Decisions, decisions...

Hello,

Last week I spent a few hours making decisions about home security and specialty wiring. I was under the impression that the meeting was to discuss all electrical requests for the house.  I was wrong. The nice gentleman so kindly steered me back to my sales rep when I told him I needed an additional outlet in the kitchen island.

The following day I went to the flooring place to make my carpet, tile, and cabinet selections.  I walked in the building with the understanding that I was not spending any money.  I was only getting the level of items I decided upon with my sales rep.

I had to make choices on:

• hardwood flooring
• bedroom carpet
• basement carpet
• foyer/powder room vinyl
• kitchen cabinets

Everything was moving quickly until we got carpet and the hardwood flooring.  First, I had to decide between 6 different shades of beige. Then I wanted the color hardwood flooring that is in the model home. Unfortunately, that color choice was only available in engineered wood. I'm not a fan of engineered wood because the markings are in the same spot on every board. It doesn't look natural to me.

Two hours later I decided to upgrade the tile and the cabinets in the master bathroom (I did this originally then changed my mind) and upgraded the carpet padding to one that comes with a warranty for the lifetime of the house.

I need a sugar daddy!

-Honey

219 days to go

Hustle

Hi Friends,

I need to hustle up some money so that I borrow less from the bank.

What are my options?

1. I could start a GoFundMe campaign to beg for money. Since this is a "want" and not a "need" I'm going to pass on that option.  Seems quite tacky.
2. I could get a part time job. That would bring in money but not a significant amount. I'd be tired and miserable. Let's put that option low on the list.
3. I could win the lottery. Okay, I'm going to purchase one ticket a week until closing. Worst case scenario I'm out about $50.
4. I could start my own business. Ding, ding, ding! That's it!

Plans on the new hustle coming soon!

-Honey

Dimensions and Get It Sold!

Hi,

I realized that none of the previous posts included the rooms or square footage.

The house has:

• 3 bedrooms
• 2.5 bathrooms
• Laundry area upstairs on bedroom level
• Living room
• Dining room
• Kitchen with an island
• Deck off the kitchen
• 1 car garage (attached)
• Basement (above ground with sliding glass doors)

The total square footage (including the basement since it's finished but not including the garage) is around 2,200 square feet I think.  I'll get the approximate number this week.

There are 3 units in each group of homes. So you have an idea, here's a pic of a similar building. My unit is going to look like the one on the left. (Red arrow pointing to it.)

Although construction won't begin until around September, they won't start building until all of the units in each group is sold. The middle unit is the last one waiting for an owner.  They need to get it sold so I can rest easier!

-Honey

Financing and Final Decision

Hi,

So today I met with the loan officer (LO). My realtor (love her) met me there as well.  The LO sent me a list of the paperwork he needed ahead of the meeting so I was very prepared. We got through everything in less than an hour.  Even with my questions!

Today is Day 7 of the process. From the date I signed the agreement I have 7 days to change my mind and get all my money back.  After meeting with the LO my realtor asked me if I wanted to take another look around the model home.  I did and it was the best thing for me to do.  After making my way upstairs I finally had that "I'm home" feeling. I knew then I made a great decision.

Here's my "sold" sign!  The mound of dirt in the back will be gone but that will be the view from my deck.  I can't wait to see it in a month when all the trees get their leaves or even in the fall when everything gets colorful. I'm home!

-Honey

What I Didn't Get

Hi There!

Here are some Ryan Homes items I was seriously considering and passed up on:

• Refrigerator $1,795
• Washer & Dryer $1,495
• Backsplash $495-$1,195 depending on the option I chose
• Granite around the fireplace $300
• Cabinet and vanity upgrades in bathrooms $1,495
• Under cabinet lighting in the kitchen $695

That's over $6,000. I'm going to get the refrigerator, washer and dryer on my own. That will save some money in the long run.  Who wants to pay interest on appliances over a 30 year period?

I saw where I can do the backsplash myself for less than $200 and the under cabinet lighting for less than $100. Yay Home Depot!

I'm scared of my visit to electrical...I know I'm going to get an additional cable outlet or two.  I'm definitely not getting surround sound or a central vacuuming system put into the house!

I'm reading other blogs as well to prepare myself for that visit.  I'll let you know how it goes!

