HouseNoob

Jeez I'm really bad at this blog thing, lol. This past month has been such a whirlwind. Moving was exhausting. Not just the actual move, but the two and a half weeks after we spent back and forth painting and cleaning our old apartment. All the while I was in the last few weeks of school. I don't ever want to do that again. So we are officially in our new place and I couldn't be happier. We also added a new member to our family. Meet Luna, our new kitten. She spent the first 2 days hiding and sleeping. But oh boy has she come out of shell! This kitty is super playful, and she spends half the day running back and forth the house playing with basically anything. I have been working on small projects, mostly half done, but I do have one or two completed projects to show off in a future blog post! Till then 😄, I'll try not to be a month next time!

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 s...

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...

Loan paperwork has been submitted. All we have to do at this point is: Submit Tony's checks from his new job as he gets them Buy our homeowner's insurance in about 2 weeks Thank goodness we do not have to pay again for the inspection OR the appraisal!! That's almost $1000 that we will not have to spend. The appraisal should hopefully be going to the house tomorrow, so we should have the report in about 2 weeks. I'm crossing my fingers that the house comes back AT value at the minimum. It would be nice, considering the increasing real estate prices in my area, that it would come back a couple of grand higher. For reasons I'd rather not expand upon, it seems that my brother may not be moving in with us after all. My sister is also unknown as to whether she is joining us, obviously a single 25 year old woman would rather stay in her own apartment in the city, or even a place with roommates, than move in with her sister and family in the burbs with nothing for...

Gah. How can time be passing so slowly and so quickly at the same time? As of today we are 40 days from closing. We made the grown up and logical decision to close May 4th. Our lender was going to try to close for April 30th, which would have given Tony his 30 days of pay stubs, but there is NO way we are moving in one day, on a Monday no less, on which date I also have a test.  If we had stayed with a closing date of April 30th, we would have to pay May rent regardless, then our first mortgage payment would be June, which means no breaks. So by making the closing date May 4th, while we have to pay about $365 in interest, our first mortgage payment isn't due until July, which saves us $300. Plus, we would have both the house and the apartment for all of May, which means we could take our sweet time moving and fixing up the apartment before turning over the keys.  Another development which is a blessing but throws a bit of a wrench in my plans for the house, my sister may b...

Tony's new job is all set to go!! Unfortunately, they train people in groups, so Tony can't start any earlier. Which sucks for our finances and sucks for the closing but he has a job!! He is starting a week from tomorrow, and his first check at the new job will be in just under 3 weeks. Spoke to my lender last week, and he is going to start working on the paperwork for a new loan application this week. Unfortunately, we were unable to lock the previous interest rate, and the rate for FHA loans went up .75%. Waiting to hear what this means for our monthly payment. I also asked him to compare a different loan product we were previously looking at. Before, the interest rate difference between the two made the FHA the better product for us, but it did mean we had to bring a little about $1000 more to closing. But in the long run, in terms of monthly payments, it was much better. But now that the interest rate for the FHA loan has increased, we are comparing the two again to see i...

There is hope still. It took a couple of weeks, but Tony found another job, for the same pay, at another factory. Its actually for an employer who actually seems decent (much better than his previous job at least), pays double time on Sunday, has good benefits; Tony is really excited to start. If all goes well, he should be starting in less than 3 weeks the latest. So doing a worse case scenario time frame, this means his first check is 4/6, which means he would have 30 days of paystubs on 5/6. Which would put closing on or after 5/6. I really REALLY hate the thought of also having to pay May rent for our apartment but at this point I don't care. So say closing date of 5/10, which is quite possibly the worst thing ever, because my final for this trimester is on 5/31. Holy crunch time.  If the universe would bless us, which is doubtful, if he could start a week earlier, on 3/19, then his first check would be 3/30, which could potentially have us closing on 4/28 or so. Which wo...

Well. It happened. Or rather it didn't. It looks like this isn't going to happen. I *think* my heart is fairly broken. But, for the sake of my family, I am trying not to let it show or feel it. Plus I am busy, between school and work, I don't really have time to wallow in my grief. Ever since I found it that this probably wasn't moving forward I have refused to look at pictures of the house, and can barely spend time on Pinterest.  There is a teeny glimmer or hope, actually two potential pathways that this still might happen, but they are both fairly small. 1st pathway depends on the events that happen this coming week. I honestly don't really have my hopes up. If nothing pans out next week, then we are on to pathway #2, which I feel my real estate agent isn't too keen on, and I am almost inclined to reach out to the seller directly if we have to go that way.  It hurts to write about this, and as usual, I have a shit ton of homework and studying to go do, so...

Well really, according to a countdown site I have bookmarked, its 25 days and 4 hours. Can you tell I'm getting just a teensy bit antsy? I emailed the loan officer's assistant yesterday to see if there was anything else missing and a concern about some deposits (basically my paychecks) that a previous lender had me write a letter to explain. And I realize that I **did** basically gift Tony the $1000 already, because there was a check of mine he was supposed to send but kept back in December.  When she contacts me again I am also going to ask for more clarification on the timeline and if i still seems at all reasonable to close on 3/2. The appraisal will soon be ordered if it hasn't already, so at this point I think we are waiting for underwriting and a title search.  Also, on Friday, I scored a deal on some wall cabinets. I just so happened to be on Facebook when someone posted about a regular 2-door wall cabinet plus two short ones (like the ones that go over a fridge ...

