It's a HOUSE!

Scott and I took a mental health day off from work yesterday. Things weren't progressing at all with the realtor, and I was really starting to panic that we were going to be trapped in this apartment for the rest of our lives.

We planned to look at three local townhome complexes, starting with the cheapest, furthest from work. It was nice, smaller than Scott had anticipated, and was right on the edge of what we could afford. The second complex was 3 miles from work, but WAY high for our price range, and after seeing the cheapest model, we found ourselves wondering whether we could budget ourselves into it. The third was the most expensive, so we decided to skip it completely, and decided to go driving around neighborhoods and look for FOR SALE signs.

On the way, we pulled into a complex that I had forgotten about. It was one that I was really intrigued by when it first rolled out 2 years ago, but back then we could have only afforded the smallest model, which was 2 bedrooms on a single story. Not what we wanted. So we decided on a whim to pull in and check out the models. We told the sales rep our price range and what we wanted, and she showed us the first of the 3 bedroom models.

We walked in the front door, took one look at the kitchen and the great room, and I asked Scott if we could have it. "Yes." We went through the rest of the model marveling at the amazing layout, at the nice closet space, at the DOUBLE SINKS in the master bath, at the fabulous counter space in the kitchen...

For kicks, she took us over to the larger 3-bedroom model, and while we LOVED the downstairs, we didn't really like the upstairs layout. (the deal-breaker for me was the closet that you had to walk through the master bath to get to. what if someone is pooping and someone else needs a pair of pants?)

We took a look at a unit that was ready for move-in, but it was in the old phase and - again with the master bedroom closet - the layout wasn't quite right. So the sales rep got us into a place that's being built now and should be ready to close at the end of next month that's just like the model. She got us the appliance package that includes the full kitchen (side-by-side fridge! smooth-top range! microwave!) plus the washer and dryer. The building has no rear neighbors, and actually backs up to a pond with sand hill cranes and a fountain.

We signed immediately. Then we ran through the whole model again, twice, picturing our furniture and our own colors. Then we walked through our very own construction site!

For those of you who are my Facebook friends, there are lots more pictures there, including the building floorplan, and some taken inside.

I got the call that we were most worried about a little after noon today. The loan agent called and said our pre-qualification looks great, and when she and I couldn't get our schedules to mesh next week, she said she'd overnight the loan packet today. We'll have it tomorrow.

So...it looks like we're going to live there some day! I'm still using the word "hypothetical" a lot because it seems that things are just going by too smoothly and I'm waiting for two shoes to simultaneously drop. Until we get the keys, I just don't think it's going to feel real.

Stressssssssssss

We want to avoid old houses because they might not be the most hurricane resistant or might have old pieces stuck together with bubble gum and duct tape that'll give out as soon as we sign the papers.

We want to avoid short sales because we need to close before December 1 in order to get the Federal $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers.

We want to avoid bank-owned properties because you never know what horrible spiteful thing the owners did before they left. At the very least, you can assume you'll need to replace the carpet and supply your own appliances.

What's that leave? Not much in our price range. Especially when we had every intention of buying a house just big enough for our hypothetical family and never moving. Now we're looking at places that make me think, "good enough for now."

Am I going to make it through this process without having a complete breakdown? I give myself 4:1 odds.

Ugh...It's Septic

When I sent our realtor our "Housing Wish List," a prominent request on there was NO SEPTIC.

I've never known anyone with a septic system who didn't live in an old house with an old system and who wasn't experiencing issues with it. Scott apparently lived with this situation in his childhood and was as adamant as I was.

NO SEPTIC.

So the realtor sent us 2 separate lists, a total of 16 houses. Of those 16, 6 were over our price range, 2 had no interior photos (usually means trashed interior), 3 had septic systems, and the rest didn't really make either of us go "ooh...must have!"

So nothing then? Well...

We both fell in love with a house. But it has a septic system. The kitchen is beautiful! But it has a septic system. The view from the back of the house is amazing. But it has a septic system. Garden tub in the master bath. But it has a septic system. And around and around we went. As it turns out, neither of us was willing to cross the house off the list just because of the septic system.

