We had been home hunting since last Fall. We really didn't find anything we liked an were feeling overwhelmed (at least I was) so before the holidays we put it on hold and then started looking again in January. We had been searching for a space big enough for all of us but we just couldn't find anything with-in the price range, style and location we needed. I'm sure our realtor was banana's in the end after all the homes we made her take us too, but then low and behold we found one. We skipped over this home at first because the exterior wasn't really to impressive, there was only one photo (exterior shot only) and the listing was "As-Is" and it is a government owned HUD (repossessed) home. We knew it may be a mess inside and need major work but after seeing it we discussed about making it our own. We had to move fast after seeing the home because it was actually going up for auction the day after to be sold by the bank. It was a nail biting process waiting but we won the auctioned bid and then the paperwork and planning began. We had a loan officer who was specialized in 203K loans, which is for home rehab projects, so after thinking it all over that was what we landed on. I had to serve as my own contractor and needed to hunt for certified contractors who could do all the work for us. We submit forms out the wazoo and ran background checks for approvals but in the end we have 2 contractors, a flooring company, and an electrician. The home was in need of some major work so we put the top things on a list and prioritized what we could afford for the loan and what we could come back to in the future. The major issues noted were - plumbing, electrical and a moldy wall and leaking roof… we knew there was water issues with the home, but it was tricky to work around as we were not granted permission for water to be on durning our inspection period, so we had to wait until after possession before we could analyze this more. Of course every didn't go as smoothly as planned and the home was winterized wrong and we had flooding and pipes burst in multiple places in our home. Needless to say all new plumbing needed to be installed a week into our renovation, so our bathrooms and walls were all tore open and still being put back together. The amp box to our home was not to code and updated. Our roof has some leak issues which is still being worked on. Our front foyer has mold that still needs some repair too… And then there was the glorious kitchen. None of our appliances passed inspection. I mean why would they, they were from the 60's. The layout in this space was horrible and the style, color, wallpaper, and overall space just wasn't cutting it. We looked at a bunch of photos (thanks to Pinterest) and decided that we should take out a wall and open up the whole thing. We added attic supports, changed the layout, installed new cabinets, counters to come, budgeted and have new appliances, pretty much the works. We're pretty pumped about this space now. The rest of the home was cosmetic issues… we have lots of painting hours under our belt and still more to come after moving into the space. Doors and walls where damaged from prior owners, and we are repairing things as we can. There was hardwood under the carpet, which we knew of, so we removed carpeting and spent countless hours pulling tacks in preparation for the flooring people to come in the sand and refinish them properly. Also our kitchen had new flooring laced in which was a nice plus. The home is definitely a "Labor of Love" but it's our home, an we're pretty excited about the potential of this new space where we can all live and enjoy together.
So what's still to come… the home is quickly being reassembled for us because moving day… well, it's this weekend!!! Eck! I also have 3 approaching birthdays to plan in our new home. We had discussed this long ago when home hunting began but JD (the boyfriend) is moving in with us so we decided it best to sell his home. We didn't want two homes over us so we've been multi-house juggling projects an getting his home ready too for weeks. It goes up to sell this week so send us some good vibes it sells quickly an that the process is painless, please. And well I think that's about a wrap for now… Enjoy the photos an until I am back here full-time I'll see you around social media. Much love,
