More rain

We had someone come out today and look at the window and basement and someone is coming out on Friday too. For $$$ we can have the problem fixed in no time without having to take out the window! :) One guy can even start as early as Monday and be finished in the same day. I know we will get something done because getting up every few hours in the middle of the night to turn on a very loud shop vac outside and suck water out of a window is not going to sit well with the neighbors for long. I'm sure they like their sleep as much as I like mine. That, and the not having to worry about my basement flooding and ruining all my priceless possessions is also on my mind. Onward and upward!

Oh, and Thanksgiving isn't ruined! Hooray! The rain has slowed down and the window is not flooded anymore. Still damp, and still something to get fixed, but not a holiday killer!

Ugh

It has been raining really hard nonstop since last night. We have found some problems with our basement and a few spots where water is leaking in from outside. Nothing is flooded yet, but what a headache! We've gotten a lot of use out of our shop vac and I was hoping to never use that thing. I'm not sure if this was a problem for the last owner because he didn't disclose any problems, but the ground is so saturated that water is just coming up from the lower sections of the walls and from one window in particular. I guess this is what I get for buying an older home. We are having to go out there hourly to clear out gallons of water from the area outside of the window and it is only getting worse. Andy is already saying he can stay home on Thanksgiving to vacuum and my stomach is cramping up thinking about that. Hopefully things will get better in the next day or so.

Ordered/Procured

Big table for dinner parties

Small breakfast nook table

Dresser for bedroom (vintage!)

Kitchen Storage

Pretty basket

Still Need:

Dining Bench

Rugs!

Everything is coming along nicely. Most everything has been put away and we are getting to the point of being able to enjoy the house somewhat. However, there is still a lot to do and still a lot of stuff to deal with. We have  another box ready for Goodwill (how did I end up with so much crap?) and I assume there will be more. When we get the nook table and the bench, the big kitchen island will go away. I need to hang curtains this weekend and we need to finish clearing out the office. There are a lot of framed things to hang and a gazillion loads of laundry! It will get done though! We have visitors coming in a few weeks so we have a deadline, which is good for feeling a little pressure.

I read a quote today from this post on Apartment Therapy and it really struck a chord with me! I am going to keep these ideas in mind going forward.


“When you live in a small home, you must ruthlessly edit.” I’ve heard this, and it’s true! Whatever you own, takes or it gives. So surround yourselves with things that fill you. Only bring things into your home, that delight you. Be patient and watch for what makes you smile, or takes your breath away. That is how we learn our style. 

After a pretty terrible moving experience, (Movers to show up between 1-3 but don't and we don't hear from anyone until 7pm after calling and calling and calling! That, and our previous landlords calling to whine that I needed to come back over and *dust the walls.* WTF!) we are now completely moved in and most everything is put away. It took movers, a Uhaul, and about 20 car trips (thank goodness Andy could take a day off and work all day) to get everything. We've made a few ikea trips for shelving for the basement, Andy's new desk, and a few odds and ends. We've also made about 10 trips to Goodwill. It is amazing how much crap we have that we don't use and don't need. We set up the shelves in the basement and they are now our overflow pantry and canning supply area as well as a place to store extra dishes. Andy was able to hang all the camping stuff so that is off the floor. There are a few more items to deal with and things to put away, but we are on our way. So far, I am really liking the house. I sometimes think we should have held out for something a little larger, but when I can walk to the grocery store, the farmer's market, countless restaurants and bars, the bank, and a ton of other places, I feel like we picked a great location. I'll probably always want to live in this area of Seattle it is that great.

Cable guy is here today as well as the electrician. Progress!

Yes!

After a roller coaster week of begging and waiting, we closed on the house this morning. A last minute issue came up because the seller had not gotten a permit for the electrical work that was done and we had to wait for that to be issued by the city and then inspected. It basically came down to the last minute while we waited for FHA to approve all the loan paperwork. Our Realtor somehow worked a miracle and the title people were able to squeeze us in for an appointment this morning. Then there was the race to the bank to get the money wired in time before the hurricane shut down the east coast. Luckily, we had no problems and everything has gone smoothly. We pick up keys this afternoon and we move tomorrow!

Phew!

And then the fun begins with decorating, buying new furniture, and moving.

I can't wait to cook in our new little kitchen and put dishes in our very own dishwasher!

No news is good news, right? We have been mostly packing this week and waiting for things to happen. Hubs finally broke down and emailed to make sure we were still closing next week. Our loan guy says as long as there is a final inspection to make sure the repairs have been done, we should be fine. I'm still in defensive mode, waiting for the closing to be pushed back for some reason.

We took a break from the worry and went to the hardware store just to look around tonight. First on the repair agenda will be putting in a few new grounded outlets, replacing the thermostat, and buying a ladder so we can get on the roof for cleaning purposes. Fun stuff! We also looked at fences, refrigerators, and bought a shop vac, activities that are a little more my speed.....

Finally something good!

Got insurance today

Heard the bank appraisal went well

Electrical panel installed

Stucco being fixed next week!

Getting Homeowner's Insurance

Just might be harder than I thought it would be. I've only called one company and the lady audibly sighed into the phone when I told her the house was stucco, had a flat roof, and that the pipes were older than 2 years. She said they would give us their decision by today, but the fact that they need to discuss it makes me think she is just delaying the inevitable. She was completely clueless about the fact that stucco has been used for 100's of years to side houses and the stucco we have is not the stuff from the 90's.

As a last resort I can call my Realtor and have her find out who the owner is using for insurance. I don't really want to do that, but that might have to be what we end up doing.

There seems to be a roadblock at every turn!

