Snow Days!

Happy Monday! Only a week into the new year and I am already off work from SNOW. We got about 8 inches (this is my guesstimate as I did not even bother measuring) from a big winter storm on Saturday. It has also been freezing. We hit 0 degrees last night and have not seen anything above 32 degrees since briefly on Friday afternoon. I love cold weather but I draw the line at single digits! This is Virginia after all. I didn't NEED a snow day just yet, so I really hope this isn't it for the season. Usually mid to late February snow is very much needed and appreciated :).

Since I have mainly been snow bound besides snow walks/runs (thankfully my condo's treadmill is in working order!) and a quick trip to the grocery story yesterday because I desperately needed kitty litter, I have done a lot of lounging and TV watching (Westworld anyone?)...and drinking. Ha! I only wish classes had started and I could get ahead on the semester...oh, well. I DID do most of my planning for the class I am teaching, so I guess that counts?

The kitties enjoyed the snow!

I love my neighborhood:)

I also had a very exciting Thursday and Friday...I sold my condo! Pending good home inspections this week, I will have a new house in February! This has all happened very quickly and pretty much down to the wire (I had a contingency contract on a house where I needed to sell my condo and the owner got another offer the same day I got an offer on my condo), so I am hopeful all will go well and things will continue to work out. I have LOVED my condo (and I still do!), but having more space and more room to make a place my own, have a yard and live a little more privately is so exciting to me! I have a backyard! A porch! An upstairs! I have already begun decorating in my mind:)

That is all for me...I hope you are staying warm!

Homeowner!

                                                                Front door of my building!

When I wrote my previous post about the home buying experience being a roller coaster, I really had no idea what I was talking about. The past few weeks have been nothing short of awful. I was in an awful mood and an emotional wreck. I never cry (it’s weird…only movies usually get to me) and I cried daily, and not just tears, but sobbing breakdowns. My original loan company told me that they could not do the loan after all, even with all the extra paperwork/documents they requested and received, and that they didn’t even know if I could get a loan period. Then the next mortgage company they contacted said they could probably give me a loan but their interest rate and closing costs were higher, which I couldn't afford. I also kept being told that I would know 100% the next day if the loan(s) would happen…and then the next…and then the next…and next next next next. I basically told my realtor that I wanted out. Safe to say I lost my mind- I even put a deposit on an apartment in desperation.

But it did work out. I heard on Friday that the loan was *officially* approved and I closed yesterday (getting that cashiers check for the down payment was an interesting experience…who knows if I will ever have that much money in my savings account again- definitely took a picture)! I am officially a homeowner! I have been slowly moving in the past two days and will continue to do so for the rest of the week. But I am taking a day off tomorrow to have furniture delivered/internet and TV set up!

Inside pictures to come- I gotta decorate first. But email me if you want my new address- it’s super pretty!

                                                             My building containing 8 units

                                                            The pool for my summers off:)

                                            The view from my bedroom window- not too shabby!

Roller Coaster Ride

Oh my goodness what a roller coaster the past week and a half has been!

All I can say is just because you have a contract on a property, does not mean it is smooth sailing until you move in. I was informed at the beginning of last week that my loan was not yet finalized because the bank could not get approval for the condo complex due to occupancy rate standards and the classification of the condo (i.e. “gut job” or “non-gut job”). I was told every day last week that I “would find out tomorrow.” It was not looking good. I even went to look at an apartment because I was so sure none of this would work out. And I was less than 3 weeks from closing.
  
So it has been a waiting game all week. My loan officer met with the complex’s developer yesterday and it was decided they could do the loan if the developer sent a letter to the bank saying it was a “gut job” (meaning the complex had been gutted down to the walls and foundation and been redone completely, which it was in 2007…but at what point does a complex go from being a “gut job” to a “non-gut job?”) and the appraiser putting that it was a “gut job” in the appraisal (the appraisal was good- I am buying it for less than it’s worth). Whew.

So while the final “ok” has not yet been said, all the calls/requests have occurred and it is looking 99% likely that this will all work out. But my god, I have been going insane. I have felt very out of control of my life, which is one of my least favorite feelings. It has not only been in this house business but in my work and social life too, so I have not been a happy camper. I really need to work on going with the flow more, but it is so hard when issues are arising in multiple areas. My OCD kicks in and I become frantic. My roommates told me a good saying- decide if the thing bothering you/stressing you out will matter in 10 minutes, 10 months or 10 years. Obviously the housing situation is an issue that falls in the middle, but it can be applied more so to the daily small stressers. That is my new saying to calm myself down when I feel like I can’t get off the roller coaster of life!

I promise I do have good house pics, but I don’t want to jinx anything until I move. So look for those in the next few weeks!

When you know, you know.

I did it. I bought a place! It's a lot like finding "the one" (I assume). This email I sent to friends two days ago will fill you in on everything (excuse my grammar- I was in a rush!).

Hello, friends!

So for those of you who don't know...I BOUGHT A CONDO! If you have spoken with me the past 8 months, you know that I have been looking and going back and forth on if I should/shouldn't. I moved to the fan in Richmond (downtown, hip/young area for those of you who don't know the area) in June as a step towards buying, because I wanted to get more of an idea on where I wanted to live. Well, I LOVE living in the city and decided I definitely want to live in this area. Then it was- do I buy a house or condo, and, frankly, I always wanted a turn key condo because when have I ever done yard work or fixed anything around the house? Ummm, never, so that was a pretty easy decision. Let's not kid ourselves in thinking I will give up my TV time to do yard work. Not gonna happen. Where's the neighborhood kid to mow my lawn?

