Back At It Again

We're back it again folks!  House hunting that is.  It's been decided that we'll stay put in the Queen City for a few more years and then we'll decide where we want to settle down forever.  So, the other night I was looking at houses because we are officially blowing this current spaceship this upcoming New Year whether we've  bought a house or not.   I was looking at rentals, homes for sell, rent to owns, you name it.  

Anyways, my husband shared with me a house that he's interested in.  And to be honest, I was expecting not to like it.  Not that he doesn't have good taste but I'm just super picky when it comes to a place that I'm going to have to live in.  And of course you all know about the issues we've had to endure with this current spot.  So, that has made me even more picky.  

Well, guess what, I like the house!!  I haven't seen it in person yet but we're going to take a look this weekend. However, I saw pics and immediately my mind went to decorating the place and thinking of how to make it our own.  Plus, once I saw that it had stainless appliances, a fireplace, a huge fenced in backyard and a storage shed for me to put some tools, I was sold.  

Cabinets will be the first thing to get made over in this kitchen.

It has four bedrooms, two and a half baths, a huge separate laundry room with shelving and plenty of space for me to grow my stockpile and have an official office.  It even has a flag pole outside.  I'm hunting down some cute flags to put up.  Thinking about getting a flag made with our family crest on it or maybe I could flags for the different seasons and holidays. 

See the flagpole there?

I'm trying not to get my hopes up but I'm already too far gone with excitement over the possibilities.  A house to call our own would be the perfect Christmas gift.  So, YUMMommy family, I'm asking that you all please pray for us and that everything will work out in terms of us getting this house.  This is only the second house I've actually fallen head over heels for and I would be heartbroken a little bit if we didn't get it.  However, I would also take it as sign that wasn't the right place for us too if we didn't get it.

Anyways, do you have any house hunting tips or brief stories to share?  I use some advice guys.

Rental Disaster

If you're in the market for a new rental, I highly recommend that work with either an apartment complex or real estate agency.  We took a chance on working with an independent landlord and now we're in rental hell!!  Turns out our landlord does not believe in fixing anything.  First we had an issue with the heat.  Thank goodness that problem was resolved with a flip of a switch and changing the filter.

Then there was the bug problem. We solved that ourselves by spraying and putting mess screen in all of our vents and caulking all the cracks.  Now we're battling a leaky roof and some serious mold issues.  A few weeks ago we had a very bad storm and the ceiling in the kitchen started leaking in two places.  One of those places was just over the stove. (Can you say dangerous!!!)  And the other was over the frig.

Huge mold, leaky spot over the stove.  See how the tiles are hanging low?

Mold spot over frig.

Well, my husband called the landlord, who lives one house down, and got no answer.  Called him again a day later and still no answer.  Finally, that evening he comes by.  He doesn't come in but stops my husband in the driveway.  What does he think about our leaky roof and mold issues?  Absolutely nothing.  

He said that his own house is having the same issues.  Honestly, I don't give a damn about his house.  We're renting from him.  Giving him money and signed a lease that stated he would be responsible for all repairs being made in a timely manner.  Now, mold and water leaks are serious issues.

It's been almost a month and our roof is still not fixed.  He claims that he called his brother to come fix it but he hasn't gotten around to it.  Plus, I don't even think his brother is a licensed contractor.  At this point, I'm about ready to start raising hell.  Moo's room is pretty much off times because her ceiling has some funky orange mold spot on it and it's giving off this toxic smell. 

Mold spots in Moo's room. Flash has them glowing white but they're a funky orange color in person.

Mold from those spots on broom handle.  Nasty!!

So, this week we will be trying to figure out what we're going to do with all her stuff because we absolutely no room to move it anywhere else.  Next on my list is filing a complaint with the Department of Health.  He is not following landlord-tenant laws and with the toxic mold he legally isn't suppose to be collecting rent from us. (Yes, I'm somewhat of a law whiz.  I may or may not have considered criminal justice as a career.)

I've also found some pretty awesome places for us rent while we continue our house hunt and save to up our down payment amount.  After the last disaster of losing our dream house, we want to be prepared.  I'm learning that patience is key when house hunting.  Plus, renting is fine because it gives us more time to figure out which neighborhoods we certainly want to consider living in.

Please rest assured that by the middle of next month we will be outta here!!  I can't live like this and neither can my kids.  Most importantly, I'm allergic to mold and I'm pretty sure that's the reason I've been sick and the reason the husband is getting sick.  Thank goodness Moo's allergy test revealed that she's not allergic to mold.  Shocker I know since she's allergic to everything else.

This situation just sucks.  Just beware when renting.  Talk to other tenants first and get the real skinny on the landlord or just still to legit rentals from an apartment complex or agency.  I wouldn't wish this mess on my worst enemy.

Are You My Dream Home?

I've been talking about how we have decided to take the plunge and buy a forever home.  However, for me it's much more than finding a place we can live in or at least own forever and pass down to either Moo or JJ.  As a young girl I developed a passion and love for houses.  I mean I even sketched out floor plans, make interior design boards, etc.  What can I say, it's kinda fashion related?

So, I've always had this idea in my mind about what my dream home needs to have and sorta look like.  And no, I didn't go overboard with it.  I didn't come from a rich home and kept a realistic picture when making out my list.  My dream home needed:

~4 bedrooms
~2-3 baths
~a garage
~a deck
~front porch
~a nice size front and back yard
~two stories (not required but certainly desired)
~in a nice and secure neighborhood

Well, I think that we have found a dream home that fits all of my requirements!!  I am trying not to get my hopes up too much because I've watched enough HGTV to know that just because you put in an offer on a house doesn't mean you'll get it.  But I'm faithful.  I trust that if it's meant to be then once we have taken the proper action and put in the best offer it will be.  If not then I pray for God to lead us on to the next house.

So, that's my dream home or my dream home out of all the homes we've found thus far.  It has 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, two stories, nice size front and back yard and a huge upper level deck for grilling and entertaining!!  Plus it's in a nice neighborhood (it's actually 3 minutes from our current residence) and has a garage.  We're hoping to be able to add on to the garage in a year because we're getting a second car soon.  And it'll be easier to load up two kids in garage as opposed to having to tote one out of the house and then go back for the other.  Moo has not yet gotten over the excitement of running around aimlessly when we go to load up in the car and I won't be able to chase after her and carry a car seat.

It's not a mansion, like some of you may have been expecting because of the words 'dream home,' but it'll be a place where I can host birthday parties, dinner parties, playdates and more.  Not to mention the front yard has tons of curb appeal potential.  I love to garden and can see the drive and walkway lined with beautiful flowers and brush.  And I'd add some shutters to the outside  and maybe change the paint color and add a sitting area since it doesn't have much of a front porch.

Yes, my mind is already running wild with all the possibilities that could be!

What is your dream home?  And did you get it?