Monday, July 15, 2013

Hunting Houses: The In Between

The period in between an accepted offer and closing is not nearly as fun as house hunting was.

Once we received the executed contract we were on the clock to get the inspection done during the 10 day option period.  Thankfully our realtor was on the ball with one of her contacts and was able to set that up right before the 4th of July holiday.  There was nothing major from the inspection which was good news, but there were lots of smaller items that we'll need to take care of soon (cracked window, pest control, fix some sprinkler heads).

Another view from the dining room

There was some back and forth with the seller on the repair amendment because we asked for repair of the A/C unit (which is working, but working like a 14 year old system).  Unfortunately, the sellers would only agree to a minimum concession for the repairs, to put in new air filters and to have the A/C serviced (but not repaired).  We're hoping that it will at least hold out until the winter months so we can get a deal when we do replace it.

A better view of the kitchen

Other than that, the loan application has been submitted and the appraisal has been ordered.  We've received the title work and HOA documents and are just waiting on the seller to provide the survey.

On the plus side, we've been able to make a couple of additional trips to see the house during this time (a great chance for me to take even more pictures like the ones in this post).  One of those trips included showing the house to my brother and his girlfriend.  They loved the house and Dennis became a little addicted with the butler's pantry.


In our free time we've been busy calling all of the companies that will need to be set up with the home purchase (utilities, security, electric, gas, our contractor, pest control, cable, etc).  It seems like that list never ends!  Although secretly, the list maker part of me is loving writing and rewriting all these to do lists and potential service company's pros and cons lists. 

If you have purchased a house did it feel like you  had a lot to get done before closing?

5 comments:

  1. The in between is so hard. Now that the necessities are taken care of, I want to make all these plans, but it seems premature when we have to wait another month after closing before we get into the house! Hope your wait is short and everything goes smoothly!

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    1. Thank you!! Can't wait to see some of those plans that you have for your house (when you do get into it)!

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  2. The waiting for closing is no fun, but it'll be worth it when it comes. We just replaced our air conditioner, and it cost us $5300. Be prepared to shell out for all new everything, as codes have been updated in the past few years (so your air handler and condenser will need replacement at the same time). When you cross that bridge - shop around. We were able to find a 3-year 0% financing option that made it surprisingly affordable. AND our electric bill has been really nice since it's been replaced.

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    1. Thanks for the tip! I have no clue on the electric bills now, but I hope a new system will help out.

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  3. The in between stage was probably my least favorite part of buying our house. I just wanted to move in already! But I can't wait to see what plans you're cooking up for once you guys get the keys!

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