We are Signed, Sealed, and almost Delivered...

What do I mean by that? Well, we signed all the final papers today to close at Chicago Title. Yay! Now as we are told by the closer, the documents get sent back to the Lender for final revue and then they will be couriered to Olympia for recording. But that won't be happening till Monday. So now you see what I mean right?

We will be moving tomorrow morning though rain or shine (right now it's raining). We have special permission by the seller to go ahead with our moving plans. J.D, the seller, left today for his parents home in Oregon. We got to see him one last time at the escrow office. It was nice to say our goodbyes knowing this probably won't be the last time we will see him. We'll probably get a visit from him sometime down the road.

So, I need to cut this short cause Rob & I are really tired. We didn't get as much packing done today as we had planned but who ever does right? We're thinking rather than stay up late, we should get some shut eye now and get up around 5am to finish before the helpers arrive at 10am. Rob is going with my friend Janice's husband, who also is a Rob, and they will pick up the uhaul truck at 9am. Also the plants and outdoor stuff will be taken to the house by a friend from church. Special thanks to Chris & Rob.

Goodnight All! Signing off for now...I'll be posting next when we get the services hooked up, maybe late Saturday or Sunday. Thanks for all your continued thoughts and prayers. SDG LN

We have the keys!!!

Well, last night we went over to say our goodbyes to J.D., our seller. J.D. has a bad back and Rob helped him with a a few heavy items. He was mostly packed and loaded on his uhaul truck. The house looked different empty. It seemed bigger. It looked ready for us. I was finally, I think, feeling this was really going to happen, if you know what I mean. It was starting to become less about doing this and that and actually enjoying the fact we have bought our first house and will be sleeping, eating and living in it in less than 48 hours. It feels good!

J.D. and Rob both get along really good. I'm so glad God led us to this home and gave us favor with the seller. Even though J.D. knows we can't sign and be recorded until Monday (oh yeah, I forgot to say that we had to move our closing day to Aug 31st) he decided to give us the keys before closing. We made sure that our respective agents, Jen & Staci, were involved so everyone was on the same page. They made sure all the necessary paperwork will be filed with the last minute changes. It seems that our experience of buying a house is completely unorthodox from most. But that's okay. It makes it more memorable.

So, we have the keys and today we are scheduled to go in a sign the final closing papers at 11am. I'm waiting for the phone call from the escrow closers as I write this. I'll post more after the closing is final. Thanks again to all who have been supporting us throughout this journey to buying our first home. We couldn't have done it without you!!! We are blessed to have you continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers. We love you all. SDG LN

Three Cheers for Jen!!!

Just a quick acknowledgment for our real estate agent Jennifer Lampe. Since this morning's phone call to her, she has been proving her worth in gold to us. She has made phone calls and left messages to the lender. She has called me back every time she gets new information. She is reassuring and comforting when we talk. She is willing to pull out the big guns (her Broker) if need be. She has a plan in hand if we can't close tomorrow that sounds reasonable. I have new found respect for the work of an real estate agent. It's tough and hectic, when things don't go as they should. I just wanted to give her praise for a job well done, no matter how it works out, Jen, your the greatest!!! LN

Down to the wire....

Things are really coming down to the wire. I just spoke to Cheryl our escrow officer. This was the first time we had made contact. She sounds very nice & efficient. She also sounded very busy. I asked about our closing time and she said she had not received anything from our lender yet. I was a little surprised, since Rob was told yesterday that we would probably be signing papers today. Cheryl said she could not say if she could fit us in today since she also needed 2 hours of work before she could have it ready. Basically nothing can be scheduled for closing till our lender gets all the docs to them.

Apparently the end of the month is the busiest time for escrow. If you are fortunate enough to close at the end of the month, you save sometimes hundreds (thousands for some more expensive transactions) in interest and such.

Currently, I'm not sure when we are closing. But I can see the glass half full right? Yes I can. Our loan team of Steph & Mia have been working so hard and have had tremedous results in getting us through this process from the beginning back in April. I believe they can pull it out....even if it's down to the wire! We need to be closed by tomorrow and they know it. Please continue to pray for this to work out favorably for us. I'll post back when I get more info from our loan processor Steph and Mia on the status of things. Thanks for your continued thoughts and prayers. SDG LN

Last minute paperwork...Done!!!

