Home Shopping Today (update 16)

Well, this is the day we have been waiting for a long time coming. It is the day we close on our new house, get the keys, and start the big move!

I have been waiting to do anything until this day has come. With the start of our vacation yesterday, and just being at home most of the day. We are now just getting last minute things done, before we have to go sign a lot of papers before we can get the keys to the house.

We are now going to have to turn on the power, water, sewer, and then have to pick up a washer, dryer,

and a refrigerator before we can even jump in to live in the house. I think the first night we are going to sleep in sleeping bags, and kinda like camp out feeling to the place. We are going to move all our stuff into the garage, until we can get drapes up, and/or blinds up. So, people will think the house is not occupied, due to they can see inside the windows.

We will be taking a lot of photos, and movies of the place, and they will be posted on here as soon as we get the broadband connection hooked up in a day, or so.

So, right as we are writing this blog entry we are going to bed early to get a fresh start to on Monday!

Getting copies of the closing papers, before we sign them, with a cup of starbucks's coffee before we sign anything. Just to read the very find print, and know what they are doing to the loan, and all the extras we are going to have to pay.

Also, got to get Hurricane shutters fitted before we can get other things going. I guess Home Depot, will be our best friend for the next couple weeks. LOL!

Well, off for now, I will write more after our first night in the home. I will have to come up with a new title entry by then!

Thank you everyone for your feedback, information, and support! We could not have done this whole thing with you the readers of this blog!

Source From Al & Mike News http://alandmike.wordpress.com

Home Shopping Today (update 15)

Well, looks like we are going to close on our house we have been waiting for over a month! We should get our house keys by this weekend, and will be moving into our new house by this time next week! YES!

This will be both of our first home we own, and not renting a place, or stay at parents places!

We are starting another step into our lives, and it is in the right direction. Seems like life takes to all the corners of the world, and back again! At least now we know where we will be for at least 30 years. And, it will be start of a new thing, “OWNING A HOUSE!”

So, with all said, and done, we will start to move in things slowly, and take our time in getting everything in a big rush to a deadline. We our both off for a whole week, and will give us enough time to get things settle into the new place, city, and house.

Got to turn on the power, water, and broadband cable, before we get one thing moved in.

So, in the next few days the blog will be missing afew days now, and then, but I will get caught up once I get back online.

SO, until we hook up at the new house, thank you for everyone support, and we will continue this ASAP, after we get things hooked up again over the weekend.

Source From Al & Mike News http://alandmike.wordpress.com

Home Shopping Today (update 14)

Well, our house had afew delays with Mike's mom walking to the house, and smelling mold in the house. We had a mold tests done, and the results came back to a lower level than what was in the air outside of the house. So, we went ahead to get the house. We just have to take that risk on the mold, and on what it will need to be done to correct it. It is part of life, that you have to take risks to gain with life all the time. We will have to check it completely, after we get the keys for the house.

Most houses in the Cape Coral Area does have signs of mold due to so near water, and with rains, and Hurricanes. When you are near all these things you will find mold. It is formed all the time in nature.

We will now wait for the Bank to give us the loan, already done is the appraisal, in which came back way more than what we paid for the house. That is a good thing! $280,900.00. SO, we now just have to wait for the ok, to sign the loan, insurance, property taxes, and change everything over to our names.

Will be busy with getting the power, water, broadband, and trash connected after we get the keys to the house.

Home Shopping Today (update 13)

Looks like we are the way to see the loan guy for our house we are getting today! We will meet with him, and sit down to talk about the loan, and all the options we can have, and what the monthly payments are going to be for us.

Then, after we get done, we are going to the house for a inspection of the house with a license inspector that will give us the run down on the house's plumbing, electrical wires, the outlets, the pressure of the water, paint (lead, or no lead), windows, and the roof. The inspector will also cover the termites, and any other bug related things. The inspector will also document everything in writing, and with photos. Later on we will see what he/she wrote online, and print it out.

Then, on Friday both of our Moms are going to meet us at the house to walk throughout it, and make comments, ideals for us, and what they think of the whole house! I am sure they will see it to be a nice house for us, and for the value we got it for!

We both have been telling our co-workers at work about the house, and can not wait to get into it!

The apartment we have now, looks like a jungle of a big mess! With things now getting into shape to move. We have clear boxes, and filling them up with out stuff, while the Lovebirds are flying over head! I think I had alittle, or no sleep for the past 3 days with all the excitement!

