So I'm buying a house....

[ramanth]

Update Post #43

Photos Post #35 :D

Three weeks ago I was looking at houses with my parents.

I'd print out listings and we'd drive out to the property and take a look at the exterior of the house, the property, and, if the house was abandoned, peer in the windows. We'd also get a general feel for the neighborhood.

In the list was a house on Gibson. It was a bank forclosure built in 1965 (3 bed, 1 1/2 bath) listed at $38,000. It was in a quiet neighborhood on a dead end street, fenced in back yard, deck, basement, and from what we could tell the inside was in very nice condition. I called my buyer's agent right then and left a message to schedule a day to go inside and check the house out.

We continued to look at houses and got to the listing on Valencia. This was a HUD manufactured home built in 2003 (3 bed, 2 bath) listed at $25,000. Situated on a quiet dead end street with a large mostly fenced in back yard, deck, basement, and again the inside looked pretty good. My parents were hooked and we called the listing agent directly to see if we could get inside the house the next day.

We were scheduled to see it at 10 a.m. the following morning.

The inside needed a little work but overall it was a great starter home for the price. The agent, Jeff, explained that the way HUD homes work is that you place in a bid by the 10 day deadline. If you are the highest bidder, you get the house. However, you have no way of knowing how many other people are bidding and how much. It's pretty much all left to chance.

My parents and I mulled it over, found a lender that would give me a loan for a HUD manufactured home, and placed a bid with 24 hours to spare.

The next day we got the news that we were not the highest bidder.

Disappointed but not discouraged, we continued to look at listings and scheduled to look at the Gibson house on June 1st.

My parents and I were charmed by it and wanted to put a bid in, but the bank had it listed as Cash or Conventional loan only. I was FHA pre-approved. Jeff contacted the listing agent that evening to have him contact the bank to see if they'd make an acception.

This morning Jeff called and said he had good news and bad news.

The bank refused to take an offer backed by FHA and besides the point, someone had offered the bank $40,000 cash for the Gibson house the very same day we looked at it.

However, HUD had emailed Jeff.... the winning bidder on Valencia had decided to not purchase the home and because I was the second highest bidder the house was mine if I wanted it!!!

And so, at 4 p.m. this afternoon, I signed a purchase agreement contract. It'll be overnighted to HUD and if they are in agreement, they'll sign it, and then I'll finalize things with the lender and if all goes well, I will be a home owner in less than 60 days.

Woo!!

:D

*EDIT* Photos Post # 5. :D

[K9karen]

How EXCITING!!!!!!!! There's nothing like your very own house with room for doggies (and kitties) Congratulations!!!!

[Pinot's Mom]

:)Nice to see the details! Congratulations!

[catnapper]

Congrtats! Now exciting! Good luck, and get ready to have writer's cramp from signing your life away ;)

[ramanth]

Snagged some Bing screencaps. I'll take photos of the house next time I'm in it. :)

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y164/ramanth/misc%20images/valencia1.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y164/ramanth/misc%20images/valencia.jpg

[Marigold2]

How wonderful, now the fun begins.

[Cinder & Smoke]

WoW !!
:D

Little heavy on all the purchase drama ... but whatever it takes! :p

Too bad they don't make it *easy* - but you stuck it out = CONGRATULATIONS!

:D

[krazyaboutkatz]

Congrats!!!:D I hope that from now on that everything will go smoothly.:)

[Pawsitive Thinking]

I'll take photos of the house next time I'm in it

the house? YOUR house :D Hope you will be very happy there :love:

[moosmom]

I am SOOO happy for you, Kim. What a huge yard! The pups are gonna be so happy. The kitties will probably freak but will adjust. They did when you moved to your apt.

Glad you stuck it out, kiddo. It was well worth the wait.

[Medusa]

That's such good news! When I bought this house, the agent said "You know there are 6 offers on this house already". I said "Well, now there are 7". (Nothing like trying to discourage a buyer. :rolleyes:) When I went to see the house, people were walking out w/their agent as we were walking in and another person was walking in as we were walking out. Made me very nervous. Mine wasn't the highest offer but the couple still accepted it after much drama. Sometimes I think they get a kick out of doing that to us. ;) Anyhow, didn't mean to make this about me, just wanted you to know that it all happens the way it's supposed to. I guess it makes us appreciate it that much more. Congrats to you, girl! :D

[Queen of Poop]

Congratulations!!! I am so happy for you and all the furkids.

