i’m not sure how it’s possible, but in a mere four days, i’ll have the keys to my own humble abode. yes, i know humble is bolded – that’s intentional. this place is going to be humble for quite a while. no doubt about that. since the last update, i’ve spent a significant amount of time measuring, pricing, prioritizing, fretting, purchasing & planning. needless to say, my mind is basically a condo vacuum or whirlwind. somedays, i’m not sure which one it is, or if it’s both. other days, i’m flat out overwhelmed.
i spent a lot of money last week – smart money, and money that had to be spent, but money nonetheless. the two things on my crucial list were buying replacement windows and a refrigerator. both are done. i’ll have three windows installed on saturday and my refrigerator will be delivered/installed. that’s huge! i wound up going with three windows, just to be on the safe side. it was absolutely necessary to replace the bedroom windows because of leaky seals and just the overall wear and tear…the current windows aren’t efficient, aren’t double-paned, the glass is either scratched or just streaky, etc. so, those two windows along with the basement window will be taken care of on saturday. at the same time, hh gregg will be delivering my new whirlpool side-by-side refrigerator. what i don’t know is if a water line is already installed, if it isn’t, my dad’s going to have to take care of that and hook it up to the fridge later. we’ll be in for a surprise there because i never paid attention to that. oops. (disclaimer: that’s why i called this adventures of a first-time homebuyer, because i have no clue what i’m doing).
we had a few minor set backs with the title company and appraiser. since the property i purchased was a foreclosure, there are some extra precautionary steps taken by the title company. basically, they’re making sure all the liens are off the property so the title is totally clear when i get it at closing. surprise, surprise…they found a pre-existing lien that has to be released before we can close. their hope was to have it released by friday so we can close on time. so, we’re still waiting to hear on that one. as far as the appraiser goes, that was a mini merry-go-round. due to some miscommunication with the selling realtor, the utilities weren’t turned on and the condo hadn’t been dewinterized when the appraiser first went in. so, my realtor had to stay on the other realtor about getting the utilities on and all that done – and then we had to be notified when it happened – so the appraiser could go re-appraise. yes, that’s more money. luckily, i have more than enough put up by the selling realtor for closing costs, otherwise, i’d be ticked. so mr. appraiser goes back in and tests everything, only to find out that the toilet in the half bath on the main level has a leak around the base, heavy enough that he turned the water to the toilet off, because it was leaking into the basement. (insert profanity here) my hand-picked realtor is awesome and took care of everything for me – at the selling realtor’s expense, how he managed that, i don’t know, nor do i care. all i know is it’s fixed and i don’t have to deal with it.
the most exciting thing? i bought paint for the kitchen & the bathroom. i went with lowe’s valspar brand because i liked their colors the best and it was on sale for $5/off a gallon. bonus! the kitchen is kind of a light sage green color, called moon tide (think beach…paradise…ahhhhh) and the master bathroom is a bit lighter than a royal blue, but bright, and it’s called wellspring. i’m stoked, but not quite sure how good of a painter i am, but, we’ll find out! if you have suggestions or painting tips: i’m all ears!
oh, and i set up my electric last week — woodippidydoo — tomorrow, i have to call columbia gas to get that ball rolling. then, the decision i’ve been avoiding (direct tv, digital cable, etc.) needs to be made and the account needs to be set up. so, we’ll wait for that. i’ve made enough big decisions lately. i need to figure out window treatments too…
until my next adventure…
