New Places for Your Things

Tired of Boxes Everywhere!
We are really lucky in that we have much more room in this house than we ever imagined. We both tend to be pack rats with our different things...my husband with his computer parts and wires, and me with nick-knacks and etc. Well you never know when something will come in handy. (The motto of a typical pack rat)

We are going through things and separating out what we don't need as we get to them. We had tried doing this with the last move but much of our things were stored in a rented storage room on the other side of town, and the summer heat got the best of us in that project. All the things that came from that storage area are presently in the garage and we will go through them later after we recuperate from dealing with moving into the house. We had planned on having a yard sale this past spring but we never made it, so we will get it done next spring. Having the garage and all the items actually here should make it much easier to go through all the things and separate them. Plus we can have the yard sale right here at the house instead of having to go to another location, which we were going to have to do when living in the townhouse, since it was not allowed there. It will be interesting to see how many things are not needed here at the house vs living in rentals.

We are still unpacking the boxes in the house. I swear I think they are breeding and multiplying. We are working together now and knocking out much more at one time than working separately. It's very difficult though, because of my limited ability due to pain and hubby is fasting during the day. The process is taking us much, much longer because of these two situations, which is really torturing both of us. We really need to get to the end of this stage so we can relax for a bit, since we have been living at this high speed for many weeks now and we are both exhausted.

Moving In To The New Home

Back & Forth - Cars & Trucks
Electricity is on, water is on, the house is yours so it's time to move in. We scheduled the big part of our move for Saturday the 23rd when we could get help from my daughter and her husband. We reserved a rental truck from the place where we had a storage room rented for the past year. During the time between closing the house and getting the truck, we were using our Subaru Forester to move things. My husband would make several trips a day getting a variety of things. He got all of his office things and managed to get it functional so that he was able to get back to work Monday am. The one thing that was really working to our advantage was the drop in gas prices at this time when we are going back and forth. The distance is not but a couple of miles, but every little bit helps.

Foreclosures

Cleaning & Other Fun Stuff
When you purchase a foreclosure, taking possession of the house and moving in can be a different experience than buying a new home. We are very lucky in that the house that we have purchased is in exceptionally good condition for a foreclosure. Many foreclosures are real disasters that require major work before they are fit to live in. While we were prepared to do some work on a home, our knowledge was limited. This house allowed us to increase our purchase price some since it didn't need any immediate work done to it.

With all foreclosures you probably will find that the house does not meet your idea of a clean house. This was especially true in our case. The bathrooms in particular reminded me of some of the worse old gas stations I have ever seen in my life. I know that the real estate agency that was selling the property had cleaned the house, but as with many professional cleaning services, they clean at things instead of really cleaning it. (If you know what I mean) Luckily for me, my youngest daughter volunteered to clean the bathrooms for me. She even did the guest bathroom one day and then returned the next day for more punishment by doing the master bath, which was worse. Go figure! She's some kid. There were some really nasty people who were living in here.

The kitchen isn't much better. There are grease splatters and cooking buildup all over the cabinets that obviously hadn't been cleaned in quite awhile. The inside of the cabinets had two layers of shelf liners that had to be pealed off and the interior of the cabinets are in need of repainting but I am not up to that right now. There were bugs of such a variety that we set off bug bombs in the whole house the weekend before we closed and that has greatly helped. There was brillo pads stuffed in various holes in the cabinets and other places, so I assume that previous owners were attempting to deal with mice. We'll see when the weather gets cooler.

Closing

A Pile of Paperwork to Sign
Our closing appointment was scheduled for 2pm and we were there by 1:45. The lawyer and then our agent showed up, but there was no representive for the Seller. The lawyer explained that all the paperwork would be faxed to them and then he would take it to the Courthouse to file it with the county. There was a stack of paperwork approximately 8-10 inches high sitting in front of the lawyer when we started. Now of course there were multiple copies of most things which we had to sign so that everyone got an original copy. It was after 4pm when I looked at the clock in the car on the way home.

We stopped by the town house to grab a few things and then headed to the house. I think there were two trips made that we made grabbing things and bringing them to the house, including our 2 cats in the last trip. Of course we are staying at the house, sleeping on an areobed. The frig and stove will be delivered tomorrow so one of us has to be here.

Today Is Closing Day!

In less than 12 hours from the moment that I am typing this, the house should be legally ours. I don't see how my husband is sleeping right now, because sleep is the last thing I am interested in. That commercial about Disney World just flashed in my head of those two kids being told to go to sleep and saying "We're too excited to sleep."

