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| The slate on the floor was uncovered! I have to tell you...I wasn't sure about this when we went with it to save money but I do love it. It's a nice dark gray slate. Since it's a rock it will absorb and keep the heat so it should be pretty nice to sit on when I need to warm my aching bones. :) |
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| THE KITCHEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Stupid cardboard....get out of there! |
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| I love the countertop/cabinet combo! I will definitely have to change those floors though. I don't regret going with the standard flooring because I know it will save money...but it definitely shows in aesthetics. The floor does not compare to the fabulous cabinets and laminate top. I can't wait to get in and start cooking like Paula Dean....or Gordan Ramsey! |
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| The best last minute decision ever! I love these recessed lights! |
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| They put the brick under the door! YES!!!!!!!!!!! It looks so AWESOME! I'm so glad I asked for this because leaving it bare just looked silly. |
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| The electric is on and this one little light was installed. :) It's tiny but I like how quaint it is. |
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| I didn't realize there was a recessed light in the bathroom. I like it. :) |
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| And...another slightly crooked bathroom vent...but again...how often am I going to strain with my head cocked up? |
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| Evidence that they do exist. |
1. Replace the gutter with the horrible dent located right in my face above the garage.
2. Install outlets in Gourmet kitchen and Basement wall.
3. Fix the drywall in the ceiling from the jacuzzi tub mistake.
4. Replace the jacuzzi tub that currently has a faucet in my face when I lay in it.
5. Fix the ceiling where the taped from the joint shows in the morning room...and other little nicks here and there....like that little one on my cupboard door in the kitchen.
6. Clean that weird sticky gooey stuff off of the basement floor.
7. Clean the closet shelves because they feel weird...along with the final clean through.
8. Brick above the basement window in the big space left behind.
9. Make sure that expensive garage door opener is installed. (My husband is scared of them because he had an incident so paying the ridiculous price for RH to do it was his treat)
10. Get rid of the aliens. ;)
I have to figure out the house rental stuff too. Does anyone have any advice about renting a home without a property management agency? I tried to contact two management companies in my area TWICE and neither one got back to me. ...so I definitely do not want that type of company watching over my investment. Any advice? Ideas? I'm concerned about LAWS and legal documents.
We hired a property management company. I couldn't imagine doing it on my own. It just seems like a lot of work. The management company will find us renters, handle the rental contract, collect the rent, send us the rent less their reasonable $79/mo fee, and send us a monthly statement for tax purposes. They even handle maintenance issue under $500 and take care of evictions.
ReplyDeleteGetting rid of the aliens should be #1 on your list! LOL
ReplyDeleteI love your brick. The brick under the door gives it a really nice look.
I agree with CMM, we have worked with a property management company for two years. Although I was not pleased with the first manager, the second one was better. Try asking a realtor for their advice of a company to go with. I do know of people who do it on their own, but I think sometimes it is work the peace of mind to pay for someone else to do it. By the way, your house looks great!
ReplyDeleteWe rented our condo in Philadelphia on our own. It may have been easier since renting is so common here, but I used craigslist and padlister.com to list the property. It's a lot more work since you have to meet with the people who want to see it, but I didn't want to pay for a management company. This year we had to show it to about 10 people before we had a taker. After the initial work getting a renter, we haven't had any issues in the 2 years we've been renting. We did get a Philadelphia rental license ... not sure if they have anything like that in your area, but I'm sure someone at your municipality could help you with that.
ReplyDeleteLooks like someone will be moving in real soon!!!! How exciting!!!
ReplyDeleteNice! You got a shower curtain rod. It's a small thing, but ours won't come with one.
ReplyDeleteHa ha! I didn't even notice that! Thanks for pointing it out. Whoo hoo...bonus!
DeleteHi, I just found your blog and am happy to see something current. It's fun to see everything unfold with your new house- congratulations. My husband and I recently started throwing around the idea of selling our house since we bought it as a foreclosure and could make some money and take advantage of low interest rates. We are in SC so I know costs would be lower here but I was wondering if you could share the costs of some upgrades, specifically the morning room, would you mind? Do they happen to give a brochure or something that spells it all out, or do you have to ask them about each little thing? Do you have any recommendations as to what upgrades to get vs. diy later? or advice for negotiating? Things to look out for/avoid? I would really appreciate it. I am stressing myself out over here dreaming about all the features I would like then thinking about how much more they would add to the cost.
ReplyDeleteYou can check out all my selections and upgrades by clicking on the tab above labeled: "Model and Selections". Scroll down to see the pricing that I paid. The morning room was only $5000.00 for us because we received a $10,000 incentive towards it when we signed our contract. We had a choice of that or the finished basement and we wanted to have a larger foundation. We can always finish the basement later. Once you sign the contract they give you a list of ALL the options that you can do in your subdivision complete with pricing. They do entice you with many options. You should go in and talk to a sales rep....the worst that will happen is that you learn more about the process. For us, it was better for us to take the standard floor and diy later...but we are very handy...if we weren't we'd have hardwood from the start. I would not buy their faucet or light fixture upgrades (except recessed lights) because that stuff is way cheaper and easy to diy. their hardware cost for us was way cheaper than if we bought it ourselves so we did get that. Basically, we choose to upgrade BIG things that would be a major pain to do later...like a gourmet island, fireplace and jacuzzi tub. As far as negotiating..there isn't a whole lot. I got a three piece rough in because i asked for it after i signed the no changes document and the pm helped me out. you have to keep an eye out for their incentives. I've only seen some people mention negotiations but they sometimes didn't have big incentives either. It depends on how well your subdivision is selling and how desperate RH is...I think. I would suggest browsing all the blogs to see what you should look out for. I just visited my house weekly to say the least and asked question after question and researched if I wasn't sure about something. When I ran into a problem that wasn't fixed the way I wanted it, I emailed RH customer service and got prompt attention and everything fixed the way I like it. You need to set a budget and sit down with a sales rep. In my case...we were able to afford much more than I thought because of the fantastic mortgage rates. I plan on staying in my home for 30 years so we spent nearly $40,000 in extras...but we didn't have to. I had my SR print me at least 5 or 6 pricing options until I finally fell in a spot where I was comfortable with what I had. I added and deleted things many times...and I'm sure I was challenging...but in the end I got what I wanted for the price I was willing to pay.
DeleteCharissa- Thank you so much for answering my questions! We went and looked at the model/neighborhoods today. I was happy to hear the morning room is only $7,000 down here, and I can drop some of the things on the silver upgrade list for credits to put towards the morning room, like the crown molding in the dining room- we can so do that ourselves. I am sure if we go with Ryan I will drive the sales rep crazy. I wish they were more flexible with the elevations, I see two that I would like to combine. I would love the craftsman style porch I saw online, but they don't offer it here, booo. We are going to check out a few other builders, but I already have the venice decorated in my head! Congratulations on your new home, I hope the rest of the process goes smoothly for you. Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteWe have also built a Venice model Ryan home in PA and appreciate the helpful info in your blog. Would love to know where the Model home is where you posted pics from in July...love so much about the decor and would love to see it myself if it is in the area.
ReplyDeleteThanks!