Bought A House!

[nc211]

Well fella's, I've joined the ranks of the American dream come true, finally! The wife and I have purchased our 1st house; 1st house as a married couple, 1st house in general for either one of us. Been one hell of a summer, I gotta tell ya'. I've never had a more impactful 120 days in my entire life, and all for the good. Got married, circled globe, landed dream job which happened to be here in my home town, toured Southern California, finally killed the wobble issue, and now, bought a dream house. Time for ole' NC211 to sit his butt back down in the shade and let the dust settle for a bit.

Anywho, off my soap box... Ricky Bobby done' got him a gerage! And Ralph, the Air Hammer is coming out!! The wife gets the house, I get the garage! 20' wide, 24' deep. Puppy's gonna have cable tv, mini fridge, custom workbench...and Tool Time Babe Calendar! Finally, do I not have to change my oil on a steep inclined driveway, outside for the whole world to see. No more getting rained on right in the middle of doing something, and no more snotty looks from the soccer moms driving by a Lexus on blocks, with brake parts streaming out all over the place.. Yes sir', I'm a home owner... Well, I will be officially on Oct. 10th @ 3:00pm. The mortgage paperwork is complete, closing package already ordered. Home inspection complete, minor wood rott on base of cornerboards, which owner is fixing. Nothing left to do but wait and dream about moving day. My best friend is a residential mortgage banker, and hoooooked me up! Got 6.125% fixed for 30 years, 0 points, 0 origination fees and 0 PMI on an 85% LTV. Just pay the inspector, appraiser and attorney..that's it. Funny thing is, owning this house costs about the same as renting the one I've been in for the past 3+ years. Which was built in 1973, and the owner hasn't done crap to maintain it. This new one was built in 1999, is 2,100 SqFt, fiber-cement siding "no vinyl, no rotting ever", big deck, large community pool, tennis courts and park, even has a whirlpool tub in master bedroom...for some relaxation time ;) . Sits on just a tick over a 1/4 acre. Large enough for some space, small enough to not take all day to mow. And the best part for me? My drive to work now is a 10 minute BLAST down a peaceful, scerene lake setting country road to Chapel Hill. No more traffic jams. The wife on the other hand...well..she's gonna quit her job soon anyway..

So, be prepared for many more questions from me that start like "Oh crap, how do I put this thing back together?" and "What the hell do these two extra screws go to?"

Here's an older picture of the house from the county records, back in 1999 when it was built. Looks pretty much the same, just a tan color now, and with trees in the front yard.

In the words of some rapper...."Oh , there goes the neighborhood!" Ricky Bobby has arrived.

[Rx330driver]

its hard to imagine houses in the country that are not in the busy streets of a big city. I would love the space though. Me? im sitting here in my home side by side with another house. That means no windows on the north and south side of my house :( anywhoo, congrats!

btw, how much does an average house like that run for now adays? (not yours specifically, i dont want to pry ;)

[blake918]

Very nice, Rob!! Congrats!

[dcfish]

Nc, Congrats on the new house Welcome to the american dream. ;)

[nc211]

Thanks fellas! We're super excited! I turn 33 in 2 weeks, so I figured it was about time to take the leap. I'm sure I'll be sweating bullets when it comes time to sign those papers, but none the less, it's time. The house is 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 bath with a large finished room over the garage. Went by it tonight on my way home to check out a couple spots on the wood trim...didn't want to leave. Drove around the neighborhood and must have waved back to at least a dozen people walking around. The owner is the original owner, and is building a new house on the other side of town. They're expecting their 1st baby any day now. He was so happy with this one, that he hired the same company to build his new one, which makes me feel really good. We looked, and looked, and looked, and looked. Around here, it's either way out in the country, or run down, or poorly built, or way too expensive. This one was on the market 2 days when we saw it. As we were looking at it, two other cars drove by and pulled fliers. We made the offer on the spot, for full price. Good thing too because three other offers came in the following morning for the same thing. To off-set the full price, I bumped up the contingency limit for damages handled by the seller. Which is why all the wood trim is being replaced by them. RX330, around here, the typical price ranges around $125-$145 per square foot. We got a sweet honey of a deal on this one. They had it priced too low. I was skeptical that something was wrong, but I had the house inspected from top to bottom, radon, hvac, roof, soil, foundation, materials, you name it...passed every inspection with flying colors! Not to stereotype anyone with my next comment at all, infact please take it as a compliment: The owners endorsed the oriental practice of taking off shoes when entering, and you can tell they took great pride in their home. It was spotless, and showed absolutly no wear and tear on the inside. Even the carpet looks and feels brand new. Very nice people too!

Anyway, thanks for the nice comments amigos!! I can't remember the last time I was this excited about something. Feel like I'm 10 years old again on Christmas Eve.... Time can't fly by fast enough right now!

[Rx330driver]

The owners are oriental

lol, thats not quite politically correct :P

[indiasfinest]

conrats nc, its a beautiful house i must say

[nc211]

yeah...i re-read it and i agree... i'll take it out. i was just saying that they obvioulsy took their shoes off when entering the house. no scuf marks or worn sections in the carpet. house was spotless, beyond just a good cleaning... ;)

[SW03ES]

Congratulations! Should have done it sooner!

