Wooo... I'm on the road to being a homeowner. My wife and I have picked out the house, and today we signed off on the contract. We should be closing and signing by the end of December.
It is all pretty exciting to me.
What should I expect during this time and during the move in?
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AngryUndead wrote:
Wooo... I'm on the road to being a homeowner. My wife and I have picked out the house, and today we signed off on the contract. We should be closing and signing by the end of December.
It is all pretty exciting to me.
What should I expect during this time and during the move in?
It is all pretty exciting to me.
What should I expect during this time and during the move in?
STRESS
Quote:
What should I expect during this time and during the move in?
Everything to break. Furnace will explode, water pipes will crack, electrical will short out and the foundation will leak. The roof will sag, squirrels will move into your walls. Bees in the attic and your lawn will die. Your mailbox will be smashed by vandals and your trees fall over onto the neighbors property. Driveway will crack and your windows wont all open. Hinges will squeak and drywall will crack. Home ownership is grand, congratz.
Nicroll 65 Assassin
Teltorid 52 Druid
Aude Sapere
Oh hell camp me all you want f**kers. I own this site and thus I own you. - Allakhazam
Teltorid 52 Druid
Aude Sapere
Oh hell camp me all you want f**kers. I own this site and thus I own you. - Allakhazam
Do yourself a favor and, if you've been apartment living up until now, get yourself a book like this. You'll need it probably sooner rather than later.
Belkira wrote:
Wow. Regular ol' Joph fan club in here.
I highly recommend getting a fixed rate mortgage.
Darkflame - Thank you for the inspiration.
xythex - You are my ray of sunshine.
Joph - Good tip.
Lef - 30 year fixed. Yay.
xythex - You are my ray of sunshine.
Joph - Good tip.
Lef - 30 year fixed. Yay.
AngryUndead wrote:
Darkflame - Thank you for the inspiration.
xythex - You are my ray of sunshine.
Joph - Good tip.
Lef - 30 year fixed. Yay.
xythex - You are my ray of sunshine.
Joph - Good tip.
Lef - 30 year fixed. Yay.
Just preparing you, I don't own a house and after seeing everyone here that does, may rent awhile longer. I have enough stress without something like that!
Gratz btw!
Thank you very much.
The housing markent around here isn't quite as cutthroat as it is in other areas but it is still pretty fast paced. This house has only been on the market for five days. Luckily real estate doesn't seem to be quite so expensive around here as it is in others. I'm glad for that.
The housing markent around here isn't quite as cutthroat as it is in other areas but it is still pretty fast paced. This house has only been on the market for five days. Luckily real estate doesn't seem to be quite so expensive around here as it is in others. I'm glad for that.
Quote:
Everything to break. Furnace will explode, water pipes will crack, electrical will short out and the foundation will leak. The roof will sag, squirrels will move into your walls. Bees in the attic and your lawn will die. Your mailbox will be smashed by vandals and your trees fall over onto the neighbors property. Driveway will crack and your windows wont all open. Hinges will squeak and drywall will crack. Home ownership is grand, congratz.
Meh, this depends on numerous conditions.
The age of the house, the soil in your area, wildlife in your area, your landscaping, etc etc ...
We bought our house last december, it is 8 years old, roof is pristine, only drywall cracks are in the garage (caused by my parking /sigh ) foundation is pristine, we have sprinklers and no trees.
Have had to fix a leaky toilet and climb up on the rook to caulk/nail some boards on the chimney back together (small leak).
It really all depends on the age of the house and the builder.
East Texas is prone to foundation cracks thanks to shifting layers well below the soil (lots of clay in the area). So in the future I could have that problem.
All i'm really trying to say is while it is stressful and things occur which you have no control over (water heater, A/C, washer/dryer going out) there are vast advantages to owning your own house, provided you get lucky and sell it for a profit in the end...
Between now and closing, try to have a few thousand dollars socked away that you don't think you're going to need. Nasty surprises can spring up right before closing.
Other than that, I congratulate you. Home ownership has its stresses, but in my mind, the payoff is well worth it.
Edited to add:
Oh, and don't buy an Owners' Title Insurance Policy. You have to pay for one for the mortgage company (the Loan Policy) and they will work to clear up any title discrepancies in their own best interest. You also reap those benefits whether or not you have your own policy.
Edited, Fri Nov 11 14:53:49 2005 by Yanari
Other than that, I congratulate you. Home ownership has its stresses, but in my mind, the payoff is well worth it.
Edited to add:
Oh, and don't buy an Owners' Title Insurance Policy. You have to pay for one for the mortgage company (the Loan Policy) and they will work to clear up any title discrepancies in their own best interest. You also reap those benefits whether or not you have your own policy.