A few things we have been looking at

So last week I was a Crate and Barrel picking up a wedding shower gift when I saw a very cute white table that had been marked down since it is meant for outdoor use. I snapped it up and we are planning on having a very nice place on the deck to eat outside or contemplate life. We have been going back and forth about chairs, but do have some cute red folding ones we could use and I also bought four of the Karim Rasheed Umbra chairs also in white. Those will either be for the kitchen table or they will get used outside, whatever seems appropriate.

I also had my eyes on a few of the Tobias Ikea chairs, but I am worried they might get too scratched up with time.

We've also decided on a dresser for our bedroom, a few decorative items, and I am trying to convince Andy that we need a black and white striped rug for the living room. He isn't buying into that yet, but there is still time!

As far as a kitchen table, we will probably use the one we have for a bit, (it would look nice with white or clear chairs) but I do have my eye on an Eames table that is aluminum. I'm just not sure if it will end up looking too industrial 1970's office building for our little Spanish house. The choices are endless.

I'm taking this as a sign! Pun intended!

Mutual Acceptance!

Hooray! We have come to an agreement! He will fix the side of the house and the electrical panel, knock another $5,000 off the price of the house and it is ours! I have to say I am very happy and I think we are getting a great deal. Our Realtor has been great and I couldn't have asked for more. Now for getting the financing in order and closing on the 25th!

Success!

According to the 2 stucco guys from yesterday, there really isn't much wrong with the house! Our inspector just made the situation sound terrible.

We have asked the seller to replace the electrical panel and fix one exterior section of the stucco where it is bowing out. One guy said nothing really needs to be fixed and another said he saw a few areas, but nothing that needed to be done right away.

I feel so much better!

One of the guys even wanted to buy the house out from under me!

Success!

Progress?

After a very frustrating Wednesday, things are looking up. Two guys have agreed to come and give estimates tomorrow and hopefully we will be on our way.

I also had a ridiculous conversation with out current landlord yesterday where she asked if we would like to renew our lease for another year. When I told her we were buying a house, she decided to let me know she wanted to raise the rent again and also she wouldn't agree to let us go month-to-month without us helping her find a new tenant.

Two problems with this:
1. She has to give us 30 days notice for any rent increase.
2. If she cashes our August check she is essentially agreeing with the month-to-month agreement.

I am not sure if she understands this.

Because it is the law, I will accomodate any showings of the house and help with what I can, but I am not going to go out of my way to try and rent her house for her. If she was smart, she would hold on to it for a few months, fix some things, and raise the rent by a lot. If the house was nicer, she could certainly do that.

But back to my house, I think I made phone calls to 10 different places yesterday, basically everyone listed as a stucco contractor on the BBB website, some multiple times and was only able to get one guy to come out. Katy was also able to wrangle someone so we will have two estimates.

I am hoping we can wrap up paperwork tomorrow afternoon and be done with all this before 5 with no extension. I still want to close on August 25th and our lender has assured us we can still do that, even with the new loan! Fingers crossed.

Spirits are pretty low for me at the moment. I've called a few stucco guys and everyone is too busy or doesn't call back. It seems like this process might stretch on forever, and I am not a very patient person. A guy promised to call me back this morning and I still haven't heard anything. I guess he is only a few hours late but when I talked to him Monday he said he couldn't even see the house until Friday and our extension deadline right now is Friday at 5pm. It is giving me knots in my stomach as we wait around. I know no one is currently on my schedule but they should be! We want to pay you thousands of dollars to fix a house! Please call me back!

In other news, we took a look at appliances over the weekend and found the style of refrigerator that we like as well as looking over a few stoves and washers. Nothing we would purchase right away, but something for the future. I think we will stick with white in the kitchen because I had no idea, but all those dumb "brushed aluminum" refrigerators cost like $200 extra just for the aluminum. I think they look terrible anyway if you get fingerprints on them, so white it is.

Oh, and the seller was able to convince someone to come out and give him an estimate on the stucco so that will be interesting to see. Out Realtor brought up the idea of doing one of those FHA rehab loans and having the work done our self after we negotiate a lower price for the house, which would be fine as long as the work can go on while we can still live there. That way the seller could leave and we could get a check to do the work at our convenience.

In some good news, hubs got a raise which will help big time if we ever get to move!!

The "stucco guy" made me feel a lot better about things and our Realtor has assured us that the seller really does want to fix everything and sell his house. I feel a lot better and have been assured everything is moving forward. We are getting a stucco estimate next week so we can present that to the seller. The seller is also getting an estimate so we can compare. He will take care of the electrical panel and plumbing issues. Hopefully we are still on track with everything.

drats

We had our inspection yesterday and it did not go so well. Major problems with the stucco and wood on the exterior of the house. Now we get to call contractors and are trying to find a "stucco guy" to come out and give us an estimate on how much it will cost to repair everything so we can present it to the seller. We also have to get an extension from them since we were supposed to have everything done by 9pm Friday. What was easy, has now become hard. The inspector found other issues but those are easily repairable. If this can't get resolved, no pink house for us.

Our offer was accepted last night verbally and today, on paper. We signed about a million pieces of paper yesterday and again today. We are paying $5,000 less than the house was listed at and the seller is paying all of the closing costs. I feel like we are getting a deal, if I do say so. The seller only countered with moving the inspection up by 5 days, and we said, "Sure! No problem!" Closing is the 25th of August.

The inspection is tomorrow and hopefully nothing too broken will be found. The house has recently been remodeled, so I can't see there being too many issues. Of course, what do I know? The whole thing might be about to fall down!

The one thing I am not looking forward to is moving, but I am going to think of it as an opportunity to get rid of any crap I don't want and pare down what we have. It should be good for me. I see many trip to Goodwill and the dump in my near future.

All for now!

First

We made an offer on the Spanish House last night. It's cute. It's pink. And hopefully it will be ours soon.