**Originally written May 9, 2015**
This was supposed to be the last week before we (hopefully) close.
The septic tank was placed on Monday passed inspection, and the newest of the water pumps is working well. There are a few other issues that need to be resolved with the house but we can deal with that after we close. With all of this good news, how can there be anything bad to say? Well, as I mentioned in the last post, this house buying experience has been full of chaos.
Part of the problem is needing a new appraisal. Last week, we were told that we needed a new survey (see post) and a new appraisal that was closer to what we are buying. The area where the house is located is very rural so unless the bank is a little flexible we may not have good enough comparable sales to purchase the house. We submitted a new offer to the sellers last week to reflect the new survey - the new survey showed that we lost approximately 2 acres and the barn. The new offer was signed by everyone but was not returned to us until Friday afternoon at 5:30pm. The bank assured us that they would order the new appraisal ASAP but couldn't guarantee a closing the following Friday.
Lance and I went to the area on Wednesday, hoping to close on Friday. After meeting with the attorney on Thursday we waited to hear back from the bank. And we waited. And we waited. By 3 pm Thursday, the attorney cancelled the closing.
We are still waiting to hear back from the bank on whether or not we are approved. In the meantime, I'm trying to get organized using a new binder system (discbound) and we are packing like crazy. Hopefully, we will be unpacking on the farm instead of Suburgatory but only the bank can tell.
Monday, June 8, 2015
Saturday, June 6, 2015
The Latest Hurdle
**Originally written April 29, 2015**
I haven't gone into too much detail on here about the hurdles that we have faced and overcome in order to get the house. Some of the problems are naturally occurring and due to the house standing empty for two years; issues like the septic tank needing to be replaced or mold growing in the un-ventilated side of the house that needs to be removed. Some of the setbacks we have had are related to lack of communication or, in one case, possible vandalism. We are exhausted and I'm sure the sellers are just as exhausted as we are.
Just to give you an idea of what has been going on, here is how our last weekend went:
Friday (14 days until closing): Go to the house, remove a bee's nest from the ceiling and patch the hole, discuss possible vandalism with the property caretaker, discuss the septic replacement - scheduled for the following Tuesday, have the mold inspected - also scheduled for removal on Tuesday, the caretaker is meeting with the plumber about replacing the water pump at 8pm, we can't stay because we drove up and need to drive back - a 10 hour round trip - that evening. During the drive back, we realized that we never got paperwork back from the seller extending our due diligence period which was ending that afternoon. At 3:00 pm, Lance was frantically calling everyone. Come to find out, the paperwork was signed earlier that week but had not been delivered/received and we had not been notified.
Monday (11 days until closing): We are informed by the bank that our survey is invalid. Part of the property line extends across a road which, according to the bank, splits the property into two separate properties and they won't fund. We scramble trying to call the surveyor for ANOTHER (the 4th on this property in the last 2 years) survey. Simultaneously, we are trying to coordinate a new offer with the sellers because the value just went below our original appraisal. We are also told that we need: a new official offer, a new survey, and a new appraisal. All of this then needs to be sent BACK through underwriting...
Tuesday (10 days until closing): We drive back up to the property. The water pump isn't working correctly and will need to be replaced again, the septic rescheduled for the following Monday and Tuesday (3 and 4 days before closing) the ceiling hole was sanded and re-puttied, the mold was removed and sheetrock was replaced. It was a gorgeous day (in the low 70's, very few clouds, light breeze) and I was so thankful to be up there. We need to extended the due diligence again and are hoping that we won't have to push closing back.
Wednesday (9 days until closing): Thankfully, the surveyor (who is going on a 2 week vacation Thursday) was able to get us a new survey for the property. We are trying to communicate with our processor to make sure that we are still okay to close on the 8th and schedule a new appraisal. I am doing fun house stuff today - like pinning all of the pins on Pinterest for home renovations, etc - and taking a "mental health day". I feel super run down and discouraged but I know that we will cross that finish line someday.
This past weekend, when things were super crazy, we compared this house buying process to an Olympic hurdle race. The only difference is we seem to hit every single hurdle instead of clearing it. I just hope we can finish the race on time.
I haven't gone into too much detail on here about the hurdles that we have faced and overcome in order to get the house. Some of the problems are naturally occurring and due to the house standing empty for two years; issues like the septic tank needing to be replaced or mold growing in the un-ventilated side of the house that needs to be removed. Some of the setbacks we have had are related to lack of communication or, in one case, possible vandalism. We are exhausted and I'm sure the sellers are just as exhausted as we are.
Just to give you an idea of what has been going on, here is how our last weekend went:
Friday (14 days until closing): Go to the house, remove a bee's nest from the ceiling and patch the hole, discuss possible vandalism with the property caretaker, discuss the septic replacement - scheduled for the following Tuesday, have the mold inspected - also scheduled for removal on Tuesday, the caretaker is meeting with the plumber about replacing the water pump at 8pm, we can't stay because we drove up and need to drive back - a 10 hour round trip - that evening. During the drive back, we realized that we never got paperwork back from the seller extending our due diligence period which was ending that afternoon. At 3:00 pm, Lance was frantically calling everyone. Come to find out, the paperwork was signed earlier that week but had not been delivered/received and we had not been notified.