Our New Stove

Friday night we went to Sears to purchase the two appliances we are missing in the house. I couldn't find a picture of the refrigerator online, but this is the model of stove that we went with. We did select a black color instead of white because the house already has a microwave vent in it that is black and functions. Plus I am hopeful that perhaps black will not show dirt as much as white. (I have never had black appliances before, so this will be a new thing.) We did go with the smooth glass top, and this stove has a warming burner on top which is nice. It also has a warming rack in the bottom to keep food warm. It has the hidden heating element on the bottom of the oven which makes it easier to clean. Anything that is really easier, and especially when it comes to something like a back-breaking job like cleaning an oven, has certainly got my attention. (Getting that heating coil out of the way has got to be an improvement!) Actually my husband had more input on the selection of this appliance than I did, and I really intend on reminding him of that on a regular basis.

Appliances

Big Ticket Purchases
With all homes, appliances can play a very large role. Whether selling or buying, the presence or absence of the appliances will certainly be noticed by the other party since they are an absolute necessity and a large expense. If the home is offered for sell without appliances and you do not own your own, perhaps you can negotiate with the seller to purchase theirs in the price of the home. If this is not an option, then you are generally left with only two choices. Either buy the appliances you need used, for at least now, or purchase them new. Used appliances can be purchased via newspaper ads from private individuals or in local stores that specialized in used furniture and appliances. We purchased a washer and dryer from a local store that was used. To keep the story short, we still have the washer, which I think is fine but my husband thinks doesn't work well, and after two dryers, we got our money back from the store and ended up buying a new one. I have to tell you that because of a house fire in 1994 cause by a dryer, I am extremely learly of misbehaving clothes dryers. (That dryer caused approx. $60,000 property damage and 4 months to repair the home)

For this new home, we just purchased a new refrigerator and stove. The choices out there today are mind boggling and can really give you a headache! Personally I think many of these new designer things really are just ill thought out fads and definitely won't last and I pity the poor fools that spend their money on them. (Note the word fool...and there is one born every day)
*POINT --> That "Bowl sink" sitting on top of a counter... Uh huh. I bet it was the son of the guy who invented ladies pointy shoes that came up with that one. Yeah it looks good, but it is just not practical at all for real people. (Unless of course it comes with lifetime maid service, in which I might reconsider my opinion. If the price was right of course.)

One thing that I was not aware of was that appliances seem to have what I like to refer to as a prime buying season just as do cars. As a matter of fact, according to the info I found on the Internet, this prime season or what is really a model changing time of year for manufacturers, occurs around the same time that the prime buying season for cars occurs which of course is when the new models are due to arrive and clearance sales are going.

5 Days and Counting!

Fast Speed of Everything Can Become Truely Exhausting
There is a saying ... "Be careful what you wish for. You might actually get it." In our particular case, we definitely did! Don't get me wrong now, I am not complaining in any way, shape or form. We went from a Seller who was dragging everything out like pulling teeth, to the exact opposite....greased lightening. I just wasn't prepared for the marathon dash so soon. I needed some down time and I just couldn't get it.

I have moved alot the last few years (like every year for several yrs). I am so sick and tired of it, and there isn't much else I can think of that I hate more. The whole episode not only exhaust me, but it actually causes alot of physical pain which just makes everything that much worse. By the time we get to the fun part of playing with putting together the new place, I am usually miserable and only able to tolerate very short periods of time doing much of anything. Everything has to stop, the boxes have to wait, and I have to take several days off to recouperate. The cycle continues like this, stop and go, until hopefully things get done. I never seem to finish because it just seems to be a never ending task. That is one reason for wanting to buy our own home. We will have more control over what we can do to the environment than you do when you only rent where you live. I am very hopefully that because we own the property, we will be able to come up with ideas to modify things the way that they need to be, for them to be better for both of us. After all, isn't that what everyone does? You set your home up to accommodate you and your life style. For example I have already discussed some ideas with my husband, that I've had, about how to set up the laundry room. The point is to reduce the bending while I do the laundry which causes pain. Placing a table at waist height next to the washing machine where I can sort the clothes, and perhaps getting a rolling laundry cart might be huge improvements. Anyway, that will be one of the exciting things to look forward to later. For now...we have to struggle through the move! Ick!

Boxes are being packed. Phone company, Water company, and Electric company have been notified to cut on services on Monday the 18th. Our closing is scheduled for 2pm. I know my husband and he will have the Aerobed out and we will be sleeping on the floor till our bed gets there. Course I am looking forward to that part too. We have been talking about this for alot of years. I still can't believe we are doing it.

Closing Date Set

Monday Sept. 18 at 2pm
We just got the news that our closing has been scheduled for Monday the 18th instead of the 15th as we had hoped. The lawyer was not available for the 15th date so the 18th was as close as we could get to it. It will make it difficult with arranging help for moving the things, but we will deal with it. I already gave notice for the townhouse that we are in, but our lease doesn't officially expire until October. If the landlord can show and rent the place by Oct 1 then we wouldn't have to pay the rent in Oct, but I really doubt that will happen. It's just alot of rush and work for us.

