Author Topic: All of the Sudden I'm buying my First House (Read 10413 times)

AtomSmasher · « **on:** August 06, 2006, 03:30:00 am »

At 2pm yesterday, not only was I not planning on buying a house, but I wasn't even looking to buy one, but today I signed the sales contract to a new house which is expected to close on Aug. 31, less then 4 weeks away. Needless to say the past 24 hours have been a little crazy.

Heres the short version of the story. I was buying a new house, but the construction had been delayed over a year, with no one knowing when the city would issue permits to allow them to build it, I had given up hope that it would ever be built. Yesterday I got a call that the buyer of one of the last houses that had gotten permits in the neighborhood pulled out at the last minute. Since the builder didn't want an empty house sitting around, they slashed the price and paid off Countrywide to lower their interest rates.

This new house is 100 sq.ft. bigger then my previous house, is on a nicer lot, and had similar upgrades. The amazing thing is that it was priced virtually the same price as the house I picked out a year ago. Needless to say I couldn't pass up on this deal and agreed to buy it pretty much on the spot. Today I signed the sales contract and escrow is supposed to close on Aug. 31, less then four weeks from now. Its amazing how fast this is going, my head is still spinning.

As I mentioned, the builder is paying off Countrywide to lower their rates, so its a 100% loan with stated income and I'm getting 6% interest rate on both the 80% and the 20% which is amazing. Basically I'm buying a nicer house then I originally planned and my payments are going to be lower. Not only that, but that same model house is selling on the market for $25000 more then what I'm paying for it, so I'll already have a good amount of equity built up.

If you can't tell, I'm a little exciting about this and still can't believe how fast this happened. Heres a few picture because I just want to show it off

Behind that orange fence they're building a park, and those hills in the background are supposed to be built into a golf course sometime in the next few years.

Heres the floorplan if your curious: http://www.atomic-train.com/images/My%20House/floorplan.gif

Ninten-doh · « **Reply #1 on:** August 06, 2006, 11:06:12 am »

Congrats! That's exciting news.

J_K_M_A_N · « **Reply #2 on:** August 06, 2006, 01:19:03 pm »

Is that Arizona? My wife wants to move there.

Looks nice. I would recommend getting a fridge though. It is easier to keep food cold.

J_K_M_A_N

TOK · « **Reply #3 on:** August 06, 2006, 01:30:52 pm »

Beautiful place, congratulations! I rented for almost 10 years thinking I'd have trouble swinging a mortgage. Once I got in a house and got my money actually working for me, it was the greatest feeling of satisfaction I'd ever had.

I'm into dirt bikes, so if I was in your location, I'd be doing anything I could to slow down the building of the golf course and park!

RTSDaddy2 · « **Reply #4 on:** August 06, 2006, 02:00:13 pm »

Congratulations! Beauty, and it sounds like you really got it at a steal. I sympathize with you on all the excitement, though - it's been 9 years since we bought the house we're in, and I still remember the adrenaline rush I got taking in that earnest money, signing papers, etc. Enjoy it!

AtomSmasher · « **Reply #5 on:** August 06, 2006, 02:36:50 pm »

Quote from: J_K_M_A_N on August 06, 2006, 01:19:03 pm

Is that Arizona? My wife wants to move there.

Its california actually, its in the city of Palmdale which probably has a similar climate to Arizona, but its only about an hour from Los Angeles.

Since I'll have so much extra space in this new house, I can dedicate one of the bedrooms to be a gameroom

I need to get to work on a few more cabinets to fill it up

mrhowell · « **Reply #6 on:** August 06, 2006, 02:48:31 pm »

Congrats. The only thing to look out for is a Homeowners association. Don't join it if possible. I was in one for 6 years. $95 a month. Good luck with gameroom.

grantspain · « **Reply #7 on:** August 06, 2006, 06:19:17 pm »

looks like where i live in spain,lovely house btw

shardian · « **Reply #8 on:** August 07, 2006, 10:04:40 am »

You are required to join a homeowners association if your neighborhood has one. They will put a lein on your mortgage if you don't pay your dues. If the leaders of the association care about the neighborhood, it can be a very good thing. My mother-in-law lives in a subdivision where they disbanded their homeowners association because they didn't want to pay their dues. Now their roads have fallen apart and there is no fund to pay for the repairs, and noone willing to foot the bill.

If you don't like paying $95 a month, go to the president and ask for a statement of how the money is being spent. They are legally obligated to give you a report of every penny. Our association hands out a year end report at the new elections every year. Also note that the homeowners are the ones who elect their officials and pay their dues. If you want lower dues, show up to the meetings and say so.

There were only about 15 homeowners out of the 78 total that showed up at our meeting. The ones that don't show up are the ones that ---smurfette--- the most.

shardian · « **Reply #9 on:** August 07, 2006, 10:06:08 am »

BTW, congrats on the home purchase! I also got my house for about $25k below fair market value.
Desparate people rule!