I, Mike, already looking at HOME DEPOT, and other home related web sites online to get ideals, and to see what we can do later on with the yards. I have AL looking into the Sunday's paper at the sale flyers for things to buy later to fix this, or that to the house!

So, we are on our way to be home owners!

I will take more photos of the house today, while we are there!

 

"Thank you GOD, for finding the house for us!"

Home Shopping Today (update 12)

Well, I got some great NEWS! They accepted the offer on the house we offer them. So, now we will have to get the inspections done by this week, and then go get the loan, and other things done! I just got off the phone with my restate agent, and just finished blogging my last entry, when I got the phone call!

I have to call everyone who knows about us looking for a house, to let them know about it!

YES! We have us a house to call our own!

Home Shopping Today (update 11)

Well, we went hunting for the right house again on Thursday morning of this week. We walked into 3 houses, and on the last one we fell in love with the all new gutted out redone house. The house was on the bidding table for awhile, and then someone took up on a offer, and then the loan fell through. SO, the owners put the house back on the market just last month. So, we walked through the house, it had a lot of new kitchen cabinets, new stove, and new dishwasher. The yard would need a lot of TLC, and some added stuff. Mike's mom told us to look at the house, “make sure it has newer roof, air conditioner, hot water tank, and all the other stuff can be fixed, painted, and repair when needed for a lot less than a new hot water tank, air conditioner, etc…” So, this house fit our needs, but without a pool, or a screened in lanai , but we can add anytime after we get into the house for awhile.

So, we went ahead on FRIDAY, and made an offer to buy the house. We have not heard anything as of yet at 8 pm, so we hope to hear something by 11 am on Saturday morning. We made sure to have the seller give us 24 hours to accept the offer, or not, and it must be in writing! No phone offers!

So, if we do get the house, I will be jumping around our apartment for days!

You know the song ”Take this job, and shove it I am not working here no more!” Well, we will be singing “Take this apartment, and shove it we are not living here no more!”

I will let you know ASAP, if we get the house.

Here are afew photos of the house I, Mike, took of the house we liked!

  

Realtors predict busy home buying season

Real estate agents in Southwest Florida are forecasting that this will be a hot summer for home buying.

Real estate agents say that buyers will be able to find some great deals over the next several months because prices are going to be in their favor.

But they also say homeowners can play it safe and sell their house while buyers are abundant and still turn a profit on their home.

Mike Mallis hopes to relocate to Estero from the east coast and he has been searching for a home for about three months.

His real estate agent Joseph Pavich says he may have perfect timing because home prices are dropping and the summer is the best time to buy.

"Right now, people are making offers five to 10-percent under the asking price," said Pavich.

He continued to say that was for existing homes.

People are offering up to 20-percent below the asking price for homes bought pre-construction.

"We have a wonderful inventory. We have motivated sellers," said Pavich.

The drop in real estate prices doesn't mean sellers will get the short end of the stick. Real estate agents are confident sellers will still be able to make a profit.

Homes with recent improvements such as a new roof or new carpeting are attracting the biggest offers.

It is something sellers want to keep in mind before putting their home on the market.

"It they have to come in and put a $50,000 kitchen in it, more than likely, they're going to offer them $50,000 less," said Pavich.

Pavich explained that over the past year the real estate market in Southwest Florida has been bombarded by investors, who are now leaving and selling their homes.

He believes once the market levels out completely, the first phase of retiring baby boomers will be the big buyers.

Home Shopping Today (update 10)

Well, we did 6 houses in 2 hours on Tuesday. We did find out a lot of about the locations of the house makes the big differences in size, what the resell price will be down the road, and the neighbors. People keep tell us that Cape Coral, Florida has so many rules to what you can do, and what you can not to your home. After looking around in Fort Myers, Florida, and Cape Coral, Florida we seen the differences in the rules, and no rules! We like the rules on the way the house should look like, and it keeps the values of the houses at par with other houses in the same market.

We now have 4 houses that we have a on lists to pick from. All are in the 1200 to 1500 square footage, with 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, some with pools, and others things we have on our list we look at for each house we go in.

We are still looking around Cape Coral, Florida area. We like that the rules are in place, and most of the houses are newer, and have room in the lots themselves to expand the lanais for our LOVEBRIDS to enjoy the house too!