I can't believe we are just 4 weeks out from closing! About a week or two ago we decided to switch loan products. Originally we were going to go with a conventional loan backed by PHFA (PA Housing something or other) to avoid having PMI (Private Mortgage Insurance), with the idea that this would result in a lower monthly payment than an FHA loan. Plus, we could avoid the dreaded FHA appraisal, which does more than just check the value of the home, it includes a mini-inspection to check for safety issues. However, the interest rate on the conventional loan was MUCH higher than the FHA loan. So although the FHA loan would require a little more money at closing (3.5% down payment vs 3%), our monthly payment sits at about $40 per month CHEAPER. This means a savings of $480 per year, which far outweighs any extra money we would pay at closing.  Our expected payment for mortgage, taxes, insurance and PMI would amount to $615. This is a $160 a month savings in what we pay for rent, wh...

I can't believe its already been 10 days since I have posted. School has been a whirlwind with 2 tests and a paper in that time frame with another test and paper in the next 10 days to boot. But, things are moving along nicely!!! Well sort of, there is one last thing we are holding our breath for.  Last weekend we completed the inspection. We found some stuff we weren't expecting, some small, some medium, some big deal.  Some stuff needs to get painted because of chipped/peeling paint, but we expected that. Thankfully it isn't much: 2 interior windows, the deck, and the shed in the backyard.  Cast iron waste pipe needs to be replaced. We weren't expecting that. The cost to replace it is more labor than anything, because it gets replaced with PVC. Not sure if the seller is planning to do this himself or hire this out.  Missing gutters. This is important to me because I/we can't DIY that. I mean maybe my dad could, but, eeeehh no thanks. Reason its important i...

This morning, my agent let me know that the seller was going to accept our offer minus a few appliances, and that we should have the contract by end of day! So basically exactly what they asked for. We are getting the regular electric stove and the coal pellet stove. She let me know around 7:30/8 this morning and even though the girls had a two hour delay there was no way I was going back to sleep! Waiting the rest of the day wasn't too bad. Got the girls off to school. bought the money order for the earnest money deposit, and went to my good friend's house where I spent most of the afternoon, talking and drinking wine. We may or may have not taken a drive past the house in a bit of a stalker mode.  However, it is now almost 11 PM and my agent hasn't received the contract yet. All I can hope for is that we get it some time tomorrow, because I schedule the inspection for 11 AM Saturday! I must remember to bring the tape measure with me.  I'm stuck between elation, ...

Ugh, I am so behind on life. School got cancelled for Sunshine and thank goodness for me too. I was supposed to be doing prepwork for nursing school last night, but I instead was scrolling through Pinterest on searching for ideas and inspiration. Yep, on a house that I do not yet have. I have SO many projects planned for this space already, I can't even decide what's first. So, the lender approval we were waiting for came through yesterday!!!! I managed to half pay attention in class, and while I was on the computer looking up information I got the call. When I was done I literally did a happy dance in my school hallway. No one was watching though. It was the exact loan product we were looking for. Conventional loan, only 3% down, 3% seller assist, and a 2nd loan to help pay for closing costs!! Our total out of pocket costs are less than $2500, and at least half of that will be prepaid in between the earnest money deposit, the inspection, and the appraisal. Unfortunately, t...

We just got back from seeing the house again. This time, everyone was there. My dad, my brother, Bella Bear, and Sunshine. I wanted my dad to come because, if I haven't already mentioned this, he is basically an unlicensed contractor, and I wanted his honest opinion.  My dad HATES the bathroom, well, he didn't quite say that outright, but I think it was his biggest issue with the house, and it's nothing urgent. He feels the same about the kitchen. They are both gut jobs for sure. But on the positive side, these are gut jobs that can only increase the value of the house.  I was very pleased to find out that it looks like the drop ceiling was simply a matter of cost/time. The actual ceiling above it looks like its in good condition and can simply be dry-walled down the line. AND there looks like there is sheetrock behind the wood paneling!! HALLELUJAH. In time I know we should be able to remove the paneling and mend and paint the sheetrock. Whether it is an impulsive ...

OK  lots of blogs posts in one day, I know. But I am filled with so much anxiety I need somewhere to express all this energy. I don't want to blurt this out all over Facebook because well, if this fails, I don't really want all of my business out there.  "Hold up Jen, you don't want to put all your business out there yet you are writing about this on a blog?" Ridiculous I know, but hear me out. No one is reading this right now. This blog, for now, is just my personal journal. And probably by the time I decide to start sharing my blog with friends and Facebook, the home purchase will be complete and it will be more of me cataloging my DIY stuff and house updates.  Back to the post. Our original goal date for closing was April 15 right? So we started looking at houses for the 1st time yesterday. Due to our meager budget, our choices are pretty limited. Before we actually went out, literally a few DAYS prior, there was this one seemingly great house that went on ...

As I mentioned in the previous post, we had originally wanted to buy a house and move in early June, so that I would be done with school, but for tax reasons, we bumped up the goal date to April 15. F it right? I know that because of our budget, whatever house we buy is going to require some loving attention and updates. So, whatever, Ill move stressfully during the my semester so that I can have more of the summer updating my house (DIY heart of mine be still!!). So, I started sending out paperwork right after New Year's for preapproval. It hurts my heart a little to keep seeing my credit score take small dings because of all the credit checks, but if there is anything that is important to shop around for its a mortgage right? Due to the location we were originally looking at, we were going to go with a lender that offered 0% down. But that house got sold and our other target areas were not eligible for that loan. So far I had really enjoyed my experience with that lender. She d...