Paperwork

No Time To Rest
After getting up today, I was still tired. I had things I needed to do but was just having trouble getting moving. A bit later DHL shows up at the door with all the new loan paperwork from the bank for us to sign. (I wish I had one of those signature stamp things) My husband said "Looks like you get to make a trip to the bank today." This bank office is in another town about 1/2 hour away. After reading over the paperwork, I noticed that the typist had made some mistakes which had to be corrected. The mistakes were corrected, all the papers were signed, and I was off on a short road trip to deliver them back to the bank. I arrived at the bank just before it closed.

It actually stopped raining today and the sun came out. Amazing! We might have a chance for things to dry out around here if this continues for a few days.

Termite Inspection Day

The Crawlspace is Flooded?
Today was certainly an interesting day. The termite inspection was scheduled today, and I got the call around 3pm I guess, so I went to the house to meet the inspector. It was lovely weather, since it had been pouring down rain off and on all day, and we were under a flash flood warning. There was water standing in ditches and puddles all over the place on the way over to the house. The inspector gets to the house, checks the inside, and then proceeds to head to the crawlspace. Now this house has two crawlspace entrances with one on the side of the house and one in the back. He went to the side of the house first, but then I see him walking out front heading toward the back just a few minutes later. I thought "Geez he wasn't under there very long." A very few minutes later he comes in the back door and says that he can't do the crawlspace inspection because it's flooded. "You're joking" I said immediately, but he wasn't. I walked out there with him and he pointed his flashlight in the hole and to the left and there was some water visible. The crawlspace is also sitting a few inches lower than the ground outside. I then looked up at the roof immediately over head, and no gutters. Of course there was water under there, why wouldn't there be? The rain we have had lately has saturated the ground, we just got more rain than could soak in quickly, the crawlspace has a plastic vapor barrier laying on the ground, and the water ran from the highest point to the lowest. To shorten this tale some, after contacting the bank we found out that they didn't require a termite inspection for this loan for some reason. (Just the appraisal, which will be done in a couple of days or so) I had already paid for the inspection though so he will come back after things dry out.

We also were faxed copies of all the signed paperwork of the Purchase agreements. If the lawyer is available on the 15th, we will move the closing to that day instead of the 22nd.

House Photo Album

The Pics are ready. Finally!

Well all the photos are uploaded and the album is ready for viewing. A Special Guest Star makes his debut too. Check it out.

"The House"

Satellite View of House

This is the satellite view of the house we have placed an Offer on.
It's in a very nice subdivision.

See if you can find your home with Google Map's satellite view

Ernesto's Sinkhole

(Eyewitness 11 News Video)

Beach Traffic Backup Ahead!
The local area got pounded with more than 4 inches of rain last night on top of the 3 inches we already had the day before. This proved to be just too much for several creeks and streams in the area. We didn't feel the full force of Ernesto's winds and heavy rain bands until around 4 or 4:30am yesterday morning. (That was around the time I couldn't stay awake any longer and went to bed) I know I heard the power go off and come back on, and a few minutes later the fire department, which is right across the street, took off with at least three vehicles. (Poor guys to be out in that mess)

The Stoney Creek in town is out of it's banks and doing it's usual thing....flooding a few streets and worrying a few businesses. All in all it was just alot of rain though. If the Neuse River is to cause trouble, that will come in a few days from now. Have to wait and see. It's just an inconvienence for us, not a property issue since we are out of the way.

You'll need a version of Windows Media Player 7 or higher to view the video. If you need to download it, go to http://www.microsoft.com/windows/mediaplayer/en/default.asp. The video player is supported by Microsoft IE 5.0 and above. Works just fine with my Firefox too!

Offer to Purchase Accepted - House Pending

Surprise, Surprise!

I thought I was going to have a nice quiet day. We were sure that because of the Labor Day Holiday that nothing would happen with the paperwork we had done late yesterday afternoon. I guess that just shows you how business can be conducted when someone really does want to sell a house. With this house being a foreclosure the paperwork was different, so the Seller came back with "addendums" to our Offer to Purchase. These were added paperwork that the Seller wanted signed. Nothing that surprised us or that we hadn't expected, just basically more of the same "CYA" from the Seller. (Typical and to be expected with an AS IS purchase) They were really making sure that we understood what we were getting into. All of the paperwork was signed and is being overnighted back to the Seller's Agent.

While I was in our agent's office, we went ahead and called to schedule the termite inspection which the bank will require. That is set for Tuesday afternoon. The mortgage banker was also contacted when I got home, the appraisal will be scheduled and our new lower interest rate will be locked in Tuesday. Full speed ahead!

