Received word this morning that the house appraised for what I'm under contract to pay for it. With the loan lined up, now it's just a question of getting some title work done and setting a closing date. I could not possibly be more excited!
I'll post some details about the property itself in a future update.
So right about now is the time when those million little plans and projects that were waiting for the location finalization are about to leap up from the background and start demanding time and attention. Lots to organize.
But in the meantime, I'd better get packing. Looks like I'm moving in a couple weeks!
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
The end of property #1, the beginning of property #2...
Long overdue for an update, but things have been moving fast and I haven't had time. Important facts, in chronological order:
The original property fell through. I was not able to obtain a loan for it because of the home's condition. Just as well, because the more familiar I became with the property, the more problems seemed to crop up with said condition.
I am now once again in contract, but this time on a second property in the same area. It has the same amount of land, and some significant benefits as opposed to the last property. I already have a loan lined up, so the last hurdle with this one is the appraisal, which should be happening sometime this week.
I'll hold off on specifics until I know for sure whether or not this is the place I'll be living.
I absolutely cannot wait to move out of the "dealing with the nightmare real estate market" phase of this thing, and into the "actually doing something productive besides phone bankers and worry about appraisals" thing. Not my style at all...
The original property fell through. I was not able to obtain a loan for it because of the home's condition. Just as well, because the more familiar I became with the property, the more problems seemed to crop up with said condition.
I am now once again in contract, but this time on a second property in the same area. It has the same amount of land, and some significant benefits as opposed to the last property. I already have a loan lined up, so the last hurdle with this one is the appraisal, which should be happening sometime this week.
I'll hold off on specifics until I know for sure whether or not this is the place I'll be living.
I absolutely cannot wait to move out of the "dealing with the nightmare real estate market" phase of this thing, and into the "actually doing something productive besides phone bankers and worry about appraisals" thing. Not my style at all...
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Bank appraisal...
My bank did their appraisal today, so I should hopefully have a decent idea of when I can close/move in either tomorrow or Thursday... hoping I can get moved in by the end of October to avoid paying double rent in December.
My bank appears to be really moving along on my paperwork (at my request). It's so nice to have a bank working for me for a change, instead of waiting around endlessly on someone else's.
My bank appears to be really moving along on my paperwork (at my request). It's so nice to have a bank working for me for a change, instead of waiting around endlessly on someone else's.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Things are speeding up...
After so much time spent in the planning/waiting phase of this, we're finally starting to get some progress made.
My independent home inspection on the property is complete. There are a million small repairs that need to be made, and a few big ones... several bowed concrete walls in the basement, for example. But they are all repairable, and this property is still very much worth it to me.
Spent about 4 hours in and around the property with my father during the home inspection... planning, poking around, sitting by the lake. Even in it's current state, it's quite beautiful.
So now it's in my bank's hands... they need to write up my loan paperwork and do an appraisal. I've expressed to them on a number of occasions the urgency with which I'd like to proceed here, so hopefully they work faster than Wells Fargo did on the other end.
Went to the Springfield Antiques Extravaganza both days this weekend, and picked up a lot of mighty cool stuff, including an excellent condition flour mill ($25), a good condition high-wheel cultivator ($35), a cool old card catalog and some old pepsi crates to store seed in, and some other various practical items. I was supposed to venture out past Dayton to purchase a mint condition Delaval cream separator, but the deal fell through last minute, so I suppose I'm still in the market for one of those. I'm a ways off getting any goats or livestock anyhow, so I've got time.
Speaking of animals, the farm may come fully equipped with a delightful 14 y.o. beagle/basset mix named Noodles. The seller can't take her with him and she wouldn't live long at a shelter at her advanced age. She's friendly, mostly blind, and snores like a bastard, and I can't say no to dogs... hopefully I can help make the last of her life pleasing.
My independent home inspection on the property is complete. There are a million small repairs that need to be made, and a few big ones... several bowed concrete walls in the basement, for example. But they are all repairable, and this property is still very much worth it to me.
Spent about 4 hours in and around the property with my father during the home inspection... planning, poking around, sitting by the lake. Even in it's current state, it's quite beautiful.
So now it's in my bank's hands... they need to write up my loan paperwork and do an appraisal. I've expressed to them on a number of occasions the urgency with which I'd like to proceed here, so hopefully they work faster than Wells Fargo did on the other end.
Went to the Springfield Antiques Extravaganza both days this weekend, and picked up a lot of mighty cool stuff, including an excellent condition flour mill ($25), a good condition high-wheel cultivator ($35), a cool old card catalog and some old pepsi crates to store seed in, and some other various practical items. I was supposed to venture out past Dayton to purchase a mint condition Delaval cream separator, but the deal fell through last minute, so I suppose I'm still in the market for one of those. I'm a ways off getting any goats or livestock anyhow, so I've got time.
