House remodeling is going well.  

May be done in a few months.  So much to do, so much time.

Tags: house, life
Current Mood: accomplished

Ok, there was another SNAFU with closing this afternoon.  Some underwriter weanie hadn't signed off on one stupid thing, so we couldn't close today.  They needed to prove that we , and more importantly they should we default, can legally access the property.  Since it's on a private road we aparenly needed a road maintenance agreement signed by everyone in the development saying that we will pay Mr. So-and-so down there so much a year to maintain the roads, or to have an easement for everyone to drive on.  We had neither, and this only became a big deal since the first of April when the government changed the laws on that stuff.  We were suposed to meet in Rockville around 4 to get everything signed and over with, and at least our agent called me around 11 to warn me it's a no-go, which I admit I half expected with all the other, stuff, that's been going on with this.  

Anyway, I got a call from said agent not quite an hour ago saying that the same underwriter weanie had finally made up his mind and signed off on it, so we're hoping to get this over and done with in the next day or two.  The only thing holding me back now is that I think I'm booked with work tomorrow untill late, but since they decided that no, we don't really need to meet in Rockville, they can actually come down here, that should make it easier on me to get things arranged at a decent hour.  So, tomorrow, possibly Friday, Nichelle and I will (fingers crossed, knock on wood, throw a pinch of salt over my shoulder) be homeowners.  And then, after pre-work video taking and tour for parents, the work begins.  I'm hoping to "borrow" (cough) the work dump truck to haul all the stuff we don't want anything to do with to the dump, which I still have to find.

I'm rambling now.  Can you tell how frustrated and frazzeled I am about all this?  Well, it'll all be over soon enough.  Wish us luck.

Tags: house, life
Current Location: home
Current Mood: aggravated

Weeeeeell, Nichelle and I got in touch with our agent today, and we close on Wednesday.  The last bits of paperwork either came in this afternoon or sometime tomorrow, so that will give them time to organize everything and meet us there in two days.  We'll be getting off work a bit early, me moreso so I can get cleaned up, and then up to Rockville for a 4:00 meeting, the handing over of keys and title and many, many signatures, and then, in the words of Belushi, "TOGA!  TOGA!!"  Ok, maybe not a toga party, but it certainly is cause to celebrate.  It's been a longer road than I expected, almost two months from beginning talking with realtors, even though we'd pretty much decided on what we wanted.  We have a 45 day rate lock and it expires on Thursday, so we're down to the wire with that.  It's been a bit frustrating with all the paperwork that goes with a forclosed mobile, but it should all be worth it.  And to think that the real fun begins after we have the keys.  

We've revamped our plans a bit, a little less "oooooh" factor without the granite, but still nice with the green laminate.  We're sticking with the tile and bamboo, and have gone on to pick out paint colors for all the rooms and what appliances we want.  Ah, so much to do, so much time.  Just in annoyingly small segments known commonly as "afternoons" and "weekends".  What we need is a good week or two to get it all down.  

All in all, I think it can be summed up in two words:  w00t  ness

Tags: house, life
Current Location: home
Current Mood: w00t

Had a meeting with an engineer today at the house to certify that yes, it was in fact on a cinderblock foundation, and that yes, it was strapped down to the ground.  So anyway, the meeting was scheduled for 8:30-9:00 to start and go from there.  He called around 7:30 afterI've left the house saying he's just leaving his office, an hour and a half away.  So I get a chance to walk the lot and se what's changed, what's where, so on and so forth.  It was quite nice out there; all the leaves down, tree rats running around...  

Anyway, he shows up and we get to work crawling under the house and him taking pictures to show the office that it is legal and everything.  We chatted about the house and others we had both seen, swapping stories of bad places and good ones.  And through all this I'm trying to pump hom for info such as what would you do for this thing, and how would you handle that?  Pretty much some regrading right around the house and that should take care of the little bit of water that got inside, but that's about all he could say.  A corner had settled a bit, but that's not structural and the regrading should help with that as well.  The house got a clean bill of health from him and we should be getting a copy of his report in the mail in a few days, and the loan people by Monday.  

