Ahhhh….the perfect shade of grey. Such a freakin’ difficult decision! I think I’ve spent more time bouncing from store to store than on anything else this past weekend. Paint samples are littered all over my car, purse, bedroom, office…..you name it. I’ve got six samples on the wall right now and none are it (at least not right now). The floor refinishing began this week so I’m hoping that one shade will pop out once the floors are stained a nice, lovely ebony. Stay tuned…….
Yesterday, was my first day exploring our new house. After a quick walk through, I high tailed it out to the yard to check on the large, private blackberry patch located just behind our fence. Priorities, I know……I also knew it was just about time for those berries to be ready!
Let’s just say I was not disappointed. Maj blackberries going on in the “BS Black Berry Patch” (Brown/Sugiura – duh!) I harvested a few cups but I suspect I could have picked a few gallons if I’d had more time. As I was wandering back to the house, I noticed a few other interesting trees with some killer fruit growing. Holy jackpot! Italian plums? Figs?! Grapes? (OK, not as cool as the other two, but they look neat)
Man. Mature fruit trees. How could I be so lucky? I was really hoping I’d have a few….but when we saw the house last it was over a month ago and nothing was really in bloom. And, as my mom walked through the yard later that afternoon, she pointed at a tree and said it’s a hazelnut tree. I think I just about fainted. How freaking cool is that?
I do plan on adding both an apple and a pear tree next spring to round out my fruit tree collection and a big ole garden will also be in the works. Screw the farmer’s market, I’ve got my own backyard full of treats! This is one excited urban farmer.
I think it’s safe to say that the house is finally ours! I got a call from my mortgage broker this morning and he said that everything is signed, funded and on its way to being recorded this afternoon. I really can’t believe that this day is finally here!
We did a bit of rearranging of schedules and it looks like I’ll have a week to clean, paint and start removing that stank wallpaper while the BF is on a business trip. Once he gets back, we’ll move on in. After moving once this weekend, I’m glad to have a week to recoup. Moving is a pain in the ass.
Obviously, there will be many pics to come with a lil video action too š In the meantime, I am going to bask in this excitement and start the arduous process of picking out paint colors. Decisions, decisions……
But before I get lost in the land of paint colors, I’d like to take a minute to thank some of the key players in this deal of all deals:
Michael Lee, Broker Windermere Mercer Island:Giving most of the credit to this guy – my broker Michael! Where to start? From the informative tours of all of the neighborhoods in the South End to the smart thinking on a pre-inspection….he was there at every step of the way with thoughtful advice and an ever calming presence. He knew my likes (a large yard and closets), he knew my dislikes (basements), he knew which streets I should probably not live on, he took me to places that he knew I wouldn’t like, but humored me anyways…..and when we did walk into this house, it only took us moments to look around and know that this was THE HOUSE.
His schmoozing got our deal accepted (there were 3 total) and his mentoring kept me from pulling out of this deal when I thought all hope was lost. He bugged people when they needed to be bugged and essentially babysat this process from start to finish. When we walked in to sign the documents last Friday, he was sitting there waiting for us AND waited the 1.5 hours it took for us to sign just to be sure it was going to go out the door that next morning. Now, if that’s not a broker, I don’t know what is…..
Vincent Ha & his team at Cobalt Mortgage:Oh man, gotta love a good mortgage broker! If you ever want to finance a home, DON’T GO TO A BANK. They are totally useless and will make you want to smash your head into a wall, repeatedly. Over. And over. Again.
Vincent and I have been collaborating for the past two months, but it feels like I’ve known him FOREVER – maybe that’s because we’d talk for at least 30 minutes each day strategizing how I could keep the house despite not being able to sell the condo. Every time there was a bump in the road, he was there with other options or a new game plan. His friendly attitude and endless patience made the financial part of the deal very seamless!
Linda Harada, Chicago Title: Linda came in out of left field last Friday evening and helped us sign all of the paperwork. I don’t know what happened to our other escrow gals, but it sounds like the file would have sat on someone’s desk over the weekend if Michael hadn’t begged Linda to help us out. Man, I am glad she did! With her assistance, we were able to close today!
Mom & Dad: Of course this entire process wouldn’t have happened if my parents hadn’t come swooping in with their support. When my funding got locked up in my condo, it was Mom & Dad to the rescue. They now own a little piece of Beacon (whether they like it or not!) and I’m forever grateful to them.
All of the above come highly recommended. Please check them out if you are looking to make a real estate transaction (except my Mom & Dad – I think they are done with real estate for a while…….)