Monday (11 days until closing): We are informed by the bank that our survey is invalid. Part of the property line extends across a road which, according to the bank, splits the property into two separate properties and they won't fund. We scramble trying to call the surveyor for ANOTHER (the 4th on this property in the last 2 years) survey. Simultaneously, we are trying to coordinate a new offer with the sellers because the value just went below our original appraisal. We are also told that we need: a new official offer, a new survey, and a new appraisal. All of this then needs to be sent BACK through underwriting...
Tuesday (10 days until closing): We drive back up to the property. The water pump isn't working correctly and will need to be replaced again, the septic rescheduled for the following Monday and Tuesday (3 and 4 days before closing) the ceiling hole was sanded and re-puttied, the mold was removed and sheetrock was replaced. It was a gorgeous day (in the low 70's, very few clouds, light breeze) and I was so thankful to be up there. We need to extended the due diligence again and are hoping that we won't have to push closing back.
Wednesday (9 days until closing): Thankfully, the surveyor (who is going on a 2 week vacation Thursday) was able to get us a new survey for the property. We are trying to communicate with our processor to make sure that we are still okay to close on the 8th and schedule a new appraisal. I am doing fun house stuff today - like pinning all of the pins on Pinterest for home renovations, etc - and taking a "mental health day". I feel super run down and discouraged but I know that we will cross that finish line someday.
This past weekend, when things were super crazy, we compared this house buying process to an Olympic hurdle race. The only difference is we seem to hit every single hurdle instead of clearing it. I just hope we can finish the race on time.
Thursday, June 4, 2015
3 Weeks Out
**Originally written: April 20, 2015**
We are currently three weeks away from moving and holy macaroni I have SO MUCH LEFT TO DO! This is my least favorite stage of moving; the, "I know we're moving really soon but we're still going to be here long enough to need 85% of this crap," stage. And you know that it's going to be a nightmare to finish packing! Right now I'm focusing on packing our duplicates (pairing down 4 sets of sheets to 2, etc) and eating everything our kitchen pantry can hold.
Our house is in chaos, we are in chaos, our lives are in chaos. Have I mentioned lately that we *still* don't know if we're going to get the house? Yeah... Let that sink in. I know they say that buying a house and moving is always stressful but we could use a little less stress. One of our saving graces has been our processor who has been fairly responsive throughout the entire ordeal. Charlotte, Alex, and Jason have been more productive when it comes to packing than we have. I'm still a little overwhelmed by the amount of stuff we all have. We are purging now and then I'm sure we will have another purge after things get settled down. I wonder how a yard sale would go over in the middle of nowhere?
We are currently three weeks away from moving and holy macaroni I have SO MUCH LEFT TO DO! This is my least favorite stage of moving; the, "I know we're moving really soon but we're still going to be here long enough to need 85% of this crap," stage. And you know that it's going to be a nightmare to finish packing! Right now I'm focusing on packing our duplicates (pairing down 4 sets of sheets to 2, etc) and eating everything our kitchen pantry can hold.
Our house is in chaos, we are in chaos, our lives are in chaos. Have I mentioned lately that we *still* don't know if we're going to get the house? Yeah... Let that sink in. I know they say that buying a house and moving is always stressful but we could use a little less stress. One of our saving graces has been our processor who has been fairly responsive throughout the entire ordeal. Charlotte, Alex, and Jason have been more productive when it comes to packing than we have. I'm still a little overwhelmed by the amount of stuff we all have. We are purging now and then I'm sure we will have another purge after things get settled down. I wonder how a yard sale would go over in the middle of nowhere?
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Almost there!
**Originally written April 18, 2015**
We received word yesterday afternoon that we have officially been sent to underwriting! I still can't quite wrap my head around the idea that this is actually happening. I'm sure the underwriter will ask for more paperwork but it looks like we are on track for closing in three weeks. While the move does complicate several things, like giving birth, we are all super excited about the property and the potential.
Our newest hurdle is packing and, of course, moving. Coordinating a move with five adults total is simultaneously fun and nerve-wracking. We are combining two and a half households - half is Jason's since he has already moved in with Cat & Alex and they have already started this process - and we have a ton of stuff to show for it! I'm actually a little nervous about how much stuff we all have collectively. Moving provides a great time to purge unwanted items and that is exactly what Lance and I have been focusing on for the past two weeks. We are becoming best friends with donation centers, Freecycle, and Craigslist.
One of the things that I am exceptionally grateful for (and excited about) is being allowed to use my Type-A, control freak, organizer super powers for good. Organizationally speaking, here is what we're doing to help minimize the chaos of moving:
- Color-coded rooms. Each room has a color that is assigned to it. Before we move in, we will label each room with it's specific color and will place colored arrows pointing in the direction of said room at intersections. The house isn't huge but it does have a fairly awkward layout so the arrows (and possibly a large map in the entrance) will be very helpful for movers.