So, off to work I go, at 10:30 in the morning.   At least is's an easy job close to the office.  Just when I'm finishing I get a chance to call our agent and the loan people to spread the word of the engineer report.  So pretty much all we need is the appraisal and an insurance policy and we're good to go.  

Later on, after work is all done for both Nichelle and I, we're out brousing registry stuff when I get a call from loan people.  The appraisal came back and we're golden.  We're paying 3/4 what it appraised for, so between that and us already putting 20% down, the bank has nothing to worry about.  Something they did want though was to send the appraiser back out to check the utilities and make sure they were working, but with the house vacant for the past few monthes and winterized, they have no gas, power, phone, or water.  Thankfully it's on the bank to de-winterize it all and get that done.  And they wanted some stuff cleaned off the siding by the ovrflowing gutter by the time they went back because it could potentially cause health problems for any children living with us.  Shouldn't be a problem for some years, but why not?  So... a little cleaning, a little waiting, and arrainging an insurance policy, then off to settlement we go.

So, back to brousing stuff for the house, we found some cabinets we like, we found tile we would like in the kitchen and bathrooms, bamboo for everywhere else, and granite countertops for the kitchen.   Kind of a deep forest green counter, honey finish cherry cabinets, and a cream sort of colored tile.  We even got to pull samples of each together to see how it looks.  Oooooooh.  We think we've found all the major appliances we'll need, and smaller stuff we either have or can easily get.  So, that's one room down, several more to go.

It feels good to be this close to so many good things all at once.

Tags: house, life
Current Location: home
Current Mood: bouncy

Went to a meeting with Nichelle and a Mr. Martino this morning at REC.  We were getting together to discuss financing for our house.  Mr. Martino brought applications along so we could get them all filled out and submitted, we had to go separately since we're not married yet.  Anyway, he walked us through the process and what all he and we would have to do.   After he does his search for the mystery serial number for the HUD plates then we get an appraisal and an engineering inspection to say that yes, it really is on a cinderblock foundation.  Maybe Allen can do that.  I'll have to ask.  Anyway, once that's all done then we should be able to go to settlement and get keys and deed and all that good stuff.  Then the work begins.  

Tags: house
Current Location: home
Current Mood: tired
Current Music: youtube mix

 HOME!!!!  We put in an offer for a house on Tuesday and got back word today that it had been accepted!  It's a technically a double wide, but it's on a permanent foundation, so it isn't going anywhere and can be financed like a normal house.  It's on a well and septic, so I've been reading up on that.  Gravel road for about a half mile, and a private gravel drive for the neighborhood and the house.  Very private, wooded, beautiful lot.  It's just under 1,000 square feet and has a two car garage with a lean-to carport on the back.  And all this for $120K.  Granted it needs some work here and there, but so far haven't seen anything I can't do myself.  And there have been rumors of the state paving the road out front, so that'll raise the value a bit.  I started talking with loan people again today and they all but said we could have the money because of incomes, what little debt we have, and credit scores.  So, the plan is for me to move in after it's all been de-winterized and start fixing it up for Nichlle when she officially moves in when we get married. 

Tags: house married
Current Location: home
Current Mood: accomplished
Current Music: youtube mix

 Well, a bit has changed since last post.  The parents are getting together next weekend to meet and talk things over.  Hopefully nobody'll run from the restaurant screaming or anything like that.  And speaking of food I was reminded that several places in Fredericksburg offer banquet halls for events like a reception.  We've worked with Brock's before and were pleased, maybe throw them another bone here.  

