HouseNoob

As of about 3:55pm today we are officially homeowners. I can scarcely believe it. It doesn't quite feel real. Since there was no school and I had to take Sunshine to a dance dress rehearsal later in the day we ended up bringing both of the girls to closing. It was actually kind of painless. In fact, I was busy telling Sunshine and Bella Bear something and I totally missed when we were done! I was genuinely surprised it was over! Our monthly payment ended up being a little lower than expected. In fact, we are paying about $150 LESS for our mortgage than we do our house for twice the space and a huge backyard. Our lender let us know that just by making an extra $40 a month payment towards our mortgage principal , we would shave 5 years off our loan! After closing, we filled our little cars with little boxes and headed to our new abode. I cleaned and unpacked a handful of boxes but still, it's not really connecting that this place is mine to do what I wish. I have so so so man

Yep, you read that right. We have ADDED days to the countdown. We need to get the clear to close at least 3 business days before the actual closing date. Apparently my lender only just sent out the paperwork to PHFA (the program that makes my loan possible) and they will likely take 5 business days to review the loan. So our hope now is that we get the clear to close on Monday to schedule closing for next Friday, May 11. Problem? I have an all day seminar that day that is mandatory, and I am not sure if its something I can make up (hence mandatory). Thankfully, the teacher who is in charge of organizing it this year is really laid back and understanding, so I emailed her to see if it was possible or what the repercussions would be if I missed it. Honestly, I can't stand these sessions when we do have them, they are usually just one afternoon. They are boring as all get out and I rarely actually learn anything useful. But if its mandatory, I also asked her if it was possible to mi

Is this ish really happening? Really though, its a combination of "is this really happening?" in a giddy with excitement kind of way, but its also a "is this really happening!" like fudge, I feel totally unprepared to move. Then, since my loan is still missing the clear to close, it includes a "is this really happening" filled with a little bit of doubt and anxiety. Ok, fine, maybe a little more than a "little bit" of anxiety. As you can see, I'm having all the feels right now. I went to Lowe's with Sunshine a few days and we browsed some trees, bushes, and retaining/cinder blocks (for a possible fire pit). Saturday I spent the whole day cleaning and packing. And somehow my house looks more of a mess than when I started. Tony just realized earlier today that we are only 10.5 days from closing. So he had his own "oh shit" moment.  To make even things more interesting, I keep running out of people to help me move. Not

Our existing dining room table is a cheap little thing we got from Walmart after we had moved in to our apartment 3 years ago. Its been used and abused. Although I changed the seat fabric over a year ago, its just dingy looking. The screws that holds the seat to the chair are either loose or missing. The table has a layer of veneer that has areas where it has bubbled up tremendously from where the girls spilled something once and went unnoticed.Kayla uses it for homework, the girls for crafting, but mostly, it collects paperwork like mail and the girls millions of drawings and work they bring home from school. We did have actually have dinner on it last Thanksgiving!! When we move, I'd like a "real" dining room table, sturdy, and not made of veneer. I am thinking of maybe using the one we have as a table for crafting up in my office. Maybe one day I'll refinish it somehow and sell it. I was thinking of making it, but I already have so many projects for this how I di

If this blog were a child, I'd be a horrible mother. I started to write an update for T-26 days and had to delete it and update with this instead! Ok, fine, if I am being totally honest I rewrote this particular post at least 5 times, but never finished. See? Horrible mother. So late.  A few days Over a week ago we received a conditional approval! We had to submit a few documents, explain in a formal letter that Tony doesn't pay child support, wait for the appraisal, show proof of homeowners insurance, etc. I took care of all of those documents as of 3 days ago. A week ago we also received the appraisal. Our appraisal came back at $82,000. Which is perfect because we are buying the house for $81,500 + 3% seller assist. I can breathe easy, because I was half expecting the house to appraise lower and cause a whole other clusterfuck.  So I am pretty sure once all of that gets to the underwriter, we have an approval from the bank!!! At first I was like DAYUM, maybe we sh

We are at T-29 days. The first time we were going through this, things fell apart at 24 days prior to closing. Plus at that time we hadn't been submitted to underwriting either nor ordered the appraisal. We were submitted to underwriting day before yesterday. I am hopeful for a conditional approval, which means we would still need Tony's checks as they come in, and that the appraisal comes back ok. I'm hella nervous, and waiting sucks.  Tony gets his first check tomorrow, and he's loving his new job. Meanwhile I'm over here soon to be drowning in laundry detergent, hand soap, and body wash! Its hard to believe that we wont have to buy these things ever again, at least not while Tony is gainfully employed here. #winning.  However, I am neck deep in school work and work work. I dont know how I am going to make the time to pack and clean all over again. Granted, we have the whole month of May, but things are only going to get more intense for me at school. IDK, one