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Tag: buying a home

  • Tips & Perks to Buying a New Home #StartFreshBuyNew #CGC

    Tips & Perks to Buying a New Home #StartFreshBuyNew #CGC

    Thank you BHI for sponsoring my post today. Explore the benefits of a newly built home. Learn more here.

    I completely understand! After renting for 6 years, Mark and I were finally ready to buy our first home. We had spent a good portion of those 6 previous years jumping from one rental to another just to save a little money.  Moving became a breeze for us, but it was getting pretty tiring. One thing that kept our spirits up through it all was browsing homes. We’d drive by a house and think…gosh that looks nice, let’s go check it out. So although we weren’t serious yet on buying, we wanted to see different layouts, and get an idea of what we liked and didn’t like.

    Once we decided to buy, we had a pretty good idea of what we were looking for. Being on a budget we had to settle and compromise on a lot of our wish list, and buy an older home. Personally I loved our first home, but since it was built in the 40’s we ran into some unexpected surprises….like the time we decided to build a pantry and found termites eating away the support beams.

    One of the best things about buying a brand new home, is you won’t run into problems like termites, or broken pipes (a current issue we ran into) within the first 5-10 years of living there; and potentially longer!

    I think the next time we think about moving…and fingers crossed it’s not for awhile…I would really like to consider buying new, even building from the ground up.  That way we can personalize every aspect of the home. Instead of remodeling our guest bathroom into a master bathroom, and wondering where we can add a half bath back in for guests, we would be able to plan it that way from the beginning. I would no longer have to worry about working around support beams, because in a new home, we wouldn’t be taking down any walls.

    Instead of dreaming about a mudroom, and having a place to store the piles of shoes I would make sure our builder put in something like this….

    I know, I’m pretty easy to please.  But that’s just it. A new home makes everything just a little more simple. I could put my energies into more of the things I enjoy doing, like decorating, rather than the huge things that need doing like adding doors to bedrooms.

    Of course if you don’t feel comfortable asking to take pictures of your neighbors homes – or don’t want to take your children in and out of a myriad of homes – there’s so many places online to find just what you want as well. BHI has a fun website with more tips to becoming a homeowner, as well as an Inspiration Gallery that I enjoyed browsing through. They also have a handy cost calculator to help keep you in a budget, and an easy search of new homes in your area.

    Of course there is also Pinterest, that allows ample opportunity of browsing home designs.  Another website I recently came across, similar to pinterest, is HomeTalk.  So many ideas, you’re bound to find something you love that also fits your pocket book.

    Speaking of pocket books – new homes are also more energy efficient.  We’re still trying to figure out what sucked up our electricity this last winter. That bill is one I hope to never see repeated!  In a new home, your power will be easy to trace (we’re still wondering how the wall heaters are getting their power since the circuit breaker didn’t turn them off…), you’ll have brand new double paned windows, and heat and water sources that are built for energy efficiency. The savings there would be worth a new home!

    I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

  • We found a House

    When we decided it was time for a change, and made the decision to sell our home of 1 year, it was hard. For me, it was extremely emotional. We had spent 6 years moving around, renting where we could find the cheapest prices, and we had finally decided to settle our family down, in a home of our own, where we could paint the walls however we wanted.

    Packing up and moving a year later was not in the plans. Not even the slightest thought of that. But we did it. It happened. After being home owners, though, going back to renting has been extremely difficult. I am grateful, mind you that our landlord rented his house to us on such short notice, so we could move as a family. I’m grateful for a roof over our heads, that keeps us (mostly) warm at night.  I am grateful for a kitchen, with a stove and fridge to prepare yummy meals for my family.

    I am most grateful however, for my husband. That together we knew we wanted to find a home for us again. One that fit our lifestyle, and our kids. One that we could change from just a house, to a home.

    And after much searching, we finally found it. I was hoping to show you pictures this week of us moving into it. But it’s taking a little longer to close than we had hoped. That is not going to get me down though! It means instead of moving over our holiday break, we get to relax and enjoy family time.

    However, I do want to show you some pics of our almost new home.