Stephanie in fact did call me at work on my cell number. She needed my employment verification. Talk about last minute paperwork. She said she would fax over to me the sheet to be filled out and then fax back. Once I got it, I gave it to Lori, my manager, who is very supportive of me right now in this time of house buying, and she filled out most of it, but had a question on part of it. So we called Stephanie back and asked her. She said there was a way we could actually do this electronically. So we got the website to go to, put in certain personal info and submitted it. It came back with the info which I then emailed to Stephanie and called to follow up. She said she got it. Whew! She said the papers should be ready by tomorrow afternoon for signing. Yayyyy!! We also got word that the key transfer will actually happen tomorrow afternoon as well. We will be doing a final walk through tomorrow to make sure everything is okay. We are about 90% done in the packing and will be picking up the U-Haul truck Saturday morning in Spanaway. We will be starting at 10am to load the truck. It is really happening!!! RN

A few more issues... but we're cool!

I just got a call from Mia that the House Key loan underwriter needed a copy of my certificate from the Housing Seminar Rob and I went to last year. Somehow the one we provided was misplaced. Mia was very efficient and arranged to swing by the apartment on her way to the office. I was just hoping and praying that I still had the copy she needed.

After digging through the black bag that Rob has been keeping all the copies of documents in, there it was. She arrived just a minute after that and I gave her both mine and Rob's, just in case. I asked Mia what was next. She said that she was going to fax it to the House Key Plus underwriter and then wait for them to call with confirmation. Needing to know more of course, I asked if we might still be able to sign papers on Thursday, in which she replied "I don't know. I'll call you when I know more."

Then right after she left, I received a call from Mia's counterpart, Steph. She needed to get an employment verification on Rob. I gave her his cell. I suggested she call him directly. So after Rob gets home today, I'll let him update on his side of the conversation and maybe, he will have more definitive news.

Rob has been as cool as a cucumber through the last couple of issues, which really helps me to stay cool too! We're remembering to put into practice what we learned last week ...

Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Matthew 6:34

Thanks to all who are thinking and praying for us. SDG LN

Moving Forward...

Okay, first an update regarding the insurance stuff. We have been informed by both Steph & Mia that they have the corrected binder and is moving forward. Steph, our loan processor, says she has gotten the loan back from the underwriters. She is waiting only now for the House Key Plus loan underwriter (they are providing the down payment assistance). Steph said to Jen, our agent, that she expects the House Key loan to be in hand tomorrow. Then she said "Next is getting everything over to Escrow. That is what we have been waiting for! Escrow! Yay! We're getting really close now to closing on our first home. Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers. We will continue to keep you all up to date, as we move forward along this journey to owning our first home. SDG LN

Last minute issues....

Well it seems there is to be another last minute issue we must deal with. Yesterday, we found out from our local insurance agent with Allstate that the new agent with Allstate wrote out the insurance binder with the wrong address and wrong name. Today it has come up again. Our local Allstate agent was very negative and said the other agent had "screwed it all up". His attitude was stirring up those see-saw feelings again that I had last week. But I resisted and instead called someone who I thought might be able to help.

So, I immediately called our agent Jen. Jen said this was a minor issue that can be cleared up quickly. She was very positive about it all and said she would follow up with the agents involved to get it resolved. She had a very reassuring attitude and I believed in her ability to resolve things.

This morning's devotion focused me on how I perceive things. Like when faced with daily circumstances, like this insurance mistake, do I see the glass half full or half empty? Do I immediately go for the negative thoughts or do I think positive ones? I always believed I was a positive person. Lately, though I'm not so sure. Today the insurance agents negative way of looking at things as "the glass half empty" almost got me thinking the same negative thoughts. But it was Jen's attitude of "the glass half full" that ruled out. So maybe there is hope for me after all!

I've been really put to the test over the last week. Maybe this is a good day to put into practice what I learned last week....to "give thanks in all circumstances (1Thessalonians 5:18). Thank you God for your grace in time of need!!! SDG LN

The Joys of Moving...

Just wanted to let everyone know we are still on schedule to close this week on the house and plan to move on Saturday, August 29th. Since last week, we have been organizing and getting things packed. Today we spent the morning calling to start up new services for electric, water, sewer, garbage. We also got a new phone number. We had a call from our home insurance agent that they had Rob's name as "Bob" on the new policy and the address was wrong. They had transposed the first two numbers. We contacted our lender and she said everything was fine on her end. So it was a false alarm. So other than that, everything is pretty calm and we are really looking forward to closing and getting the keys to our first home. Thanks for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. SDG LN

What a difference a day makes...

