House Hunting: Good news!!

Finally, it seems we have a breakthrough in our house hunting!

Back in the beginning of May, we offered on a small cape cod house in the country with about one acre. After a counter offer from them and a counter-offer from us, they made a final counter offer and we accepted. Then we started the process of closing. And let me tell you, it has been quite a process. First of all, the loan was going to be in Justin's name, but then he was laid off within a week of the final offer. I had just been offered a job here in the Dayton area, but didn't have my contract yet due to being out of state. As far as financing went, we were at a standstill because they won't, of course, loan money to someone without a job or without proof of a future job. But God is good.

A few days before our big road trip, Justin got a call from an interview that he had before he was laid off. They wanted to hire him and he would be starting the Monday we got back from California! That was wonderful. Still, the bank has to see two weeks of paychecks or my contract before closing the loan for the house. On my side, I have been in contact with the HR office and getting them final paperwork and fingerprinting. Though the fingerprints haven't come in yet, they want me to come in and sign the contract tomorrow. So, (yay!!) I will be able to show the bank my contract this week. We also had to go to a loan counseling class for about an hour last Friday, which basically went over budgeting, and that has to be turned into the bank as well.

That is our side of things. Meanwhile, our realtor has been working like crazy for us to get the inspections scheduled. They can't happen until the appraisal, which FINALLY came in this morning. We were a little worried that the appraisal wouldn't be high enough since the house needs a lot of work, but we were safe by about $2,500. Not much room to spare, but just enough! If the inspections happen soon, maybe my goal of being in the house by the end of June will actually happen. I really wanted the month of July to start working on it!

Speaking of work... sheesh... it needs bucketfuls. The walls in most rooms have paneling which we want to tear down. The floors are horrid, fake-looking wood linoleum that is peeling. I think it has at least three different wood linoleum styles on the first floor... uggh! The bathroom needs a face lift. They put in new tile in the shower that is a dark browns and tans, kinda a modern boxy looking, which doesn't fit the house at all. I figure I can hide it behind a neutral shower curtain. We looked at pedestal sinks yesterday (there are two sinks) but the problem is storage. I need to have some kind of storage for towels and such, but I don't want the storage to overwhelm the small bathroom.

I haven't even thought too in depth about the kitchen. I want the social areas- living, dining room, to be ready first, plus they will be easier and cheaper. We did look at a few things at Lowe's yesterday. I think bead board cabinets would be a good fit for the style of the house, and one of those apron sinks would be wickedly sweet. but who knows if I can land one of those for a decent price? I will have to get to know antique stores in the area.

Luckily, the master bedroom downstairs just needs paint and new flooring, so hopefully we can rest in peace. I'm not even thinking about upstairs for awhile. (Changing the odd direction of the stairs is one of my future projects...)

Then we go outside. I am almost embarrassed to show it. But it will be amazing when we are done. It has a big yard and some great trees, but no landscaping. I will need my grandma's help for this, especially for the front of the house. I have to deal with a rusty oil tank on the left corner of the house, a hideous MacGyver-style built-on porch, and two different window sizes. But I am going to make it work. Paint the oil tank so it doesn't stand out so much, maybe put a set of shutters up, and plant some taller flowers or something between the tank and the porch. (Hope you have some ideas, grandma!) If I can get the front of the house decent, I will feel a lot better. Eventually we will move the old tank and put on a full-length porch, but I'm not sure if that will be this summer. I'd like to plant lilac bushes along the fence for beauty and privacy, and maybe some roses somewhere so I can have fresh-cut flowers.

More to come on other renovations, including the garage, storage shed, and conversion of another shed to a chicken coop. Plus figuring out the off-centered single dormer window. Lots of work!!