Luckily, the market has been very slow, so many places I have liked since I started looking in July have not sold. I initially wanted to live in the heart of the fan, but as time went on, I found I could get more for my money and could be in a quieter area (and could see myself more long-term) if I went slightly outside of it. Then around Christmas I decided I did not want to buy because I just didn't LOVE any one place. I LIKED a lot, but you have to LOVE your place to put that freakin' much money down (and people were scaring me- "What will you do if you get married?" (ummmm, move? or, crazy thought- he can live with me!), "What if you need to move?" (Ummm, I'll sell?), "This market is awful- buying a house is not what it used to be!" (neither are interest rates or prices!) Ect, ect, ect....(I've learned to not talk about big life choices with many other people....it can ruin your plans because EVERYONE has an opinion and theirs is RIGHT).

Then 3 weeks ago on a whim, I found my treasure while seaching on zillow (love it love it)! I LOVED this condo- it is smaller than what I was looking for (1 bedroom as opposed to two, but only slightly smaller square footage) but comes with so much more. It has a pool (crucial for my summers off and RARE in the city), a gym, courtyards, ample free parking (odd in the city), shared grills/patio space, doggie stands (if I ever decide to not be a cat lady anymore), 1 ½ baths, HUGE CLOSETS (omg it's insane), great washer dryer, stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, wood flooring and is the 2nd floor of 2 floors with NO SHARED WALLS (check plus+)! It also is in walking distance of two great shopping streets- Carytown and the Shoppes at Libby/Grove. I can still walk to bars and restaurants and the fan/museum district is only a mile away (so I am the perfect distance outside of it but close enough to it to have all the conveniences of it).

So I brought my parents back last weekend and they loved it. I loved it. It was set. But I needed to get the price down substantially, because I wanted to put 20% down. I put my first bid in on Sunday knowing they wouldn't accept it, they countered Monday, I recountered yesterday morning and they countered with their final offer yesterday afternoon (TOTALLY like House Hunters!). I accepted- their minimum was my maximum for the property, so it worked out perfectly!

I don't close for 60 days and still have to get the loan set up, but barring any crazy unforeseen circumstance, it's official (I signed my life away). 

Here is a link to the place- it doesn't show the half bath, washer/dryer or master bathroom but you get the gist. Also, the asking price is not what I got it for:)

http://windchimeproperties.com/listings/36-6-east-lock-lane-2/

Yay! I may be crazy...but it's only money, right?

Love,

Robyn

Property Virgin

Another milestone of my life was reached today- I went on my first house hunting showcase! I am pretty positive that I will buy a place between now and next June, and I have been looking online and around the fan all summer at condos. I have been eying the trends, the prices, and the types of places going on (and off) the market. It has been fun to look and plan (you know I love planning)!

I looked at four places today. It was definitely nice to actually be visiting the places as opposed to just looking at pictures online, and it makes a huge difference- places I thought I loved I realized I didn't and places I hadn't given much thought to I realized I really liked. I felt like I was in an episode of house hunters! I don't have many deal breakers in buying a place like some of those people (besides bugs or holes in things), though. I know where I want to live, and to me, location is more important than what the place is actually like. I do have a wish list though: a porch, washer/dryer in unit, close to 1000 sq/ft, two bedrooms, and at least 5 rooms. I don't need granite counter tops, wood floors and a fresh coat of paint (many of those things, with the right price, I can do myself later). The perfect place is really never perfect, so I am not so set in my ways as to not budge on some things (porch...tear).

What I am finding while thinking about where I want to live, though, is that people can ultimately live any place and they mostly live the same. You go to work, eat, sleep, socialize and hang out. Does it really matter where that is or what it looks like? Yes and no. I know I could never live in a dump (by choice) just for the heck of it, but I know that my home is what I make of it and it's all about perspective. You can make yourself happy if you choose to be. It all goes back to that 'wanting what you have' thing. So I am taking the approach of condo hunting casually and not as a life and death situation. If I find a great deal or a place that I really want, I should take it. If I don't, I know I will be ok where I am or holding off for a while.

After all, sometimes looking and thinking about something is the most fun part.

To Buy or Not- That is the Question

I have the buying bug. I want to own a place and make it my own. But I have no idea if this is a good idea or not. I really want a condo in the city, but they are so expensive for how much space they have and aren’t selling very well. You would think because they aren’t selling well that people would lower the price for them, but somehow that isn’t happening (though I am sure you could try to bid lower), but they are in GREAT locations. One of my issues with buying a house is that I would have to buy furniture to fill it (which I don’ have)! I also can’t afford a house in the city, so I would have to compromise in an area further away (like the Near West End/Willow Lawn or Bon Air area). I also do not like doing yard work, so that is another concern. But I would get more privacy and space and wouldn’t have to pay condo fees.

I will have enough money by next summer to buy a decent place, but I can’t decide if it is worth it. Should I wait another year until I have more money and know for sure where/what I want? Should I live by myself before I buy a place? These are great questions, and I don’t have to decide until March when we have to let our rental company know we’re not returning, but I hate the idea of spending another year throwing away money when I could be investing, ESPECIALLY when it is a buyers market. I am enjoying where I live now, but I still have the itch to make a place my own.

Luckily I do have about 6 months to decide. I also want to make sure that I am committed to staying in Richmond, so I will see how this year goes. Through the end of summer I am also house/apartment sitting for people, so that will allow me to see what it’s like being by myself in the evenings. If anyone has input or advice, please let me know!