Searching for the Prinzi Palace

OH WOW

2006-08-15T10:44:00.000-04:00

Ok, so it's a REALLY good thing that we got a house when we did. Remember how crammed that apartment was? Well....imagine it with tons of BABY stuff! Yes, we found out in the middle of March (and coincidentally, in the middle of the first couple weeks of house-training the puppy), that Sarah is pregnant! A little bit of a surprise, but one that we are VERY happy about. Here is a picture of Sarah as she is showing now. The baby is due November 7th!!!

Now That We're Here....

2006-03-11T10:27:00.000-05:00

So it was a REALLY good thing that we got a house when we did. We never got a husky (kinda expensive) but we did get a wonderful collie mix dog from the animal shelter (which is for free). He's a great dog, very smart and playful without being too hyper.

Fixing Up The House

2005-11-27T10:57:00.000-05:00

In all honesty, the house did not need much fixing up. It was beautiful right when we moved in. Besides adding furniture and putting up pictures, the only thing we did when we moved in was paint our bedroom. Here is a picture of it. We love the color.
Now we just need to get a bookcase and some nicer pillow cases and blankets....but one thing at a time

Moving Day

2005-11-22T18:01:00.000-05:00

So it took us all of one night to be ready to move. We packed like crazy on Friday night and were ready to go on Saturday. We made some calls and got some awesome church people to help, Sarah's parents helped, and my mom came over to help with lunch.
Our movers were totally awesome. Sarah and I took one load with a truck in the morning. Then we met up with four of our friends and their big trucks and got everything in one trip. The apartment was empty, Sarah and I cried leaving our first home (not really cried, but.....), and we moved in. Josh Soble stayed extra long to put away books and hang up my dress clothes. It was an exciting day. So we are in. Here is a sweet picture of the house!!

Closing is Next

2005-11-18T17:53:00.000-05:00

Wow. Closing time came quickly here. We took work off Friday to go to our closing meeting. This is the meeting where we lose all our money... oh well, I guess we get a house out of the deal. :) So, the meeting was very good. We met with our lawyer for over an hour to go over all this legal stuff that is pretty complicated. Our lawyer, from Kruk and Cambell did very well. After learning about all that legal stuff, we got to the big time. We gave away all the money we'd been saving for our whole life and they gave us keys. It was totally sweet. As soon as we got the keys, we went over to see our new house. It was the coolest thing. While this meeting was quite complicated, Sarah and I were totally excited. We'll let you know how moving went.

The Mortgage

2005-09-27T17:31:00.000-04:00

Next we had to meet with a Mortgage Consultant. The person we met with was named Mary Ann Chanler who works for a company called Mortgage IT. This was very helpful because mortgages are CONFUSING. She answered all of our questions and helped us find the best interest rate that we could. We brought some of our bank statements, pay stubs, and tax returns so that she could give the bank all the necessary information so they could approve our loan. She also gave us a worst-case scenario of what our closing costs would be. It was a very good thing that she did this, because we realized that we would probably have to make a smaller down payment than we thought. Finally, once we felt we understood things as best as we could, we signed an application for a mortgage. Now that all the information has been submitted, we need to wait for it to be processed. From what Mary Shelsby has told us, not much will happen from here on out, until we close. But don't worry, we'll keep you updated with anything that comes up.

The Inspection

2005-09-23T17:57:00.000-04:00

Sorry that it has been awhile since we've posted. It has been a busy week for us. On Monday it was our 6 month anniversary so we went out to dinner. On Tuesday we had our engineer's inspection of the house and it went fantasically. On Wednesday we called around for mortgage rates and picked up our car (it broke down on Tuesday night). On Thursday, it was Sarah's brother's birthday, so we had to ride out to see him.

Now back to Tuesday's inspection. The house is in fabulous shape. Our inspector (named Adam Backus) from the company Pillar to Post gave us a ton of information about the house (18 pages of printouts to be exact) and took us through the house, showing us the things he noted, good and bad (there was nothing bad really).

We are very fortunate because the house is older, but it has been very well cared for. The next step was for us to respond to what Adam told us and finalize the deal with the sellers. We sent our request and came to an agreement with the sellers (they are wonderful people by the way).

What Happens Next

2005-09-19T18:24:00.000-04:00

First of all, I would like to thank you all for following along on this blog and giving us good advise. We really have considered your advise when you gave it and will continue to.