-Honey

The Process

Hi,

For someone who wasn't ready, the process gets overwhelming pretty quickly.  However, after the next two weeks I know I'll be in a holding pattern for the next 2-3 months.

Over the last few days I got calls to schedule meetings for loan financing, flooring and electrical.  Why do I have to make final decisions so soon?  I basically have 21 days to decide on everything then all decisions are locked in. No more changes without paying extra.

Here's the process/timeline

• Meet with loan officer
• Meet with electrical
• Meet with flooring
• Mortgage loan approval (required within 45 days of signed agreement)
• Pre-construction meeting
• Customer Involvement Meeting
• Pre-Drywall Meeting
• Personal Home Inspection (I'm having this done - it's not required)
• Pre-Settlement Orientation
• Closing

Construction will probably begin in September and be done by early December. So we are doing a "hurry up and wait". I'm hurrying up on the first 4 items above in yellow and waiting for a few months.

As a reminder, my building is the last one to be done in the development.  Hopefully, we will have an uneventful fall with no delays to construction!

-Honey

...And I'm Buying a House!

Hi Friends,

There are three models of homes available.  I chose the middle size model - the Mozart.  Hence the name of my blog!

I also chose the end unit.  Here are the incentives the builders offered:

• Finished basement
• Powder room
• Granite countertops in the kitchen
• Stainless steel for stove, dishwasher and microwave
• Discount on the price of the end unit

Here are my additions:

• Garage door opener
• Gas fireplace
• Island in the kitchen
• Kitchen cabinets upgrade
• Kitchen cabinet hardware
• Kitchen cabinet crown moulding
• Kitchen faucet upgrade to nickel
• Gas range hookup (I don't like electric stoves)
• Kitchen exhaust fan
• Soaking tub and shower in master bathroom
• Tray ceiling in the master bedroom
• Tile on the master bathroom floor
• Ceiling fans w/lights in all three bedrooms
• Window in bedroom #3
• Tile on the hallway bathroom floor
• Recessed lights in the living room
• Deck (composite)
• Hardwood floors in kitchen and living room
• Hardwood stairs

The additions I made were all to enhance the value of the home for possible resale in the future...just in case something happens or I have to move.

Each day I do more research and come up with questions for my sales rep and send them to her via email. 

Now I'm getting excited!  My next post will be about the process.

-Honey

I Was Minding My Business...

Hi, 

Last week Thursday a friend asked me what I was doing for the upcoming weekend.  My response was "Not a d**m thing!" However, by Saturday, I signed an agreement to purchase a home from Ryan Homes.  How did I get here?

Well, I relocated to a new state last year for my job.  I originally thought I would buy a home immediately so I set up email alerts with Trulia. Work was really busy so I found a townhome to rent, sold my home after moving and I've been renting ever since in a wonderful community.  I've gotten used to having my driveway shoveled without asking (or having to do it myself) and looking out at the woods in the morning while drinking my tea.

Thursday
On Thursday night I got an email from Trulia (I never turned off the email alerts) letting me know that there was a home for sale in my area in my price range. 

Friday
I called a realtor the next day and scheduled a showing for Monday. I then jumped on Realtor.com to look at the listing again.  While on that site the Ryan Home appeared in the same price range.  I filled out the contact info on the Ryan site, got a call back almost immediately, and saw the demo home and the site that night.  There were only two units left in the development - a middle and an end unit - and they threw in a lot of incentives to get the last two units sold.  The mortgage estimate was about the same as my rent!  I had a lot to think about.

Saturday
At my request, the next morning I met with the Sales Rep again at 9am.  I asked her a LOT of questions.  Because I didn't want to miss out on the opportunity (especially with the incentives...I'll give you the details in the next post), I put the money down and signed the sales agreement!  I wasn't completely "sold" because it was the only thing I looked at.  I told my rep that I would have my mind completely made up by Tuesday.

Monday
I met my realtor at the 'resale' home I originally found online.  It has 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, an attached garage and is on almost a half acre.  However, it also has low ceilings, PINK carpet, old appliances, a small kitchen, a bonus room with dark wood paneling, and oil heat - wrong answer.  All I kept thinking was that it was going to cost me at least $40,000 to get all those items updated.  That was based on what I saw.  Who knows what an inspector would find. 

So, needless to say, I was minding my business and now I'm building a home with Ryan Homes!

-Honey