I can't wait to be in that spot!

[Cataholic]

Congrats! I was looking up the city last night on my BB after I read your post on FB. I was trying to see if you were enroute to either Luddington or St. Joseph! We would be stopping by on the way up this July... LOL, I couldn't figure it out. :D

[Freedom]

Oooh how exciting!!! And just look at the huge fenced in back yard! ALRIGHT!

Just a note, the next 60 days won't be smooth sailing either, he hee. This is my first house purchase, and I still shudder remembering everything leading up to actually moving IN. There are always last minute changes to this, that, and the other. The housing inspector doesn't arrive as scheduled; or he does, but forgot his paperwork. Then this one is late, the next one is early. And the paperwork! But it is all happy at the end, and well worth it!

Yeah, someone already caught you on the photos of "the" house, it is YOURS! GO FOR IT!

[ramanth]

Thanks everyone! :) :love: Yes... MY house. :D That just feels weird. :eek: ;)

The fur crew is doing surprisingly well with all the big changes. We've already started boxing things up and it doesn't seem to faze them. I'm still going to be using Feliway and Rescue Remedy though. Logan is the one I'm really going to keep an eye on and Chipper's only known this apartment, but I think he'll be okay.

Cataholic, I'm 2 hours and 20 minutes north-east of St. Joseph. As for Ludington... Google Maps says it's about a 13 mile difference but the same amount of driving time if you went through Lansing vs. Grand Rapids to get there. :)

[Logan]

Kimmy!! That is so great! I remember the thrill of buying my first home for Helen and me after my divorce. It is so liberating!! Can't wait to see more pictures. I hope you're going to be very happy there.

[Pembroke_Corgi]

Congratulations!!

[Husky_mom]

yay!! congrats!!.. the yard looks so nice and I bet the pups would love that!!..

glad thing worked out in the end.. wishing you always the best :D

[k9krazee]

So exciting!! You'll have to let me know when the housewarming party is ;)

[RedHedd]

KIM! That is SO exciting! and so cheap! Congrats!

[carole]

Wow Kim, that is great news, i cannot get over the price of these houses, you could not even buy a piece of land here for even close to that price, would be triple,it is hardly even enough for a deposit on a home here in NZ,happy for you, hope you enjoy your new home.

[phesina]

Congratulations! Well done! Wishing you great happiness in your new home.

[Suki Wingy]

That is absolutely wonderful news! Enjoy it!

[shais_mom]

congrats! :)
so happy for you! :D

[Pinot's Mom]

i cannot get over the price of these houses, you could not even buy a piece of land here for even close to that price, would be triple,it is hardly even enough for a deposit on a home here in NZ

I can't get over the price, either, you can't buy a doghouse for that 'round these parts!

[ramanth]

Houses here are selling cheap ever since General Motors closed down. Lots of families lost their jobs and houses and it just flooded the market. They are practically giving them away.

[Karen]

Good for you, being able to take advantage of the situation!

[ramanth]

It's bitter sweet in a way...

[Karen]

It's bitter sweet in a way...

But I'm guessing Kia and Chipper will take on leap into that nice big back yard and think "Sweet!" :D

[wombat2u2004]

My goodness, at that price I could sell my house and buy the whole street.
Well done mate. ;)

[ramanth]

But I'm guessing Kia and Chipper will take on leap into that nice big back yard and think "Sweet!" :D
That they will! :cool:

[Sonia59]

Wow Kim, that is great news, i cannot get over the price of these houses, you could not even buy a piece of land here for even close to that price, would be triple,it is hardly even enough for a deposit on a home here in NZ,happy for you, hope you enjoy your new home.

Same here. For this price you could just buy a parking box for a car in Paris, and perhaps two parking boxes in other cities :(

Congrats!

[ramanth]

Just called to have the utilities turned on for Tuesday's inspection. I'll be sure to take lots of photos of the inside. :D

[krazyaboutkatz]

Great news.:) I look forward to seeing the pictures and good luck with the inspection.:)

[ramanth]

Pictures!!! :D

All photos are here...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ramanth/sets/72157624285201674/

A sample:

Front of the house
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4063/4705225728_56e9fbecc1.jpg

Backyard
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4054/4704587569_fb1b011521.jpg

Deck
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4045/4705233036_76dc7a5b62.jpg

Master bedroom
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4061/4704593221_3c1d712308.jpg

Master bathroom
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4046/4704593233_58232fdded.jpg

Kitchen
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4036/4705238598_3dc239640c.jpg

[K9karen]

How lovely! What a huge backyard! Kia and Chipper are going to go doggie bananas! I love the front garden and..Oh Wait..I'd die for that bathtub! Some candles, bubblebath and a glass of vino and I'd be in heaven! I'm so thrilled for you! I bet you can't wait to get started decorating! Congratulations again!