So, we have a mighty big 'to do' list ahead of us. Tomorrow (Tuesday) is our engineer inspection. Hopefully all will be well, but we shall see. This week we also need to get one of those mortgages. I don't really want one of those.... There is a lot of lawyer stuff to be done as well. So we'll let you know how the inspection and mortgage shopping goes.

This is a good time to give some good advice to show how important it is to have a good realtor. When we were signing a few minor changes on contract, Sarah saw something that didn't seem right. We wanted three days to respond to the engineer's inspection, and it only said one. So Sarah discussed it with the realtor and got it changed to three days. The only way she recognized the change was because Mary explained to us the entire contract at the beginning of this process. A good realtor is very important.

VICTORY!!!

2005-09-19T17:45:00.000-04:00

So guess what? They actually accepted our offer on Sarah's favorite (by the way, I really like this one too. We call it Sarah's favorite because that is what you all know it by)! This is the sweetest thing in the world. We are one huge step closer to actually owning a house... and a big stinking house. This place is totally awesome. We have lots to share and lots to do over the next week.

That's it. I hope you like it. On top of these pictures, there is also a side porch off the right of the house, a walk in closet in the master bedroom, and a garage (it doesn't really fit cars, just stuff). Let us know what you think!

The Contract

2005-09-17T11:29:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned before, Eric and I had a lot to talk about on the way home from the 2nd run through with the dads. Eric brought up a point about the house, it didn't have much of a basement, and that was important to him. The question he has to answer is, can he live without one?

After a lot of thinking, Eric decided that he could. We called Mary and asked if we could put in an offer quickly. She came over that night (even though it was after 9pm) and stayed until 10:30pm (thank you Mary) and we filled out all of the paperwork. Here are pictures of us signing our first offer on a house. We went high, but not quite to asking price. They have until Sunday at noon to decide. We will let you know when we know.

Moment of Truth

2005-09-15T18:59:00.000-04:00

This is Sarah posting again. On the right is Eric and I thinking about our dads' input and all the things we saw on our second run-through. On the left is another picture of Eric and I on the stairs of one of the houses.

We had a tough decision ahead of us and to top it off, there is an "open house" sign on the front yard of the (seemingly) best option, "Sarah's Favorite." The open house is going to take place in 2 days. Not good. Mary advised us that that house would probably sell quickly as the asking price is quite reasonable and the house looks and functions great (see our pros and cons list). Eric and I drove home that night discussing everying, and not totally sure what to do.
FYI, here were some conclusions that we came to on the 2nd look :
1. Short Shower House is out. The upstairs is just too cramped, we'd need to move by our 2nd or 3rd kid, plus the dads didn't like the roof, the siding, or the yard.

2. Sarah's Favorite probably doesn't have plumbing or electricity problems. Obviously and engineer's inspection varifies this, but everything we saw looked updated. It's also still beautiful, and the community is great.

3. The Quaint 70s is on the busiest road of the three, definitely needs some roof and siding work, and isn't in much of a community setting.

We realized that we leaned towards Sarah's Favorite (Sarah definitely, Eric barely). We'd love to sit and wait on it, but should the open house sign give us a sense of urgency to act? We all agree that that house will sell quickly...what to do?

Dads Are Great

2005-09-15T18:41:00.000-04:00

Hi. Eric is playing video games so this is Sarah posting this update. So remember how there were 3 houses that we told you we were pretty serious about? Well, we called our dads to come look at the houses during our second run-through. Here is a picture that Mary snapped of us talking through our options. (She's so good at catching the Kodak moments.)

Dads really are great. This is a picture of my dad inspecting the roof of the Short Shower House. On the left is a picture of Eric's dad inspecting the sink of the Quaint 70s house.

While the dads looked at mechanical things and commented on the stuff they like, Eric kept a checklist. He also tasted the water.

A Lot To Think About.

2005-09-14T18:46:00.000-04:00

This is Sarah and I seriously trying to figure out which house we want. We made a list of pros and cons to help with our decision. We also used Mary Shelsby's mortgage calculator (on her website) to figure out potential monthly mortgage costs.

Here are our three favorites and a list of pros and cons.

1. The Quaint '70s.

Advantages: Roomy two car garage, big fenced in back yard, poured concrete foundation, big nice basement, decent heating and water furnace, good electricity, nice overall layout of the house, potential for future additions (when we have our 3 children) :), nice and quiet setting, close to our church, and lastly an odd advantage is its need for complete redecoration. This is something Sarah and I would enjoy.

