Sunday, March 24, 2013

New House!!

This year so far has been down right madness!  This year already, we've vacationed in Disney, gone to NYC and seen Tom Hank's Broadway debut (Lucky Guy), I've reached lifetime with Weight Watchers, and last but certainly not least....


WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!!!!



I can hardly believe that is OUR house!  We settled on March 15th, just a week ago!  Leading up to it, we were so consumed with making sure everything closed on time and properly that it was hard to believe when it actually happened and we had the keys in our hand.  There was some small hiccups along the way, but overall it was a very smooth process- especially when compared with some friends' bad experiences.  The major issues we are dealing with now are because the previous home owners....well, they kinda sucked in some ways. lol.  They were smokers, who luckily didn't seem to smoke much inside (thank goodness).  The smell is concentrated in the porch, but the whole house also just smells stale and faintly smokey.  We cleaned the walls with TSP to get the minor tobacco streaks off and painted the majority of the main floor.  I'm praying that will make a difference, because we didn't paint the 2 other bedrooms.  We can obviously always double back and paint them as well, but we would rather not if we don't have to.

The other majorly annoying thing they did was paint over every single outlet.....yeah.  Not just the cover but the entire outlet juncture, making them unsafe to use and in need or replacement.  Kevin came over with Cibelle Saturday and showed us how to change them, thank goodness!  It helps to have handy friends!  It's not too bad once you get the covers off, but that is easier said then done because the paint acts like glue to the outlets, and it took many hours to cut off the covers.  I unfortunately blew two fuses on the breaker box so I need to figure out which outlets I did wrong and fix them, and then figure out how to replace the fuse.  Yeah, Colleen is still learning, people!

I am so proud of us, because we have accomplished SO much so far- and have some hand sores, destroyed fingernails (holy in need of manicure, it's insane), and achy bodies to prove it.  David, my brother, helped us paint today which was amazing!  Not only was it great having an extra pair of hands helping, but he is also great company and it was good catching up with him.  I can't believe how many awesome people are lending a helping hand next weekend with our move as well- I hope that means it will go quickly, smoothly, and I won't have to lift anything and make my arms worse.  According to my doctor, I need to only be directing people and lifting no more than 10 lbs at the max- but preferably not anything.  I can say after Saturday's day full of painting, wow was I in pain, I need to take the doctor's advice.   I'm so grateful that today I didn't have to paint nearly as much- I don't know if I could handle another painful night like last night.

It's also amazing how many calories painting burns! I didn't have time to workout Saturday or today, but my handy Active Link told me I earned 6 activity points Saturday and 3 today! Sweet!


What awesome words of wisdom can you give a first time home owner?

11 comments:

  1. Well all I can say is thanks for wanting to own a home with me!

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  2. Wow! That's so awesome. Your house looks really cute too. It looks like it would fit in in my neighbourhood.

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    1. thanks! I love the look of it- so many windows to let in all the light :)

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  3. Everything takes twice as long as you think it does to finish and there's ALWAYS going to be something to do. Make a list of what you want done and prioritize. Not everything can be done tomorrow and there's not always going to be money for it! My brother would tell you to pay an extra $50 or $100 towards your principal every month. Chances are you have it. You'll shave YEARS off your mortgage, but you have to make sure you note that it goes to the prinicpal.

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    1. Good advice, thanks Linda! The to do list seems to be never ending already, but luckily we are getting the hardest things to do with all the furniture in the house done before we get fully moved in

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  4. Congratulations on your house!

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  5. BEAUTIFUL HOUSE! Advice (I have done this more times than I can count): Slow down, it does not have to be perfect right from the start (but I would def get the smoke smell out, too). You are going to love having this space and making it your own. Budget all renovations ahead of time, do not go into debt to reno no matter how tempting. Rely on friends for basics, but don't be afraid of a contractor for the big stuff. Get references, though. Have fun and have parties!

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    1. Great advice- thanks Tina! I hear ya on the budget- the smoke removal has been significantly more expensive than we were expecting, but I know it's worth the money to spend it now because it's really important to us :)

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  6. It was a pleasure helping you out. I hope I get to help you out more this summer. I need to put my handyman talents to use since I don't have a house at the moment. I just will charge a few beers each time :)

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