Offer Made on Foreclosure

De Ja Vue !
It was exactly one month ago that we were doing exactly the same thing....submitting an Offer to Purchase on another house. AND today was the date scheduled for the closing of that other house. Hmm....if I were superstitous, I might be concerned with what that meant, but I'm not, so I couldn't care less. :p

We met with our agent and went through all the paperwork earlier this evening as soon as hubby got off work. Due to the Labor Day Holiday Weekend we certainly don't expect much before Tuesday or Wednesday at the earliest. From then on it's just wait and see what happens and what we do next and when.

Ernesto approaches

Rain, rain and more rain
According to the news, Ernesto is to make landfall around 8pm tonight between Wilmington and the NC/SC line. At this particular moment, it is still a tropical storm with winds just below hurricane force. Not to down play the potentials of storms like this, but this area is used to this kind of storms, and everyone is watching closely. The biggest problem will not be wind but flooding. Projected rainfall varies according to exactly where the storm goes of course, but the ground is already saturated due to a cold front that brought rain yesterday. (We have already had 3" here.) The local news is projecting 6-8" of rain which will cause some trouble for sure. Could get interesting.

WOW! What a Selection of Homes!

Three Up, and All Three Winners
Yesterday was really a good day in the "home search" for us. Our agent took both of us to see one house that was was on my list, which turned out to be a foreclosure. Then the agent and I went to see the house that hubby and I had already seen on Sunday, plus one other that I had put on my list of possibilities. All three homes met our "needs" with the latter two being 'move-in ready.' The foreclosure is missing some light fixtures, and since the utilities are off, there of course are some questions as to whether this works and that works, but it appears to be in very good condition just from looking at it. When I returned home after seeing the last home, I went over all the houses and our agent's input on each with my husband. We then discussed the pros and cons of each house and came to a discision to get more info on the foreclosure.

According to my research, foreclosures are on the increase these days due to several factors, one of which is those ARMs over the last few years. Buyer's who jumped in on those low "bait" interest rates are now finding they have mortgages that have 'adjusted'...just as stated... with increases of hundreds per month as the Fed has increased the interest rate. Buying a foreclosure will be different from buying a "regular" house from a seller. There definitely may be delays since the buyer would be dealing with a bank or mortgage company via a Real Estate agent. Our agent was quick to point out that I was breaking my #1 rule about "No more business owners" but if we know what is expected ahead of time and the reason for the delay, it is much different than what appeared to be 'disinterest' and just down right bad manners that we experienced with the Rosewood Valley house. (Something Southerners don't take kindly to!) There are also very specific methods/steps for purchasing a foreclosure depending on what kind of foreclosure it is. HUD, VA and various titleholders will have different methods and restrictions related to everything from how to see a house, how and when to do inspections, making an Offer to Purchase and whom can make the offer and so on. This is where having your own agent to guide and assist you really pays off.

I am not ruling the other two houses out yet since dealing with a foreclosure is "hazardous" by nature in my opinion and requires extra care, but if things should turn out in our favor, we would have a wonderful home. We'll see. I have to admit....when I started this blog, I didn't expect to be "learning first hand" so much about buying various types of property. This always seems to happen to me though. I'll end up knowing much more about this process than I ever thought I would....or really want to! I am just after one house!

Watching Ernesto

If you grew up in this part of the country, you would know that people around here keep an eye (or ear) on the news once a storm starts brewing in the Atlantic during hurricane season. This particular area of North Carolina has had plenty of bad memories from storms in very recent years with names such as Bertha, Floyd, or Fran. (Pictured in 1996 landfall) With several rivers and "creeks" in the area, flooding can become a problem even many days after a storm has past.

The Weather Channel's Hurricane Tracker
HurricaneTrack.com

Market Selection Available

Four Houses To See
Our outting yesterday was very productive with the open house and drive-by of one other house for sale. I ended up giving our agent a list of 4 houses for consideration, and we decided we will visit them Tuesday afternoon. The FSBO open house that we went to yesterday was an extremely nice home, but turned out to be out to be out of our chosen price range. (The price was not listed in the ad so we were not aware of this until we arrived.)

Ironically the first house we went to yesterday, was one that was on the market when I first started looking for a house back in mid June but never got around to seeing. I could really kick myself in the pants for that now because it is a nice house and has a motivated seller. (Divorce) The price for the house back in June was $126,000 and now it is priced at $123,000. One of the things I did when I first started watching the local market was to 'print' all the MLS listing that I was interested in on my computer in PDF format on my computer and file. That gives me at least a reference of what I am watching, have seen, what prices and stats are, and what they may do in the future. After seeing several houses, they can get confusing at times.

When our agent and I actually go to see the properties, I take the listing that he gives me and together we walk through the house. I list everything that both of us find that is 'wrong' and highlight everything of interest. As I mentioned before, I do the preliminary work with the agent and houses, and basically rule out the ones that don't meet our needs.