Disadvantages: Higher taxes, farthest from work, a little small, needs a new roof.

2. The Short Shower House:

Advantages: Closest to work, beautifully laid out downstairs, nice neighborhood, solid foundation, good electricity, nice porches, we know some people in the neighborhood, good furnace and water heater, good roof, and nice bay windows in dining room and master bedroom.

Disadvantages: Very small upstairs, no potential for future additions, smallest backyard of the three, high taxes, no garage, and we would have to redo the bathroom so we don't break our necks showering.

3. Sarah's Favorite:

Advantages: Room for 3 children, nice neighborhood, big backyard, pool, largest bedrooms, best kitchen, good roof, good foundation, (from what we know so far) good electricity and plumbing, good furnace, good water heater, lowest taxes, lots of porches, close to church, 2 full bathrooms, first floor laundry, a single garage, we know some people in the neighborhood, and it's overall the biggest and nicest house.

Disadvantages: Eric is not sure he likes the lay out, the basement is smaller than Eric would like (he grew up playing floor hockey in a massive basement and he hoped to do it with his kids)

If you actually made it through all that, please leave us your comments as to which house you would choose. We'd love to know....

Sarah's Favorite, Eric is Unsure

2005-09-14T18:24:00.000-04:00

Ok, so this house is really really nice. It's in a small town, near our church, on a nice street, with a nice big backyard. This is a picture of the kitchen. Isn't it sweet? It has a nice dining room, living room, and computer room. It also has two full bathrooms, which is a huge plus for a potentially growing family.

This master bedroom is huge and has a walk-in closet. The ceilings are high upstairs, which is better than the last house.

Here is the super sweet backyard, with a nice pool and deck. The only problems we might have with this house is possible electricity and plumbing issues. We'll have an expert take a look. (Later note: The expert did look and there were no plumbing issues and minimal electrical issues. See post on the inspection)

Whoa. A Good One

2005-09-14T18:09:00.000-04:00

This house was quite good. The inside had a beautiful layout, with a good foundation, curcuit breakers instead of fuses, and a nice front porch. We were and still are excited about this one. It made our top three.

However, it had some faults. This is a picture of Sarah and me in the shower. Notice the angle of our heads... we can't actually stand up. Being that this is the only full bathroom, showering will be uncomfortable. On top of this, the ceilings upstairs are rather low, and the yard is kind of small.

A small shower head in the basement is not the best remedy.

Too Big, Too Broken

2005-09-14T17:59:00.000-04:00

Ok, we will be serious for one post. This house gives us an opportunity to show you some important things Mary has shown us that every homebuyer needs to consider.
First, ceilings. They shouldn't look like this (neither should anything in the house)

Second, foundation. Cracks are bad. This needs to be looked at by a professional to see if it will hold up.

Third, its important to look at siding, roofs, and gutters. This house is bad in all three.
Even though we have joked through most of our posts, we look at these issues seriously at every house.

Why Are There Two Kitchens?

2005-09-14T17:40:00.000-04:00

This kitchen was absolutely beautiful, with a wonderful view across the valley. However, it wasn't alone. This was the start to the maze. Walking through the maze we found another kitchen, two livingrooms, 4,278 bedrooms (approximately), two screened in porches, and a large moldy basement where we are convinced a murder took place. It had about 10 acres of land, however, in Mary Shelby's words it would be better to cart off the house and start over. We agreed and moved on. Below are some more pictures.

Did someone measure this wrong?

I'm not sure, are there usually holes in a chimney?Mold

The Old One With Character

2005-09-09T15:49:00.000-04:00

This is the house of one of our friends who was nice enough to let us look at it before she puts it on the market. It is old and beautiful, as you can see from this picture. She's done a lot of painting in the house, and it looks great.

We searched high and low, in every crack and under every stone. This is Sarah peering through a midget door to a storage area.

The house was nice, but we are not sure that it fits us right. The upstairs is a bit smaller than we want. Also, the house has small closets, which is a problem for us because we are teachers, and we need to have a lot of professional-looking clothing. The other shortcoming is that the electricity still runs through fuses, which we'd have to replace. We are leaning toward no, but we might take another look at it.

The Quaint '70s

2005-09-09T15:32:00.000-04:00

Now, Sarah and I have nothing personal against the 1970s, except when it is the essence of our possible home. This wallpaper was not alone, but it was surrounded by carpets, decorations, appliances, and the works all straight out of the 1970s.