Speaking of animals, the farm may come fully equipped with a delightful 14 y.o. beagle/basset mix named Noodles. The seller can't take her with him and she wouldn't live long at a shelter at her advanced age. She's friendly, mostly blind, and snores like a bastard, and I can't say no to dogs... hopefully I can help make the last of her life pleasing.
Monday, September 14, 2009
bank accepts my offer...
after seven agonizing weeks of tack-sitting, patience-building, and generalized anxiety, i am much pleased to report that the seller's bank has finally accepted my offer on the farm property.
we do the home inspection tomorrow... hopefully they don't find any nasty or unmanageable surprises. fingers still crossed!
in related news, i finally got around to the part of Raintree Nursery's website where it talks about when is best to plant trees in which climate zone. looks like even if i can get the deed in-hand this month (which is unlikely), it's still too late to get trees in the ground before winter, as their root structure wouldn't have established itself sufficiently to protect them from the freeze.
which means that fall's only real outdoor projects will be staking out garden spaces, sheet mulching, and path-laying. this might also afford me some time to get going on a greenhouse, rabbit hutch, or chicken coop. then, once winter hits, i'll be stuck inside, renovating.
IF, that is, the inspection goes well tomorrow. one step at a time.
also hopefully getting a late 90's Nissan pickup tomorrow. my first truck! big day.
we do the home inspection tomorrow... hopefully they don't find any nasty or unmanageable surprises. fingers still crossed!
in related news, i finally got around to the part of Raintree Nursery's website where it talks about when is best to plant trees in which climate zone. looks like even if i can get the deed in-hand this month (which is unlikely), it's still too late to get trees in the ground before winter, as their root structure wouldn't have established itself sufficiently to protect them from the freeze.
which means that fall's only real outdoor projects will be staking out garden spaces, sheet mulching, and path-laying. this might also afford me some time to get going on a greenhouse, rabbit hutch, or chicken coop. then, once winter hits, i'll be stuck inside, renovating.
IF, that is, the inspection goes well tomorrow. one step at a time.
also hopefully getting a late 90's Nissan pickup tomorrow. my first truck! big day.
Friday, August 28, 2009
The Waiting Game...
It has now been a little over a month since i put in the offer on the potential homestead. Supposedly a negotiator at Wells Fargo (the seller's bank) has it in hand and under consideration, and they will (hopefully) be making their decision soon.
I spent most of last weekend furiously sketching out potential gardening arrangements on a diagram of the property, trying to figure out what goes where.
I missed a free 8'x8'x16' fiberglass greenhouse on Craigslist. drats!
Got my Lehman's grain mill in the mail, and i've got a refurbished Excalibur 9-tray dehydrator on the way.
Things i'm trying to plan ahead for now: buying trees/shrubs, hoarding massive amounts of cardboard for sheet mulching, getting a small pickup truck (Toyota, Nissan, or Isuzu... nothing American, sorry USA), getting a dog, setting up bee boxes, getting a trailer to park by the lake for guests/fun (i'll call it the "lake house"), repurposing part of the pole barn for use as a goat house, building a chicken coop and greenhouse, setting up a clothesline and outdoor shower, walling off the dirt floor area of the basement for use as a root cellar.... the list goes on indefinitely.
I have actually started making physical lists of tasks to be done, so as to better organize my efforts.
Fingers still crossed!
I spent most of last weekend furiously sketching out potential gardening arrangements on a diagram of the property, trying to figure out what goes where.
I missed a free 8'x8'x16' fiberglass greenhouse on Craigslist. drats!
Got my Lehman's grain mill in the mail, and i've got a refurbished Excalibur 9-tray dehydrator on the way.
Things i'm trying to plan ahead for now: buying trees/shrubs, hoarding massive amounts of cardboard for sheet mulching, getting a small pickup truck (Toyota, Nissan, or Isuzu... nothing American, sorry USA), getting a dog, setting up bee boxes, getting a trailer to park by the lake for guests/fun (i'll call it the "lake house"), repurposing part of the pole barn for use as a goat house, building a chicken coop and greenhouse, setting up a clothesline and outdoor shower, walling off the dirt floor area of the basement for use as a root cellar.... the list goes on indefinitely.
I have actually started making physical lists of tasks to be done, so as to better organize my efforts.
Fingers still crossed!
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Sitting on a tack...
Still waiting to hear back from the bank about my offer... the good news is that they're apparently only considering one offer at a time. Mine was in first, and I have had some small amount of communication with them, although nothing definite.
I've got a million small plans to set in motion once I have a better idea where I'll be living, and nothing that can be done on any of them until I know.
Fingers still crossed!
I've got a million small plans to set in motion once I have a better idea where I'll be living, and nothing that can be done on any of them until I know.
Fingers still crossed!
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