AtomSmasher · « **Reply #10 on:** August 07, 2006, 10:23:36 am »

Ya, I'm required to join the HOA, I'm not sure what the dues are, but they're probably around $100/mo. Theres a lot of places in palmdale where the neighborhood has gone to crap so I think an HOA will probably be a good thing.

shardian · « **Reply #11 on:** August 07, 2006, 10:49:38 am »

I understand that real-estate is more expensive out where you live in the west, but I really don't see why your HOA would be $100/month. In Arizona, what kind of upkeep costs could you have in a subdivison? Here in WV, we are on hills, so we deal with natural creep and slide damage to roads. Drainage is an issue, so a major chunk of the fund goes to maintaining our drain system. Also, we have a fairly harsh winter, so our HOA pays for a salt and shovel truck (which is outrageously overpriced).
All I can say is get involved with the HOA

BTW, our HOA YEARLY dues were just raised to a whopping $300.

I would be highly pissed if they were $1200 a year.

reason #1274329 I like living in West Virginia.

AtomSmasher · « **Reply #12 on:** August 07, 2006, 12:16:46 pm »

Quote from: shardian on August 07, 2006, 10:49:38 am

I understand that real-estate is more expensive out where you live in the west, but I really don't see why your HOA would be $100/month. In Arizona, what kind of upkeep costs could you have in a subdivison? Here in WV, we are on hills, so we deal with natural creep and slide damage to roads. Drainage is an issue, so a major chunk of the fund goes to maintaining our drain system. Also, we have a fairly harsh winter, so our HOA pays for a salt and shovel truck (which is outrageously overpriced).
All I can say is get involved with the HOA

Well, I live in California, not Arizona, if that makes a difference to you. But the house is being built in an entirely new community which has 3 large parks (at least one of which has a baseball field) and a security partrol, plus it actually is built on a hillside, my house is on the bottom of the hill and you really can't see that from the picture. I think the HOA is also responsible for building the some of the roads, many of which are still being built or widened, so the HOA will probably go down once everything is finished.

I will take your guys advice though and get involved in the HOA to see where my money is going.

shardian · « **Reply #13 on:** August 07, 2006, 01:17:59 pm »

...hehe..you consider that a hill..

Either way, it sounds really nice. If the parks are inlcuded in your subdivision and not built by the city, then yes it should effect the HOA rates. To tell you the truth, the cost of roads should really be a contractor expense, and should have been rolled into the cost of new homes in the area.
The cost of private security would definitely explain higher HOA rates.

DrumAnBass · « **Reply #14 on:** August 07, 2006, 02:33:52 pm »

Congrats! Yah with housing being so insane in SoCal I think Palmdale will make a comeback. Given the choice of buying a crappy condo in the valley or a nice brand new house in Palmdale, I think people will choose the new house. I think more and more people will be moving out there and property values will rise. Either way, owning sure beats paying rent! How bad will your commute be? I am out in West Hills in the valley myself...

AtomSmasher · « **Reply #15 on:** August 07, 2006, 04:02:00 pm »

Quote from: DrumAnBass on August 07, 2006, 02:33:52 pm

Congrats! Yah with housing being so insane in SoCal I think Palmdale will make a comeback. Given the choice of buying a crappy condo in the valley or a nice brand new house in Palmdale, I think people will choose the new house. I think more and more people will be moving out there and property values will rise. Either way, owning sure beats paying rent! How bad will your commute be? I am out in West Hills in the valley myself...

Agreed, Palmdale has been expanding like crazy the past few years. It will probably slow down quite a bit since the housing market has slowed down quite a bit lately, but once that golf course is built, the value of my house should sky rocket. I had the choice of a 1 bedroom condo in Santa Clarita, or a house in Palmdale, that was an easy decision. My commute is where ever I get the work

I'm a real estate appraiser so I go all over the place, right now about 1/4 of my work already is in palmdale/lancaster, and I'm going to start marketing out there and hopefully get 1/2 to 3/4 of my work out there. The majority of the rest of my work is in Santa Clarita (where I live now) which is only 45 min away.

Quote

...hehe..you consider that a hill..

next time I'm out there I'll take a picture looking the other way, then you'll see its a hill. Its actually the end of a long incline over a mountain, Palmdale is the valley/plateau just past the top.

JackTucky · « **Reply #16 on:** August 07, 2006, 05:23:22 pm »

Quote from: AtomSmasher on August 07, 2006, 04:02:00 pm

Quote
...hehe..you consider that a hill..
next time I'm out there I'll take a picture looking the other way, then you'll see its a hill. Its actually the end of a long incline over a mountain, Palmdale is the valley/plateau just past the top.

