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Pictures! (Updated: They're here now!)
Long awaited, no doubt.
I wanted to make sure I was going through with it before I showed y'all the pics. I cribbed these from the MLS. Oddly, this property is difficult to find by Googling, even before they were under contract to me. With no further ado....
Oh wait. No access to requested root directory, it says. Jeff? Help?
Stand by, y'all.
d
Later...
Trying again.
Greatroom from kitchen:
OK. We've lost permissions again. The great, indefatigable Superjeff is working on it. 'Til then, you have this, um, space-saver.
OK! We're in business! It seems we were communicated in parallel universes or something for a bit, as he fixed it a couple of weeks ago when I requested it, but I was using a less-obvious way to upload my pix that he didn't know about and which--as it turns out--still doesn't work. Now that I've seen the light, let's proceed, shall we? B)
I cribbed these from the MLS listing, as you can see. Here's a great angle view of the front of the house:
And a...ahem...full frontal view, from once when those windows were clean:
The view across the greatroom, decorated by previous owners who clearly had far more money and, yes I admit it, taste than do I:
And as you can see here, the landing from the master bedroom has a wonderful view:
This is a neat idea for decorating the home theater, at some point in the future when I get money again:
Layout of outside, with circular drive and the two-car detached garage, which will probably become a workshop:
Kitchen:
Master bath (yes...that's a two-person jetted bathtub and a shower, as promised, that you could camp in):
Master bedroom here. The double doors lead to a balcony. Of course:
Swim spa in basement. This picture lacks perspective. I could stand in it and you'd see my head and shoulders. It's pretty big:
The folks who owned this place really loved it. They took care of it. It must have hurt something awful to lose it.
I'm closing today, btw. My real estate agent--Sherry Romero, the same as last time, of course--managed to (1) get the bank to close on time AND (2) pay to replace the generator, which was stolen after we went under contract. Banks simply don't pay for anything when they well foreclosed properties, so her ability to do this gives her quasi-godlike status, IMO.
There was also a little interest rate thing I went through....
I immediately locked in a 6.5% interest rate (no money down, VA fixed loan for 30 years), but it had origination fees and silly stuff like that attached. Luckily for me, a friend recommended I go to LendingTree.com to comparison shop. Having nothing to lose, I did. I immediately locked in a 6.0% rate with no origination fees (and other stuff I was paying for with the broker).
I kept watching interest rates, of course. ;) They're crazy right now, yes? I waited until some were advertising 5.5% for 30-year loans, and I called my loan officer to ask if we could negotiate.
He said, "No. Once you're locked in, you're locked no matter what the markets do."
I said, "I see. So if your bank won't negotiate with me, the only way I can get out of the lock to get a better rate is to start all over with another lender, then?"
He said, "You could, I suppose, but you have to be careful about those lenders out there. Make sure you have a reputable company. You can't trust just anyone you find over the internet."
I thought, How do you think I found you, then?
He rambled on about how his bank couldn't drop my rate because they'd lose money, etc. I said, "Let me see if I understand. Your bank can't drop my rate because they'd lose money on the deal, but if I go to another lender"--and he already knew I'd switched once--"then your bank makes no money on the deal. Right?"
There was a long moment of silence, then he said, "Let me go up to my office and crunch some numbers. I'll get back to you."
He did. I got a quarter of a discount point for 5.75%. We both knew I didn't really want to start over with a new lender, because the process of underwriting takes a while and it probably would have postponed closing, which (again) we both knew I didn't want to do, but he knew I would do so if he didn't offer me a deal, so he came through.
I'm happy now. We close at 12:30, then I'm cleaning the place as much as possible, having locks changed, having the septic tank roto-rooted, etc. I have a bevy of friends with trucks and trailers to help move the big chunks out Saturday morning.
