Home Owner

[heybrad]

I know a lot of home buying threads have popped up lately, but I figured I should still share my news.

We put an offer on a house this weekend and it was accepted this morning. This will be our first house. The seller asked for a 21 day escrow, but we countered with 25 and he was OK with that. With each step of this process I've become a little more freaked out. Everything should go smooth as financing was pre-approved. Still, I'm nervous, happy and scared all at the same time.

I'm most happy thinking that my son and daughter finally get their own rooms and a backyard to play in. They are both already asking for a dog.

The house is 2000 sq ft, 4bd 3 bath and is pretty much turnkey. The only immediate changes will be ripping out the carpets downstairs for hardwood floors and some painting of bedrooms.

I feel like I have a lot of work ahead of me in the next 30 days.

[kurtism]

YAY! (Brad)

[gottimd]

Hey Brad!

I just went through that process and it sucks. Just bought a condo and closed the deal and now we have been moving for 5 straight days in between work hours. There is so much to do to get everything organized, and even the small things (forwarding bills, change of address, insurance changes) begin to pile up.

I scheduled all of the utilities to come out. Cable (Comcast) didn't even show up on the day I scheduled them, my phones don't work except for one regular phone, the dryer died on us last night, we have boxes everywhere, its mass chaos!

[Swaggs]

Congrats!

We just got our first house about 2.5 years ago. I don't imagine the process ever goes through without any stress, so try to keep that in mind. For us, it was especially tough because we lived about 6.5 hours away and had to leave a lot of it up to our less-than-stellar realtor. Anyway, it is stressful for 30 days, but then the day comes and it seems to be worth it.

[Blackadar]

Ok, Brad, rule 1...

SOMETHING WILL GO WRONG. It always does. Your loan will run into difficulties. They'll find termites. They won't be able to verify your employment. The house won't appraise. Something. Just understand it's going to happen and roll with the punches.

[cuervo72]

Gratz Brad!

[Subby]

Way to go! I can imagine home prices in SoCal are appropriately outrageous...

[gstelmack]

I feel like I have a lot of work ahead of me in the next 30 days.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

30 days!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Okay, I've got control now. In reality, the work NEVER stops. But it's your house, so it's all worth it.

[Tom E]

Its a story old people are required to bore their grandkids with...A never ending cycle

[cartman]

Geez, I must have had the perfect homebuying experience, based on what I've been reading.

A. I bought the first and only house I looked at
B. I got it for $30K less than appraised value
C. Closing happened while I was living overseas

The only strange part was getting the legal stuff notarized while I was living in London. I had to go to the embassy to get it done. All in all, the whole home buying experience went incredibly smooth.

[Dutch]

Congratulations Brad.

I had a pretty easy time of things buying my first house last year. Of course, now that I am moving to Germany next year, I'm planning on turning right around and selling the damned thing and hoping I get enough back to pay the bank. Oh well, that's life in the military.

[MizzouRah]

We just put a contract on what will be our second house. We're at 2000+ square foot as opposed to 1070, which we have now. I'm VERY excited, but it's contingent on selling our house first.

Congrats on your first Brad!! It's a lot of work, but the good thing is it's YOURS and well, it will only go up in value.

[Philliesfan980]

Congrats on the house!

My wife and I just bought our first home last December and it was a great decision! Its gone up in value already (although I don't think that's the reason to ever buy a house). The process was surprisingly smooth. But get ready to do some work, we bought a 7 year old house and things at the beginning are never just the way you want it to be, but its rewarding to put some work into it!

[chinaski]

Congrats! Buying your 1st house is a great feeling. Ironically, i just had my 1st house appraised today as im thinking of selling it. FYI, if the city ever comes to you and offers to plant trees for free along the sidewalk, do not agree. The trees become yours as well as a nice sidewalk reconstruction bill once the roots mature and break up the sidewalk. http://dynamic.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/images/smilies/mad.gif