I'm sure that shardian has seen the biggest/nicest coolest hills ever. Don't bother taking another picture.

If it is an hour from L.A., is that rush hour commute time, or 4am on Xmas eve time?

Jacktucky

AtomSmasher · « **Reply #17 on:** August 07, 2006, 06:16:07 pm »

Quote from: JackTucky on August 07, 2006, 05:23:22 pm

Quote from: AtomSmasher on August 07, 2006, 04:02:00 pm
Quote
...hehe..you consider that a hill..
next time I'm out there I'll take a picture looking the other way, then you'll see its a hill. Its actually the end of a long incline over a mountain, Palmdale is the valley/plateau just past the top.

I'm sure that shardian has seen the biggest/nicest coolest hills ever. Don't bother taking another picture.

If it is an hour from L.A., is that rush hour commute time, or 4am on Xmas eve time?

Jacktucky

4 am on Christmas

I pretty much never go into LA, so its not really an issue for me, I was just using that as a reference of location for you guys.

More good news I just found out, I thought I was going to have to pay a penalty of 1 1/2 months rent to get out of my current apartments lease, but I just went down and talked to them and apparently if I give them a 30 day notice that I'm leaving (which I just did) they will try and rent my apartment to someone else, if they do, then I don't have to pay a penalty. While I was waiting there I heard them make a phone call telling someone the perfect apartment they were looking for just opened up and someone else in there who looking was asking me a bunch of questions about it. I think they will have no problem renting it which means no penalty payment for me

AtomSmasher · « **Reply #18 on:** August 07, 2006, 06:25:26 pm »

Oh, and another cool thing about this, one of my oldest friends lives on the same street as this new house. His family moved away when we were 16 or so and we only see each other once or twice a year since then, but now he just happens to be living in the same community and same street as me. Crazy coincidence.

DrewKaree · « **Reply #19 on:** August 07, 2006, 09:49:24 pm »

For everyone who brought up Homeowner's association fees, with the amounts you all have brought up, you should thank your lucky stars. I live in WI. All of those amounts would be something people around here would KILL for. Average association fees run $300. Not a year, that's PER MONTH.

What could it be for? Well, I'll give you some ideas. Remember, you guys aren't thinking of these as something you have to take care of, but SOMEBODY has to pay for these "amenities" (you may not have these costs, but WILL have other costs somewhere else).

Property taxes for common areas.
Clubhouse maintenance
Maintenance for common areas such as mulch or lawn maintenance
Pool maintenance and upkeep
Electrical maintenance and upkeep (street lights, anyone?)
Sewer maintenance and upkeep (think stormwater, not sanitary sewer)
Road manintenance and upkeep (your street might not be a city street)
Insurance for any common areas (or clubhouse)

You guys talking about $100/month.....I take care of a currently-being-developed subdivision where fees are $150/month until the subdivision is completed, at which time it will double upon completion of the sale of the final residence. My company eats up a QUARTER of their association fees just to MULCH the entire friggen place, and another HALF in lawn maintenance and bed care. No one is willing to pull the weeds in any area other than their little slice of earth, yet evidently they expect someone else will be willing to do it for free, just for the priveledge of traipsing around their subdivision in the sun or to go out in the middle of the night in the nice frigid temperatures in the middle of winter to do snow removal on all common area sidewalks, since "it's not my responsibility to take care of that"

Costs - they are what they are for a reason. I'm guessing you guys have a lot more you have to take care of, which is why your costs are so low. You'll still use that money somewhere, I promise you.

shardian · « **Reply #20 on:** August 08, 2006, 08:47:28 am »

Quote from: DrewKaree on August 07, 2006, 09:49:24 pm

For everyone who brought up Homeowner's association fees, with the amounts you all have brought up, you should thank your lucky stars. I live in WI. All of those amounts would be something people around here would KILL for. Average association fees run $300. Not a year, that's PER MONTH.

What could it be for? Well, I'll give you some ideas. Remember, you guys aren't thinking of these as something you have to take care of, but SOMEBODY has to pay for these "amenities" (you may not have these costs, but WILL have other costs somewhere else).

Property taxes for common areas.
Clubhouse maintenance
Maintenance for common areas such as mulch or lawn maintenance
Pool maintenance and upkeep
Electrical maintenance and upkeep (street lights, anyone?)
Sewer maintenance and upkeep (think stormwater, not sanitary sewer)
Road manintenance and upkeep (your street might not be a city street)
Insurance for any common areas (or clubhouse)

You guys talking about $100/month.....I take care of a currently-being-developed subdivision where fees are $150/month until the subdivision is completed, at which time it will double upon completion of the sale of the final residence. My company eats up a QUARTER of their association fees just to MULCH the entire friggen place, and another HALF in lawn maintenance and bed care. No one is willing to pull the weeds in any area other than their little slice of earth, yet evidently they expect someone else will be willing to do it for free, just for the priveledge of traipsing around their subdivision in the sun or to go out in the middle of the night in the nice frigid temperatures in the middle of winter to do snow removal on all common area sidewalks, since "it's not my responsibility to take care of that"

Costs - they are what they are for a reason. I'm guessing you guys have a lot more you have to take care of, which is why your costs are so low. You'll still use that money somewhere, I promise you.

