{House}

Do you remember this announcement? And, all the headaches that came afterwards?



Well, we went through a lot to get this house. Here is the status:




Everything was finalized late yesterday afternoon (Thursday, May 30, 2012).
The first thing on our plans is to get ready and go camping! Both Dan and I do NOT want to miss out on this adventure as it has been in the works for almost a year now and we will get to see a few family members that we rarely see. I am excited!

And then, we are going to focus on the house before we move in. We want to get the locks changed and have an exterminator come out. (I want to be sure no icky bugs exist INSIDE the house. I do not want any surprises to jump on me while we are there. *shudders*)
Once those things are out of the way, we will convert the attached garage and put down the flooring before moving in. We are hoping that will only take a few weekends to do. We will camp out on the queen-size camp cot on the weekends. This should be fun and I am looking forward to it.

My personal deadline to be moved in is July 31st. But, if we do not meet this date, it will not be the end of the world.

Still Waiting {House} Part II

Closing was scheduled for today. However, we received discouraging news yesterday. The title company emailed everyone stating that they needed documentation showing that the "federal estate taxes have been satisfied" or ""maximum estate value was not met". This is all on the seller - it has nothing on us. I heard that the seller's agent is pretty upset with the title company, because they have been telling her everything is set, that they are good to go and then at the eleventh hour they pull this crap.

So, we waited while our agent, the seller's agent, title company and our bank tried to come up with a solution that worked for everyone.

This morning, the seller's agent asked to extend the contract until June 6. The lawyer(s) for the seller need fourteen calendar days to come up with the required documentation for the title company. The person who owned this house apparently had a lot of stocks and passed away on a weekend. So, they have to determine the value of the stocks at closing on Friday and the value at opening on on Monday and then the value is the average of the two? It is all mighty confusing!

The sellers offered to pay the fees to extend our rate lock if needed. If the sellers were to terminate the contract at this point for whatever reason, we would get all of our money back – earnest money, inspection, survey and appraisal fees, etc., and etc. This tells us they do not want us to walk away any more than we want them to walk away.

So, we have agreed to extend the contract on the house until June 6th. Ah, the joys of waiting.


My advice to those looking for a house is to avoid estate sales unless you are willing to be patient and wait things out until all things get resolved. We are willing; although, it is with a little bit of impatience! Ha!

Still Waiting {House}

It's been tough. We turned everything in last week and all we are doing is waiting for (and trusting) others (such as the bank) to do their part.

I have been stressing. I am trying to wait patiently and I am not liking this "in limbo" state one bit. This could go on for another two weeks all because of one person or business! Apparently, it can take them between one to three weeks just to get an appraisal on the house. Honestly, I don't understand why it could take three weeks. That is ridiculous in my humble opinion; but, it is out of our hands. So, we wait. And, I have been anxiously and constantly praying. I sometimes can't help myself as it is my nature to worry.

So anyway, we are still waiting. It could be another two weeks before we hear anything and close on the house. Blogging will still be sporadic. I intend to blog when I can find the time to write and create a post.


{I have no choice. Ha!}

Quarterly Review of my #FinishYear list

My Word of the Year & #FinishYear list

Source: piccsy.com via Lee Ann on Pinterest

Well, I feel like I am an utter failure. Why am I not surprised? Let's review:

Here is my original five:

1. I am going to finish learning how to swallow a pill. I may not ever learn how; but, I am determined to try.
2. I am going to finish the Layer Cake Quilt. In the process, learn to machine quilt.
3. I am going to finish saving up for “new” car. We only need a couple more thousand.
4. I am going to finish walking a mile (two miles is the ultimate goal)
5. I am going to finish cleaning / purging the office. I can only do this if Dan helps the process as half the stuff in there is his. I hate to nag him; but, this is important to me.

And, here is the original secondary list:

• I am going to finish making meal plans (every two weeks).
  {I started and completed the first plan on 1/2/12.}
• I am going to finish writing down thoughts frequently – once or twice a week – journal style.
• I am going to finish organizing my fabrics onto “bolts” – 2 or 3 a day should get me there eventually.
  {I started this on 1/4/12.}
• I am going to finish taking a picture at least once a week
  (I started this on 1/2/12.)

So, Let's see. How am I doing?

1. I never learned to swallow a pill; but, I still try from time to time.


2. I started the process of getting the setup to get the Layer Cake quilt finished; but, it's been so slow because I am so darn slow! And now, it's at a complete standstill because we're in the process of closing on a house. And, then we've got to move, which means I have to take apart my setup. I decided not to start machine quilting the Layer Cake quilt until after we move. Speaking of which, I'm already designing the "studio" in my head and even have scribbles on paper; but, I cannot really truly plan until I know the final dimensions of the room. So, it might be awhile before I have the room; but, I am praying that the process will be fast and I'll be back to doing sewing/crafting in a heartbeat.


