Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Ask and ye shall receive...

So with the help and guidance of my realtor, friends, family, co-workers (I'm needy), and a trusty home inspection - I am happy to say I have finished negotiations with the sellers!

Item #1 to be fixed: the chimney and surrounding areas...



...and check it out! They're already working on it!



One step closer, 13 days until closing.

Monday, April 26, 2010

The great ranch rebirth begins

Had you told me last year that I would fall madly in love and purchase a 1962 RANCH, I would have thought you were crazy. Come to think of it, had you told me last year that I would be buying a house at all, I would have thought you were crazy...

(rewind)

...thanks to a crushed economy and Obama's relentless offers of $8000, I started seriously considering home-ownership in February. Ahhh, home-ownership - a notion indicative of great responsibility, unfaltering dedication, extensive planning, and unwavering financial stability. As it turns out, I don't possess any of these traits.. so, I put the idea of buying a home on the back-burner and focused my energy elsewhere for the remainder of February.

Of course, those intoxicating images of "perfect starter homes" would not stop appearing in my head. You know the ones - the ridiculously charming 30's bungalows you see on HGTV, or the perfect seaside cottages you see in magazines. Well guess what - those places are EXPENSIVE.

So just as I had found my last apartment, I went for a drive in the neighborhoods I really wanted to live in. And low and behold, I saw a sign - a For Sale sign - a sign for a well-maintained, albeit dated 60's RANCH that was potentially within my price point.

What I didn't know at the time was all of the advantages a mid-century ranch could offer - one story living, accessible plumbing and electrical, open layout, solid construction, the list goes on. So two months later and here I am - about to close on a great house, in a great neighborhood, at a great price!

I would like nothing more than to share this transformation with all of you - follow me as I turn my first home into my dream home, and join me on The Great Ranch Rebirth!