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!!
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
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!!
# posted by rich @ 12:17 AM 
