Author: Rob

Well, we finally did it. On Saturday we loaded up the car and made the long haul to the Lunken Bike Path. We then proceeded to strap on the rollerblades, put Andrew in his stroller, and make the 5.5 mile trek around the airport. It was a nice little jaunt, with the most eventful part coming as Andrew and I went down a little hill and the brakes on his stroller were not enough to hold back the weight of his big butt and myself. Much to the delight of the other people on the trail and the golfers near by, we made it down safely.

Well, now that we have signed a contract and things are underway at the bank, it is only a matter of time. There are still a few different things that could hold us up, but since the inspection went well the number of major obstacles has dwindled to zero. Hopefully we will hear from the bank with a closing date soon. We should close in early August and then the real work begins. Here is a preliminary list of things that we hope to get done before we move in:

• Change the light fixture on the front porch
• Get some screens for the storm doors
• Have the carpet cleaned
• Fix/Tighten Kitchen cabinets & Counters
• Fix the Stove Fan
• Put the screens in the windows
• Fix the Gutters
• Get some blinds put in
• Fix the shelves in the bedroom closets
• Put a transition strip in the bathroom
• Tighten Railings
• Clean out the drains
• Put of corner strips on the walls
• Change some of the fans
• Get a new light fixture for the dining room
• Change the locks
• Get some shelves for the bathroom
• Get a new fuse for the stove
• Get new sink fixtures

Well, we signed the contract, got an inspection, and met with our loan dude. now, we just have to wait a couple weeks, and hopefully. . .

Well, we signed the contract last night, so now it is only a matter of getting an inspection and completing the rest of the details. Hopefully all will go well so that we will be in a home by mid-August.

In a rather interesting note, we have our last home-buying class tonight, which is about all the stuff you are supposed to do before you start looking for a home, like getting a loan pre-approved. We think that we are going to go, just in case. A little more information can never be a bad thing.

Other than working on getting a house, our lives these days are filled with fairly normal things. We have been hanging and with friends during our free time. Susan has spent the past few days babysitting for the family she was with two summers ago. Rob spends his extra time trying to think of ways to convince Susan to let him keep his snake.

We found another house. We are getting together tonight to go over the details of a contract for a house that is for sale by owner. We have all the major details worked out, so it sounds like the contract won’t be too much of a problem.

Well, today we got back on the horse and starting looking for houses again. We looked at two that we weren’t exactly ecstatic about and tomorrow we are going to be looking at one more. Hopefully we will find another one we like sometime. Our Apartment is starting to fill up with random stuff and I am too lazy to do anything about it because I figure that once we find a house we will have to pack it anyway. Maybe I should put the stuff away, because then, according to Murphy’s Laws, we will find the perfect house.

We were rejected by the seller, so I guess the other people made a better offer. So…the hunt continues. We have already identified our next targets and will hopefully be checking them out soon. Our realtor just went out of town for 2 weeks, so hopefully her friend will be as helpful as she has been.

In other news, we did not rollerblade/stroller last night, as we were too bummed out to embark on such an adventure.

Susan and I put in our first bid on a house today, but word out on the street is that there are others who are making offers for the house, so time will tell.

In other news, hopefully we will rollerblade/stroller on the Lunken Bike Path tonight.

Last night was the second installment in our Homebuying Class. For everyone else it was their last class (so they received their diplomas), but Susan and I missed the first class so we are going to have to wrap it up in July. Hopefully by that time we will have found a house we like. We are headed out this evening to look at a few more prospects, but I don’t see anything too promising on the list.

The house hunt is now officially on. Now that the whole wedding thing is over and all we are left with is a marriage, Susan, Andrew, and I have decided that it is time to begin looking for a house here in Cincinnati.

We had our first class last night at The Home Ownership Center of Greater Cincinnati. We learned all about realtors and home inspectors. The funniest part of the class was when someone asked the home inspector what he does if the house is haunted (seriously).

I was getting these ready last night, and I thought, “You know, I bet you don’t get to see honeymoon pictures very often.”

Enjoy!!

Our Honeymoon Pictures

I didn’t want to say where we were for every picture, but you can look at the date:

6/6-Portland

6/7-Tillamook, Canon Beach, & Seaside

6/8-Seattle

6/9-Mt. Rainier

6/10-Multnomah falls

6/11-Mt. Hood

All of the times listed by the photos are eastern time.

Susan and I returned from the Pacific Northwest on Saturday. After a very successful trip it is time to resume our not-so-normal lives in the crazy ‘nati. There will be pictures from the trip posted soon, so be patient. They are on the way.