Officially homeowners

[allycat0303]

Hey everyone,

Well since everyone was so helpful during my house buying process:

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/need-house-vibes-again.32787/

Just wanted to let everyone know that we closed yesturday!!!!! WE''RE HOMEOWNERS FOR THE FIRST TIME!! We have a deed, and a debt

. The debt probably isn''t a good thing, but I guess no one pays cash for a house right?

Last night, I was sick to my stomach, worried, having second thoughts, I think I asked my boyfriend 100 times if we bought too much house

, but this morning I''m SO relieved. We were half afriad the nice old man selling would decide at the last minute not to sign the papers (you never know) but it''s official. My boyfriend is moving in on Novemeber 27 th, and we''re going to live there after we are married (in a loooonnnng time) but still I''ll be over at his house a lot.

The only problem is going to be...choosing colors to paint. I hate that stuff. I''m going to take some samples of the ceramic counters and hardwood floors to the home depot and tell ask their home decorator to pick for me

And furniture....I''m thinking since it''s our temporary home (until I finish school) we don''t need furniture...I''m so happy. Just wanted to share the news.

 

[perry]

Have a great time in your new house. There is no rush to redecorate the whole thing. Take it a bit at a time.

Perry

 

[jcrow]

oh Ally- congratulations! it such a huge step. i am sure that your new house is wonderful! don''t stress; have a fun time decorating.

 

[Lorelei]

Many congrats Ally!!! As Perry says there is no need to rush the decoration process, our dream house cost us a lot - it was still a huge bargain and we have been here 4 years now and still haven''t finished the work. Best to go slow and easy and get it right and the way you want it. Our work is coming to an end now, just new windows needed and our bedroom wants redoing, but I have BIG PLANS for it! Have fun looking at paints and accessories and enjoy your new home

 

[kenny]

Congratulation!
Take your time.
Enjoy the process.

And remember when fixing up a house, do it for yourself and not for others.

 

[msb700]

yay!!! finally everything worked out ) this is wonderful news...enjoy every minute of decorating the place!!! its all urs and urs alone! (and ur fiance of course! )

 

[appletini]

Congratulations! You are going to love it!

 

[mrssalvo]

congrats..that''s wonderful

 

[AndyRosse]

Congrats!!

How about some pics?!

 

[MINE!!]

WOW.. just read your original post.. 5 bedroom starter house!!

WOw.. that would be my forever live in cause we could never go bigger house!!

Congratulations!!!

 

[AChiOAlumna]

ally...Congrats!

That "sick" feeling will go away quickly. We had the same feeling when we bought our first house and I think it has to do with the size of the loan....you''re right that people don''t pay cash outright for their houses, and really, you don''t want to...there''s too many benefits to NOT paying off your house!!!

CONGRATS AGAIN!!!

 

[VegasAngel]

Congrats! 5 bedrooms! wine cellar! Want to trade houses?

 

[Patty]

Congrats alleycat!

5 bedrooms and you say it's a STARTER home?!

 

[cnspotts]

Congratulations!!!! What a fantastic find for you guys! (Sorry about the man though, sad for him) What a dream of a first house, fully loaded with all that stuff you need to have especially if it''s cold and snowy there.

 

[MissAva]

Congrats!

 

[allycat0303]

Hey everyone!

Thanks for the well wishes. Yes I need to get some pics, but since the man is still living there, we didn''t want to intrude too much. The seller was a really sweet old man, and it was sad because he had that house built for his family (all the children are grown up and his wife just passed away after a long illness

.) But he said the reason he sold it to us (there were other offers) was because his wife''s doctors were so wonderful to her, that he liked the idea of a future doctor living there during her studies.

Yes it''s most definitely our starter home. In 4 years, we can loosen up the purse strings we''ve been ultra conservative with any and all spending to ensure I make it through school without any debt, it''s funny because our motgage broker said we were being way too conservative with this house. But I''m the kind of person that needs to have a huge amount of savings in the bank. I think it''s by-product of having parents that had to run away during the war.

Honestly, the house is much too big for a couple (but it''s got a lot of cool extras) so I think it will be a good resale.

We''re totally happy though, and excited. There''s something so wonderful about having your own home (and the thought of NEVER having to deal with a crazy landlord again.) I think that''s the best part!

Thanks again everyone!

 

[MINE!!]

allycat.. you are in Canada.. BC? Am I wrong?

 

[allycat0303]

MINE!

Yes, in Canada (in Montreal actually). Why do you ask? Are you from Canada too?

 

[Erin]

YEAH

 

[Mara]

Yep I agree, it will take you YEARS to decorate your house. We are going on our 2nd year in the house and it's still only halfway there. My girlfriend told me the same thing, 2-3 years for her house to be *done*. Oh and you think it's too big now? Just wait, in a few years it will seem 'just right' and then in a few more years 'too small'. Our house is 1850 sq feet and three levels and 2 years into it we feel like it's just the right amount of space. For us and a small dog. So funny.

