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4/18 –
Linda, the woman who owns the house I'm renting, came by tonight to tell me
she's selling the house. In six weeks. 4/20 –
I spoke to Linda and told her I was interested in making an offer on the
house. 4/21 –
Linda sent me an email with her list price on the house. 4/22 –
My real estate agent, Brea, helped me put together an offer on the house,
title insurance ($25), option ($100) and earnest money ($2500).
4/23 –
Met with mortgage provider ($400 deposit) and scheduled flood determination
(free, from Aaron’s company), insurance estimate and binder ($2400/yr),
estimated property taxes ($7200/yr, that’s $600/month!) scheduled a home
inspection ($150), survey, and an WDI (wood-destroying insects) ($85)
inspection. Had to call back to see if
they could come out tomorrow. 4/24 –
Home inspection and WDI inspection.
Found some foundation issues, scheduled an engineer to make a
foundation certification report. 4/25 –
Mortgage guy called and he wants me to lock in the rates, still waiting on
the final engineering report to see if the house is a go.
4/26 –
I’m out of town all this week, but things are still moving along. Locked in the rates on the mortgage. The engineer came out and
did the foundation certification ($250), told me that the earth wouldn’t open
up and swallow the house anytime soon, but that it did need some work. Called
my company benefits office to see about getting a 401k summary in the format
that the mortgage folks needed. 4/27 –
Insurance provider needs plumbing inspection 5/1 –
Faxed the last of the information requested by my mortgage provider 5/2 –
Went out of town for the week again. 5/3 -
Two AC companies came out and made estimates on the heater and ac unit. 5/5 –
The foundation people came out to make measurements of the foundation, they
found some shifting and wanted to check the pipes. The plumber and seller’s AC guy came out do
estimates. I sent a copy of sales
contract to mortgage agent. 5/7 –
The foundation people came out to conduct a hydro-test of the plumbing before
they sealed the foundation. The
appraisal guy came out but my agent made him come back next week, just in
case we can retrieve that part of the deposit from the mortgage provider. Had
an AC inspection ($45) and a plumbing inspection. We signed an addendum to the contract to
extend the option period which would have expired today. 5/8 – Olshan Plumbing came out and conducted a hydro-test and
an in-line inspection of the sewer piping, they used this camera to find the
leak in the drain piping. They found one
leak in the original cast-iron piping in the hall bathroom. Good news was it is close to the edge of
the house, so it won’t need extensive tunneling. The seller is paying for the repair. 5/10 –
Put together a wish list of things to fix with my realtor. 5/11
–Appraisal completed, it came in at exactly the minimum for the
financing. Still trying to get the
insurance binder, the agent was waiting for the appraisal. 5/12 –
Last day of option period, we went back and forth until we reached an
agreement at about 9:30 p.m. We didn’t
get taken, but we didn’t get much either. 5/13 –
Signed buyer representation agreement, final contract, insurance agent, and a
whole lot of other things. Everything
is ready to go. Waiting on final totals for closing costs. 5/14 –
Closing for me, I met with Ms. Sanford R., VP of the local Stewart
Title. She didn’t want me to take her
picture, so I’m substituting a picture of Annette Benning,
because I think that’s the celebrity she most looks like. On the way home, I went by the City of
Bellaire office and changed the water service into my name ($65). I also picked up a welcome package. When I got home, the plumbers had installed
the new water heater, and the new AC evaporator coil and heater.
5/15 –
Linda fixed the gate. 5/17 –
Final closing day. I’m out of town,
but Linda will be down at Stewart Title signing all the things that I signed. 5/20 –
The brand new AC unit leaked water through the ceiling. The joys of home ownership. 6/19 –
Linda and Scott came over and we removed the swing set and basketball goal Here
are some of the criteria I was looking for: 1. 2-3
bedrooms with living room, dining room, breakfast area, and study 2.
Safe, quiet residential neighborhood 3. Yard 4.
Enough room 5. No
major repairs needed (move in) 6.
Inside the loop/near the loop 7. Away
from highway/railroad 8. Away
from major street 9.
Single story detached house 10.
Open and bright 11.
Parking for four vehicles 12.
Full size washer and dryer with area for folding 13.
Decent closet space (walk-ins a plus) 14.
Storage space in garage 15.
Work area in garage 16. Gas
stove and hot water heater 17. Gas
dryer a plus 18. Gas
grill a plus 19.
Deck or patio 20. No
commercial, or condominiums or apartments 21.
Easy access to the freeway 22.
Hardwood floors 23.
Molding 24.
Modern plumbing fixtures, retro tile a plus 25.
Modern kitchen 26.
French doors leading to back yard 27.
Fireplace not required 28.
Surround sound wiring 29.
Attic storage 30.
Central heat and air required 31.
Concrete driveway Last updated 4/5/05 |
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