On Thursday we are going to look at two more houses we did not have to look at on Tuesday with time so short with both of us working night, and day, it is the only day of the week to meet up to get the house hunting done.

I, Mike, did not take any of the photos of the houses we looked at, but I will post some from the MLS listings so you can see what houses we loved, or did not.

Home Shopping Today (update 8) photos

Here are the photos from our bid on house number 2.   

Home Shopping Today (update 9)

  <- Our first bidding home

Well, looks like someone else bid a higher amount for the “ball room” house. I was upset alittle, but then we found out the house had copper water pipes throughout the house, and it would need to be updated to the state law of PVC pipes. So, in a way thankful someone else has that nightmare to fix with the house all concrete, it would take months to move all the pipes out, and then relay them all down, and then patch up the concrete. No thank you!

So, we are going out TUESDAY MAY 2, 2006 to look at around 15 houses. We should bid on at least 2 of them we like, and we will wait for the outcome on them! I, Mike, will take photos of them ones we bid on so, we have them to look at when offering a price for the home.

And, we still have the “first home” we bid on that did not take our offer on the price still open. We have that one still in the back of our minds.

Home Shopping Today (update 8)

Well, we went and took a look at the other house. It was nice, but needed a lot of repairs on the pool area, bathrooms, yard, and the inside paint job was one who only had one hour to paint the whole place!

We looked around, saw that it had some room for us to work on, and enough room in the living room to have a ball room dances, that we went ahead put in a bid for the house. So, we will wait to see what will happen with our offer on the house.

I took some photos of the place, I will post them later today!

Home Shopping Today (update 7)

 

Well, They did not take our bid on the home last night. So, we are going to look at other homes with bigger living area for the same price listing as the one we bid on last night. Some people think the home is made out of gold, and want every little penny out of it! The home was over 30 + years old, and needed to be updated to at least get it up to date for other homes in the market for the selling price. Oh, well, we can always find the dream home somewhere out there.

We are going to look at a house tomorrow morning with a pool, and a den for the same price as the other home. So, wish us luck! It just may be the house we want too!

Home Shopping Today (update 6)

 

Well, we got approval of our Home loan today! So, we went ahead put a offer on the house we have been think about for the past 3 weeks. So, we will wait to see what they will approval of the offer, or not.!

If, not we will have to meet somewhere half way to what they are asking for, and then make other offer on the house. If, they do not accept that offer then we will look elsewhere for a house.

List price for the home is $229,900.00. We start offering the house at $190,900.00 due to no pool, no washer & dryer, and all the wires for the ceiling fans needs to be redone.

Newer houses are now listed for $239,900.00 with pools, and bigger lots.

We will wait for the answer to our bid!?

Home Shopping Today (update 5)

We are calling local areas to get a loan today! I hope that we will get the right one, and start to bid on the house by the end of this week! The wait is what is the harest part of it all!

So, wish us luck!

Home Shopping Today (update 5)

Well, looks like we did not commentate with each other too well! Al, thought that I would get the loan information, and he would just get the money set up to pay the loan off. So, after around 20 minutes of talking with each other this morning, we got things in the right order to get thing on the right track!

So, we are going to call the loan place on Monday, and after we get the right loan ok, then we will start to bid on the house by Tuesday, or Wednesday of next week! I just can not wait to get to the point of knowing things are going to be the green light, and know something ahead! I, Mike, seem to get alittle rest to wonder what will be next, or how we are going to get all this stuff together in what time frame!

I guess it is the way you go into buying a house, all the if, when, and what will all be answer in time! Just the time you get the answers is the hardest part of it all! With both of us working crazy hours all the time with regular 40 hours, and our other jobs to fill in, you have to keep things in order, and well communication all the time, or one piece will mess you up for afew days!

We have been looking long time now, just get sick of seeing the small apartment get smallier as I pack away boxes, and things get from one room, to the next. The lovebirds are singing in the background all the time, the TV playing louder everytime you want to think about things, the alarm clock is always ringing (not enough time to sleep), and wonder where I packed that dish for this meal we are going to cook tonight.

These are things we all face sometimes in our life when, moving, working, and again the old saying still holds true time, and time again "Not enough time in a day to get this all done!"

Well, we will now wait for AL to make the next step, and I will start the bidding on the house! Until next time, we just have to sit, and wait….