Congrats, how fun....be prepared to see all your money float slowly out the door after buying your house...but at least you feel like it's going somewhere worthwhile. And property taxes? Fun stuff!

Oh and here's my two cents on paint colors. Go a little darker than you think you may want initially. We had our whole house painted a light taupe when we moved in, and it's too light for me. And it cost a pretty penny too. At first I liked it but now I wish we'd gone warmer. I saw a neighbors house recently that was a warmer taupe and I was sooo sad. Ours is very light, which is great in the summer when it looks really bright but in winter I wish it was 'warmer'. And don't be afraid to use color. It can really make or break the place. Our bedroom is a light blue and I love that room, it's so calming and soothing even in winter (when it seems colder in there due to the color). I want to paint our office a dark saddle green since all the furniture is mahogany'ish PB stuff. I have to get around to that soon.

Have fun!!! I love decorating, so I don't mind seeing money float out the door as long as it's fun and it's for your living space!

 

[Kaleigh]

Ally, that''s wonderful congrats!!!

 

[allycat0303]

Mara,

Funny thing about the dark paint, everyone is telling me that (I'm a bit worried because everything I've ever chosen color related has been a big problem).

Believe it or not, the man (because he knew he was selling the house) and the entire house (as in every single wall) in WHITE! All of it. It looks like a lab! And it just means I have to make more choices.

Actually anybody want to weigh in on color???

Maybe some input (this is the room I'm TOTALLY worried about).
Kitchen: White cabinets
Counter: Black granite with the green spots on it
Ceramic: Green to match the spots in the counter....

BUT what colour goes with green, white, and black? I can't paint the walls black...and green will it be too green with the ceramic? Actually if someone would just give me any sort of hint (as in purple, blue, yellow, brown) at least I could have a start.

 

[Mara]

I would do a taupe or sand for the kitchen. Our kitchen is the one room I think looks really fabulous. We did it in a light taupe (like the rest of the house) but it looks really 'together' with everything. Our cabinets are maple, counters are brown granite with black and cream spots, floors are tile ,and appliances are black. We accented with black wrought iron chairs for the island and tan cushions. So it's pretty black and various shades of tan with the warmth of the maple to break it up and the floors are a very very pale taupe tile.

I feel like most neutrals work great with alot of colors in a room, so I'd stay pretty neutral for your kitchen. I wouldn't do green or black as it sounds like there is enough green in there already and black is just not a pretty color for walls! I'd so a light taupe for a neutral. What is the floor? Can you tie something in with that? aka is it wood?

One other thing re: the whole house being white. You can do what I did which was know that I wanted at least some color on the walls but maybe not ready to committ to choosing colors for every room yet. I knew we wanted a blue master. So I chose the light taupe for the whole rest of the house knowing I could always change each room as time went on one by one as I came to decisions. But at least the whole house was not white or cream (our walls were all cream) and so sterile looking. Now later I realize I could have gone that little bit warmer and been fine with it too.

 

[bling*diva*]

~~Yay!! I''m so happy for you!!!! Congratulations!!!!!

 

[allycat0303]

Mara,

The floor (ceramic) is green. I found this pic which actually resembles are kitchen (cabinet and counter wise) to a tee, except a forest green ceramic on the floor. Are the walls in this pics sand? I just looked up taupe on an online dictionary and it said "brownish grey" I appreciate the heads up though, at least I know that it's doable, we were thinking of ripping out the ceramic and putting in new ceramic, but the problem starts up again...what color ceramic

. So I figure paint is less of a committement.
Yes, that's the word, sterile. I just want to do the kitchen and 1 of the living rooms so it looks a tiny bit more welcoming. Everything else can wait until I graduate

 

[bling*diva*]

~~That kitchen looks really nice! I love the style of it!!

 

[Mara]

that's a very clean and fresh looking kitchen!!

the color on the walls over near the french doors in that image is what i would call a light taupe, similar to what we have in our house. but that image seems to have a bit more of a pinky tone to it than ours does. our carpets are that color too though come next spring we are ripping out the carpet in our family room and dining room and putting in maple wood to match the cabinets, this carpet has GOT TO GO....the dog gets it sooo dirty.

but anyway over near the pantry door in that image it looks more 'sand' ...it could just be how the light is hitting it. or maybe it is a whole different color? hard to tell. light and how it comes in does have alot to do with how your paint looks too. ours looks warmer when the sun is streaming inside the house, but at night and in the winter when it is foggy or overcast, it has a very cool tint to it more like the french door look in that image.

 

[cutes814]

Ally, congrats on closing!!!! It''s so exciting to have your own place!

 

[allycat0303]

I''m too excited. I''m getting no work done. AND I HAVE TO STUDY! I asked the agent to send me a pic that was with the listing. Beats driving past the house all the time. It''s a bad pic, but I think you get the idea.

It''s got a lot of bedrooms but it''s a medium sized house. It''s not really my style from the exterior, but since it''s a termporary home, I compromised

 

[jcrow]

great house! i''d snap that up in a heartbeat! what a great find!