    Sorry it’s not the greatest picture. It is pretty amazing though! I can’t wait to show you more pictures once we’ve moved in…hopefully before Christmas.
  • Protect Your Home {Guest Post}

    Protect Your Home {Guest Post}

    Protecting Your New Home

    Protecting your new home can be a process that
    has lots of aspects, especially protecting it from harm in times when losing it
    is not an obscure possibility but a very real danger. Hence having an idea of
    the different ways you may use in order to enhance the security of your new
    home should be of a high importance for every household.                                        

    Buying a home is probably the most precious and expensive
    purchase you have to make during your lifetime, so why not take into
    consideration the following ideas, which are a summary of the most common
    believes and practices that remained from the old-times until today and that
    meant to protect you from any bad fortune.

    The only
    shortcoming of these tips is that they can not be hold responsible for not
    paying the mortgage.

    Everyone who is on a quest for the perfect
    new house, but still has not found it, should take a note of the next advice,
    which says to send your favorite cat first in order for it to do the
    investigation of each new place and judging by its reaction, you will
    understand whether to buy it or no. If it leaves the house right away, then
    this means that the place does not have good vibes and luck, so it would be
    better to move on and find another one. But if your cat stays for some time,
    you can feel free to make an offer right on the spot.

    The other tradition can be useful for people who are having
    problems with selling their old home. They are advised to bury a figure of St.
    Joseph (symbolizing the carpenter, husband of Mary and early father of Jesus)
    in their yard. But avoid placing him facing the street since that will bring
    fortune to someone else.

    After you have chosen the right place and finished with
    removing your stuff by using the proper removal services which will definitely make
    the entire process less stressful, and you are ready to finally move in, you
    should look out for bread, rice and salt left by the previous owners for you.
    But if you can’t find any of these, you can assure your new luck in the new
    place by carrying them and a new broom with you the first time you enter the
    house. You shouldn’t take an old broom in a new home as that is considered a
    personification of everything negative from your old life. You can also
    sprinkle salt all over the house, including the door sills, for keeping the
    evil spirits away.

    The actual date of your removal is something that have to be
    considered carefully, according to the old practices, as you should never plan
    it for a day when the moon is waxing, or on Fridays, Saturdays or rainy days.
    It is good to know that Thursday is thought to be the best day to move in,
    according to the Indian traditions.

    Poking the fire is also meant for bringing luck even though
    today it’s harder to be done as most people have central heating systems. But one
    practice that you can remember is that when you leave the house you just moved
    in for the first time, you should do it through the same door you entered it or
    else you won’t settle in it.

    If a friend gives
    you knives as a present for your new home, do not accept them or at least give
    him/her a coin if you do not want your friendship to be over.

    There are many available traditional and
    non-traditional ways for bringing good luck in your living space or protect it
    from the bad one, so whether you will take these traditional practices
    seriously or not is totally up to you.

     

    Author Bio: Hello. I am Grace Bailey – a desperate housewife, dreamer and
    content writer. You can visit me and read more tips and ideas at http://www.cleanngone.co.uk/upholstery/upholstery_cleaning_london.html    . Stay tuned
    for more!

  • Is this home? A Theme Song for the blog

    Have I told you all about this house we’re living in?
    No?
    Well, I think I may have purposefully been avoiding it.
    See, when we first looked at this home, we loved it. It has a great layout, and lots of land.
    The problem was we looked at the home while it was still packed with a lifetime of stuff, that had been shut up in rooms untouched for years.
    When we moved in, we saw many many more problems than we expected.
     
    1. The foundation. It’s almost certain it is falling. I have a nice hill in the kitchen, and the front room slopes eastward.
    2. Walls. There are holes in the walls, from the old pot belly stoves, that were never closed up.
    Which brings us to the soot that covers every wall, from the pot belly stoves. Add to that the coal mine just a mile down the road, and we’ve got some black walls.
    3. The bathroom. Where do I start? From the toilet that grows mold daily, or the leaky bathtub with wood rot?
    4. You are so lucky this blog can’t send smells to you! Not that I would want to send this to you, but I’m pretty sure there’s something dead somewhere in this house. We just haven’t found it yet.
     
    We have a Beauty and the Beast Broadway music CD, and it’s often one we listen to with the kids. Shortly after our move, we had the CD playing and Belle’s song “Home” came on. Wow. I thought she must be singing about me! I laugh now, but that first week, I very much wanted to cry listening to this song. I think it has a great message though, for anyone going through a hard time, moving away from where they consider Home is.
    Remember,  Home is where your Heart is. You can make where ever you live Home, especially when you put your Heart into it.
     