When you say the payments are about the same as you were paying in rent, have you already factored in the tax savings? If not, you're now SAVING money. Thats a teriffic loan BTW.

As far as the price, the market isn't what it once was. They priced it the way they did because they didn't want to wait around and it put them in the driver's seat. Don't worry about it and just enjoy the good deal you got.

Homeownership is a beautiful thing. The absolute best part of my job is helping people buy their first homes, there really is nothing like it.

PS- There's nothing wrong with saying taking shoes off before entering is an oriental custom...thats what it is. ;)

[Rx330driver]

actually i was referring to the "oriental" part. were not suppose to use that word anymore. but yeah, as long as people know that your not a racist. ;)

[amf1932]

Confucius say: Good luck.......and the first thing you should do is to decorate the garage. LOL

[lenore]

congratulations. Nice spread, and dont ever be politically correct, remember borders, language and culture are the only real means to saving the greatness of our nation. If we tear those down we will cease to be the Great American Dream. I really am jealous, Your yard is very pretty with the trees in the back. My oldest grand baby was born in Jacksonville NC and I loved the people there, very friendly and down to earth with true warmth and genuine personalities. I just dont care for the humidity. And my wife wont go,but visiting is another thing. Set your garage up and make sure everything is secure, deadbolt any outside doors to the garage. My first house in San Jose I was ripped off of many hard earned tools one day. Been careful ever since. Good luck to you and the little woman and enjoy your garage and I am sure a list of honey do projects in the future.

[Rx330driver]

dont ever be politically correct, remember borders, language and culture are the only real means to saving the greatness of our nation. If we tear those down we will cease to be the Great American Dream.

not to pick at a scab, but how can you tell people to not me PC. Thats like saying, "lets all be racists" the word oriental has nothing to do with the great american dream, i find no connection. Its a way of respecting another culture. So when you say lets not be PC, thats pretty up. lol. I tried to say that as nice as possible. sorry if it came off as a little bit fired up. bad day at word :P

[denslexusgx470]

Nice and Congrats! geez $125-145 a sq ft? wow. Havent seen those kinds of home prices around here and definitely the market here in Fresno officialy flattened. No such term as a "low ball" offer to the many new agents that just entered real estate at the wrong time.

A typical price of a house here: my dads listing (that finally got into escrow) started at only $180 per sq ft , not a single offer. Got an offer when the price went down to $164 per sq ft. Really expensive here! :chairshot:

[Rx330driver]

frisco is worse. its probably one of the most expensive places to find a home. my mother bought herself a little condo, 2 bedroom 2 bath for a little under 300,000 6-7 years ago. now its worth over 700K. unbelievable. shoudla bought like 10 houses back in the 70s. would be rich now...

[SKperformance]

Nice move. If you didn't have a house/garage where the hell where your doing the work before?

What is that like a 40 foot tall garage? Looks perfect for a hoist and an air compressor. :)

Yu dun good dhr buy !

I only knew of growing up in England where no one removed their shoes. In Canada i don;t know of anywhere but businesses where you can get past 2 feet from the door with shoes.

[RX in NC]

Congrats and enjoy the process. Get ready to spend much more of your time at Lowe's and Home Depot and much less of it under the hood of your LS. Whatever you've budgeted for long-range home improvement projects, be prepared to at least double it once your new wife discovers HGTV (if she hasn't already). If we're unfortunate enough to experience another terrorist attack in the U.S., I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will take place at HGTV's corporate headquarters and wipe them off the face of the planet....

I'm in northwest Raleigh. If your new morning commute to Chapel Hill will only be 10 minutes, I'm guessing that your new home may be west of Morrisville or perhaps in southwest Durham. Or it might be south of Chapel Hill down towards Bynum and Chatham County. So where is it?

[lenore]

dont ever be politically correct, remember borders, language and culture are the only real means to saving the greatness of our nation. If we tear those down we will cease to be the Great American Dream.

not to pick at a scab, but how can you tell people to not me PC. Thats like saying, "lets all be racists" the word oriental has nothing to do with the great american dream, i find no connection. Its a way of respecting another culture. So when you say lets not be PC, thats pretty up. lol. I tried to say that as nice as possible. sorry if it came off as a little bit fired up. bad day at word :P

PC makes me sick, why cant we say what we want when we want as long as it doesnt endanger others. If we werent so PC we wouldnt be joustling little old ladies at the airport for security or little children. Lets do the job right and racial profile if necessary. The terrorist were not white European men on those flights. Our whole nation is falling to the sensitiveties of a few. If we just treated everybody with respect and didnt catorgize people we wouldnt have to be so PC. that my two cents.

[RFeldes]

Congratulations Rob..well deserved. Poor neighbors though...when "Hamma Time" comes..lol. And they thought a band practicing in the garage was bad........HAha..again, I am happy for you and your last 120 days of cloud nine..many more to ya Buddy....

[lenore]

Hey dont forget to install some nice flourecent lights if they are not there. Makes garage a better place when you work on your car at 3AM. Oboy, help the neighbors.