Edited, Fri Nov 11 14:53:49 2005 by Yanari
The house is under the original builder'w waranty. The house is only 5 years old and will be under that waranty for another 5 years.
The home will be inspected soon and all that.
I'll be buying the book that Joph suggested because I'm no natural hand at repairs but I can follow instructions pretty well. I also know which end to hold a hammer by, so I assume that'll help.
Having extra cash on hand is a good idea though, thank you. We'll need a frige among other things. The one that they wanted to transer with the house looked like they were storing moldy **** in it. Everything else about the house was so clean and nice it was hard to believe. They must have had someone else mow the lawn...
The home will be inspected soon and all that.
I'll be buying the book that Joph suggested because I'm no natural hand at repairs but I can follow instructions pretty well. I also know which end to hold a hammer by, so I assume that'll help.
Having extra cash on hand is a good idea though, thank you. We'll need a frige among other things. The one that they wanted to transer with the house looked like they were storing moldy **** in it. Everything else about the house was so clean and nice it was hard to believe. They must have had someone else mow the lawn...
expect the closing tp be pushed back later than you anticipate. Get yourself a toolbox furnished with the basics. Home Depot or Lowes is your newest favorite store ever!
Hopefully you have a buyers agent. if not, expect to do a lot of the leg work and on the phone a bit to ensure you get what you want.
Things will break, you'll notice things when you move into your new home you didnt see before. This is where Home Depot becomes your friend.
All in all buying or building a house is stressfull but well worth it. Oh yeah, and if youve been living in an apt, buy yourself some lawn care guides or books. You'll be doing weeding, mowing, raking, edging, etc every spring summer and fall.
Hopefully you have a buyers agent. if not, expect to do a lot of the leg work and on the phone a bit to ensure you get what you want.
Things will break, you'll notice things when you move into your new home you didnt see before. This is where Home Depot becomes your friend.
All in all buying or building a house is stressfull but well worth it. Oh yeah, and if youve been living in an apt, buy yourself some lawn care guides or books. You'll be doing weeding, mowing, raking, edging, etc every spring summer and fall.
Luckily the lawn is fairly small and low maintainence. That'll be nice.
We've got a really good agent who has been nothing but helpful and the loan agent we're working with is also the same way. There are lots of programs out there for new/first time home owners. Be sure to check them out if you are ever in need.
We've already got a small toolkit, I may need to go get some special stuff for plumbing and whatnot but for the most part this small kit should do the trick.
We've got a really good agent who has been nothing but helpful and the loan agent we're working with is also the same way. There are lots of programs out there for new/first time home owners. Be sure to check them out if you are ever in need.
We've already got a small toolkit, I may need to go get some special stuff for plumbing and whatnot but for the most part this small kit should do the trick.
When we moved from apartment to House there were so many little things that came up. I recommend subscribing to Freecycle.org local chapter. It’s an environmentally freindly organization for people to give away stuff for free instead of throwing it out. I am sure lots of stuff that you will be needing will come up sooner or later and that will save you plenty of money. There are a couple of whackos in every group who think someone is going to drive over to there house to get a single pen, but for the most part you will get posts about items that people would actually make a trip for like furniture, cleaning supplies, lawnmower, gym equipment, etc. I have gotten over past few months a set of bedroom furniture for my son, a fish tank, a digital camera and some collectible dolls for my wife.
Make sure the house was not built on a cemetary. I am sure you do not want to wake in the middle of the night to see your wife doing this.
All in all though be prepared money wise. Things will break, they will increase your home owners insurance whenever they feel like it, property taxes will go up, and do not forget the gas bill which will cost as much as a car payment now a days.
All in all though be prepared money wise. Things will break, they will increase your home owners insurance whenever they feel like it, property taxes will go up, and do not forget the gas bill which will cost as much as a car payment now a days.
No gas, all SCE&G power, which will cost at least $150/mo.
We're on USAA for Renter's Insurance and we'll be going over to Home Owner's Insurance with them as well, it will probably be relatively low.
The yearly property tax on this property is 1,200. They're suposedly passing laws in this area that will raise sales tax 2% and reduce property tax by 85%. That'd probably be nice. It'll even out for you at the end of the year, most likely... if you spend 60,000/year on property taxed stuff. That isn't me.
We're on USAA for Renter's Insurance and we'll be going over to Home Owner's Insurance with them as well, it will probably be relatively low.
The yearly property tax on this property is 1,200. They're suposedly passing laws in this area that will raise sales tax 2% and reduce property tax by 85%. That'd probably be nice. It'll even out for you at the end of the year, most likely... if you spend 60,000/year on property taxed stuff. That isn't me.
Decent advice thus far...