    With that, enjoy “Home” sung by Susan Egan (Belle on Broadway)
     
  • Our new Home

    Our new Home

    I’m back! I hope I didn’t lose too many of you in this week of absence. I tried to have enough guest posts to keep you all entertained, and hanging around.  What I wasn’t expecting was for our internet to take so long to get set up. We’ve moved a lot in our married life, and we’ve never had such troubles.  I’ll talk more about that later though. For now I just want to share a picture or two of our new home with you.

    Cute home huh?  I actually really love it. The problem we are having is that it hasn’t been taken care of very well. So for now we’re renting. We’re actually heading out tonight to check out some more homes around town.

  • Ec-o-nom-ics by Kersten L. Kelly {Book Review}

    Ec-o-nom-ics:
    A simple twist on normalcy
    By Kersten L. Kelly
     
    About the Book: Professional football players, corporate tobacco advertisers, volatile gasoline prices, and the Cold War all share an undetected commonality each is an intrinsic part of economics. Though not obvious to the naked eye, each entity shares a pattern with the others. This book helps to shed light on these mutual characteristics. It is an extensive compilation of theories interpreted using supportive examples. Economics is an enthralling science that encompasses our actions, thoughts, and emotional rationality every day in the unconscious. This book dissects economic theory into bite-size, entertaining snippets that anyone can understand and apply to their routines. It is a compelling depiction of history, pop culture, and social movements intertwined with relevant economic trends. Economics is part of daily life, and this book challenges readers to question how and why people make decisions by adding a simple twist on normalcy.

     

     

    About the Author: 

    Kersten L. Kelly is a self-published author of narrative non-fiction and semi-fiction books. She grew up in Munster, Indiana, and currently works in a sales role based out of Chicago, Illinois. She started writing at an early age and graduated from Indiana University with a dual Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Communication & Culture. She then went on to earn a Master’s in Business Administration from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. She has a passion for learning, teaching, and writing as well as international travel in her spare time. This book is her first piece of published work.

     
    My Thoughts:
    This is a book worth reading. Although at first I couldn’t relate very well to the examples (football games and cigarette marketing), eventually there were some situations discussed I could relate to. That’s what ec-o-nom-ics is all about. Setting out real life examples to help everyone understand the theory of economics.
    I think at this time in our country it is very important for us all to understand how the economy works. We’re always hearing how the economy is bad, but how many of us truly understand what that means, and how we can make it better?  Kersten helped me see the theory of economics in my daily life.  I remember taking economics in college, and having everyone tell me good luck; as if economics was the class of everyone dreaded taking, but had to, because they didn’t understand it. I went in to that class worried it would be tough. It turned out to be one of my more enjoyable classes, because I actually understood it. Sadly, after that class I didn’t continue to pursue learning about economics. I was really glad to be able to read Ec-o-nom-ics.
    I really enjoyed the last chapter “Why Does Comparing 3 Goods Change Perspective?”.  Just after reading this chapter, Mark and I drove down to find a house near his new job (yay, he got a job!).  While Mark was in the area interviewing, he found a house he fell in love with. So of course I had to check it out, and I wanted some perspective with other homes in the area. We got a realtor to show us some homes within our parameters.  We saw 2 that “fit us”. After this realtor took us around (who by the way looked and sounded just like Don Knots!!), Mark took me out to the home he had found. It was a sold by owner home.  Here is a little set up I did, with comparisons similar to what Kersten shows in her book.

      House 1 House 2 House 3
    sq feet 4000 + 2000+ 2000+
    Price 115000 120000 120000
    Parking On Street 1 car garage 3 car garage

     

     
    We went with house 3. Why? Well the parking was a big deal. House 1 had absolutely no where to park. So even though the square footage was amazing for the price, we really needed a place to park. House 2 had some parking, but for the same amount we were able to get triple the parking! 
     
