Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Just One More Day...
Oh my!!!
We are finally here.
One day before closing!
We got the official clear to close from our mortgage company (NOT NVR) yesterday afternoon.
Will we sleep tonight? Is this really about to happen?
Throughout the whole process you are never relieved until you get this information and never "completely" relieved until you get those keys in your hand.
You read the blogs.
You hear the last minute horror stories.
The mortgage companies pulling "fast ones".
People we are so close to clicking them red heels together saying "There's no place like home".
Prayerfully everything goes smooth tomorrow and all the anxiety turns into pure joy and happiness.
PRAYERFULLY WE WILL OFFICIALLY BE HOMEOWNERS!
We are finally here.
One day before closing!
We got the official clear to close from our mortgage company (NOT NVR) yesterday afternoon.
Will we sleep tonight? Is this really about to happen?
Throughout the whole process you are never relieved until you get this information and never "completely" relieved until you get those keys in your hand.
You read the blogs.
You hear the last minute horror stories.
The mortgage companies pulling "fast ones".
People we are so close to clicking them red heels together saying "There's no place like home".
Prayerfully everything goes smooth tomorrow and all the anxiety turns into pure joy and happiness.
PRAYERFULLY WE WILL OFFICIALLY BE HOMEOWNERS!
It Never Hurts To Ask...After the Demo
BTW...after reading other people's blogs, we noticed that some people close up to one day after their demo. I'm not sure what's standard but if you haven't noticed, our home demonstration was a week before our closing date...that's the way our PM likes to do things so that he can ensure that our home is as perfect as it can be when we receive our keys...with that being said...
On Saturday, we went by the house to measure our morning room ceiling so that we could get the proper extension rod for our ceiling fan...the home was open because a crew of 2 was in there fixing our blue tape imperfections! While my husband was walking around the perimeter of the home, he noticed that some of our shingles were raised (we couldn't see this at the demo since it was snowing) and was curious as to why they weren't lying flat...we also noticed that one of the recessed lights in the kitchen needed some touching up.
Even though our PM already had a list of things to complete before closing, we couldn't help but email him our findings. He explained that the shingles were fine and that they have some kind of self-sealing strip that will seal them flat on a hot day. He also mentioned that he marked the drywall area around the recessed light so that it could get fixed by the contractor.
I said all of this to say that your demonstration is not the end of the road between your demo day and your closing day...if you happen to go by your home before closing and see a visible imperfection, notify your PM. Don't wait until the day before closing, though, because it may not get done. AND please don't go to your home just looking for imperfections that you didn't get to blue tape at your demo. Our PMs wear a lot of hats and sometimes they are probably stretched pretty thin with all of the homes they have to take care of so don't get upset if they can't fix that nail pop that wasn't there on demo...just keep an eye out for it for when you have your follow-up!
On Saturday, we went by the house to measure our morning room ceiling so that we could get the proper extension rod for our ceiling fan...the home was open because a crew of 2 was in there fixing our blue tape imperfections! While my husband was walking around the perimeter of the home, he noticed that some of our shingles were raised (we couldn't see this at the demo since it was snowing) and was curious as to why they weren't lying flat...we also noticed that one of the recessed lights in the kitchen needed some touching up.
Even though our PM already had a list of things to complete before closing, we couldn't help but email him our findings. He explained that the shingles were fine and that they have some kind of self-sealing strip that will seal them flat on a hot day. He also mentioned that he marked the drywall area around the recessed light so that it could get fixed by the contractor.
I said all of this to say that your demonstration is not the end of the road between your demo day and your closing day...if you happen to go by your home before closing and see a visible imperfection, notify your PM. Don't wait until the day before closing, though, because it may not get done. AND please don't go to your home just looking for imperfections that you didn't get to blue tape at your demo. Our PMs wear a lot of hats and sometimes they are probably stretched pretty thin with all of the homes they have to take care of so don't get upset if they can't fix that nail pop that wasn't there on demo...just keep an eye out for it for when you have your follow-up!
