(no subject)
I can't believe how well this year has been going. I'm now down 35 pounds. Progress is slower than I would have anticipated with the pill, but I'm still losing, and thats what matters. I missed the announcement, but Josh said our health insurance is starting some kind of program where we have rewards for losing weight, probably a discount. That's pretty awesome considering I'm going it anyway.
Art finally got the land surveyed. The property lines are exactly where we thought they were, and he has finally had his lawyer send them a cease and desist letter for being assholes. They haven't been too bad the last month. I've still been parking in the front, but for the most part, the issues have stopped. I've been trying to focus my energies on other things, like trying to find a house, which brings me to my next topic...
I got a house! I've learned so much about this process over the last 3 weeks, and so far everything has gone so smoothly. It's pretty much EXACTLY wha I was looking for, which a lot of people can't say about their home purchases. I had only a few requirements in mind. It had to be local to the area - I am not a fan of waking up extra early, or having a long commute to work. It had to have a basement that could potentially be finished, or have an already finished basement with a bar or room to build a bar. And lastly, it had to be in a location where I could have some people over for a late night fire, without having to worry about noise or bothering people. I decided a little bit later, after I found out what my price range was, that I wanted a raised ranch, so I don't even have to deal with a basement. This place is all of the above, and more. It's a raised ranch like I wanted. Best feature? It's location. It's in an extremely nice neighborhood, and the very end of a U-shaped dead end cul-du-sac. It's at the top of a hill, so I don't need to worry about flooding, it's only about 2 minutes from my place now, which - aside from the neighborhood, I like being so close the the highway, and the malls, and route 2, and work so thats perfect. I have no neighbors on any side with the exception of a house farther in the back through some trees, which isn't a problem. The back yard is fenced in, which is redundant, but awesome. I'm surrounded by woods.. the left side of the house has a large rock cliff up, and the right side has a large cliff down. There are no other houses on the cul-du-sac, and theres no room for one, so I am absolutely secluded, which is amazing. As an added bonus (maybe) I have a large pool, and a shed. The pool has it's own wooden deck, and the second floor has a deck as well, right outside the kitchen, which is perfect for grilling. There's no bar, but the plumbing for putting in a wet bar is already in the wall, I just need the funds to build one. The kitchen counter is in an L shape, which I love. Lot's of space, and a great setup for putting bar stools, which I also love. All in all, I don't think I could have found anything better. My offer has been accepted, and now I'm just waiting on loan paperwork, which I'm being told is nothing to worry about, because I am more than fine. Closing is on June 22nd. The 38 day countdown has officially begun. I'm actually looking forward to having a seemingly endless list of project to do, and another endless list of things to save for. I got to a point a few years ago, where I didn't really need anything else.. don't need any computers, any furniture, electronics, decor.. I was all set. Now... Now I want patio sets, hammocks., solar walkway lights... And the projects.. painting, upgrading, redoing the trim, building a nice looking fire pit, making the outdoors look nice, building a bar, updating the kitchen. So many things to learn to do, but all of it just puts money in my pocket in the long run. It's such a weird feeling to think about not having to ever pay rent again. Yeah I pay my mortgage, but minus the interest, it's almost like a savings account... the principal I'm paying makes that much of the house's worth mine, so I could always sell it, or cash the equity in to make improvements or whatever. And because of the market, my interest rate is record low, and the house is only going to go up in value. And all of this, only ends up being $200 a month more than I pay now. And honestly, considering how much i'll get back in taxes from all the homeowners deductions, it ends up being cheaper.
Art finally got the land surveyed. The property lines are exactly where we thought they were, and he has finally had his lawyer send them a cease and desist letter for being assholes. They haven't been too bad the last month. I've still been parking in the front, but for the most part, the issues have stopped. I've been trying to focus my energies on other things, like trying to find a house, which brings me to my next topic...
I got a house! I've learned so much about this process over the last 3 weeks, and so far everything has gone so smoothly. It's pretty much EXACTLY wha I was looking for, which a lot of people can't say about their home purchases. I had only a few requirements in mind. It had to be local to the area - I am not a fan of waking up extra early, or having a long commute to work. It had to have a basement that could potentially be finished, or have an already finished basement with a bar or room to build a bar. And lastly, it had to be in a location where I could have some people over for a late night fire, without having to worry about noise or bothering people. I decided a little bit later, after I found out what my price range was, that I wanted a raised ranch, so I don't even have to deal with a basement. This place is all of the above, and more. It's a raised ranch like I wanted. Best feature? It's location. It's in an extremely nice neighborhood, and the very end of a U-shaped dead end cul-du-sac. It's at the top of a hill, so I don't need to worry about flooding, it's only about 2 minutes from my place now, which - aside from the neighborhood, I like being so close the the highway, and the malls, and route 2, and work so thats perfect. I have no neighbors on any side with the exception of a house farther in the back through some trees, which isn't a problem. The back yard is fenced in, which is redundant, but awesome. I'm surrounded by woods.. the left side of the house has a large rock cliff up, and the right side has a large cliff down. There are no other houses on the cul-du-sac, and theres no room for one, so I am absolutely secluded, which is amazing. As an added bonus (maybe) I have a large pool, and a shed. The pool has it's own wooden deck, and the second floor has a deck as well, right outside the kitchen, which is perfect for grilling. There's no bar, but the plumbing for putting in a wet bar is already in the wall, I just need the funds to build one. The kitchen counter is in an L shape, which I love. Lot's of space, and a great setup for putting bar stools, which I also love. All in all, I don't think I could have found anything better. My offer has been accepted, and now I'm just waiting on loan paperwork, which I'm being told is nothing to worry about, because I am more than fine. Closing is on June 22nd. The 38 day countdown has officially begun. I'm actually looking forward to having a seemingly endless list of project to do, and another endless list of things to save for. I got to a point a few years ago, where I didn't really need anything else.. don't need any computers, any furniture, electronics, decor.. I was all set. Now... Now I want patio sets, hammocks., solar walkway lights... And the projects.. painting, upgrading, redoing the trim, building a nice looking fire pit, making the outdoors look nice, building a bar, updating the kitchen. So many things to learn to do, but all of it just puts money in my pocket in the long run. It's such a weird feeling to think about not having to ever pay rent again. Yeah I pay my mortgage, but minus the interest, it's almost like a savings account... the principal I'm paying makes that much of the house's worth mine, so I could always sell it, or cash the equity in to make improvements or whatever. And because of the market, my interest rate is record low, and the house is only going to go up in value. And all of this, only ends up being $200 a month more than I pay now. And honestly, considering how much i'll get back in taxes from all the homeowners deductions, it ends up being cheaper.