Just curious - how many residences pay into your HOA? Also, do you live in one of those really, really rich people subdivisions that is behind a gate?

You must be, because no sane person on an average salary would pay $3600 in HOA fees each year...oh wait...I forgot who I was talking to there for a second.

mrhowell · « **Reply #21 on:** August 08, 2006, 09:36:06 am »

This is what happened where I used to own a home for 6 years.

Neighborhood was allowed to run up a city bill of more than $60,000. By Nita Birmingham The Times Shreveport Mayor Keith Hightower wants to know why the Cobblestone Homes Association was allowed to run up a water and sewerage bill totaling more than $60,000 over two years without having service disconnected. Cutting service to the 295 homes in Cobblestone also would have alerted residents that the association manager was allegedly writing herself checks instead of paying the bills

By Larry Burton The Times The former property manager of Cobblestone Home Association, accused of stealing some $100,000 from the southeast Shreveport group, has lost two early rounds in court. Caddo District Judge Eugene Bryson found probable cause for holding Teresa Gaye Durden, 39, on a felony theft charge after hearing evidence against her at a pretrial hearing this week. Bryson also denied Durden's bid to have her $100,157 bond reduced

Yes, I went to the HOA meetings. A group of us homeowners brought this to the attention of the BOARD 6 months before she was arrested. All they said was "she was doing a great job". We had copies of the water bills. She would pay $500 on a $3000 water bill and blow the rest at the casinos.

Get involved with the Board of Directors. Run for a seat on it. Keep a close eye on the books. You will be surprised to find out how many people don't pay their dues.

shardian · « **Reply #22 on:** August 08, 2006, 10:28:14 am »

Our HOA just set a record this past year by collecting dues from 75% of the residences.

mr.Curmudgeon · « **Reply #23 on:** August 08, 2006, 12:03:12 pm »

Atomsmasher,

Congrats!

However, I happen to know that they let the house go so cheaply because it's BUILT ON AN OLD INDIAN GRAVEYARD!!! Good Luck!

mrC

AtomSmasher · « **Reply #24 on:** August 08, 2006, 12:21:10 pm »

Quote from: mr.Curmudgeon on August 08, 2006, 12:03:12 pm

Atomsmasher,

Congrats!

However, I happen to know that they let the house go so cheaply because it's BUILT ON AN OLD INDIAN GRAVEYARD!!! Good Luck!

mrC

Oh crap, I was wondering why that cat went crazy and attacked me.

SithMaster · « **Reply #25 on:** August 08, 2006, 06:32:03 pm »

is it just me or does the oven have a tv screen on the door.

DrewKaree · « **Reply #26 on:** August 08, 2006, 06:57:56 pm »

Quote from: shardian on August 08, 2006, 08:47:28 am

Just curious - how many residences pay into your HOA? Also, do you live in one of those really, really rich people subdivisions that is behind a gate?

You must be, because no sane person on an average salary would pay $3600 in HOA fees each year...oh wait...I forgot who I was talking to there for a second.

I don't pay fees. I rent. Out of the subdivisions I maintain, the management company instructs us not to take care of certain properties due to non-payment, and there's a noticeable difference so I believe I can safely hazard a guess. It's in the 90% range. The roads and storm sewers aren't taken care of by city or county government for these subdivisions, so if something needs to get fixed and someone hasn't paid their association fees, they're SOL or they have to pay to fix it themselves.

When I lived in NC, that was a common price range for all new subdivisions. Things like the clubhouse/pool needed a keycode to get in, and if someone doesn't pay, they change their codes and these HOA Nazi's have gone to the extent of calling the cops to remove people who haven't paid. My buddy, who lives in one of these nicer subdivisions, isn't "rich", nor is his house extravagant (it looks comparable to what you've got), and their fees are $317/month. Street lights, sidewalk, storm sewer, and common areas are paid for.

To give you an idea, I looked at the billing today for a subdivision I take care of. A storm runoff pond and the hill surrounding it is a separate bill. The pond is about as wide as your house, and three times as long. The hill surrounding it isn't that big. We charge $600 for each cutting. For the REST of the common areas, we charge $500 for each cutting. That's $2000/month just to cut the grass. There are flower beds there. I don't know what we charge for those, but you've got an idea of where that money is getting eaten up, and I haven't got a clue how much property taxes cost on all those common areas, but I do know that WI has one of the top property tax rates in the nation. The property taxes on your house if it were located in my city would run somewhere in the neighborhood of $3500.