The guard rail is done!!!! The condition has been met! We can move forward to close on the house next week. Rob & J.D., our seller, built it together. They had it up in a few hours with one little mess up when the top rail was not level. But they were able to pull the spindles out and re-nail them. All checked out level and to code. We all breathed a sigh of relief. We give God all the glory!

Here are some photos of the guard rail...

Good news!!!!

Okay, things are looking up. I just got the call that the Appraiser will amend the condition to only building a rail on the north side of the deck, which he claims is 30" (but measured at 29.75"). Rob and I are on our way over to the house tonight to start the work. If nothing else comes up, we should be able to meet out tentative closing date 8/28. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers. LN

Breaking NEWS!!!!

Just received word that the Appraiser is going out for a second measurement to confirm if the deck meets the requirement of the railing. This is great news!!! We will post later the results. LN

Rollercoasters are fun, this is not...

Okay, we are starting to get to a point where we are seriously thinking this may not happen. Why? Well, yesterday we were told by the county that the rail, that we were told we needed, we don't need if our deck is below 31". But our lender's appraiser says it's aprox. 30" and needs a railing. Now it's starting to feel like we're on an endless roller coaster. Yeah, we've graduated from the seesaw to the roller coaster stage. It makes it difficult when the officials we have to rely on say different and contradictory things. One says one thing, and then another says something else. So what is it? Do we need the rail or not? So I started to do some investigating on my own. Here's the result.

After consulting with county officials in charge of building codes, I determined that the requirement for guard rails, per the IRC (International Residential Code), used by our county says, "Guards shall be located along open-sided walking surfaces, including stairs, ramps and landings, that are located more than 30 inches (762 mm) measured vertically to the floor or grade below at any point within 36 inches (914 mm) horizontally to the edge of the open side." In layman's terms, if our deck measures at any point along a 36" edge of open deck a height above 30" from the ground, a guard rail is required. So, logically what we did next was measure to see for ourselves if we meet the requirement.

Our agent, Jen took the pictures & my hubby, Rob, did the measuring with a contractors tape. Sure enough, our deck does not meet the requirements for a guard rail. We measured on the different sides of the deck and found that it averaged aprox. 26" to the grade below. Only in the northeast corner did it measure at it's highest 29.75" but still under the requirement of more than 30". So, our agent decided to email the photos and the info from the county to our lender for their consideration and hope they would reschedule the appraiser to amend the report and remove the condition.

We are still in negotiations at this time. My agent, Jen has been awesome and I'm so grateful for all her efforts and her encouraging words today. This may work out for us or it could go against us. I'm pretty sure the roller coaster ride isn't over yet. Hopefully through endurance and keeping a level head, we'll get to the end of the ride. I'll be glad when this final leg of the journey to home ownership is over. Thank you all for your continued support and prayers. LN

[UPDATE: Thanks to Steph and Mia, they presented our appeal and they just got word that the underwriters will remove the condition of the rail if we can get an "uninterested" party, such as a county inspector to come out an measure. Our measurements are not allowed since we are interested parties. We contacted the county planners and they said that since the deck does not require permitting, they don't do inspections for unpermitted projects. So, that option isn't there. So we're back at square one. But then My brilliant agent, Jen thought, "Why not just have the Appraiser John go back out and measure?" I said, "Sounds good to me." So we are going to pass that on to Mia & Steph and try for that next. Please keep checking back for the next installment of "The Not-So-Young and the Railless". LOL ;-) ]

The Up's & Down's of Buying a Home...

Yesterday was a long day. It was Rob's day off and we had planned to continue packing and organizing our storage unit for moving day on the 28th. But one key piece of our moving forward hadn't been communicated to us yet and we had been praying that the news would come on Monday. It did. The appraisal was in! We both breathed a sigh of relief.

As we continued reading the email documents which included the written appraisal, we were searching for the final result. Was the house worth what we offered? As we scanned the pages we finally saw it. Appraisal Value $136000. We immediately felt so thankful and thought how close it was, within $500. But it was over so that was good...very good! We don't need to go back to the seller's lender to renegotiate. Things were looking up.

Then we came upon something. Condition of the Appraisal. What's this? I started feeling that seesaw feeling in my stomach. We kept reading. The rear deck is 30" high and needs a railing. We both looked at each other and I said "How are we supposed to build a railing in time? Where will the money come from? Things are looking down. Rob said "Let's pray".

