Homeownership

We have officially been home owners for 33 hours and it is SWEET!

On Monday, we visited the house for a final walk through. The owners moved out a week ago so it was nice and empty and we could really take it all in. All of the repairs looked great. With all of the furniture out it was obvious that it needs a good deep clean and a coat of paint in all of the rooms prior to our moving in, but that is the fun stuff. There was one funny and strange event on Monday. I was poking around and just checking out every nook and cranny as I envisioned us living there. I peeked behind a large built in hutch in the kitchen. I was noticing it was very dusty and there was an old painting bucket back there. Then, I peered a little harder in the shadows and noticed a shape I had seen before. I slowly pull out a cloth gun case, complete with a .22 shotgun inside! The seller's realtor and our agent and Sean were standing around the kitchen and all were shocked to see me packing. Apparently, the owner's first husband who is deceased must have hid it back there and she never knew. But other than that, it was uneventful and we were just as pleased with the place as the day we first saw it. We had a nice time strolling around the large lawn (mowing is going to be a chore) and checking out all our new plants.

We left from there and drove home to get to the bank so we could get our certified check for closing costs. The bank is 2 blocks from our apartment so we always just walk. Well, we have been dealing with a lot of rain here lately and on Monday there were periodic thunderstorm downpours followed by breaks of sun. We caught one of the breaks and thought we could slip to the bank and back without getting caught in the rain. I was a little nervous as I had Finn in the sling and I couldn't find my umbrella. Well, we got to the bank with no problem. The whole time we were in line, Finn was chatting up a storm and entertaining everyone. When we went to leave, it was a complete deluge outside. The bank was close to closing and we weren't sure if we would be able to wait out the rain. I guess a woman saw us contemplating what to do and she came up and gave us her umbrella! It was such a nice gesture and so wonderful to see such kindness these days. Sean and I were so grateful and we are really hoping we can pay it forward.

On Tuesday, we headed to the closing. It was at our realtor's office. It was a whirlwind of paperwork. Sign here. Sign here. Sign here. We did see one paper that stated the house was built in 1790 (the listing sheet had said 1830). Sign here. Initial here. Sign here. And an hour later everyone was shaking our hands and congratulating us and handing us the keys. Whew. It was pure elation, yet so surreal. The hardest part was saying good-bye to our agent, Sandy. Sandy and we have been together for over a year. She has shown us 30+ houses, written up 5 contracts (and broken the bad news as 4 of them fell through) watched me grow through my pregnancy, and then watched Finn grow up from a newborn. We hugged and hugged and assured her we would stop in periodically with Finn and invite her to the house when we got settled. If anyone is ever in the market in NH, I wholeheartedly recommend Sandy.

At this point you would think we would have rushed over to our new home, but unfortunately months ago Sean and I made doctor appointments to establish a family doctor. So, we had to do that in the afternoon. And that was a big day for all of us, but especially Finn. We got him to bed and then had a nice champagne toast to celebrate though. I think we are going to enjoy the holiday this weekend and then on Sunday we are going to go to the house and begin cleaning and paint selection. We aren't planning on the big move until July 24th. This will give us plenty of time to pack and get the house in order. I am so excited to get started, but I am dreading packing. Sean and I are just going to have to do it when Finn goes to bed at night. I am also wondering if this is going to be a stressor on Finn or if he will take the move in stride.

I have had a ton of requests for pictures of the house. I will make sure I take a bunch on Sunday and those will be our "before" pictures and then I will take a lot after we paint and then after we move in. Sean and I hope to throw a big bash after we are settled as well.