Home Demonstration was a Success!!
Hey Guys!
So we had our home demo on Wednesday and boy was it long. Of course, that was what we were expecting (our PM said about 5-6 hours), but it was actually a little under 5. The appointment was at 10 am and we were on the road at about 2:50 pm.
We thoroughly enjoyed the demo even though it was cold, wet, snowy AND we had a 7 yr old running rampant throughout the house. <---Well he wasn't running buck wild but of course he was antsy, even though he had plenty of things that we brought with us. The snowflakes being huge combined with a strong wind equaled "snow ball fight". Nature Won!
As far as the demo, there were no major things found. A lot were cosmetic changes where we went through the house and did some blue taping (just painters tape ripped into pieces and placed next to the all the imperfections so that the painter/drywall guy/carpet guy/cleaners/or #whoeverjobitistofixthosethings could come and fix them). Yup, the hubs enjoyed himself!! Me, I had preferred to look out the windows most of the time. Our PM and his assistant also helped in blue taping.
Some of the things that either our PM found prior to us getting there or we found throughout the demo were:
Our closing is set for March 13th and we will meet our PM one more time on that day before closing to sign off on the above items being completed. Fellow bloggers, we are almost there!
We finally got some pictures of the outside of our home when it was sunny and bright outside. BTW: This past Saturday and Sunday was BEAUTIFUL!!! See below:
So we had our home demo on Wednesday and boy was it long. Of course, that was what we were expecting (our PM said about 5-6 hours), but it was actually a little under 5. The appointment was at 10 am and we were on the road at about 2:50 pm.
We thoroughly enjoyed the demo even though it was cold, wet, snowy AND we had a 7 yr old running rampant throughout the house. <---Well he wasn't running buck wild but of course he was antsy, even though he had plenty of things that we brought with us. The snowflakes being huge combined with a strong wind equaled "snow ball fight". Nature Won!
As far as the demo, there were no major things found. A lot were cosmetic changes where we went through the house and did some blue taping (just painters tape ripped into pieces and placed next to the all the imperfections so that the painter/drywall guy/carpet guy/cleaners/or #whoeverjobitistofixthosethings could come and fix them). Yup, the hubs enjoyed himself!! Me, I had preferred to look out the windows most of the time. Our PM and his assistant also helped in blue taping.
Some of the things that either our PM found prior to us getting there or we found throughout the demo were:
- fixing yard settlement (just minor yard settlement next to our ac unit,
- fixing caulk around a couple of windows (exterior),
- fixing the dryer exhaust vent flapper (ohmigoodness people, my husband was going to lose him mind if this didn't get fixed...all he kept talking about was if he was taking a snooze and all was quiet in the house except this incessant flapping noise from the vent flapping away outside! lol). Of course our PM had no problem doing this!!
- cut a plumbing tube so that we could access a nozzle at the bottom of our hot water heater (the tube is right in front of this and is super tall so it would prohibit us from reaching the nozzle),
- fix a light switch in the family room...so the hubs has some issues with our light switches (well not anymore)...the first - a few weeks ago he asked if we could change where we could turn on our floodlights (we have 2 instead of 1) which ended up being fixed the way we wanted it...the second - during the demo, in our family room, we found that our upside down outlet was on the same wall where our television/other TV stuff will be...there is a switch that goes to this upside down outlet, so with valid reasoning, the hubs asked if we could get this changed somehow...at this point, we're not exactly sure what the electrician will do...some of the options were: flipping the outlet right side up, disconnecting the power to that particular outlet (just the upside down part) or disconnecting the switch to that particular outlet...the reasoning for this change is so that no one accidentally switch off our TV or whatever else we have plugged into that outlet...my husband used the example of the Xbox but there won't be ANY Xbox playing in my family room...that's what the man cave/rec room is for!!!!!
- other things, were just re-cleaning the entire house as well as our egress window in the basement.
Our closing is set for March 13th and we will meet our PM one more time on that day before closing to sign off on the above items being completed. Fellow bloggers, we are almost there!
