I bought a house!

[rigorist]

Very nice!

When's the kegger?

[biochemgirl]

Congratulations! I think you always KNOW the house when you see it.

I absolutely love the porch, it looks so homey!

[Miss Shelby]

Originally Posted by TomJoe

I close on it next month! Well, as long as that pre-approval from my mortgage company is truly an actual approval. Otherwise I'll be living on the street with my pooches.

Isn't it loverly?

Very quaint and cozy. Congrats.

So, when's the housewarming party?

p.s & edit. (I posted this before I read CaDan's or anyone's posts, which makes mine anti climatic and like I'm copying)

[Sock Puppet]

Faaaantastic. Congrats on the great house. The intrusive mortgage-company investigation is a pain in the ass, but since you're pre-approved, they're really just checking to make sure you're not lying about anything. It should be a lock.

Seriously, gas fireplaces are less of a hazard than wood-burning ones. I grew up in a house with the old-fashioned, turnkey/matchlight type, and we never had a problem. Newer, self-lighting ones are even safer.

[Adam]

Congrats, TomJoe. I really dig the trees on your lot.

[Dingfod]

Originally Posted by wei yau

We have a wood fireplace, we thought about it having it converted to gas. We called one contractor and they said that they stopped doing the work because of too many explosions.

We decided to keep the wood fireplace.

I have never heard of any explosions related to gas logs in fireplaces. We put vent-free gas logs (100% efficient) in our fireplace. We don't even open the damper any more. They will heat the whole house better than the furnace does.


Oh, and: Nice house, TomJoe.

[viscousmemories]

Congratulations, TomJoe! Great lookin' house there.

Originally Posted by pescifish

* pescifish pimps the Member News concept!

[freemonkey]

Congratulations on the house, TomJoe!

Originally Posted by TomJoe

The fiancee fell in love with the house the moment she saw it, and even though we saw about 2 dozen additional houses after this one (it was #2 on the first day)

You don't even want to know how long it took us to find a house we liked (that we could also afford). We finally settled.

[Plant Woman]

Ferns and Epimediums is what you need for the shade; oh and some sedge!

Congratulations! I love the look of that home. It has a lot of charm, something a brand new place usually lacks.

[JoeP]

Congrats TomJoe!

[godfry n. glad]

Have you made an offer yet? If so, was the offer accepted, or are you still waiting? If it was accepted, have you set a closing date yet? Will you be able to move soon? Should I leave my phone off the hook because you know I have a van? I pulled a muscle in my back, but I can still help supervise.

[TomJoe]

Thanks again to everyone and the well wishes.

Originally Posted by godfry n. glad

Have you made an offer yet? If so, was the offer accepted, or are you still waiting? If it was accepted, have you set a closing date yet? Will you be able to move soon? Should I leave my phone off the hook because you know I have a van? I pulled a muscle in my back, but I can still help supervise.

My real estate agent wrote up the contract the day prior to us leaving SC for Illinois, and gave them essentially 4 hours to agree (we signed at 1pm, they had until 5pm). They came back with a counteroffer, which I countered, which they countered. This all happened by 8pm that day, and the final contract was ammended to give me until noon the following day to accept it, which I did. Damn bastards quibbled over $500 on that last counteroffer, but I figured WTF ... it was the house we wanted.

I WANTED to tell them "Listen fucks, your house has appreciated over 40K since you bought it 10 years ago, it's been on the market for 1/2 a year already and you want to fight with me over 2K closing costs?! Fuck you! I'll buy a brand new house for about the same price with a garage you cheap bastards."

But ... the fiancee loved the house, and I liked it a lot too ... so while I would have been happy buying a townhouse for around 3/4 of the price of this one, she wouldn't have been so happy ... and having her live in a place she loves is more important to me than a couple of grand.

Though, once that final contract is signed, I may give those two shits a piece of my mind.

As for closing, we'll do it at the beginning of the new year. And part of the beauty for working for the gov't is ... they're packing me up and moving me, without charging me a dime. Our tax dollars at work.

[Tanda]

That rocks, TomJoe. Congrats to you and the future Mrs. TomJoe.