3. We are still saving up for a car and I thought I would have enough by summertime. However, I did a little research into the car I have been wanting and well, I think I am just going to have to focus on getting a different model! I did not realize that the 2 or 3 year old cars I wanted were still that expensive! Sheesh. So, it is a setback for me priority-wise. However, I still would like to get a new second car by the end of the year and hopefully, it'll be a decent car for Dan to drive back and forth to work and I'll take his gas guzzling truck for when I need to go do errands or go to the grocery.


4. I successfully walked a mile. In fact, I've been walking around the block three times every morning until I went quilt shop hopping several weeks ago and fell off the bandwagon. The walk is slightly over a mile and the block itself has a slight incline. So, it gets my heart pumping three times (once every lap). I need to get back to walking every morning; but, I have been busy!


5. The office has been cleaned out and purged. Yay! So, this is no longer on my list.

As for the secondary list, I think I am a little more successful with this endeavor.

• I have been making meal plans every two weeks. So this is a success.
• I have been jotting down things here and there. However, I think it could be a little more often.
• I did start out by wrapping fabrics onto "bolts" every day; but, I fell off the bandwagon over a month ago. I'll pick this up again when we move.
• I am also taking pictures more often; but, I haven't been tracking when and how often. I also have been very bad at letting them sit in folders without even looking at them.

My last word has nothing to do with this review; but, everything to do with the house we're in the process of purchasing. I have been cleaning up and somewhat halfheartedly packing the last two weeks. I guess I do not want to commit to packing until we close on the house. This is the furthest we have ever gone and it is looking good so far! All we lack is the survey of the property (which will be done within 3 - 5 business days); but, the application is going forward. I am really praying that this will be closed by the date stated on the contract and I am needlessly worrying. I cannot control what happens with the bank and their appraisers. So, why do I worry? Because it is my nature! Ha! Anyway, things are looking good at the moment.

Best News Ever & Blogging Break

As you know, yesterday was our wedding anniversary. We did not do much to celebrate which is typical of us both. It is just not our nature to do so. However, we did go to Chili's last Saturday night and have dessert. It isn't often we do this; but, once in a blue moon we just walk in, sit down and order dessert. I love their Brownie Sundae and Dan loves the Paradise Pie. So, it's a perfect thing to do even though it is not exactly cheap.

Anyway, we spent most of last Saturday (4/14/12) running around like mad hatters. It was our wedding anniversary weekend and we spent it investigating our options on houses. It is just the (perfect) thing we do.

We ended up looking at a house we both thought would be out of our price range because every single house we looked at so far needed some kind of work. However, we were pleasantly surprised. And, come to find out, it is only five years old which is why it was in fabulous condition.
It is another estate sale which always makes me feel a tad sad. However, there were so many signs that this house could be the one.

The variety of wildflowers growing all over the land. The fruit trees already planted for us (eight total). The mega detached garage for Dan is already wired with tons of outlets and it had windows to let in natural light! The kitchen was a decent size and had my dream island. The attached garage is more or less finished and only needs to be walled up (where the garage door is) to convert it into my dream crafting/sewing/guest room. And, the house had a decent front porch! I was not a fan of the fence surrounding the house. But, that is easily fixed.

I could not believe that it held most of our wish list items including land. We always knew that we would have to compromise; but, this house was by far the most perfect we have seen over two years of house hunting.

The only downside was the price as it was over our maximum we were willing to spend. So, we tried our hardest not to get our hopes up.

For the first time in our search for a home, we both were willing to go to the maximum price we were willing to put up for a house. We put in our best offer that same day fully expecting them to either reject or counter offer. Much to our surprise, the offer was accepted that very night! We only needed to get an updated pre-approval letter as the old one "expired". We got that done first thing Monday morning and proceeded to wait... anxiously...

This morning, Dan got the call that the contract was sighed! Hurray! We both sighed with relief.

I think we finally have a home to call our own and it is practically perfect. Dan has already arranged the home inspection for tomorrow at 8:30am. It is required anyway by the bank and insurance. However, we do not expect any problems to crop up. In fact, I think the inspector (which we used in the past) is going to be downright bored going through his routine because the last house he inspected for us was a rather interesting challenge! Ha!

This is the best wedding anniversary present ever to us both! Needless to say, I am so excited! And, I think Dan is too.

So anyway, I am going on blogging break. There will be sporadic posts as I love to blog. But, for the most part, I will be offline. It is going to be very busy in the coming several months with packing, moving, attending a nephew's graduation, camping in June and more. I hope you all will understand.