I would suggest keeping your insurance separated from your mortgage; at least for now. Most mortgage companies have ins agents they work with but that doesn't help you. For instance the company I write for offers a 20% multi-policy discount.
Also don't move any furniture in until you've completely finished the floors and walls. Once you're in, if you can afford to pay 6 months in advance so you're always ahead, plus this protects from getting behind if you become unemployeed. And when you're doing as well as someone like myself cut a completely separate check monthly "paid to principle." This will allow you to pay the house off quickly. Oh and don't forget mortgage protection (basically a term policy) in case you or your spouse passes.
Achileez
I would suggest keeping your insurance separated from your mortgage; at least for now. Most mortgage companies have ins agents they work with but that doesn't help you. For instance the company I write for offers a 20% multi-policy discount.
Also don't move any furniture in until you've completely finished the floors and walls. Once you're in, if you can afford to pay 6 months in advance so you're always ahead, plus this protects from getting behind if you become unemployeed. And when you're doing as well as someone like myself cut a completely separate check monthly "paid to principle." This will allow you to pay the house off quickly. Oh and don't forget mortgage protection (basically a term policy) in case you or your spouse passes.
Achileez
Congrats Angry!
It's exciting to move into a new home, but be prepared for many, many little annoyances that you may not have noticed during your initial visit and final walkthrough.
Things we came across when we moved into our home: Loose doorknobs, troublesome sliding screen doors (if applicable), all the various holes and nails in the walls that were hidden by pictures on walls, carpeting issues (i.e., stains, holes in carpet), incorrectly installed front door handle/knob and door deadbolt.
Expect sore wrists for all the signatures and intitializing you will have to do at closing.
You will become very familiar with Home Depot and/or Lowes
I hope your house is on level land - mowing hills really, really sucks!!
It's exciting to move into a new home, but be prepared for many, many little annoyances that you may not have noticed during your initial visit and final walkthrough.
Things we came across when we moved into our home: Loose doorknobs, troublesome sliding screen doors (if applicable), all the various holes and nails in the walls that were hidden by pictures on walls, carpeting issues (i.e., stains, holes in carpet), incorrectly installed front door handle/knob and door deadbolt.
Expect sore wrists for all the signatures and intitializing you will have to do at closing.
You will become very familiar with Home Depot and/or Lowes
I hope your house is on level land - mowing hills really, really sucks!!
'Lo, there do I see, the line of my people, back to the beginning, 'lo do they call to me, they bid me take my place among them, in the halls of Valhalla, where the brave...may live...forever.
X-Box 360 Gamer Tag - Smogster
X-Box 360 Gamer Tag - Smogster
Quote:
I hope your house is on level land - mowing hills really, really sucks!!
not if you have a riding mower
The lawn is tiny, I'll have a push mower as anything else would be highly inefficient.
There are a lot of holes in the walls to fix but that'll be fairly simple, but time consuming.
There are a lot of holes in the walls to fix but that'll be fairly simple, but time consuming.
Quote:
not if you have a riding mower
I do have a riding mower for the hill - The hill alone takes 2 hours to knock out. It's a frikkin' big hill.
It's HUGE, I tell ya!
I use a push mower for the sides and front of the house - takes me another 2 hours to knock out. It's good exercise, so no complaints.
'Lo, there do I see, the line of my people, back to the beginning, 'lo do they call to me, they bid me take my place among them, in the halls of Valhalla, where the brave...may live...forever.
X-Box 360 Gamer Tag - Smogster
X-Box 360 Gamer Tag - Smogster
Hm. I was considering buying, and now you are all scaring me.
Important side note: Do something else for a night besides talk about the house. Buying a house is one of the most stressful things a couple can go through. Go out on a date, even if you can't afford it, and don't talk about the house, the move, money, etc. Just have fun together.
Nexa
Nexa
“It has always been the prerogative of children and half-wits to point out that the emperor has no clothes. But a half-wit remains a half-wit, and the emperor remains an emperor.â€
― Neil Gaiman, The Sandman, Vol. 9: The Kindly Ones
― Neil Gaiman, The Sandman, Vol. 9: The Kindly Ones
Quote:
Once you're in, if you can afford to pay 6 months in advance so you're always ahead, plus this protects from getting behind if you become unemployeed.
But yes, paying extra toward principal cuts years and thousands (tens of thousands if you do this often) of dollars off your final cost.
As far as tools go, yup one needs lots of things as a homeowner one never needed as a renter. I just bought the items as I needed them. The one thing I'd probably get right away whether or not I needed it would be a good extension ladder & good step ladder.
Edited, Fri Nov 11 21:04:39 2005 by Yanari
Grats! Home ownership rules! Once ya get past all the red tape.
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