After we prayed, we started making phone calls. We called to confirm it with our agent first. Jen said "Yes. It is a condition that must be met before we close." Okay. Then we called various people, friends and church members. We left lots of messages. Then, I thought about the apartment complex guys, Pat & Clint. They had just completed a retrofit of all our balconies. These guys would know about deck railings. So Rob went off to find them. He found Pat and he said he was busy this week but maybe Clint would be available to help. Later Clint got the request from Pat to come see us and he did. He helped Rob put together a material list of what we would need. But the questions remained we've never built anything like this before. Plus, we don't have the estimated $300 to buy the stuff. So, while Rob was talking to Clint, someone I had called earlier, returned my call.

A very close friend we hadn't seen for awhile, Neal, had received our message and spoke to me about the situation. Neal is a contractor. He agreed to meet with us and look at the rear deck. So we arranged to go and meet Neal at the house. Meanwhile, I was receiving emails from our Lender. The Lender wanted to send us disclosures. Disclosures are required by the TILA (Truth in lending Act). The lenders don't like doing it but it helps us borrowers know what is going on behind the scenes in regards to our loan processing. It makes for alot more paperwork and with more paperwork comes the need for more time to sign the paperwork. So we were under a deadline to sign all these papers yesterday and date them 8/17 so that we could meet the 7 day processing period needed by the lender and escrow people so that we can meet and sign the final papers next Tuesday 8/25. So, while running around trying to figure out how to build a railing for the deck of the house, we are also under a deadline of sorts to get this new batch of lender papers signed and dated yesterday.

Back to Neal...We did meet with Neal at the house and he looked at the rear deck and took some measurements. Then the Lord blessed us through Neal with providing the materials we needed to build this rear deck railing. Rob, Neal & I went to Home Depot and Neal bought all the materials at Home Depot for us. We agreed to pay him back after closing. We are so grateful to God for Neal and his timely help to provide for our need. Thank you Neal.

So, when we returned to the house with the materials, we met J.D. our seller at the door. He had just received word from his agent about the condition of the appraisal. He was worried that he would have to pay for it and he, like us had no additional funds to do this. But I gave him the good news that we had a benefactor in Neal who is supplying us with credit til after closing so we can get to work on building the railing. J.D. was so relieved. He wanted to help and said he could get started right away. I explained the need for us to get it finished, by code, before the Appraiser leaves for his weekend on Friday. J.D. was willing and had built the deck originally so he had knowledge of what to do. Everything was looking up again...We are working as a team...We can do this!!!!

As you can see, there were ups and downs in our day yesterday, like riding a seesaw for a few hours, but the day ended on the upside. We got the papers printed and signed and dated for the Lender, we secured the materials needed for the railing, we built a team...J.D, Rob & I, to build it, and most importantly, we have our Captain overseeing it all, providing for our needs before we even know what we need. Thank you Lord for always being faithful and giving us what we need to endure the journey... ups and downs and all! SDG LN

Yard Sale Today!

It was a slightly cool and cloudy morning for our Yard Sale, but later on, the sun did come out. The clouds did not keep the bargain shoppers from coming by, especially our neighbors across the street. We sold the majority of stuff, especially the big stuff, in the first hour or so. Our kitchen set, hutch, cookbook case, table & chairs and microwave cart all were sold right away. What was left was some clothes, housewares, linens, camping stuff, electronics, etc. We did okay with the rest. We only had a couple of boxes of stuff to take back to the storage. All in all, we were pleased, our prayers were answered. We needed $100 and we sold $151. My friend Janice had a computer desk she & her hubby brought down and she sold it too...to us! I know. But my hubby, Rob, liked it and thought it would make a good sewing table. So I have a sewing table now, which I am most thankful for. So that's all for today. Rob is off to his store meeting and I am off to take a much needed rest from all the packing and selling today. Looking forward to the Lord's Day and the peace that God brings to my heart when we can "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name." (Psalm 100:4) Till next time... LN

The Appraisal is done!!!

I just received the phone call we have been waiting for. Our Agent, Jen, called to say the appraisal will take place today between noon and 2:00pm PDT. What a relief! Rob and I have been waiting for this news since we signed all the mortgage papers. This means the appraisal will happen in plenty of time for our fast approaching closing date of August 28th.

We also have started to pack up our little apartment and have been saying goodbye to all our neighbors & friends. We also are planning, weather permitting, a "Yard Sale" this Saturday. This will help us to get rid of some stuff we've been accumulating over the last 13 years and get some much needed cash. I hope to, later that day, to make a BBQ/picnic with our neighbors to celebrate our home purchase and say "goodbye". I'll post next week on how the yard sale and the BBQ goes.