AtomSmasher · « **Reply #27 on:** August 08, 2006, 07:28:12 pm »

Quote from: DrewKaree on August 08, 2006, 06:57:56 pm

but I do know that WI has one of the top property tax rates in the nation. The property taxes on your house if it were located in my city would run somewhere in the neighborhood of $3500.

Actual property taxes on my house - $4730/year

, although that could be caused by a lower tax rate and higher property values then your area, i have no idea what the actual tax rate is and don't really feel like figuring it out.

Quote

is it just me or does the oven have a tv screen on the door.

yours doesn't? I thought all ovens came with tvs now-a-days.

Buddabing · « **Reply #28 on:** August 08, 2006, 09:36:40 pm »

Make you pay for an inspection before closing! My sister bought a house and she didn't get an inspection, to her dismay later on.

AtomSmasher · « **Reply #29 on:** August 08, 2006, 10:34:25 pm »

Quote from: Buddabing on August 08, 2006, 09:36:40 pm

Make you pay for an inspection before closing! My sister bought a house and she didn't get an inspection, to her dismay later on.

Its a brand new construction from KB Homes with a full warranty for one year, and partial warranty (I think foundation and structure, or something like that) for three years. That means if a light switch breaks in the first year, they'll come and fix it

Another cool thing they're doing, after I move in, a couple guys will come by and will move or install anything I want. They're there for 3 hours I think, so I'll have them do stuff like hang ceiling fans and blinds, move the washer and dryer upstairs, and whatever else I can think of. Even better is that they come back every 18 months for 3 years (so two more times) to do whatever I need done to the house. I wonder if they know how to run wires through the wall for surround sound...

Also, that friend of mine I mentioned thats going to be living on the same street as me, he used to work for Kb Homes and he is a perfectionist, I'm going to walk through the house with him since he knows what to look for and can find every little detail that might be messed up. I already showed it to him briefly once and he noticed the thermostat was too high (about 5' high) and I should tell them to lower it before I buy, thats something I never would of noticed and not sure that I care about it even now that I know about it.

NightGod · « **Reply #30 on:** August 09, 2006, 01:01:04 am »

Quote from: AtomSmasher on August 08, 2006, 10:34:25 pm

I already showed it to him briefly once and he noticed the thermostat was too high (about 5' high) and I should tell them to lower it before I buy, thats something I never would of noticed and not sure that I care about it even now that I know about it.

Holy ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---, 5 FEET too high and you didn't notice it before?

AtomSmasher · « **Reply #31 on:** August 09, 2006, 01:21:03 am »

Quote from: NightGod on August 09, 2006, 01:01:04 am

Holy ---Cleveland steamer---, 5 FEET too high and you didn't notice it before?

ya, its actually right next to the ceiling

It's a total of 5' off the ground, maybe even 5 1/2 feet, I didn't measure, but it is abnormally high, somewhere between 1 and 2 feet higher then any other thermostat I've ever seen (or at least ever noticed). I don't think I'm going to bother having them move it because it might be kind of nice having that high, keeps any visiting kids from touching it

shardian · « **Reply #32 on:** August 09, 2006, 08:12:17 am »

5' off the floor is pretty standard from all the houses I've been in. How high does he think it should go???

And note: A sub-division does not automatically mean you have a clubhouse, pool, security, and landscaped common areas. Homeowners associations are for housing communities that are not within the city limits, in other words, the owners fend for themselves once you step off the DOH roads.
Drew, you seem to be describing a retirement community or all-inclusive community (I'm sure there is a better name than that) when you say you don't take care of the property of non-payers - which would be a completely different issue than a standard HOA. Noone cares for my lawn or property(although it would be nice). The HOA covers the roads and common areas and that's it.

AtomSmasher · « **Reply #33 on:** August 09, 2006, 10:33:32 am »

Quote from: shardian on August 09, 2006, 08:12:17 am

5' off the floor is pretty standard from all the houses I've been in. How high does he think it should go???

Really? I'm 6' tall and this is the first time I've seen one slightly above shoulder height. I just measured the one in my apartment and its 4' high.

shardian · « **Reply #34 on:** August 09, 2006, 11:08:31 am »

Damn that is awful nitpicky. How would anyone even notice that off-hand? Call 'em to move it if you want, but don't be surprised if they wiz in your coffee for the trouble.

AtomSmasher · « **Reply #35 on:** August 09, 2006, 12:31:27 pm »

Quote from: shardian on August 09, 2006, 11:08:31 am

Damn that is awful nitpicky. How would anyone even notice that off-hand? Call 'em to move it if you want, but don't be surprised if they wiz in your coffee for the trouble.