We finally got some pictures of the outside of our home when it was sunny and bright outside. BTW: This past Saturday and Sunday was BEAUTIFUL!!! See below:
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Oh My...So Close...Pre-Settlement Demo Tomorrow
People, our house is done! Besides the touch ups that are bound to happen.
It's been a while since we have posted, but not too much has changed since the last post. It wasn't much more they had to do. My wife and I have decreased our visits to the home because not a lot of changes were happening. We thought we would save our gas instead of making the trip just to see touch ups.
There have been some substantial changes since we've last been and those were: our sod got laid, landscaping done, and our house was thoroughly cleaned several times. It seemed like forever to get to this point, but when we sit and really think about it...time flew by. It was just yesterday when our lot was getting staked.
We are so close.
Tomorrow is a major milestone - Pre-Settlement Demonstration with the best Ryan Homes PM ever!!! Shout out to ya J!
One week from that, CLOSING!
My family and I are blessed and we can't ask for too much more! God is Good!
It's been a while since we have posted, but not too much has changed since the last post. It wasn't much more they had to do. My wife and I have decreased our visits to the home because not a lot of changes were happening. We thought we would save our gas instead of making the trip just to see touch ups.
There have been some substantial changes since we've last been and those were: our sod got laid, landscaping done, and our house was thoroughly cleaned several times. It seemed like forever to get to this point, but when we sit and really think about it...time flew by. It was just yesterday when our lot was getting staked.
We are so close.
Tomorrow is a major milestone - Pre-Settlement Demonstration with the best Ryan Homes PM ever!!! Shout out to ya J!
One week from that, CLOSING!
My family and I are blessed and we can't ask for too much more! God is Good!
**Pics below for your enjoyment**
*So beautiful*
*The vents weren't in and our checklist was still up*
***During this time we were actually matching up backsplash and my wife almost caught on fire leaning over the stove***
*Eh, it would have been nice to see some vacuum lines*
Saturday, February 16, 2013
House Update
So we went to the house at our regularly scheduled time and noticed that we had some new things. At this point, we are really coming down to the wire.
- Exterior
- We now have a mailbox
- All of our shutters are up...aren't they lovely!
- The driveway is completely done now
- Interior
- WE HAVE APPLIANCES!!!
- Refrigerator
- Dishwasher
- Range
- Microwave & range hood were not up yet
- Some of our light fixtures are up...some weren't (the 2nd bathroom & basement)
- All of the commodes, faucet fixtures (kitchen and bathroom), etc. are in
- Our bathrooms are tiled!! Because we didn't upgrade the tiles, I just knew that I wouldn't like it but I was pleasantly surprised!!
- All of our shelving is up
- Guardian came through and did there thing! My hubs is too excited :)
Shout out to our neighbor Kendra...she scared the mess out of us! So while we were perusing our soon-to-be home, we were interrupted by the doorbell. Hmm, who could that be we wondered?...We ruled out the PM and the workers because they would have just walked right on in so as my husband gingerly walked over to the door (did I mention it was dark out already so we could not see anything with the lights on), he slowly peeked out and it was HER!! Of course, we were relieved...to tell you the truth, I'm not really sure why we were nervous...I guess it was just so unexpected lol Oh well...we showed our neighbor around a bit and talked to her for about an hour or so about the house, her house, other people's houses lol as well as the community and everything in between. This is not the first time we met her or talked with her but we definitely feel welcomed into the neighborhood already!!! :))))
***Some Pics Are Below For Your Viewing Pleasure***
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| Dishwasher is pretty dusty - the other pair of shoes is my mini me!!! The child won't let me wander alone! |
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| Shine Bright Like A Diamond - I love these recessed lights!!! |
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| Powder Room |
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| Owner's Bath w/ Faucets |
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| Bench |
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| Hubby's territory |
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
All That Glitters...Isn't Gold....Q & A Part One
Haha, Sorry for the dramatic title but we noticed that we did not include any issues or concerns that we've had throughout the whole process so far.