Another interesting part of this house was the toilet. I mean, come on, who puts a toilet there? It's not exactly ideal for privacy and ventilation at the same time. And you also must knock before entering.

Despite these minor things, we liked a lot about this house. It was in good shape and had a beautiful back yard. We are looking to get a husky after we get a house, so the yard is important.

This is a picture of me doing manly things, such as examining the furnace. Ok, so Mary had to tell me this was the furnace, but I look manly, right? Overall, we liked this house, and we might go back to see it again. It might be too small, but we'll see.

The Stinker

2005-09-09T15:10:00.000-04:00

Mary Shelby, Sarah, and I visited homes for the first time this weekend. In two days, we visited 5 houses, with a few more to go this week. So in the next few posts, we will take you through this.... umm.... interesting journey.

THE STINKER

Upon entering the house, this air freshener was the first thing we saw.... and it didn't help at all. The folks who lived here liked cats, and their pee. The entire place smelled like cat urine. Sarah was ready to leave in 15 seconds for fear the smell would contaminate her clothes.

Strike 2 was the driveway. Mary skidded up the driveway in all wheel drive, and Sarah and I had to back up and ram into the drive to make it up. Imagine this in a Western New York winter.

Otherwise, the house had nice scenery, and it looked nice from the outside. However, strike 3 was its tiny rooms. The Stinker is out.

Eric After the Drive Bys

2005-08-27T20:53:00.000-04:00

It was a long day....

Drive-Bys

2005-08-27T17:40:00.000-04:00

I drove the car, Sarah had the gun... we'll have a house in no time.... just kidding. :)

We spent an entire Saturday and 75 miles worth of gas driving by all our favorite houses. It gave us a feel for the neighbor- hoods and the outside of the houses. This is a picture of Sarah looking at one she likes (little too expensive for us though).

So, remember when we mentioned our failures? Well it's time to share our first. We were looking for a house (no picture was available). We were on the right road and saw a really nice house with a for sale sign. Getting excited, Sarah and I walk to the front to talk to the folks selling it. Unfortunately, not only was it the wrong house, but we had been looking for the wrong number as well. First we thought the house number was 3733, then 3723, before we finally realized it was 3373. Oops....

Our Search Made Easy

2005-08-25T14:29:00.000-04:00

After Mary Shelsby taught us about the contract, she asked us what we wanted in a house. From that information, she did something that made looking for a house so much easier. She made a webpage just for us that listed all the houses on the market that fit our wants!! Whenever a new house came onto our page, we would get an email telling us, and we would look at it. We can even leave comments on the page telling Mary which ones we liked.
This is a picture of the page she made us. The day after we first met Mary, we had 35 houses to choose from.

By the way, if you are getting interested in this Mary Shelsby person, take a look at her website: www.MaryShelsbyHomes.com

Mary Shelsby to the Rescue!!!

2005-08-22T18:21:00.000-04:00

Once we realized our need for a house, Sarah gave Mary Shelsby a call. Mary came over to our apartment to explain to us all the things that we didn't know about buying a house (which was alot of things). This picture is Sarah and I looking at a real contract for buying a house. This was very helpful because now we know what to expect when it comes time to close. There won't be any scary surprises.

At this point, Mary Shelsby advised us to get pre-qualified for a mortgage. She mentioned that getting pre-qualified can be scary because you might not have good enough credit to get the loan that you want. However, she said we need to get pre-qualified to know how much we can spend on a house. It went very well for us. The person we pre-qualified with was Mary Ann Chandler, a Sr. Loan Officer with Mortgage IT. Sarah made one phone call, gave her name and social security number, as well as her approximate income, and we were pre-qualified in five minutes. Also, she sent Mary all our information through a fax for this meeting.

Mary Ann Chandler's phone number is 585-346-6858, in case you needed to know. :)

Why we want a house...

2005-08-15T20:07:00.000-04:00

This is a picture of our dining room.... workout room... study... living room..., and kitchen. I think you get the idea. While its a very cozy place, Eric tends to hit his head on the workout equipment while trying to eat.

The picture on the right is our living room. Again, it is very cozy. However, when we come in the front door (which is on the left), we walk into the coat rack, which is in danger of falling into our TV.

This is a picture of the kitchen. No cozyness here, only irritation. This is a one and half person kitchen. I'm pretty sure Sarah is going to hit me (Eric) with the jar if I don't get out of the way soon.