Tuesday, June 26, 2012

The Homeownership Continues: our little house with pictures!

Our kitchen!

THE GOOD NEWS


Well, we appear to still be signing things for the new house all the time, and we are waiting on some lawyer documents that I do not understand--thank god for Brian--but I think we can now safely say that we've bought a house. The inspection went pretty well, no doubt because we spent a little extra to get a well-reputed company to do it; they did find some minor things, like a missing hand rail to the basement, and a blocked laundry vent that needs vacuuming. 

THE NOT-SO-GOOD NEWS


They also found a leak in the bathtub drain that is apparently easy to fix. For those of you who recall our old apartment (the one we fled because the bathroom floor had melted under the tiles into a muddy cesspool of black mould), you can imagine the chill that went down my spine upon hearing this news. But we negotiated for repair fees, and all the men (Dad, Inspector, Brian) are in agreement that it's a quick fix, and no mould has begun. Hmm. I'll believe it when I see it fixed, properly, and after I buy my own mould detector. 

Mom inadvertently freaked me out his week by asking me if I was really confident in the inspector; in fact, her exact words were, 'Did he seem professional to you? Did you trust his skills?' Which are good questions to ask, of course, except that she had recommended the inspector, so I have no idea why she would ask me such a thing.

LEARNING TO LET GO


This entire experience has been a lesson in leaning on others. As I'd only joined in with Brian's house hunting a couple weeks ago, I didn't have the time to learn a whole lot about the house buying realm. Consequently, I am grateful that Brian has learned so much, and that my mother is a trained former mortgage broker. Still, it's a bit weird to turn on my internal elevator music and leave my financial wellbeing in the hands of others, no matter how close they are to me. There's strangers involved, too, of course: a mortgage broker, a realtor, a bank giving us this giant loan, an inspector, and a coven of strangers in the form of a condo association. 

I’m actually getting excited now about the whole house thing. I’m excited to be able to leave my windows open without being repeatedly wakened by the sound of 18-wheelers going down the highway. I am so eager to set up my new (smaller but nicer) art/writing/office room, and to have Brian set up in an office of his own so that his myriad school and business papers don’t keep getting left around the house; I’m starting to feel like I live with a humanoid magpie who’s trying to build a nest out of all these papers by plastering every surface of the house with them.

But if someone else wants to PACK for me, be my guest.

Okay, without further ado, here are a few photos to start!





8 comments:

  1. Heather - aka MkgDivaJune 26, 2012 at 8:13 PM

    Congratulations! I am so excited for you. It looks bright and clean and has a fireplace and a backyard - and a dishwasher - what more could a newlywed couple need? A place to call your own. It is truly a NEST.

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    1. Aw, thanks, Heather! That's so nice of you to say. We think it's pretty darn nesty, too!

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  2. wow! Those pics almost make me contemplate moving to Barhaven!
    Congrats guys. Enjoy your new home. It looks beautiful.

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    1. Ha, that's quite the compliment, Annie! We like the idea: come be our neighbour! ;)

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    2. Wow, I'm so happy for you both! bright and sunny with a back yard! Enjoy the journey!

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    3. Thanks kindly! We are pretty darn excited about the sun and the back yard! Our current place is always always dark. :S This should be refreshing.

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  3. This house looks perfect! So bright and cozy. You even have a nice yard. What an exciting, if stressful, time. I remember buying our first house still as one of our most important relationship solidifying experiences. They were happy days, settling in to our own home. Enjoy!

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    1. That's very encouraging, Tweepwife! Thank you for sharing. So far it's stressful but indeed, as you say, relationship-building, too! We're excited to get IN there now!

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