It is extremely nitpicky which is why I used it as an example of how much of a perfectionist my friend is, he notices every detail that isn't quite right.

shardian · « **Reply #36 on:** August 09, 2006, 01:03:58 pm »

Quote from: AtomSmasher on August 09, 2006, 12:31:27 pm

It is extremely nitpicky which is why I used it as an example of how much of a perfectionist my friend is, he notices every detail that isn't quite right.

So what did he have to say about your mame cabinet?

AtomSmasher · « **Reply #37 on:** August 09, 2006, 01:30:16 pm »

Quote from: shardian on August 09, 2006, 01:03:58 pm

So what did he have to say about your mame cabinet?

Thats confidential

Actually he's never seen it in person since we normally rarely see each other since he moved away when we were younger, although thats sure to change when we become neighbors. He was my greatest competitor at Street Fighter 2 in the arcades back in the day, so I'm sure he'll have some opinions on it

AtomSmasher · « **Reply #38 on:** August 09, 2006, 02:42:04 pm »

Now I have to figure out things like what sort of artwork to put over the fireplace, theres even a little spotlight that lights up that spot over the fireplace to show off your artwork. I have a nice kramer poster that I could frame, but it would be kind of cheesy

Another option is buying something from http://www.nineteeneightyeight.com/prints.html

but most them the pictures I'd consider putting up are more then a little wierd.

Another option is buying something from http://stores.ebay.com/KROTO-STORE/canvasall.html
like

or maybe some classic art like:

Anyone have any ideas or suggestions?

MikeDeuce · « **Reply #39 on:** August 09, 2006, 04:57:02 pm »

The mario and digdug/pac/etc are awesome! I will have to look into some of those for my future game room. Thanks for sharing.

That and some Luke Chueh prints... hotness.
http://luke-chueh.deviantart.com/

Congrats on the house, too... very jealous. As a life long bay area resident I can only hopelessly watch real estate prices raise even further out of my budget (prices are already in orbit as far as my checkbook is concerned

). I just hope there's no silly HOA rules about power tools or cars in the driveway. As someone that collects power tools and cars, reading about that stuff bugs me.

NightGod · « **Reply #40 on:** August 09, 2006, 11:28:56 pm »

Kramer pic FTW...every house should have one!! That or the George Castanza nude on black velvet!!

shmokes · « **Reply #41 on:** August 10, 2006, 12:24:50 am »

Congratulations. This is many years away for me, but I imagine it's a damned fine feeling.

NightGod · « **Reply #42 on:** August 10, 2006, 02:01:27 am »

Even better is the feeling as you get close to paying off the house and owning it free and clear-I figure I'm less than a year away *dances*

danny_galaga · « **Reply #43 on:** August 10, 2006, 06:24:59 am »

mmmm, gameroom....

you will have what most of us desire but few possess. i hate you!

AtomSmasher · « **Reply #44 on:** August 11, 2006, 12:38:52 am »

I was at the house again today and the thermostat is actually at eye level for me, which means its almost 6 feet high. I'm going to tell them to lower it, thats just too high.

Also, I think they're trying to jip me out of one of the supposed upgrades. Its supposed to have a Home Entertainment Package upgrade, which is a $775 upgrade, and they're telling me it just means its prewired for a plasma tv. In other words, a cable outlet up high on the wall. Thats a little expensive for that upgrade, especially considering theres a different $150 upgrade that lets you put 5 cable outlets anywhere you want, I'm guessing they forgot to do whatever its supposed to be and they're just going to lie about what it actually is. I'm doing the final walkthrough tommorrow and I'll see if I can figure out what its actually supposed to be.

NightGod · « **Reply #45 on:** August 11, 2006, 01:19:16 am »

For $775 it sounds like it should be pre-wired for surround sound.

Zakk · « **Reply #46 on:** August 11, 2006, 11:56:03 am »

Home entertainment upgrade here (for a similar cost) uncludes central hub stereo hookups, speakers in main common areas (with volume), speaker wiring for 7.1 surround in media room, power outlet on ceiling for projector and cable/sat feeds. What they're giving you is a $20 outlet move.

Check with other people who have bought from the same builder. If any of them got the entertainment upgrade, your builder will have to match, or you should do a holdback on the extra. That's what I would recommend to my clients anyway.

Still, sounds like you're getting a good deal anyway, so don't get too worked up about it, just go wireless

I'm curious guys, this HOA ---meadow muffin---...do you also pay property taxes? I pay $5000 per year, but I bloody well expect the roads to be fixed, and the parks kept up... are you payin both??

AtomSmasher · « **Reply #47 on:** August 11, 2006, 02:45:54 pm »

Yup, both property taxes and HOA. I met with the super intendent and a few other people today and went through the house pointing out any scratched windows or cabinets that they're going to replace. They're still telling me that the home entertainment upgrade is just an outlet up high on the wall, so I told them to cancel it and reimburse me for the $775, which they were fine with.

