17.6.13

Inspections, mortgage brokers, cleaners & numbers

I'm now at the part where people tell me all that's wrong with my house... Yippee?!

My realtor recommended:
  • Reiney Walters of Calibre
  • Victor Teece of Expertise Home Inspection
  • Jim Nichols of House Master
And these two for the sewer inspection:
  • Atlas Sewer
  • Barry's
The general inspector will then tell me if anything else needs to be looked at further. Like if he doesn't feel comfortable giving the okay on electrical, he would recommend an electrical contractor to come check things out.
I'm hoping I get good people to look over the house. That they give me a comprehensive list of what needs to be done and when. And maybe even an approximate price tag on all the fixes for me to plan out my spending for the next 25 years...

I'll review the service I get from the inspectors later.

I also have to go back to my mortgage broker (Claire O'Donnell) who I haven't seen since getting pre-approved at the end of April.
She was recommended to me by my lawyer/family friend Glen Dowling.
Claire is great; easy to talk to, smart, friendly, didn't shut the door in my face for showing up single, under 30 and with a 5% down-payment.

The house is a total mess; dirt on the walls, peach pits and cough drops smushed into the blue shag carpet, nails and screws on every surface.
I emailed an ecologically friendly cleaning service in Regina (EcoClean) to see how much it would cost to clean from ceiling to floorboards, in cupboards and closets, windows and walls. I got a quote back for $336 + GST - really?! I thought it would be soooo much more.
Mind you, they haven't seen the house...

My original offer was $19,900 under list price and it was countered with an extra $5,000 - which I accepted, granted they clean the place. I'm not expecting a miracle (hence the cleaning crew I want to hire), but it should be a good start.


to be continued...

16.6.13

Ideas


Just a dumping ground for house ideas:

Bathroom
This will be the first major project (apart from tearing out carpet) and a total gut & re-do.
I can't decide if I want to go stark and modern or stay true to the era of the house...
Black and white paint:
  • Benjamin Moore Moonlight White (matte): all white walls/ceilings
  • 
Benjamin Moore Simply White (satin): white trim/woodwork
  • Benjamin Moore Soot (matte): black walls for accents
  • Benjamin Moore Toucan Black (satin): black doors and stairs if they are wood under the vinyl
  • 
Olympic Knight’s Armor (eggshell): black for bathroom?
  • Benjamin Moore Black Beauty (satin): exterior black trim

Kitchen
I don't think I'll need to redo the kitchen right away, but I've always loved apron front sinks or farm sinks (Rohl Shaws Lancaster Apron Front Fireclay Sink)

Good prices on faucets and sinks (fixtureuniverse.com)

Wall-mounted track shelving:
Inspiration (Almost Makes Perfect)
Instructions (This Old House)

So I may have bought a house

WHAT!?

I bought my little car exactly one year ago, and last night I put in an offer on a house!

What massive life-changing event will happen to me June 15th, 2014? (don't answer that)

The sellers countered with $5,000 above what I offered, and I accepted conditional to them cleaning, and getting a roof/furnace/house/sewer/gas line inspection done.
Little cottage in a forest
Now my head is spinning with ideas and I need to start documenting or I'll forget all my brilliant plans!

Professional work:
Outside
  • Shingles (rotting boards?) and ice-damming prevention
  • Eaves
  • Grate around house and take out tree that's growing in front of living room window
Inside
  • Bathroom plumbing/electrical?
  • Moisture-proof subfloor and walls
  • Install new bath + tiles
DIY:
Inside
  • Rip up carpets
  • Pull out the bazillion nails/screws that are all over the walls (FREAKY!) inside/outside/trees/basement
  • Wash walls, ceilings, windows, cupboards, closets, etc. (there are peach pits in the entrance that the selling agent is supposed to take care of)
  • Demo bathroom - I can live with a weird and outdated kitchen (once sanitized), but I can't shower without sandals on in that bathroom...
  • Refinish hard wood? We'll see what it looks like once the carpet comes up
  • Paint EVERYTHING white - I need a blank slate
Outside
  • Scrape paint off wood siding/window ledges/soffit
  • Paint wood siding/window ledges/soffit
Stuff to buy:
  • Washer & dryer
  • Fridge? Maybe... depending how old/energy efficient the current one is. And how clean...
  • Windows? When a good sale with financing comes up perhaps