We're buying a house!! We actually made the offer and had it accepted about two weeks ago, but I must be a little superstitious or something because I didn't want to say anything until it was all for sure. The home is a little older (1971) so we had an inspector come and check it out after our offer was accepted and things all looked to be in pretty good shape. The essentials are all newer (2-3 yrs old). By essentials I mean the furnace and water heater and central air etc. There were a few minor concerns, but the sellers agreed to fix everything we asked, so now I feel like I can really share the news. We close next Thursday and then we will be OFFICIAL HOME OWNERS!!!
So here's the funny thing: when we first started looking (we saw about 10 homes before we found ours) we said, "We will not buy a home that is older than Tim (1978)" and so we looked at newer homes, but they all. looked. the. same. They all had the vaulted ceilings with the plant shelves everywhere (dust collectors people--I'm not partial to them) and hardly any yards because the dumb builders put everyone so close together (don't they know that's why I want to get out of an apartment?) I just kept feeling drawn to the older homes with the established neighborhoods and the lovely yards with the big trees. So when our realtor showed us this one, I was already feeling a little partial to the area where it was located and the lovely corner lot. Space!! Also it has 3 bedrooms that are great sizes, a front room, a family room, and a laundry room. It also has two full baths. It's just under 1500 sq ft (the biggest we saw in our price range).
But while there are positives to an older home there are also negatives (of course) and this one had those too. The carpets and linoleum and paint are yucky. And the fireplace will definitely need to be painted. And yes, the fridge and stove are avocado green. But, we've been able to save up a nice little nest egg and the sellers are paying the closing costs so we are already planning to give this home a nice face lift. I'm going to get new carpet and that awesome laminate floor that looks like hardwood, and my lovely mother is going to come and help me paint because she is a rockin painter. So I guess we'll soon be finding out just how handy the Richey's can be. Thank goodness there is a Home Depot just down the road.
8 comments:
Yeah! I'm glad you are now a home owner. It is the best thing in the world. Mike worries about the house a lot but I love it. Our house is old too--1960 something.
Congratulations! I'm glad everything happened so fast and things are working out for you. You'll have to do the before and after pics. and you never know, avocado green may come back in style after all.
Its been really weird as you were looking for homes, we were in the process of selling our home. We closed on ours this past Monday. We didn't tell anyone in our family until the week of the closing.
You see, we had already had one closing fall through (the buyer backed out at the last minute).
Anyway, when you announced you were looking for a house,and we hadn't received an offer yet, I thought, wouldn't it be funny if they bought our house. Of course it didn't happen.
I also agree with you about needing space! Our first house sat on 1/16th of an acre. I didn't realize until then that I had been spoiled by growing up on 1/2 acre. Our current home sits on 1 acre that we were able to build on.
Just a little advice. If you decide to buy a larger lot, don't build. You don't realize the headache and expenses you are getting yourself into when you get into sprinklers, grass, landscaping, trees, etc, etc. I'd still do it, but man I'll be glad when we're done!!! Grass seed goes down on Monday!!!!!
Anyway, congrats on buying your first home!
You are singing my tune.
I LOVE older homes! I think I got the bug from my mom, which is a curse and a lot of fun all at the same time. First off, Congratulations and welcome to the world of ownership! It's the best investment you will ever make, because you are really just paying yourself!
Mike and I love that we have a big yard with lots of trees and flowers. The house has needed a lot of TLC, but I am have learned so much about myself and what I am capable of doing. Who knew I would find a hidden talent/enjoyment at the age of 26 in remodeling? In my opinion a bucket of mud and a can of paint can transform anything.
The drawback is that our honey-do list is long, but with the repairs we have made thus far, and market value going up in Lehi we already have about $30,000 in equity our first year! Good luck and have fun with it! P.S. Home Depot really is the greatest!
Adrianne: Thanks, we're really excited. What does Mike worry about? The stuff that needs fixing or money stuff?
Aub: I'll definitely do some before and after pics and I have a feeling our green appliances will be long gone way before they even have a chance to come back in style :) And I will call you soon. Promise.
Milton: Welcome! And congrats on selling your house.
Megan: Yep, we are excited to start working on it. Tim's actually going to Home Depot today to take a class on how to install laminate flooring. We'll save a boat load if we do it ourselves. Wish us luck!
Congratulations and good luck! I hope you take before and after photos, I look forward to seeing them
Thanks, Jen.
Katie, I think I told you that our house was cracking and stuff...well, it's fixed now so Mike isn't quite as worried but he worries we will lose money on the house and all that stuff.
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