About the House

Due to circumstances we cannot live with, we are walking away from the house. There are just one too many issues that we just cannot deal with. So, we are moving on. I will not be looking for new houses. I need a break from it all. However, Dan will be still looking for a house as he is not giving up.

Once I have recovered from the madness of arranging inspections along with a short road trip this past weekend to see my Mother (her birthday is Tuesday), I think life, including blogging, will return to normal.

Sporadic Postings from Hereon

Source: 320sycamoreblog.com via Lee Ann on Pinterest

This blog will have sporadic postings from hereon as we officially have a signed contract for a house! I want to thank those of you who commented wishing us luck in the house hunting. I really appreciated them!

Now, it is onto the inspections and more. We already have one lined up today for around 2:00pm. If anything major comes (other than the one we know about and investigated), we can still walk away. But honestly, I suspect the house is in pretty good shape -- I will be surprised if anything major does come up in the reports.

I am getting really excited; but, I am also trying to rein myself back because I do not wish to be disappointed should something come up and cause us to walk away from the house. It has been over two years since we first started house hunting. We have gotten disappointed several times. We also took breaks at the end of the years due to the busy holidays.

If this blog is silent, you know why. I will try not to neglect it much as I do love to write and blog.

I will be taking pictures sooner or later. If we should really get this house, there are four major projects we want or need to do to the house. I guess this means there will be new things to blog about if this comes through for us!

Anyway, thank you for your understanding as we hopefully enter this new phase of our lives.

Dear Sellers (A Vent)

Dear Sellers,

We thought we were being more than fair to offer 98% of the list price plus closing costs considering the following:

1. The huge crack running across the entire foundation of the secondary building


2. The state of the flooring throughout the house
   
   
   • Duck taped carpeting and tile between dining room and entry way
   • Poor tiling (vinyl) in the hallway to laundry room
   • Little wrinkles in carpeting throughout the house
   
   
3. The tile in the guest bathroom will need to be cleaned up a little and re-grouted near the tub


4. The top oven door doesn’t close tightly not to mention that BOTH need thorough cleaning


5. The built-in “appliance” on the kitchen island most likely is not working and is definitely worthless. So the entire countertop will need replacing.


6. Childish writing in a permanent marker all over bedroom walls


7. The house is stuck in the 70s and needs to be brought to more modern times

If that house was in move-in ready condition with no problems, then we may have gone for the full list price. However, the comps in the surrounding areas and the state (descriptions) of those houses indicate that you’re trying to get more money that that house is worth. We know we’re being saps and offering way more than the house is really worth. We may be saps; but, we’re not idiots. Good luck in finding a buyer for your home. We’re going to continue looking elsewhere.

Sincerely,

Willing buyers

On House Hunting

Dan and I have been house hunting since early spring of last year. We found a house early last fall we really liked and even put down earnest money on it. It was an excellent buy and definitely move-in ready. We were both so excited.

However, after some money crunching, we realized that the property taxes were going to be a deal breaker for us. We could have done it; but, we would have been ‘house poor’. In other words, we would have been strapped for money and unable to do proper maintenance and/or upgrade such as adding a covered patio. So, we decided to let it go.

I was so badly disappointed that I just couldn’t bring myself to do more house hunting. The holidays were upon us; so, we decided to take a break and renew the search after the New Year.

When the New Year came upon us, I became sick with combination of cedar fever and a cold. I was sick for about two weeks before I started to feel better. Dan caught the cold from me and he was slightly sick for approximately a week.

Once we were both starting to feel a little better, we resumed searching for a house online. Our criteria changed a little after our brief visit up north. Dan saw the potential of what I wanted and decided that he wanted what I wanted too. So, we broadened our search and let our real estate agent know so that he could update his search criteria for us.


A house popped up in our radar about a week ago. From what we could see of the specs and of the pictures provided, it really appealed to the both of us. The one thing we were not sure of was the inside of the house since pictures of the inside were not provided. I suspected that it would be in poor condition and/or the homeowner’s stuff would get in the way of visualizing the inside. I hoped that my suspicions would be wrong; but, it turns out that they were correct.

We went over to see the house last Monday night with our agent. The homeowners were still in the house and it felt strange. But, the old man wasn’t able to get out much. So, that was understandable.


From what we could see, it is mostly neglect. And, those people are borderline hoarders. I’m not the one to talk; but, it was a mess – especially inside the three car garage which was piled up with crap. Tires were scattered about the property with an unusable shed sitting on the corner of the lot. I totally understand now why there weren’t any pictures of the inside of the house.

