buy a house

Yesterday at 4:30, we closed on our new house after all kinds of hassles with the title company and builder recording the actual title to get the keys….and a bunch of running around in the 110 degree heat.

A stroke of good fortune happened in that we met our awesome neighbors while were beginning to unpack our U-Haul, and their entire family pitched in to help us unpack the truck in record time. We had the truck back at the U-Haul station by 7pm!

The quality of the house exceeds our expectations, and I haven’t been more satisfied in completing a goal in a long time. It’s taken 8 months and been quite a roller coaster ride of emotions, but now I am a California homeowner!

Today we did the final walk-thru with my sister (a building/remodeling expert), and we also signed all the title/closing paper work. Because the last time to file the paperwork was 1:00pm, we missed actually getting the keys today by an hour… so consequently we’ll get keys and be fully closed by mid-day tomorrow!

The house exceeds my expectations. It’s huge, well-built, and the builder is doing an excellent job addressing our last minute needs. I would highly recommend Pulte Homes because of their emphasis on customer service.

It actually rained today, which is a rarity here in the Valley this time of year. It cooled off from the typical three digit temps just so we could inspect the house. I know that was a good sign!

I have to start researching pools, because the heat here really demands we have one! The backyard is enormous, and we need to decide what we’re going to do with all that space (lawn, garden, trees, etc.). We’ll need to get window dressings right away, as well as essentials like hoses, emergency preparedness stuff, and air conditioning filters.

If all goes well, I’ll be checking off this goal tomorrow…

We’ve packed the U-Haul, and we’re headed off this morning. Tomorrow we close on the house, and Thursday we move in.

We’ve been packing and getting ready for the move. We’re driving the U-Haul down on Tuesday (12+ hours with stops). We close on the house Wednesday and move in on Thursday. Phone, Internet, DirecTV, etc. get installed on Thursday as well. Fingers crossed that everything will go smoothly. I must make a check list of things we need to get immediately from Home Depot (Sprinklers, hoses, blinds/window treatments, etc).

I just found out from work that I will be traveling most of the week after I move… including a trip to South America late in the week. I’ll be gone a total of two weeks. So I won’t get to savor my new house right away… but at least my family will.

until we close on our new house! After finally locking in the financing, insurance, and all the other stuff (moving stuff, etc.). It looks like everything is going as planned. The whole process has taken eight months from the initial deposit through construction and now the close. Lately this has been consuming a lot of my time, and I’m really looking forward to marking this goal as “completed.”

Today we locked in our interest rate and got homeowners’ insurance. Next week, some money gets exchanged and then we close escrow on the on July 26th.

I’m looking into how our move will work logistically….will we U-Haul it, container ship it, or get movers…that’s literally the $1,5000-$5,000 question. It’s about a 16 hour drive if we average 60 mph in a U-Haul truck…so I’d much rather have someone else take care of the driving.

I spoke to our developer, and we are now back on track to close escrow on July 26…possibly earlier! It’s time to start planning the move. My sister and her fiancee are flying over from the east coast to help us U-Haul it to the new house.

Our developer is kind of waivering on the completion date of our house. One day they tell us they’re two weeks early, then they tell us the estimate is a few weeks after the promise date…apparently there is a “windy season” and once it begins, if the roof isn’t up, it could delay progress. I’ve emailed them, and they haven’t responded….granted the models are up, and they are very busy selling new houses…. but still, I’d like a sign that things are on track.

I’m a bit bummed because they have been really responsive until now. Also, my current landlord wants us out of our place right at the end of our lease…and if the house isn’t ready on time, it could mean storage for all of our stuff, and a few weeks at my in-laws waiting for the house to be completed. Also, I need to organize movers and friends to help in the move.

For those of you who haven’t seen it….here is the frame and the model.

We’re going to do a “pre dry wall” walk through in a few weeks. The lot is huge.

and the models look great… If all goes well, we’ll be moved in by July… the builders are even ahead of schedule!