My knee surgery is Tuesday sometime. At the least, I'll get a debrisment, where they just go in (anthroscopic, you know) and trim stuff. If something can be repaired, I've asked for the repair--meaning they sew stuff up. Repair is a longer-term fix, but it also means I won't be able to put weight on the leg for six weeks, then will probably undergo physical therapy to repair the joint slowly. I'm not looking forward to that, of course, but I'm willing to suffer now if it means they can fix my knee for the long term.
My life is busy right now, you see. :) Hope y'all are well, and thanks for your patience on the pictures.
d
14 comments
OK, I’ve checked the permissions on the folder, and changed ‘em to try to allow “everybody” to write to the media folder. This includes the user under whom the web server was working. Unsure what may have changed that allowed it to work. Perhaps I copied instead of linking in the past.
Give it another whirl, and see if the change in permissions works. Let me know either way…
Any luck on more pictures, dear blag-overlords? Inquiring eyes wish to see!
K
No luck yet, Kev.
I’m thinking these things take time, like fine wine, say.
d
Beautiful! I love the kitchen and the master bath. The kitchen looks like it was made for parties. Can we book you for the next-next Infidel gathering? :p
Diana,
Posh digs indeed. I get the feeling the prior owners were mermaids, between the spa and the bathtub. And that kitchen! Wow is all I can say.
You done good, my friend.
Dave
That’s not a bad idea, muidiri. :)
Thanks, Dave. At closing the selling agent told me pointblank that I could put it back on the market immediately and sell it tomorrow for $499,000. I told him it was worth more and thanks but no thanks.
It’ll be worth the mortgage payment just to sit on the porch and listen to the wind in the pines….
d
Wooo!
From the rest of those pictures, the house looks beautiful, and props on your loan officer/bank negotiations. :)
Happiness for you!
K
LOVE the pics, Diana! You are awesome! I want to come visit!!!!
Thanks, all, for your well wishes and congrats. I’m very happy indeed.
I think I’m just awesomely lucky, Aunt B’Ann. :) You’re welcome any time, of course.
Sherry, my real estate agent, told me at closing, “I admit I thought you were crazy when you told me you wanted to buy a foreclosed property. Then I saw it….”
As always, Dave has the perfect word: it’s posh. It’s a castle, really.
And yesterday, as I was cleaning windows, I was thankful once again that Daddy was a professional window cleaner way back when and taught me good basic technique. I’d be in trouble if I tried to clean those windows with Windex and newspapers, wouldn’t I?
d
OH WOW! That is one gorgeous mansion! (But is it over a hilltop?) I’m so happy for y’all!
Well, glad I could help in some small way, anywho. Be thankful the windows aren’t curved. That produces lots of streaks that are hard to get rid of. Proud for you, all the way. Daddy
Heh. It isn’t a secret, really, but there are techniques to effective window cleaning.
You have to work with the right tools: a good soft window brush, a squeegee with no nicks, a big bucket with a lot of water and a little Mr. Clean, and a sponge. You scrub the window well with the brush, then use the damp sponge to absorb most of the moisture from the edges and dampen the squeegee, then…this is the part that doesn’t explain well. :) You have to learn how to maneuver the squeegee so it doesn’t leave streaks. Daddy had mastered a technique which allowed him to squeegee the entire window without removing the squeegee, but I never could quite make it work. You have to make sure the trailing edge isn’t on the dry part, because it’ll leave a streak.
You might just have to ask him to demonstrate. :)
d
Judy, after the window is thorouhghly (ok, I can’t spell) wet and clean, if you are right handed, it helps to start on the left at the top. Window cleaners use a squeegee that is removable from the handle. They bring the water down to a height they can reach , being careful to keep the leading edge in the part already squeegeed. It takes practice, but you can do it. When you have gone completely across the window, remove the squeegee from the pole, then work crossways, again keeping the leading edge in the dry area. There are certain techniques for working edges, better shown than explained. When you reach the bottom, you should havce the window clean with no streaks. Use a barely damp sponge to remove water from the frame. For very small windows, paper towels and rubbing alcohol work best–no squeegee. Hope this helps. If PD lets this go on the blog! :) Love you Sweetheart.