We looked the house over very closely and determined that a lot of work needs to be done. I’m not talking about cosmetic or remodeling work. I’m talking about fixing it up so that it is safe and habitable. The patio balcony needs to be rebuilt. The built-in oven looked like it probably did not work and it wasn’t stable inside its place. The guest bathroom was in horrid condition with obvious water damage as the floor depressed easily. And, some of the floors were in absolutely horrid condition.

In spite of all the problems we saw, we both could see a lot of potential in the house and the land. And, we both know that a lot of hard labor will go into the house and fixing up the property. But, we’re both excited about the possibilities of doing restoration to a house.


However, we are not willing to pay the price that is listed. From what we could see, the price is at the top range of the market. Both of us know that it’s going to cost a small fortune just to fix up the house alone. I personally feel that it is almost in a ‘flip’ condition. And, on top of the fixes that need to be made, there are things we both would like to do to the house such completely replace all the floors and gut the kitchen to turn it into a nice functional cozy spot in the home.

Our agent is going to talk with the seller’s agent and look at the comps of the surrounding area. And, we’re going to continue the search for a house because both of us have a hard time believing the owners will come down in price to the tune of twenty grand. (Yes, that is how much all three of us – the agent, Dan, and I – estimated it would cost to fix up the house). This house will most likely be in the back of our minds while we continue the search for a new home. We hold onto a slim hope because we are willing to pursue this avenue if our agent comes back with favorable remarks.

So, we wait. And, continue the hunt.

Wordy Wednesday

The house I really liked bit me! I mentioned on facebook that a house I really liked gave me a really ugly bruise. Well, here's proof.

Last Thursday, about a week ago, we went to look at houses. Yes, we're looking for a house of our own. What fun! Anyway, we really liked the second house we looked at. It was spacious, the Master was downstairs, and it had dual thermostats. However, it had a couple of issues that we're not sure we can live with.

The kitchen had an "island", which had an "overhang". The island had a back splash with bar-like area. Only, it wasn't quite wide enough to be considered a bar. The backside of the island was towards the hallway, breakfast area and living room.

Well, while I was waiting on the guys (Dan and our realtor) talking things over, the island (aka bar) reached out and bit me in the hip area! Actually, I had forgotten about the overhang and leaned into the island to rest on. Talk about pain. It hurt so bad. I told Dan I was going to bruise. And, sure enough, I did.

I wonder if this is an "omen"? My thoughts still return to this house from time to time as I liked it. A Lot. Will I learn real quickly to avoid the overhang? Maybe. I thought I would avoid the molding corner at the bottom of the stairs at our old house; but, time after time, I would be in a hurry and run into it. And, time after time, I would sport a bruise. So, I have my doubts.

The incident happened last Thursday night (9/30) and this picture was taken Sunday night (10/3). I'm still bruised and it still hurts if I bump or touch it. It turned really dark; but, it is finally turning into a sickly shade of green and yellow around the edges, which indicates that it's finally fading.

And now, I'm off. Today is going to be a fun day!

Indiscriminate Contemplations

Indiscriminate Contemplations == Random Thoughts

On Our No Spending Month:

Today is Day five of our No Spending Month. So far, so good. There were times when I forced myself to put things back. For example, I was at Walmart the other day and noticed a clearance on some sleeveless shirts. I went so far to look some over and try a few on. I almost bought two; but, then I remembered my “pact” of no spending – no unnecessary spending.

I didn’t need any more shirts. So, I made myself put them back. For the most part, this is not all that hard to do. I/we lived like this for a long time before; so, this period is not difficult for me.

There were incidents where I groaned because a product would come across my desk (via email or blog). I’d want it so bad that I’d want to have a hissy fit. Moi? A hissy fit? I rarely throw a fit. Dan can testify to that. But, when I do, look out! And yes, I bookmarked the links to the products. I am planning to return to them after our No Spending Month is over. Ha! Actually, I want to get one for a gift for a special person in our life.

On Feeling Guilty:

I am feeling bad about not being able to go see Mother in the next couple of weeks. With our vacations recently, Dan’s “on call” schedule being chaotic, Gracie needing special attention (something is causing her to have terrible ear problems, most likely allergies as steroids seems to alleviate her problems), searching for a house (starts tonight), and appointments with a Dermatologist on August 31st, I just cannot see us getting to visit Mother anytime soon. The earliest I can see us returning to visit Mother is in September.