[nc211]

Thanks fellas! I'm finding that I have to take an asprin at night to help me sleep, otherwise I end up counting the dots on the ceiling, thinking about what I want to do with the new house.

Swo, I agree, got a great deal on the mortgage, and it was on stated income, none of that tax information and all of the paperwork was required, just the basic 1004 filled out over the phone. Took 10 minutes.. My buddy know's his stuff, that's for sure. There is soooo much money out there chasing around willing borrowers, it makes it a borrower's market for the most part. I haven't included the tax deduction yet on the interest payments, but you're right! And that will come in very handy now since I got a nice pay raise with the new job. Anything "legally" to help off-set the income taxes is a huge benefit.

SK, I would love to install a hoist in the garage! But it's actually not tall enough inside, the bonus room is right above it with access via the upstairs hallway. But you can bet, it's going to have all the other creature comforts. I'm thinking about building a breathable box lined with some sound deadening material for my craftsman air compressor. That thing is loud as hell when it kicks on. I've attached two pictures of the house I'm in now. That's my old Maxima in the driveway. You can see the sloping driveway...some sketchy moments with the Lexus jacked up once or twice on that slope, that's for sure. Took these when I first looked at the house back in 2003. Landlord neglected this house pretty badly. I fixed it up for a cut on the rent.

You guys out in California must get paid pretty darn well to afford the housing costs out there! Granted my employer's home office is in one of the top 3 most expensive places to live in the country "Newport Beach", but some of those prices out there are riduclous! Townhouses with 2,500 SqFt going for $1million+. Geezzz, that's some expensive real estate. I hear NYC goes for $750 a SqFt in general...now that's almost criminal. But their market is showing signs of stagnation, and apartments are sitting on the market for quite a while now. SWO, our statistics show the same happening in the N. Virginia area, outside of DC, showing signs of slowing down a bit too.

RX, we're in APEX! We looked and looked and looked in that part of town for a few months. Hollysprings was just too far for either one of us to commute everyday. We nearly made an offer on one in Apex a few weeks ago, but I had a little voice in my head that said "I-540". Sure enough, I pulled the plans for the highway expansion, and found out it's planned to go right through the woods in the backyard! So we passed. We're north of US1 & 64, and just east of 55. We're basically right outside of Cary, on the back side. My commute is a hop across 55, down to Country Highway 751, and straight up around Jordon Lake into Chapel Hill. Total of 18 miles. We looked at a house out towards your way, off of Creedmore Road, north of 540. It was pretty nice, had over an acre of land with about 1,750 SqFt. House needed some repairs "water rot on siding, gutters, etc.." It was a bit too small, but had plenty of room to grow. But we missed it by a few hours. Someone else put in an offer and it was accepted. I love that area up there. Minus a few exceptions, all houses up there are required to have at least 1 acre +/- .01. That area feeds into the water table for the city, so they don't want mass development there. That's why there are plenty of $1mill+ estate homes built up there now.

[RX in NC]

Yeah, we've been in this house since 1994 and we've still been able to remain somewhat rural even though we're only five minutes west of Highway 50 (Creedmoor Road) and less than two minutes south of Highway 98 (Durham Highway). We've got about two acres of wooded terrain and it is unlikely that anything will be built beside us or behind us for a long time to come because of creeks, streams, and the very protected watershed here. We're very fortunate in that regard.

We almost moved to the Apex area in the late 1980s but it would have been a little too much of a commute for both of us at that time. Apex was still a very small town then, no more than a couple thousand people in the so-called city limits. Man, has that changed now. It's a booming area and I have a number of friends who live in and around Apex.

You'll enjoy driving 751. I loved that tree-lined, farm-encrusted, old country road when I first discovered it driving my Alfa Romeo Quadrifoglio that I had as a toy back in the 1980s and I still enjoy driving 751 today although development has certainly changed some of the "country" appeal that it had twenty years ago.

Good luck with the move and enjoy the experience....

[LEXIRX330]

CONGRATS ON THE NEW HOME!!!

[denslexusgx470]

nc211, is there an HOA fee by any chance? You did mention a community pool, and if u do have an HOA fee, does that include lawn mowing the front lawn?

[nc211]

Congratulations Rob..well deserved. Poor neighbors though...when "Hamma Time" comes..lol. And they thought a band practicing in the garage was bad........HAha..again, I am happy for you and your last 120 days of cloud nine..many more to ya Buddy....

Hamma gonna hurt 'em! Hahaha... Glad to see Jaws on Paws is still kickin'! We're going to do some deck work in the spring, which means I have finally found a use for the phnumatic air hammer!! Pretty sad really when you need a mortgage just to find an excuse to use one of your phnumatic tools. Hahahaa....

dens... yeah man, $35 a month for dues. But it does not include the front lawns, unfortunately. It takes care of all the common areas, curb appeals, pool, club house and park areas. It's a pretty big pool, that's for sure. But, we'll see what happens after I get on "infiltrate" the finance committee and see the budget. One thing I am already going to propose is for edging of grass along sidewalks. Some folks need to clean up a bit in that department. You know what they say; the nicer your neighbor's house looks, the more valuable your house becomes.