Final deposit in, activity on the street

Last night we dropped off the big deposit check.  Now, it's just waiting for NVR to finish up the loan approval and we're ready to go.  Yes, NVR is on week 6 of their quoted "2-3 week process".  Everytime I turn around they ask for another document they didn't ask for originally.
There is some activity on the street for lots bought the month before us.  Few piles of dirt, few foundations poured.  The house across the street it totally framed!  A month ago there was nothing there.  And the lot next to us has a sold sticker.  We have next door neighbors!

Surprised visitors

We had a showing of our current home during the day yesterday.  So, after work I go back to putting back all the stuff I stash away for showings to make our home appear spacious, yet lived in.  Wife starts cooking dinner.  Suddenly, ding dong!  Hmm, who could it be?  My wife answers the door, as I'm coming up the basement stairs with a box of stuff to put back.  There stands a very surprised realtor wondering why we're home.  Evidently she made an appointment with our realtor's office to walk through the house with her client.  We were never notified!  Luckily, the realtor showed up 10 minutes early and the potential buyer 10 minutes late.  It gave us some time to scramble and put away dinner that was halfway cooked and get out of the house!  What craziness.  I called my realtor and her office, letting them know I was not too happy with their snafu.  I didn't have time to get the two cats and their litter out.
She was in and out in less than 15 minutes, bad sign.  However, 20 minutes after we returned home saw her drive by the house nice and slow for a second look...maybe a good sign?  Well, we got the call later last night with feedback.  She was very pleased with us accommodating them during the middle of dinner, said the house showed very well, was a very "sweet home" and was priced perfect.  However, it just wasn't for her.  Oh well.  Has only been on the market since Friday, so can't expect miracles.

Heard from NVR...finally, and home on the market

Well this week marks 5 weeks since our meeting with NVR.  At the time, the loan officer said it would be 2-3 weeks for approval.  I get the email today of a list of things they need to finish the process.  What's annoying is I had all this stuff at the time I was there at the meeting, but she didn't want it.

On another note, our current home hit the market last Friday.  We're officially listed.  Had three people come through so far.  The first was a single mom with a handicapped child.  She really liked the house, but found another with a wheelchair lift already installed.  The second the guy wanted all the aluminum frame windows replaced...nope, not happening buddy.  Haven't heard feedback from the third yet.  We have an open house this Sunday, so hoping for lots of traffic....and an offer!

Let me say, it certainly isn't easy keeping a house in showing condition with two kids!

No Guardian?

I stopped by the model home yesterday to sign a change order form.  Our SR said our next meeting will be the pre construction meeting.  So, does that mean I don't have a Guardian meeting?  That's ok with me.  I didn't want to sit through a sales pitch for stuff I don't need or want anyways.  Just curious if thats normal.

Selling a house sucks!!!

I'm only three weeks away from listing my current house and it seems like my to do list isn't getting any shorter.  As soon as I cross one thing off the list, I think of two more to add.  With all the kids activities every single night, there isn't much time during the week to get stuff done.  This weekend is Mother's Day, next weeking I have to go boy scout camping with my son so that's totally shot, and all I have left is the Memorial Day weekend.  The clock is ticking.  Last night I really only had time to replace the broken light on the front of the house (wind storm slammed the front door into it), replace a couple broken lamp shades and repair the window closure on one of the garage windows.  There's still a ton of painting, carpet cleaning and decluttering to do.  I've gotten a lot done so far, but there's a lot left to do.
So, the plan is to put the house on the market June 1 with an open house June 10.  June 8 is our preconstruction meeting.  Makes me nervous starting construction before we have a buyer for our current house.  Let's hope I get an offer before the open house even occurs.

Design Center Selections

Last night we went to the design center to make our selections.  It was surprisingly much easier and faster than expected.  It helped a lot my wife and I were on the same page on just about everything. Here are our selections with a few photos:

Uba tuba granite counter tops with maple spice cabinets

We both instantly chose the uba tuba granite.  We were deciding between that and the sample to the right in the photo, but we both liked uba tuba best.  As for the cabinets, I wanted to go a shade darker, but was talked into the lighter cabinets since the counter top is dark.


Autumn mahogany laminate flooring in the kitchen, morning room, foyer, powder room and laundry

 This was another easy selection.  We both instantly loved it over everything else.


Traditional cherry railing stain (of the two hanging further down, the one to the left)

 My wife was up in the air between the cherry and the other stain thats slid down there.  The cherry instantly popped out at me.  She wins the kitchen cabinets, I win the railing stain.

Vinyl flooring and vanity for the upstairs bathroom and master bathroom

There were so many flooring options to choose from.  Again, we both went to the same style, so just needed to select the final color.  Here's what we came up with.  Originally, we were going with the cheap vanity for the boys bathroom, but after seeing and feeling the sample, we decided to eat the extra $100 and upgrade their vanity to the andover maple.  The base cabinets are so cheap looking and don't look like they'd hold up well to moisture from the shower.

Kitchen sink fixture

Upgrade 1 was included with the granite counter top, only reason we're getting it from Ryan Homes.  The top pulls out as the sprayer.

Bathroom fixtures.  I know, it's turned sideways, tilt your head

Sticking with the base package.  To go up to the brushed nickel finish (exact same fixtures) is a $995 upgrade.  I can run to Home Depot and do it for less than a quarter the price myself.

Carpeting we upgraded to Carpet D and the top 8 lb padding for the family room.  Living room is the base Carpet A and 6 lb padding.  Everywhere else is base Carpet A and base 4 lb padding.  I know it's cheap junk and won't last long, but the cost to upgrade is a rip off.  We can replace the carpeting a couple years down the line for a much better price.

I really wanted a ceramic tile backsplash in the kitchen, but Ryan Homes selection was extremely limited and the price was insane.  On the way home after leaving the design center, we stopped at Lowes and took a look at what they had.  Some beautiful choices and far, far less than what Ryan Homes wanted.  So, we'll do the backsplash tiling ourselves after moving in.

Can check the NVR meeting off the list

We got one more thing checked off the list.  Met with our NVR loan officer yesterday.  Things worked out perfectly.  Yes, we qualify for both the new mortgage and our existing mortgage, so construction can start before I have a buyer.  It's looking like the timing will overlap by a few weeks. 
Plans did change a bit on our closing amount.  We decided to pay the one time PMI at closing rather than roll it into the monthly payments.  Basically, I'm taking $4,400 from the down payment and applying it to the PMI.  It makes a much bigger impact on reducing the monthly payment, saves money in the long run and would be the same out of pocket dollars at closing.  It's a win-win.  So now our monthly payment is about $100 less than what we were originally planning!
We should hear back in about 3 weeks if we are approved.  There shouldn't be any problem at all, but until then fingers are crossed.