- Cleaning before we move in. Our closing date is on a Friday so we will have the weekend to clean the house thoroughly before we actually move. The house has been uninhabited for two years and, even though it's been meticulously cared for, still has some areas that need special attention (I'm looking at you, water damage in the nursery!). We will also use this time to make immediate renovations: adding a door that separates the upstairs and downstairs, repairing the parquet flooring in the rooms where that is necessary, adding in screens to windows where necessary.
- We are not all moving in at the same time. However, we are all UNPACKING at the same time. It was really important to me that we all be present when we decide where things should go. Some places in the house, like the kitchen to me and Alex, are more important than others, like the garage for Lance and Jason. Alex is over 6 feet tall, I'm a little over 5 feet tall and we are moving into a house with a galley style kitchen. Since we both love to cook, it makes sense that we unpack the kitchen together so he doesn't put the cheese grater* on top of the refrigerator and I don't put it under the counter on the lowest shelf. To help minimize traffic chaos, our moving trucks will not be arriving at the same time - possibly not even the same day. We have no idea who is "going first" but it ultimately doesn't matter since we are all unpacking the house at the same time.
(*Insert any useful kitchen item you can think of)
- We have all agreed that furniture, etc is being initially placed and will be trial and error. For example, Lance and I have a couch that is GINORMOUS. Seriously though, I don't know why we thought being able to seat 12 was important. With the way that the house is laid out, we may not be able to fit the entire couch anywhere else. The couch, however, can be split into two sections - even if it looks funny - so we can divide it if need be. Initially, the couch will go in the library. If the couch doesn't really feel right to us in the library, we can split and move it. This is going to be true for probably 95% of our furniture in communal space. We will all need to be flexible and work together to figure out what works for all of us.
As we move forward, we will keep you all posted! We are so excited to start this new chapter in our lives!
We received word yesterday afternoon that we have officially been sent to underwriting! I still can't quite wrap my head around the idea that this is actually happening. I'm sure the underwriter will ask for more paperwork but it looks like we are on track for closing in three weeks. While the move does complicate several things, like giving birth, we are all super excited about the property and the potential.
Our newest hurdle is packing and, of course, moving. Coordinating a move with five adults total is simultaneously fun and nerve-wracking. We are combining two and a half households - half is Jason's since he has already moved in with Cat & Alex and they have already started this process - and we have a ton of stuff to show for it! I'm actually a little nervous about how much stuff we all have collectively. Moving provides a great time to purge unwanted items and that is exactly what Lance and I have been focusing on for the past two weeks. We are becoming best friends with donation centers, Freecycle, and Craigslist.
One of the things that I am exceptionally grateful for (and excited about) is being allowed to use my Type-A, control freak, organizer super powers for good. Organizationally speaking, here is what we're doing to help minimize the chaos of moving:
- Color-coded rooms. Each room has a color that is assigned to it. Before we move in, we will label each room with it's specific color and will place colored arrows pointing in the direction of said room at intersections. The house isn't huge but it does have a fairly awkward layout so the arrows (and possibly a large map in the entrance) will be very helpful for movers.
- Cleaning before we move in. Our closing date is on a Friday so we will have the weekend to clean the house thoroughly before we actually move. The house has been uninhabited for two years and, even though it's been meticulously cared for, still has some areas that need special attention (I'm looking at you, water damage in the nursery!). We will also use this time to make immediate renovations: adding a door that separates the upstairs and downstairs, repairing the parquet flooring in the rooms where that is necessary, adding in screens to windows where necessary.
- We are not all moving in at the same time. However, we are all UNPACKING at the same time. It was really important to me that we all be present when we decide where things should go. Some places in the house, like the kitchen to me and Alex, are more important than others, like the garage for Lance and Jason. Alex is over 6 feet tall, I'm a little over 5 feet tall and we are moving into a house with a galley style kitchen. Since we both love to cook, it makes sense that we unpack the kitchen together so he doesn't put the cheese grater* on top of the refrigerator and I don't put it under the counter on the lowest shelf. To help minimize traffic chaos, our moving trucks will not be arriving at the same time - possibly not even the same day. We have no idea who is "going first" but it ultimately doesn't matter since we are all unpacking the house at the same time.
(*Insert any useful kitchen item you can think of)
- We have all agreed that furniture, etc is being initially placed and will be trial and error. For example, Lance and I have a couch that is GINORMOUS. Seriously though, I don't know why we thought being able to seat 12 was important. With the way that the house is laid out, we may not be able to fit the entire couch anywhere else. The couch, however, can be split into two sections - even if it looks funny - so we can divide it if need be. Initially, the couch will go in the library. If the couch doesn't really feel right to us in the library, we can split and move it. This is going to be true for probably 95% of our furniture in communal space. We will all need to be flexible and work together to figure out what works for all of us.
As we move forward, we will keep you all posted! We are so excited to start this new chapter in our lives!
A Look Back
First, thank you all so much for your kind words about our new adventure. We are so grateful for all of your support! We have successfully accomplished two moves and are getting the house situated. As some of you may know, our home is currently experiencing a serious lack of internet. We are working hard to keep everyone updated on our progress of farm building and home merging. In the meantime, I have some posts that I will share regarding the process we went through to buy the house. Thank you for your patience!
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