Yesterday we met our PM in the house for our formal final walkthrough. We had already spent three hours going over every inch of that house the Friday before with our Inspector, so we didn't spend too much time looking for issues again.
Frank went over some paper work and showed us some PDF documents with information on several things: where to go for help on everything in the home, warranty information, companies who worked in the house and brands used, etc. We went home with an online copy of those documents for our review, so we didn't spend too much time on them. He also had a copy of our inspection report, so we went over that with us and explained what will be done to fix it all. He retested the furnace and the dishwasher and attested it they were not functioning properly. After that, we walked the home again, mostly for us to explain hey we marked some spaces so he'll know exactly what to address. We ended the meeting going over the mechanics of the house and learned more about how to handle furnace, water heater, valves, etc.
We close this Friday at noon, so we will stop by beforehand to see what was and what wasn't addressed before closing. He mentioned some things possibly weren't going to be done by then. If that's the case with you, make sure to list those and get it in writing before signing anything.
We can't wait for Friday! I'm sure I don't be able to sleep the night before. I'm prone to that :P
Next time I update this blog, we will be homeowners. See you in a couple of days!!
Wednesday, May 31, 2017
Tuesday, May 30, 2017
T-minus 3 Days: Final Inspection
Hello, hello.
It's been a couple of weeks since I posted something new, but we've been busy. The house is basically done, so now we are on the worst kind of countdown: we know the house is ready, we could be living in it, but we still have to wait for the closing date. It's painful.
We ended up hiring an independent inspector to come to the house and provide us with an experienced pair of eyes before our walkthrough. He was recommended by a family member who works with him and he did my mother-in-law inspection a month or so back. We met him on Friday 5/26.
We are very happy we hired someone to complete this step with us. Andrew was very knowledgeable and thorough on his inspection, pointing out not only concerns, but also things Ryan Homes has done right. Chad and I took over the blue tape and marked every little mark on the walls and floors we could find. Most of what we noticed was cosmetic: some marks on the wall, a little paint on the carpet, a few dented hardwood boards, scratched door knobs... that kind of stuff. I suggest you guys look at every single inch of your home and don't be afraid to run out of tape. As Andrew said, ask for anything you're not happy with and go from there. RH won't fix anything you don't point out, so might as well ask for it.
He did find a couple of major things:
- Our dishwasher is not functioning properly. Water is pooling at the bottom and not draining properly during the cycle.
- Our furnace is not working. Gas is not being fed to it, so we have no heater in the house.
- There are a few shingles that were cut and glued instead of replaced. He said that's not as big as a deal, but it won't last as longer and there's no reason why they couldn't have replaced it.
- Where our dormers meet the roof, there is a gap that will allow critters to enter. He wants RH to board it.
- In that same spot, the siding should go under the board to allow for water flow. The siding is over that, so water may get behind the siding.
- The exterior trim paint is very sloppy. There are brush marks, missing spots, and even a hand print. He wants RH to redo it.
We looked at all cabinets, outlets, faucets, appliances, baseboard, trims, etc.
We have our official walk through in a couple of hours, so I'll make sure to add anything that has been missed in this post.
See you all later :)
It's been a couple of weeks since I posted something new, but we've been busy. The house is basically done, so now we are on the worst kind of countdown: we know the house is ready, we could be living in it, but we still have to wait for the closing date. It's painful.
We ended up hiring an independent inspector to come to the house and provide us with an experienced pair of eyes before our walkthrough. He was recommended by a family member who works with him and he did my mother-in-law inspection a month or so back. We met him on Friday 5/26.
We are very happy we hired someone to complete this step with us. Andrew was very knowledgeable and thorough on his inspection, pointing out not only concerns, but also things Ryan Homes has done right. Chad and I took over the blue tape and marked every little mark on the walls and floors we could find. Most of what we noticed was cosmetic: some marks on the wall, a little paint on the carpet, a few dented hardwood boards, scratched door knobs... that kind of stuff. I suggest you guys look at every single inch of your home and don't be afraid to run out of tape. As Andrew said, ask for anything you're not happy with and go from there. RH won't fix anything you don't point out, so might as well ask for it.
He did find a couple of major things:
- Our dishwasher is not functioning properly. Water is pooling at the bottom and not draining properly during the cycle.
- Our furnace is not working. Gas is not being fed to it, so we have no heater in the house.
- There are a few shingles that were cut and glued instead of replaced. He said that's not as big as a deal, but it won't last as longer and there's no reason why they couldn't have replaced it.
- Where our dormers meet the roof, there is a gap that will allow critters to enter. He wants RH to board it.
- In that same spot, the siding should go under the board to allow for water flow. The siding is over that, so water may get behind the siding.
- The exterior trim paint is very sloppy. There are brush marks, missing spots, and even a hand print. He wants RH to redo it.
We looked at all cabinets, outlets, faucets, appliances, baseboard, trims, etc.
We have our official walk through in a couple of hours, so I'll make sure to add anything that has been missed in this post.
See you all later :)
Monday, May 15, 2017
Saturday, May 6, 2017
Week 12 - Closing Date!
We're in the home stretch now! We received our settlement date: final walk through 5/30 and settlement on 6/2! We are thankful to Ryan Homes for accommodating our dates--they actually had us settling that last week of May, but we wanted a June date so we could pay our first mortgage in August and have one month of "free" rent.
This process went by so quickly. I can't believe we are less than a month away from owning our first home. No more throwing money away in rent!
We stopped by today and took some pictures. We were also told we should have our dormers installed next week. I'll throw a freaking party when I see those dormers up :P
This process went by so quickly. I can't believe we are less than a month away from owning our first home. No more throwing money away in rent!
We stopped by today and took some pictures. We were also told we should have our dormers installed next week. I'll throw a freaking party when I see those dormers up :P
Carpet in the basement
First floor - faucet was installed and we have water
Little peak on our hardwood floor
Plumbing fixtures were also installed. No peed in there, we checked
Driveway, sidewalk, apron... just missing landscaping
Back of the house was filled, too. We are making peace with the idea of a sloped backyard