And so I spent this morning researching septic systems. It seems even the EPA doesn't think you need an inspection more than once per year, and pumping less than that. And as long as you keep up with the maintenance, they're not so bad. They say you shouldn't do all of your laundry in one day, which is what we do now, but I think we could get in some sort of weekday rhythm. They say you shouldn't flush anything but toilet paper. I'm wondering where the tampons go? Is there some sort of mini diaper genie out there? And what about butt wipes? They also say garbage disposals are sort of a bad idea.

So, I'm asking the realtor for more information. But I'd also like your input, whomever you are! See anything bad about the house that I'm missing? Any septic pro/con stories? Anything at all?

Sweet!

A rare money post tonight!

I was just about topped out on available vacation, so I sold 2 weeks worth back to the company. The money was in today's paycheck - 3 weeks of pay for 1 week of work! Without going into actual dollars, because that's no one's business but mine and Scott's, I used the money to pay off my credit card (all except $8. also, I noticed that they increased my credit limit to $2,000. not sure when that happened, but it made me happy) and still had enough left over for us to have a little bit of fun with. I don't really know what we're going to do. Without a plan, we'll probably fritter it away on stupid stuff like dinners at new restaurants.

aside: when considering what fun to have with the money, I actually floated the idea of getting a steam cleaner. when did I turn into a grown-up?

Right now, I'm trying to figure out what to do with the money in our CD when it matures next month. Since we're planning on buying a house, the longest CD I could put the money into would be 3 months, which only has 1% interest at our bank. I can't just keep it in the regular savings account because if it's accessible we're likely to not have the discipline to keep our sticky fingers off of it. I've been looking into interest rates online, just to see if I can find a decent savings account that we could dump the money into, but not have quite as much access to. And since we won't have the money in there long (hopefully), even an introductory teaser rate would work.

I'm so proud of what we've managed to save in the past year. Of course, I'll be even prouder to write a check for the full amount and hand it over to a random dude in exchange for a set of house keys. I thought last year was going to be the year, and was heart-broken that it wasn't. But I really think this is our year. I don't think home prices are going to get any lower, and as long as we can qualify for a mortgage, I'll gladly swallow a higher interest rate.

Just get me out of this damn apartment!!

More on House Hunting

more accurately, Moron House Hunting

I thought I'd share some of my other favorite houses, since this really is my own personal diary. After all, it'll be nice to have them in one place. I sent this list (plus a bunch more) to Scott with some comments, and he replied with his own.

Note: Joanne believes we can afford a house that costs around $150,000. Scott and I would both prefer something MUCH less expensive. We'd rather have an "ok" house and be able to vacation and go out to dinner than have the best house ever and be trapped in it all the time. And really, after 5 years in a one bedroom apartment, there's not much out there that wouldn't feel like a palace!

That said, here's the most expensive one we both liked. It doesn't look like most other houses, has a pool, and even has a detached garage. When was the last time you saw THAT in Florida?

Breakfast nook! And I dig the blue walls. Scott says he's reserving judgement until he sees more of this house, but I'm in love!

Have you noticed yet that we have a thing for big kitchens with counter space? It's a theme. Anyway, this one is out in Clermont close to Mascotte, but may be worth the extra few minutes of commute.

One more for now. Scott's rule of thumb is houses built in 2000 or later. This one was built in '99 (still less than 10 years old). I really like it - garden tub in the master bath, nice sized kitchen... looking at them all again, I'm actually rather partial to it.

Opinions?

Can You Believe This?

It's amazing what $115,000 will buy you in this housing market. I spent the other morning putting together a list of 11 houses in our theoretical price range and sent them to Scott. He liked almost all of them. Then I found the townhouse above the same night and we both fell in love. Ever since then, nothing else comes close. The bathroom! The kitchen! The paint colors (that don't match anything we own)! By the time we're ready to buy, I'm sure someone else will have already snatched up this beauty. I hope the new owner loves it as much as we would have! I also hope that there are still deals like this to be had in 6 months...

In other news, a new round of old news to report: I officially found out yesterday that I have been nominated for PIE! Four of us at The Restaurant front of house were nominated - two from my office (I nominated the other one), one manager (Number Two - I also nominated him), and our hostess who secretly runs the restaurant. Bring on the awkward cake & punch reception!