So, we decided to give a run down of the different items that caused us concern or were questionable, and how they were remedied. Hopefully this may help someone!
***SN: Some of these questions or concerns may be trivial but as first-time home buyers any question is better than no question (which could ultimately leave you with a home that you are dissatisfied with!)***
1) Will there be heating/AC ducts and vents in the unfinished parts of our home (exercise room and media room)? The main heating trunk line will run in there but in order for the ducts to register to rooms, they would need to be run when you finished those areas later.
2) The model numbers for our appliances were no longer being manufactured. Would we be getting these older models or will newer models be ordered from the same category? Newer models would be ordered from the same category. Model #'s change constantly.
3) During the framing phase, we noticed that we had a couple of windows missing as well as the framing for our media room door was only framed for a single door (we got the double door option). We were told that the windows would be added in and that since the double doors was a non-standard, it would be adjusted by the framer. **This was at the time we realized that Ryan Homes put all of their framing together at a factory. No wonder they're so efficient!!
4) When we were getting insurance quotes, we needed a couple of questions answered: will our sump pump have a battery backup? Do we have a full or partial sprinkler system? The sump pump is not battery backed up (but it's recommended we get one!) and we have a full sprinkler system.
5) One day we arrived at the house to this....
So, we decided to give a run down of the different items that caused us concern or were questionable, and how they were remedied. Hopefully this may help someone!
***SN: Some of these questions or concerns may be trivial but as first-time home buyers any question is better than no question (which could ultimately leave you with a home that you are dissatisfied with!)***
2) The model numbers for our appliances were no longer being manufactured. Would we be getting these older models or will newer models be ordered from the same category? Newer models would be ordered from the same category. Model #'s change constantly.
3) During the framing phase, we noticed that we had a couple of windows missing as well as the framing for our media room door was only framed for a single door (we got the double door option). We were told that the windows would be added in and that since the double doors was a non-standard, it would be adjusted by the framer. **This was at the time we realized that Ryan Homes put all of their framing together at a factory. No wonder they're so efficient!!
4) When we were getting insurance quotes, we needed a couple of questions answered: will our sump pump have a battery backup? Do we have a full or partial sprinkler system? The sump pump is not battery backed up (but it's recommended we get one!) and we have a full sprinkler system.
5) One day we arrived at the house to this....
Yup, the hubs was officially freaking out lol...but of course, we emailed our PM (Did I mention how awesome he is?!?!) They were tying up the sewer and water connections...we didn't know that this happened after the framing was up, well it kinda don't; however, we have a lot of construction going on in our community and time didn't permit the guys to do it beforehand.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Last Saturday
The new things that we noticed on Saturday were:
- the island was in it's proper place,
- WE HAD ELECTRICITY,
- which also meant, we had heat (our thermostat was on and kicking - even though for some reason, there was no heat blowing through the vents on the first floor)
- our son's bathroom was finally complete - it had the full vanity and mirror!
- 2nd coat of paint
- Gutters were added to the outside
*Some pics are below*
***SN: Our PM said that the final trades (appliances, carpet, light fixtures, everything bathroom, etc.) were to begin on Monday, which was yesterday. Can't wait for the goodies that will await us tomorrow!!***
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| *Island* |
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| *Side View of Island* |
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| *Close up of the Island* |
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| *2nd Bath Full Vanity - don't know about that hole in the wall* |
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| *Our Electric Meter* |
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| *Thermostat on the wall...yes I'm excited...the Hubs has some cold nights ahead of him, he calls me the "human heater"* |
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| *Left view - gutters |
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| *Front view - gutter* |
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| *Sooo...like if you look to the bottom left of the pic, you will notice a port-o-potty has fell on its side. Can you say YUCK!!! AND ITS IN OUR YARD! Good thing it wasn't in a different position -_- |
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| *You see our gutters...can't wait til the hubs climb up that good ol' ladder* |
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| *AC Unit* |
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