Let me begin by saying that I am a backwards person. In almost everything I do. And I blame it on the water connection in my childhood home. The hot water was ice cold and the cold water was boiling hot. I basically didn't stand a chance.
I also read magazines back to front. Who can be bothered by all the ads in the first umpteen pages? I want the meat of it in the back and middle. #so impatient
So it should come as no surprise to anyone that I will agonize for hours over the tiniest of decisions like what toe nail polish color I want to commit to for the next 9 days, but I will purchase a vehicle or home the same day I begin my search for it.
I viewed this home in person at 9:45am and had signed a contract on it by 3:30pm. I looked at it for maybe 8 minutes tops and I felt that was even too long. It felt like home. I wanted it. I had to have it. I was going for it.
My mom asked me all sorts of questions about the house, and I couldn't answer most of them. Was there a fridge? I have no idea. Was the stove gas or electric? No clue. How many ceiling fans? Didn't look. What about the sink? Um...I'm guessing they had one? Do appliances convey? Didn't even ask. I basically knew nothing more about the house by seeing it in person than I did seeing it on realtor.com. All I knew is I had looked at 3 homes that morning and I felt nothing for the first, was disgusted by the second, and like the story of Goldilocks, the 3rd option was juuuuuuuuust right.
I may not have been around in 1945, but this house knew I was in its future. It's small. It's charming. It's got the original hardwood floors and windows. And someone had already taken the screens off of the windows. It was meant to be. I hate screens. I want to open a window and see the outdoors without looking through wire mesh. Screens are the equivalent of a bra. Take 'em off and feel the instant relief.
Not only is the house adorable and just my style, but I can see my granny and grandpa's old backyard from this one. The house I can see is the house where my mom grew up and it was the backyard in which we had Easter egg hunts. I don't enjoy the sloppiness of my neighbor right next to me, but it's no problem a tall fence can't fix.
And when I say this house is "quaint", I mean it is small by American standards and a little large by European standards. It's all the space I need. When my truck sits in the driveway, the roof of it is taller than the lowest roof pitch on the front porch. Small home. Big truck. #lauraproblems
The purchasing process has been progressing very smoothly, with my lender remarking that I am an incredibly organized person. Well thank you. I try.
Having held a real estate license before though, I know it is not over until it is closed and funded. I will not exhale until that happens. We have made it through the inspection though, and the inspector said not only is the home in great shape for any home, but it's in amazing shape for a home built in 1945. Talk about music to a buyer's ears. The night before the inspection, I had a nightmare that it was going to need a new roof right away, the plumbing was leaking, the electrical was THIS close to catching on fire and the new ac ductwork was about to fall through the ceiling. I'm a worst case scenario thinker, so the fact that the inspection went so well and the inspector was so pleased with the craftsmanship of the home and the updates that had already taken place, has helped me remain calm.
I'm not at the point where I can purchase a home AND still have funds available for a bunch of repairs right away. This home purchase IS all my funds. It's a huge leap of faith, and conservative Laura is going to crap a brick if everything doesn't figure out how to fall into place. Thankfully, God protects the fool, and everything is unfolding as it should. I'm 29 and livin' on a prayer right now!
All in all, we are right on schedule for closing on the 27th of this month and it will be an amazing feeling when it's all put in my name. And this house is different than the Weinert St. house. That was a family home that I bought. Full of memories. And I still don't feel like I could just knock down a wall or do this or do that because sometimes I feel like it would alter the house too much from what it once was. This house though, I have no emotional ties to and can knock through any wall, replace any item, change up in any way, and it'll only get better.
I'm ready for closing and I'm ready to make the place even cuter. First step, clean. Second step, paint. Third step, bring the hardwood floors back to life. There are 34 days between the time I close on the house and the time I have to leave my New Braunfels apartment for me to do these 3 items, and I.AM.PUMPED.
I have the same excitement picking out paint colors, as I did as a 5 yr old waiting for Christmas morning. It's just magical.
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