Okay, so for this week we will keep packing for the move while putting aside stuff for the yard sale on Saturday. I'll post more details later about the results of the appraisal. We are hoping that it will come in close or over the purchase price so we won't have any delays. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. Blessings...LN

Another Hard Thing Done...

After almost 13 years of living in our small one bedroom apartment, we took a giant step Tuesday and gave notice to our managers that we were leaving by the 1st of September.

Almost as soon as Rob walked into the door from work , he was chomping at the bit, ready to go over and give notice. Of course, it's been me who has needed the time, to think, to pray. But there is a time for everything, and now was the time to act. So we walked down the walkway to the managers place. It just so happened, they were enjoying a glass of wine and sitting on their patio. They were happy to see us. I gave a sigh, looked at Rob to see if he wanted me to tell them and he gave me the look that means "go ahead". So I proceeded to tell them our news.

It was not as hard as I thought it would be. Actually the manager's wife guessed what are news was before I could get it out. Both of us felt relieved that they were happy for us and had words of encouragement. There was a moment that they seemed concerned for us, testing us by asking questions on the neighborhood and if we had checked it out thoroughly with the local sheriff's dept. We assured them we had and that we have been waiting for several months for this home which gave us lots of time to think over our decision to buy it. They were satisfied, I guess with our answers, and said we are always welcome back, especially to use the pool. We thanked them for their friendship and all they had done over the years to keep our little apartment and the surrounding grounds a safe and beautiful place to live.

To formalize our verbal notice, I will type up a written notice with all the details and give to them by Monday. According to our state's laws, it needs to be in writing and delivered to them at least 20 days before our move out day.

So we did another hard thing that turned out to be not so hard after all. The Lord is really teaching us how to depend on Him through each leg of this journey. We will surely look fondly over the years of our stay here. But right now, I can't think of anything but getting the keys to our first house. That is where we will make our home now and Lord willing, for years to come. What a joyful thought! LN

A Day of Rest, Relaxing & Recreation

After a very busy week and lots of thinking about the home mortgage papers, we spent Sunday morning worshipping & praising God with our Church. Then, afterwards we spent time relaxing at our ERC picnic last Sunday. We love our Church picnics! Such a fun time and this year we had a beautiful hot sunny day to enjoy the clear blue lake & pool at John & Cindy's. Thanks John & Cindy for your hospitality!

Every year, the men of ERC have a pie baking contest. This year, since Rob didn't enter a pie, we asked to be judges. Thanks Drake for relinquishing your spot to us. It was so much fun, but a little harder than I thought it would be. We send special thanks to Melissa, who explained the rules of judging (this is serious business!!!) and our fellow pie judges, Sarah, Misty, Jim & Kristina. All the pies were good, but there could only be one best of show. This year, it happened to be the pie we judged best for our category, Baked Other, "Coconut Cream" baked by one of our Elders, Jim H. Good job Jim! The winner got a specially engaved plaque, with his name, that will be his for the next year and a chef's hat. Special congrats to the other category winners, Jeremy (Baked Fruit), Joel (Unbaked) , Rich Sr.(Most Original). Thanks to all the men of ERC who entered and showed us women what great bakers you are! LN

Mortgage Papers Signed!!!

We signed the mortgage papers! Yes we did it. We are officially applying for the actual loan to buy our house. I know this might seem a little wierd for me to be emphasizing, but, this was a big step for us (me in particular) and I am so happy this step along the journey to buying this house is over.

Thank you all for contacting me after my last post. So many of you had kind and encouraging words of wisdom, having gone down this path too. I especially want to thank my sister-in-law Cathy. She emailed me a wonderful letter and it really came at the most opportune time. A big hug of thanks to my Sis!

So, what's next? Well, we are supposed to hear this week about the appraisal. This is very important for us. We need the appraisal to come in at our price or above to be able to move forward to the closing day, which seems to me to be rapidly approaching. Our closing day is scheduled for August 28, the actual day we get the keys. We go in to sign the final papers and give them our monies a few days prior. So, Rob and I are once again asking all of you to pray for us. We need lots of patience still and even more wisdom to make the best choices as we move ahead on the path of home ownership. We are so blessed to have all of our family and friends support right now. From our heart to yours...xoxoxoxo. LN