As for the 6' high thermostat, they told me "they'd look into it", which I'm assuming means "go F yourself" but its not that big of deal to me, so I'm not going to raise a stink about it. I'll just give them a bad grade on the satisfaction survey, if that means anything, and it might since KB is trying to become the #1 builder in terms of customer satisfaction.

shardian · « **Reply #48 on:** August 11, 2006, 02:58:59 pm »

Quote from: Zakk on August 11, 2006, 11:56:03 am

I'm curious guys, this HOA ---meadow muffin---...do you also pay property taxes? I pay $5000 per year, but I bloody well expect the roads to be fixed, and the parks kept up... are you payin both??

They are completely separate things. The following is a good read on property tax:
http://www.iopa.sc.edu/grs/SCCEP/Articles/Proptax.htm
Property tax is just another way of screwing the hard-working, earn their own keep, middle-class. That is the crappy part of owning a house. You officially qualify yourself for getting hit with every single tax the goverment can hit you with.

Oh, don't be too surprised when the fire department sends you a statement for their services every year too. I was pretty pissed when I got that one in the mail...

Zakk · « **Reply #49 on:** August 11, 2006, 03:09:02 pm »

Well I'm a Canuk, so things are a bit different here. Remember we're communists.

If the fire department sent me a bill, I'd set fire to it and torch the benches in the park with it

Of course, if the fire is bad enough, where would they send the bill then?

shardian · « **Reply #50 on:** August 11, 2006, 03:14:02 pm »

Well the only reason we have a bill is becasue the dumbasses in this county voted in a levy for the fire department before I ever moved here.

AtomSmasher · « **Reply #51 on:** August 31, 2006, 08:59:05 pm »

WOOHOO!!! I picked up the keys today, the house is officially mine.

I'm still in awe of how fast this all happened. Now I just need to call in all my favors with family and friends and move all my stuff.

And a few clarifications from earlier that I now know the answer to, the HOA is $56/mo., they did move the thremostat down about a foot, but they didn't replace the scratched cabinet or clean the ton of debree off the roof (nails and wood pieces from construction) which they said they would do. Also, I've decide to put my TV screen over the fireplace, I use a projector and a 100'' screen for my tv, so I think it will look good there.

Oh, and one more thing....I"M A HOME OWNER!!!

I've been a renter my whole life, so this is a huge change.

Vigo · « **Reply #52 on:** September 01, 2006, 02:20:19 am »

Quote

Oh, and one more thing....I"M A HOME OWNER!!! I've been a renter my whole life, so this is a huge change.

Congrats, I'm ~~Jealous~~ happy for you!

AtomSmasher · « **Reply #53 on:** September 03, 2006, 02:11:03 pm »

I painted my living room light blue yesterday, so my house has a little color on the inside now, and tommorrow I'm moving in. I've enlisted the help of a number of people, so it should be a pretty quick and easy move.

I'll probably be offline until Thurs or Fri since my internet won't be turned on until then, but I doubt anyone will miss me

SithMaster · « **Reply #54 on:** September 03, 2006, 02:42:37 pm »

omg where did he go?

DrewKaree · « **Reply #55 on:** September 03, 2006, 07:43:33 pm »

Who's AtomSmasher?

Mission, you're right. We really need the

AtomSmasher · « **Reply #56 on:** September 08, 2006, 01:39:52 am »

Well I'm all moved in and the computers up and running, so I'm back wasting my time here again. I think I need to lay low from my friends and family for a while becuase I had a lot of heavy/large stuff to move upstairs. They told me that if I ever move again, I either need to sell the arcade cabinet with the house or hire a moving crew to move it

Good times.

AtomSmasher · « **Reply #57 on:** September 12, 2006, 06:37:37 pm »

Well its official, I'm a complete dumbass. All the blinds I ordered for my house are 1 1/2'' too wide, thats what I get for not double checking my measurements and ordering them before I move into the house. Since the company I bought them from custom makes the blinds for each order, they won't let me return them. My options are to make them outside hanging blinds and buy outside hanging hardware (around $30 total), mail them back and have them cut them smaller for me ($20 per blind plus shipping, with 16 blinds, it adds up pretty quick), or cut them myself and hope I don't screw up.

I'm going to try cutting one of the smallest blinds myself and see how I do. I figure if I screw one up, its not that bad to just replace the one. I think I'm going to have tommorrow off, so I'll give it a try then. And if your wondering, they are all 2'' wood blinds.

shardian · « **Reply #58 on:** September 13, 2006, 10:35:09 am »

I've cut down cheap Wal-mart mini blinds, but You are probably pushing your luck cutting high-end custom blinds. I find it outrageous that they don't have a return policy. Bet you'll look closer at the fine print from now on, huh? Hang them outside the sill if you can bear it.

mr.Curmudgeon · « **Reply #59 on:** September 13, 2006, 01:50:56 pm »

Quote from: shardian on September 13, 2006, 10:35:09 am

Hang them outside the sill if you can bear it.

