Thursday, October 21, 2010

 

Day One

Met my realtor at the house and got the keys. He gave me a sketch of the house and other documents. The official title is still not there. My big son and I went to Home Depot and got some deadbolts, came back and installed 'em. My neighbor came over and said "Hi." She's a nice lady. We started a list of things that need doing, some immediately, others afterwards. We need the pump replaced, something we knew before I went ahead with the deal. After we have water, we'll get a septic inspection. My son and I will take ladders and remove some satellite dishes. We'll remove some flooring and see what we can do with the inside of the house. Once we have gas and electricity, we can do a bit more work.

I smoked my celebratory cigar while I was installing the deadbolts, then finished it on the walk around the yard. This cigar came with me from Iraq. I'd been saving the cigar for a special occation. I think smoking in my own house counts as a special occasion.

'Tis somewhat premature, but I'm hoping to have Thanksgiving Dinner there. A gazillion things to take care of- a new stove, new floors, yardwork, repair the sections of fence, etc. We've got to remove/replace some mudsill and fix a broken glass in the front door. Yep, there are a lot of chores in my future.

But we're talking about "my house," so that'll help a lot.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

 

Done Deal

My broker emailed me today, forwarding an email from the title company. Since my house was an all-cash deal, I don't have to go in and sign documents. The company will send him the stuff I need- title, title insurance, etc. But it's a done deal.

I'm a homeowner. Oh, sure, for four decades, I've been IRS's version of a "homeowner," a person paying a mortgage and having the tax benefits thereof. But as of today, I own a home free and clear.

I have been trying to wrap my brain around that concept, but it's still new. I can live in this Stockton house without a mortgage. I'll always have taxes, but those have always been rolled into the concept of a mortgage.

This house needs a lot of work, and a few big-ticket items are in my immediate future. I'll have to buy a pump for the well. And I've got to get about $2900 worth of termite remediation. Beyond that, the whole house will get a make-over: paint, rugs, tile, maybe some new kitchen cabinets. And since the house is lacking a garage, I'll have to get a couple of storage containers to be my workshop.

But these are details that I'll deal with later. The good part is, I still have a bit of money with which to pay for these repairs. My original goal was to get a home for $100,000, all told. I don't know if I'll make that goal, but I think I'll be close.

Today I've got other things to take care of. And Friday I have a dentist appointment. But tomorrow I'll go out and collect the keys to my home. A couple of immediate repairs seem a good idea- the gate to the driveway is off the hinge, so I'll have to fix that. There are a couple of sections of fence that have fallen, so I'll try to do something with that as well. And we can't go out there without a few bottles of water so we can drink something. Even if we don't shower there, we'll need to flush the toilets, and that'll require water from our well.

Yep, lots of things to worry about. But for the moment, I'll try to get used to being a homeowner, someone without a mortgage.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

 

Almost Escrow

Been a busy few days. I'm working my butt off, trying to get this house in order and trying to buy another one. Plus, I've got a temporary cap on a chipped front tooth. And I've forwarded a resume.

In the last few weeks, my son and I have installed a granite slab in the kitchen counter and fabricated a big stainless-steel backsplash for the stove. I attacked a huge part of the back yard that has been neglected. I dug out some feral saplings, berry bushes, weeds and even rescued a couple of bicycles.

More recently, I've knocked down a small retaining wall, built another, dug with a pickaxe and shovel, remodeled the flower bed, installed sprinklers and raked and raked. I still want to modify what I've done- I need to lower the PVC pipe so the sprinkler heads will be level with the lawn. And I could get some flowers for the bed, then attach some drip irrigation. Wednesday, the rolls of sod will be at the rock shop for me to pick up. I've got some extra dirt to wheelbarrow into the back yard and some paving bricks to set into the ground. I've done a lot, and I can see light at the end of my gardening slave-labor tunnel.

I juggle my emails, voice mails, calls to my dentist and calls from my realtor with calls to my credit union and scanned docs to the escrow company. But I *am* getting close to owning a house. 'Tis an older house, with a lot of issues, but it's on 3/4 of an acre in a quiet residential street across the street from a light industrial area. The insurance guy wants to know about fire hydrant locations, thermostats, emergency gas shut-off valves, etc.

The house has two definite bedrooms, two nice living rooms, a formal dining room, a nice dining area adjacent to the kitchen, two bathrooms, and a nice, large laundry room. The living and dining rooms have hardwood floors, but the living room is painted in gloss black. I'm guessing that the living room will need at least two coats of white primer to bring the color down to a grey so that some sort of normal color can go on the walls.

Today was a flurry of phone calls, emails, scans and more phone calls, yadda yadda. But the title company finally got the wire transfer from my credit union, so my realtor advises I *might* get a visit from the Roaming Notary (not the Roaming Gnome) tomorrow to sign a bunch of papers. I'm hoping I'll be a real homeowner soon.

I say that I'm a "homeowner" now, but I'm not. I'm a mortgage payer. This time tomorrow, I might own a home without a mortgage, woo hoo!!

And to curdle the icing on my stress cake, I'm also waiting to see how a Border Mentor job application goes. My resume went forward last Friday; today's Monday and I haven't heard a peep. Well, I guess big corporations need a day or so just to clear their corporate throat before they say much to me. The recuiter I spoke with on Thursday said he'd forward my resume to the right folks in Afghanistan and they'd decide if they could use me. I like the work, enjoy being with military guys, and feel good about seeing money come in that I control.

So- my house is occupying a lot of my time and sweat; the Stockton house is a pit of emails, scans, voicemails, etc.; my tooth isn't right, but maybe on Friday it'll be better; and I am beginning to think of myself as just temporary here, waiting to see how my job (that hasn't yet materialized) will get me to Fort Benning, Dubai and Afghanistan.

But I guess the biggest thing happening to me right now is being within hours of owning a home. Though I've worked for a lot of years, I've never really owned a house- just signed mortgages. My ex-wife almost lost this house for me five years ago, but as a single guy, I'm very happy to pay cash for a modest house. Sure, it's not as nice as this house, but it'll be mine. with no mortgage, woo hoo!!

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?