Donorbox

Friday, December 18, 2009

Introducing....America's Newest Homeowners!



We did it! We closed today and "our long national nightmare is over." Okay, so I'm being a bit dramatic, but still. After 10 weeks of waiting and packing and being pissed off at the system, we're finally homeowners! (Home occupiers, as Graham likes to say, since we won't own it for the next 30 years. Whatevs, says I. Whatevs.)

As of this time last night, we still didn't have an final amount to bring with us for our closing costs. We were given a rough estimate based on disclosure documents, and we figured that if we brought a bit more we'd be safe. Around 11:00 this morning, I got a phone call from the lawyer's office telling us the final figure. It was considerably more than our estimate--nearly double what we were quoted. When I asked why the number jumped so much, the lawyer said, "Well, we're trying to figure that out." Long story short, someone didn't add properly (story of my life) and forgot to apply the proper credits to our closing costs, so thankfully they got right on it and our closing costs came down to what they were supposed to be.

We made it to the closing and actually got to meet the sellers. It was a little weird, but they're a perfectly lovely couple. They are actually the former homeowner's daughter and son-in-law, and they're selling the home for a woman who has to live out the remainder of her life in a nursing home because she needs around-the-clock care. She actually sent well-wishes our way, and said she hopes that we'll be as happy in the house as she was, and that if we have even half of the happiness that home brought her, we'll have a long, happy life there. And, considering that this woman is 90 years old, a long and happy life it will be!

Ultimately, meeting the sellers was a good thing, and they're a sweet, sweet couple. They're excited to see us make changes to the house--they even encouraged us to rip out the awkward hedges on the sides of the house! They're much cooler with someone making changes to the house than I thought they'd be.

We also learned that the woman who owned the house moved in back in 1964, so that definitely explains the dated decor! I'm fairly certain that the owners moved in and decorated and didn't change a thing for 45 years. If they have any friends in the neighborhood who want to stop by and visit and meet their new neighbors, they're going to be in for a huge change once we get started. I'm already envisioning ripping out carpet and pulling down wood panels, followed by a painting extravaganza! WOO!

After we closed, we went to the house--our house--and unpacked a few boxes. Nothing major, just some things we'll need soon. My bathroom box is all unpacked, and our bathroom is set up for the time being. The wine is chilling in the fridge for moving day, and we got comfortable with our new home and decided which bedrooms would become the office, etc. Tomorrow, we're going to take over a few more boxes of things we'll need right away (not gonna take any chances with a mover forgetting a box or having something important being in that critical "first in, last out" box) and clean the kitchen and basement. I can't wait!

I need to say thank you, thank you, and THANK YOU if you were one of the people who listened to me whine (when I really needed to wine) and complain about this process. It was a long, drawn out PITA but I think it's going to be worth it.

Today was a good day. The booze is chilling in the fridge, and our toasting flutes are ready to be used. Now we're sharing good news with everyone, packing, and mentally preparing ourselves to move on Tuesday.

1 comment:

  1. YAHOO! All worth it in the end! Congrats! And get ready to shovel some snow today!

    ReplyDelete

Tell me what you think. For serious.