[krazyaboutkatz]

It looks great.:) So did everything pass inspection?

[Cinder & Smoke]

WoW!
:D

NICE Pad, Kiddo!!!!!!

CONGRATZ!!

:love:

[redbird]

I wish the best of luck in your new home, I hope we see pics of the inside. Oops didn't realize you already posted pics.

[ramanth]

Inspection hit a bit of a snag on Tuesday. Whoever shut the water valve in the house off broke it in the off position. So we were able to only test the gas/furnace (which works beautifully - I cranked that puppy up to 80 :eek: ) LOL! The house got nice and toasty and dad begged me to turn it off. ;)

So we arranged to meet again Wednesday morning and dad was able to successfully remove the valve and we got water flowing through the pipes and the water heater filled.

The faucets, toilets, and water heater all worked great.

Just some minor things needed like the furnace needs a filter and the water heater needs a new valve. All minor stuff. Everything works though so that's the important thing.

Still no idea on a close date. Lender is looking at mid to late July. Looks like I'll be at my parents house a little longer than anticipated. :\ I was only hoping to not have to move home if only to keep everything less stressful for the cats and reptiles.

[lizbud]

Your new place looks great.:D I really like the extended deck in back.
The huge basement is a big plus too.:) I hope the closing time just fliys
by & you can move in soon.:)

[Vermontcat]

Congratulations on getting the new house!:D
It looks great, I know the dogs will love the big backyard.
I can't wait until you get settled in there and start posting pictures of all your pets in your new home.:)

[ramanth]

After a bunch of hassels with the lender, underwriter, and such, we finally got a clear to close with only 3 days to spare!! :cool: (Had we missed the deadline this Friday, I would of had to of paid $225 for an extension fee.)

I close next Thursday, July 29th and then I'll be a homeowner! :eek: :D

I bought a stove today. My mom suggested we go to House to Home, a place here in Lansing that sells refurbished appliances. While we were looking at the stoves and talking to the owner of the store, this black lab comes around the corner, walking funny but you could tell she was friendly. The owner called her 'floppy' but then said that was just her nickname because ever since she had been hit by a car, she has a funny walk and can only turn left. Mom said they should call her 'NASCAR'. While we were petting her, another larger dog came up the aisle and leaned against my mom wanting pets. His name was Trouble. :)

http://www.housetohomelansing.com/

We left to price around at some other stores, but I really liked one of the stoves H2H had, so we went back and bought it. Plus, how can you say no to dog lovers? ;)

I'm not sure if they are at the store everyday, but I'll take my camera next time just in case. I plan to also buy a fridge at H2H. :)

[Karen]

Plus, how can you say no to dog lovers? ;)

Ya can't! Especially those with "special" dogs like Miss Left-turn only!

Congrats!

[ramanth]

It's official!!! I'm a homeowner. :love: :D

The utilities are being turned on tomorrow and Saturday I'm having the carpet professionally cleaned.

In the meantime, I'll be scrubbing walls and mopping the linoleum, airing out the house, ripping up the carpet in the master bathroom, and then deciding on what color to paint the walls. :)

:cool:

[phesina]

Congratulations! Well done!

[wolf_Q]

Your house is super cute! What a great yard too. You found a great place, I hope you have many happy memories to come living there. I bet it will look even better when you're done with it too. :)

[Karen]

Congratulations!

[lizbud]

It's official!!! I'm a homeowner. :love: :D

The utilities are being turned on tomorrow and Saturday I'm having the carpet professionally cleaned.

In the meantime, I'll be scrubbing walls and mopping the linoleum, airing out the house, ripping up the carpet in the master bathroom, and then deciding on what color to paint the walls. :)

:cool:


A lot of work today, huh? but it is sooooo worth it, your very own place.:D
Can't wait to see it & the poochies, once you get all settled in. Congrats
again Kimmy.:)