I have to confess that I am a little relieved. And, this makes me feel selfish. And, this in return, makes me feel bad (guilty). There is so much I want to do. I would like to work on Mom’s quilt (started on it this week) along with various projects such as finishing up the family slides (I am scanning them all in). I would also like to focus on being with Dan and on being a homemaker again. I haven’t had much time to myself since Mother’s fall back late January. I was with her for two months straight and then it was a lot of traveling back and forth. I would spend two weeks (one weekend) here and one week (two weekends) with Mother. But, that is now changing.

Anyway, I need to recoup. Dan and this house, is sorely neglected too. This shouldn’t be. Not one bit.

However, sacrifices are often made for the good of our loved ones. Mother needed me/us. And now, that things are settled, she doesn’t really need me to be there all that much anymore; although, she desires me to be there with her. She’s lonely, alone and depressed. And, that breaks my heart. What more can a daughter do for her? For the millionth time, I wish I lived closer. I wish I had the skills to take care of her. I wish… But, no matter how much I wish, I cannot change things. It is what it is. And, I feel so helpless…

On Making Personal Sacrifices

I got up early this morning. Actually, Dan woke me up. Let me tell you, it is not an easy thing for this girl to do – to immediately get up, get dressed, and out the door. I was groaning sluggard. I am used to taking my time getting out bed, taking my time waking up mentally, taking my time period. Why did I even do this?

Well, we are going to meet a Realtor late this afternoon. This Realtor is on his side of the town. By “his side”, I mean the side of the town where he works. And, this place is on the opposite side of the city. So, we decided that I should take him to work, then go pick him up and go from there to meet the Realtor. It would save him time. He wouldn’t have to come home early, pick me up, and return back to the other side of the city. It is just easier this way – for him anyway.

Speaking of getting up early in the morning, quite some years back, I did this for my Dan every morning for months on end when he was suffering from pain and tingling in his right arm from a pinched nerve. I would get up, take him to work, and pick him up. He needed to relax and not get uptight from the rush of everyday traffic. Plus, the drugs he took made him sleepy and dangerous for driving. What I did was the normal thing to do for us. Dan would have done the same for me.

At least, I thought it was the norm – that most anyone would do this for their spouse, for their loved ones. It startled me to hear from Dan that a couple of coworkers of his were surprised to learn that I would even do this for him. Even he (Dan) was surprised to hear this. One person, according to Dan, got an amazed look on his face and mentioned to him that we had a unique relationship. He was like “isn’t this what you do for the people you love and care about?” Apparently not. And, this puzzled me.

Are we really the minority? – People making personal sacrifices for the greater good and for the good of their love ones? I just don’t understand why a person would not do such a thing for the people they love and care about if it is within their means to do so. It is just puzzling to me.

On Fabric Panels

In case you don’t know, a fabric panel is a piece of cloth that has various related designs on it. Sometimes, you can find a panel of fabric that has designs you cut out and sew together to make something such as an Apron or a cloth book.

Anyway, you cut out the panels and then do whatever your heart desires with them. I purchased some Maxine fabric panels not too long ago. I cut these up yesterday and remembered why I do not care for fabric panels. A few reasons are:

1) Sometimes the panels are skewed or wonky. Three of the Maxine panels were really off – not squared at all. Frustrating. I am not sure what I will do with them now.

2) The lines of panels are never straight. You have to make do and whack off a little more than you really want to in order to make them squared up. And even then, not all the panels are the same size.

3) The perfectionist in me hates this. I am going to have to “fudge” the blocks and ultimately, the quilt in order to make it work. The perfectionist in me hates this. Oh, did I say that already?

I once had an Apron pattern panel. It was all sunflowers (I love sunflowers). I cut out all the pieces and started to sew them up. I got frustrated because the cut out pieces weren’t perfectly lining up. Instead of fudging and redoing (re-sewing) the panel patterns together, I dumped it all into a Rubbermaid container and promptly put them way back into a deep dark corner of the closet. So, there is an UFO (Unfinished Object) languishing in one of the boxes somewhere.

I am determined to NOT let this Maxine Project become an UFO. I have too many UFOs as it is. One of them is blocks, signed squares, and etc. from a block swap with many quilters all over the USA and Canada. This was way back before the year 2000 when I was involved with a quilting group via chat software. It was suppose to be a millennium quilt. Did I ever put them together? Nope.

[Am I still a part of that group? Sad to say, no. When we got a new computer way back when, we also got a firewall. For some odd reason, I could not use this chat program with the firewall. So, I lost contact with all those lovely people. I miss doing fabric and block swaps with quilters. I even met a few of them real life. It was fun. ]

Anyway, I am determined. I am going to persevere and make Mother a quilt. By the way, Maxine is her favorite character. She owns all the Hallmark ornaments ever put out (and is getting this year’s ornament). I will do this even if it drives me batty. She would love it.