One benefit of hanging them outside might be less light leaking in. I know that's a huge plus for me, since I'm a vampire.

mrC

AtomSmasher · « **Reply #60 on:** September 13, 2006, 02:04:34 pm »

Quote from: mr.Curmudgeon on September 13, 2006, 01:50:56 pm

Quote from: shardian on September 13, 2006, 10:35:09 am
Hang them outside the sill if you can bear it.

One benefit of hanging them outside might be less light leaking in. I know that's a huge plus for me, since I'm a vampire.

mrC

I'm pretty sure the blinds are about 1/2'' away from the wall when hung from the outside, which would probably let more light in. The mounting brackets are universal for inside or outside mounting, so I'll check that out before I do anything. I use a projector for my tv so darker is better.

The blinds are wood and the top part is aluminum, so I think it should be pretty easy to cut. I'll just circular saw the blinds and jigsaw the top part. If it doesn't work, then I'll know after the one and I'll be out $30 for a new blind. I think its worth the risk.

AtomSmasher · « **Reply #61 on:** September 13, 2006, 03:04:36 pm »

I just installed one on the outside of the window, and it does do a good job at blocking the light even though it is sitting about 1/2'' away from the wall. I don't think it blocks it any better then an inside mount, but I don't think its any worse either.

After thinking about this for a bit, I think I'm going to just outside mount all the blinds. The only place where it may bug me is in the living room since thats what anyone who comes over will see them, but if it really starts to get to me, then I can just buy 3 new blinds for the LR. I want to eventually get plantation shutters for the LR anyways, so maybe I'll just get those sooner rather then later.

edit* thinking about it more, I am still going to outside mount them. But if I decide I hate it, then I can always try cutting them later.

shardian · « **Reply #62 on:** September 13, 2006, 04:05:14 pm »

so...you have anything else you need talked into doing?

DrewKaree · « **Reply #63 on:** September 13, 2006, 06:11:42 pm »

All of ~~the~~ a sudden.

AtomSmasher · « **Reply #64 on:** September 13, 2006, 11:25:38 pm »

Quote from: DrewKaree on September 13, 2006, 06:11:42 pm

All of ~~the~~ a sudden.

shmokes · « **Reply #65 on:** September 14, 2006, 06:07:38 am »

It's funny because I've been thinking about that since this thread first appeared. I said "all of the sudden" for my entire life. It wasn't until I was in college that a friend of mine said, "Did you just say 'all of the sudden'?" "Yeah." "It's 'all of A sudden." "Really? Hmm . . . I've always said 'the'." Then I noticed it written in some book or another written the way my friend said and I kind of figured he's either right or both ways are correct.

Does anybody else say 'all of the sudden'?

billf · « **Reply #66 on:** September 14, 2006, 11:28:57 am »

To me its: "All of a sudden"

Zakk · « **Reply #67 on:** September 15, 2006, 06:01:33 pm »

Quote from: shmokes on September 14, 2006, 06:07:38 am

It's funny because I've been thinking about that since this thread first appeared. I said "all of the sudden" for my entire life. It wasn't until I was in college that a friend of mine said, "Did you just say 'all of the sudden'?" "Yeah." "It's 'all of A sudden." "Really? Hmm . . . I've always said 'the'." Then I noticed it written in some book or another written the way my friend said and I kind of figured he's either right or both ways are correct.

Does anybody else say 'all of the sudden'?

Sue that guy's mangly *ss someday and MAKE him say THE. Of course, you will be the only two in the world saying it, but at least you'll show HIM!

AtomSmasher · « **Reply #68 on:** September 21, 2006, 05:01:45 pm »

Back on topic, today a guy came to install whatever I needed for 4 hours (its a free service KB Homes offers) and I was going to have him install all the blinds. I told him how I screwed up and they're all too big, so they need to be outside mounted. I mentioned I was going to try to cut them with a circular saw, but decided against it. He looked at the blinds and said "A circular saw would be pretty difficult to do it with, but a miter saw would work great." I said, "Well ya, but I don't have a miter saw." He replied, "I do, I have one in my truck. I'll go get it" So we commenced cutting down all the blinds, 3/4'' on each side, and they turned out perfect.

With both of us working we had all 3 ceiling fans installed, and all the blinds cut and installed within the 4 hours time. That guy was awesome, I'm going to call customer service and give him a great review. The only annoying thing is that I just paid a few days ago to have the outside mount valances made and sent to me. Oh well, I guess I'll just toss them when I get them.

NightGod · « **Reply #69 on:** September 21, 2006, 11:42:31 pm »

Sell um on Ebay, someone will buy them...


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