i'm wondering about that affecting resale when we try to sell the house down the road. the living room was a great size + it had a huge master bedroom and bonus room that we'd be able to convert to a large guest bedroom. ah decisions, decisions!!

 

[PilsnPinkysMom]

I am just amazed at how quickly new homes are built... once the ball starts rolling it's like *bam!* Then again, I'm sure the construction crews are large, which speeds up the process. I'm lovin' the progress photos.


Burk: Weather improving? I'm not sure where in the US you're located, but I hope the sun is shining and the snow is melting!


RHB: ...Waiting anxiously for an update! The home looks beautiful- my fingers are crossed for you and your DH!!!


Mer:

So glad the home will for-sure be done before the babe arrives!! Hopefully you'll be enough time to nest and beautify his nursery!

Well, our inspection is done & mortgage app. is being completed today. Our preapproval rate could only be locked for 30 days (more if we wanted to pay them- no thank you), which is why this whole process is flying by. Appraisal is happening later this week. The sellers found a home and want to close the same day we do- so thankfully this quick process is working out just fine for them (they have 5 kids- could you imagine renting with 5 children?!)

Inspection went well. I felt like puking the whole time, as the reality of homeownership started to sink in- it's a WHOLE lot of responsibility! The home needs new gutters, windows, we need to build up the dirt around the foundation so it slopes downward, furnace needs services, the garage floor has settled (but is not attached to the home), and a few other things. We're asking the sellers to clean out a black widow/widows nest (

) in the chimney, ground all of the 3-prong ungrounded outlets in the home, fix a reversed hot/neutral outlet in the kitchen, and professionally clean/service the furnace because it looks like they haven't done it for the past 5 years. Still waiting on whether they agree to do these things. I'm not feeling hopeful.

ETA, JCrow: Good luck as you start your home search. It must be tough after you built a home to your specifications... Don't worry- there's a perfect or near-perfect home out there. I feel like new properties pop up each day, so keep your eyes peeled!

 

[Steel]

I hope this pic comes up. It is our kitchen. We will be finished tiling by Sunday. The fireplace is lined in slate 20mm tiles with a black granite hearth and will have a little solid fuel stove. The floor tiles are 60 x 60 cm square crema marfil (honed) and are a PITA to lay.

The area to the left of the windows has plumbing for 2 sinks and on the right is a fake chimney breast for the hobs; you can kinds see the stud wall on the right peeking into the floor tile. The pipes in the floor are for the dishwashers which will be housed in an island unit.

 

[Steel]

This is the other side, the hobs will go inbetween the stud walls and we will put the ovens in eye level units to the right of the hobs. We have no clue what kind of door we will put in to the hallway. There is a vertical old style rad going in on the other side of the wall and then corner units leading to french doors around to more corner units and then the fireplace again. Hope that is not too confusing. Is this the righ place for me to post? Hmmm.

 

[Amandine]

Lynnie, I am still sort of looking (can''t help myself!) but our next step is pre-approval for a mortgage. I *think* this one could be it, but have some reservations about the storm drain from the street that empties through a culvert in the yard. We LOVE the area, it really is a perfect location for us. Its just so nerve wracking, and we are first time home buyers. You just don''t want to make a mistake, ya''know?

 

[PilsnPinkysMom]

Date: 2/17/2010 10:01:03 PM
Author: Amandine
Lynnie, I am still sort of looking (can't help myself!) but our next step is pre-approval for a mortgage. I *think* this one could be it, but have some reservations about the storm drain from the street that empties through a culvert in the yard. We LOVE the area, it really is a perfect location for us. Its just so nerve wracking, and we are first time home buyers. You just don't want to make a mistake, ya'know?

It's next to impossible to NOT make a mistake, too.

Embracing this early will help reduce some of the stress and anxiety that goes along with home buying (so says the woman who almost puked up her lunch during her home inspection). You've got an awesome location, you like the house & the lot is creating a little worry... Talk to an inspector to find out if it warrants real concern or if it has a super-negative impact on property value. :fingers crossed: the drain emptying to the culvert may be A-OK.

A home is the largest purchase you will ever make- that is some seriously scary stuff! Your first home may not be your dream home, but I'm certain you can find a place that is perfect for the two of you at the current stage of your lives

-------

Our sellers agreed to meet all of our post-inspection requests! I'm so glad I don't have to kill any black widow spiders on my own

. I felt pretty awful/stressed after the inspection, but I'm starting to feel more at-ease about home ownership. No home is total 'perfection' and I can't let maintenance and possible future renos scare me too much

I guess I'll soon find out how handy I am. Time to get some DIY books from the library

 

[Smurfysmiles]

Hey pils! Just saw this, congrats! Did you end up moving to the town you were debating on?