Anyway, was also looking at housing options, and came across two other things; one from a Lowe's ad and another froma catalog.  Lowe's was offering what they call "Katrina cottages", just little places that can probably be built inside a week once the foundation is done and with enough people who know what they're doing.  But they don't really tell you what they cost.  The only price on them is $700, which could only be the plans, and I could draw them up for less and get the very same house.  The catalog house was similar, though it had actual prices; between $16K and $30K depending on size and layout.  And it would be a log cabin type thing.  

I'm also a bit miffed with myself.  I had mentioned to Paul that he could be best man, but that was before I knew what all he had to take care of.  I don't want to pull out now that I've offered, but he isn't all that organized.  Maybe delegating some of it to dad or something, I don't know.  We'll get thete when we get there.

*sigh*  Life, it is crazy, no?

Tags: life, wedding
Current Location: home
Current Mood: crazy
Current Music: youtube

I don't mean to sound hard-hearted or cynical, but I don't really have any pity for the people in California who're getting burned out of house and home.  Same with the Katrina "victims".  We all KNOW for a FACT that wildfires start just about every year, sometimes several a year, over in California, and yet people still act surprised when there's a fire in their backyard.  I just heard a lady on the radio saying she had all of five minutes to grab what she wanted to keep before being evacuated.  How hard is it to look outside, see smoke, and decide "Hmmm, that looks bad.  Maybe I should leave soon."  Apparently I put to much faith in human intellect.  Not that everyone's an idiot or anything, I'm just constantly surprised by the stupidity of some.  

And the Katrina people.  I know this is old news, but we have records going back hundreds of years showing that area floods every so often.  And guess what part doesn't flood;  you betcha, the French quarter.  They built it in that spot because, drum-roll please, IT DOESN'T FLOOD!!  And after it all people are shocked that they had a flood.  "Oh woe is me!  Send me money so I can build right here again!"  And after people send them millions of dollars, they want MORE.  One of my aunts works for FEMA and was shipped down to Louisiana.  She had to tell thousands of people that FEMA wasn't going to help them simply because they didn't have insurance.  Again, it sounds cold-hearted, until you see the logic behind it; if they don't care enough about it to insure it, why should FEMA? 

Back to the fires, if they would set controlled fires every couple months to keep all the crud under control, they wouldn't have this problem.  Forest fires are natural, grass fires are natural, just about anything that can burn will do so in nature, and somehow the animals keep coming back.  Granted some will die, but taking up the banner of "Save the field mice!" seems a bit over the top.  

Alright, that's my rant for the day.

Current Location: home
Current Mood: busy

 

Tags: meme
Current Mood: tired

Life in the not-to-distant-future is robably going to be hectic at best sometimes.  But still good.  The parents haven't quite called it a deadline, but if I'm not out of the house by 21, next August, then they want me to be in the process of getting out, preferably into a place of my own.  Ok, I have a year, what can happen in a year?  Then Nichelle and I start talking about the two of us in upcoming years.  We're planning on gtting married at some point in time, why not mix the two?  This is where it starts getting interesting.  My parents are fairly traditional, walk down the aisle, white dress, so-on-and-so-forth.  Her parents are more relaxed, whatever makes you happy.  My parents think I'm nuts for being in the SCA, granted I have loads of friends, but I hit half of them with sticks.  Her parents are in the SCA.  And then housing.  Legally it'll be a lot easier if we get the house under one name, preferably both of us, so that would mean getting married before the house, but then we'd be a couple with no place of our own.  And everyone who's been married or researched it knows how much weddings can cost.  Even a small one can be a small fortune.  Anyway, we thought that maybe, assuming mutual parental blessing and parnts getting along and all, get legally married by a Justice, staying with the parents for a while while we shop, find the house and buy it, then have the pomp-and-circumstance wedding somewhere.  Granted it would be a bit redundant, but I have a feeling that my half of the in-laws would kill me if they didn't get to go to a wedding.  Anyway, life is crazy and is bound to become crazier still.

Tags: house, married
Current Mood: accomplished