Monday, January 7, 2013

House Warming



As I mentioned, the previous owners left some trash behind.  Come to find out, the husband was more of a hoarder type.  We have found some pretty weird stuff left behind…I think best not to disclose.  Nothing too terrible, just not things you would bring up in conversation. 

We knew the trash had to be cleared away asap.  Thankfully, my husband and I are so blessed to have a variety of connections in life – sanitation specialist (trash men), drillers, electricians, plumbers, etc.  These people have blessed us more than they know!  They have provided us with the tools, know how, equipment, and physical labor to help us out. 

Bo’s uncle owns this http://trashhawgs.com/
 
Which gave us access to this… 



One Saturday Bo and I set aside our day to clear out the trash.  We worked as a team for a few hours, then Bo did the most of the labor while I shopped in Canton with my best friend.  When I came back to the house, Bo proudly showed me a much cleaner garage!  It is no longer  organized…in fact, we need to work on that so we can access our attic.  Another day, another project - at least now its filled with our boxes and not trash.

Here are the photos of our house warming gift from previous owners...

Friday, January 4, 2013

The Gist



We bought a home.  We're a little old fashioned in many things that we do. Neither of us has much desire to climb some corporate ladder.  Now don’t get me wrong, we would both like to be paid the most amount of money or the least amount of stress at a job we don’t hate.  I actually have been most extremely blessed this past year with a new job.  I didn’t know what I would be getting myself into, but I was so anxious for a change…turns out the Lord gave me just what I needed, right when I needed it. Back on track – like I was saying, were old in many ways without even trying to be.  We have the same mentality about home ownership that we do career and family.  We like to settle in, grow roots and grow with our jobs, house, and family.  We aren’t looking for the next bigger/better adventure.  In fact, if all goes according to plan, the next house we buy (hopefully build) will be on more land and the home we will retire in…even more in the country with even more dogs. That would be the life!
This house was a short sale – meaning we bought the house for less than the previous owners still owned on the house…and that was after owning it for several years.  If you know me, you know I love a bargain!  Judge – but thrift stores, estate sales, and clearance sections speak to my heart. As much as I love a deal, we didn’t plan on looking for a foreclosed or short sale house.  We actually liked the house, loved the layout, neighborhood, and land. We made an offer, and the couple came back saying finances were at a stretch and they would have to short sale – asking for our patience in the matter.  We lowered our offer (what a blessing), and then waited for 6 months before we could FINALLY close. However, that also means we bought the house as is...and towards the end of their move, the previous owners just gave up.  That took lots of cleaning, tons of bleach, and several trips to the dump.
We have a list of dreams and plans for this house.  We have already painted and finished the flooring…but have so much more to go!  It will take a while, but it will be worth it. It is already home.