    To learn more about the book you can visit the website http://theeconomicsbook.com/
     

  • Home Buying Tips

    I love that Social Mom’s Writing Prompt today was Home Buying Tips!  I’d love to share a bit more of our journey in purchasing our first home.  The struggles we had to go through, and the walls we hit.  If you are new to the blog, let me start by saying, we just bought our first home last week!!!  It’s been such a fun, exhausting, and sometimes exasperating experience.
    Where do you start?  
    For us, we started looking at homes when we were first married.  We’d periodically get the idea in our head to buy a home, look at some, and then decide we should wait.  We’ve been married almost 6 years now, so it’s been a long time coming.  We also watched HGTV’s home buying shows on a very regular basis.  By the time we were truly ready to buy, we knew exactly what we liked and didn’t like, what we wanted and what we could do without.
    The Realtor
    Finding a good realtor is very important and can really make the difference in finding the home for you.  When we started out, we didn’t shop for a realtor. We called one, she showed us a house, and we just stuck with her.  I didn’t like her, I just didn’t feel comfortable around her, and it made for some unpleasant house hunting on my part.  We had already signed a contract with her though, so we had to use her.  However, once her contract was up, we started calling other realtors.  We found one we both liked, and it was amazing! We had looked for 6 months (6 months!!!) with the other realtor.  In one day with the new realtor we had found a home we both liked (it’s seriously my dream home!), and had an offer in on day 2 with him.  It was such a great house that there were a couple offers on it, but by Friday we were in the #1 spot.  
    Deadlines
    Make sure you meet all deadlines.  Buying house involves a lot more than I had realized.  I didn’t know about inspections, lead base paint tests, and appraisals.  I really thought you just showed your loan approval and got a yes or no.  If you don’t meet deadlines, you risk losing your house to another buyer.  That is exactly what happened with the house we got.  They had a previous buyer, but deadlines were not being met, so the sellers put their home back on the market, and we got it.  I feel a little bad for the other people, but not too bad, since the home is now mine 🙂
    Mortgage Company
    Shop around.  We didn’t at first.  We were going with a lady who our first realtor had recommended.  She was nice, we were going to use her, but we didn’t.  First off, the sellers preferred we use a company our current realtor worked with.  So that pretty much made up our mind.  But before going with them, we checked out a couple more companies.  The hubby is a teacher and one company was offering a $200 gift card to teachers who used them.  It was tempting, and we almost went with them.  Then we looked at the company our realtor uses.  Not only did she save us $50/month then the other company, she also said she’d give us the $200 the other company was offering.  SCORE!  Thanks to her kindness we were able to purchase a refrigerator without adding more debt onto our budget
    “Shopping” with Kids
    We took our kids to every house we looked at. We have three kids, 4, 3 and almost 1.  Was it a hassle, yes. Were there times we wanted to leave the kids, yes.  So why did we keep taking them with us? The home isn’t just for the hubby and I.  It’s for our kids. A place for them to grow in love and safety.  We wanted them to like it just as much as we did.  Our 3yo loved every house.  The 4yo though, she had some fun comments “I want this one”, “this room is mine!” And my favorite in response to me asking if she liked this house “uh, yeah!”.  Really child, you’re only 4, no need for attitude yet.  If you can, I strongly suggest bringing the kids with you.  Let them have a say in where you live.  Just be respectful of homes that still have people living in them.  For those homes, we usually went in one at a time, while the other parent sat with the kids. 
    Last but not least – Have fun!  Enjoy the time, don’t settle for something you don’t like, just to get into a home. You don’t have to buy at the top of your budget, there are lots of decent homes you can get cheaper and save yourself some money.  
  • We’re Moving!!!

    We’re Moving!!!

    I really had doubts that this would ever happen!  But it is!  We are moving into our first official home this week!  We’ve got lots to do, and not a lot of time, but I believe it will all go smoothly.  Here’s my checklist – 
    Tuesday – sign papers, officially close
    Wednesday – get keys between 3-5pm.  Start moving the storage unit. 7pm Dad’s coming to help move large items from the storage unit.
    Thursday – Finish off storage unit (really, why pay another month if we don’t have to?)
    Friday – Start painting the kids rooms.  We’ll paint the rest of the house as we live there and figure out our style
    Saturday – Finish painting, start removing mice infested shelving in cold storage room
    First full week in April is Spring Break (Mark is a school teacher, so yay!). We will move the rest of our stuff, and spend time unpacking and enjoying the new home.  I’ll get out in the garden that week if the weather is nice, and see what kind of good stuff is growing, and what I want to plant.  I’m open to suggestions for a first time gardener!


    Here’s a teaser of what will be Princess V’s room

    Way too much color for me.  It will probably end up all pink, or all purple. We’re letting Princess V choose.


    And just a reminder, Friday is April 1st.  That means our Big Moving Event will be kicking off.  We’ve got at least 5 giveaways (may end up with 1 or 2 more).  So make sure you come back for your chance to win!