[Sock Puppet]

Originally Posted by TomJoe

Though, once that final contract is signed, I may give those two shits a piece of my mind.

I've been through two real estate transactions and am about to finish a third, and based on my subjective experience, I've come to one conclusion. It's damned nearly impossible to buy or sell a home without ending up resenting the other party over something. I think that's the main reason realtors exist: to keep the parties from killing each other before the sale closes.

[livius drusus]

What a pain in the ass. And you still have the decorating to look forward to.

[Shake]

Congrats, TomJoe! It looks nice. I love all the trees around it.

But I'm confused, did you leave SC for IL? Sorry, I haven't been around much lately and might have missed such details elsewhere.

[TomJoe]

Originally Posted by Shake

But I'm confused, did you leave SC for IL?

Vice versa.

[TomJoe]

On the mortgage front:
I've been approved.

Next step:
What is the homes "bill of health" as determined by the inspection and termite check?

[livius drusus]

You negotiate the contract before the inspection? What happens if, heaven forfend, they find something shady?

[TomJoe]

Originally Posted by livius drusus

You negotiate the contract before the inspection? What happens if, heaven forfend, they find something shady?

If something arises upon inspection, they (the sellers) have to either fix it, pay for it to be fixed, or renegotiate the price of the house accordingly to compensate me for the fix. I get to choose which, and would opt for #1 or #2. If nothing is found, the contract is binding on all parties. If something is found upon inspection, the contract is binding only if I approve it. I can back out if the problems are more than I bargained for, or am willing to bargain over.

[livius drusus]

That seems to cover all bases. Is it wrong that I kinda hope there's a little something awry just so they have to cough up?

[TomJoe]

Originally Posted by livius drusus

That seems to cover all bases. Is it wrong that I kinda hope there's a little something awry just so they have to cough up?

Heh. If it's going to be anything, I imagine it's going to be the roof. It's the original roof (circa 1988) and IIRC, a roof has a typical lifespan of about 30 years. That will, no doubt, be my first major investment on this place (depending on what the fiancee has in mind in terms of renovations and excluding my desire to have a hot tub in the backyard). We did write into the contract that the sellers need to purchase a home warranty, so the roof will be covered for the first year, so even if the inspector doesn't find anything and the house springs a leak or two ... I won't have to pay out of pocket.

If it fails the termite inspection, I'm most likely out. I'll go buy one of the new builds we looked at (we do have a #2, #3 and #4 as backups).

Technically, at this point, I can back out without anything being awry, but I will lose the binder (earnest deposit) I placed on the house. I didn't put down much, and they didn't complain about the amount I put down ... so if I do feel like walking away, I'll only be out about $500. As far as I know, the sellers cannot back out. They've accepted my offer (this prevents them from going out and looking for a better price in the interim) and are now stuck with it. If they back out, I can sue (or rather, take them to mediation first).

Honestly, I hope it all goes without a hitch. I have almost no give in terms of timeframe. We close on the 2nd of January. I start work on the 8th. They'll pay for a week of temporary housing. I really have to have a house before I step foot back into South Carolina.

[Sock Puppet]

Just remember, the "termite" inspection is not just about termites, but dry rot as well. Most dry-rot issues can be addressed easily and quickly. Also, if all the termite company finds is a bit of dry rot, it's better to take the credit than to have it fixed. Reason: Termite companies don't want that business, so they overbid it by a good 40% or so. So you can take the inflated credit and get the repairs done by a contractor (or, in some cases, just a good handyman), and pocket the difference.

[TomJoe]

Originally Posted by Sock Puppet

Just remember, the "termite" inspection is not just about termites, but dry rot as well. Most dry-rot issues can be addressed easily and quickly. Also, if all the termite company finds is a bit of dry rot, it's better to take the credit than to have it fixed. Reason: Termite companies don't want that business, so they overbid it by a good 40% or so. So you can take the inflated credit and get the repairs done by a contractor (or, in some cases, just a good handyman), and pocket the difference.

Ah ... thanks for that! Will definitely keep that in mind.

[Shake]

Ahh, I see. So what do you need the fireplace for in SC? (asks the Yankee who spent 7 years in Charleston)

Whereabouts — roughly if you don't want to be too specific — in SC are you anyway?