We've got a contract on the new house
We signed our contract with the builder this week. Everything has taken longer than I would have liked, but the developer ran into snarls getting the land appraised. As soon as we had a price for the lot, everything else slipped into place. The price is right where we want it, the mortgage is ready and waiting. The only wait now is for my builder's bank to approve his construction loan, which should happen by this time next week (or sooner). Once that's done, and he's closed on that loan, we've got a green light to begin building. If all goes well, we should be starting right around Labor Day, only a month later than I had originally planned. Allowing 90 days for construction, we're looking at moving in mid-December, which leads me to expect the holidays to be chaotic but fun.
My darling husband has been working hard on his three-week summer break between classes. The interior of our house is now freshly painted, with the exterior to be done next week (barring monsoons). I've studied the listings for our neighborhood and feel confident that we will get a decent price from our house. Having never sold a house, I'm more than a little anxious about the process, but I'm confident that my realtor will do a great job.
Now come the "fun" decisions....paint colors, carpet style, flooring, tile, light fixtures, fencing, plants, and more. I've already chosen fabrics for most of the rooms, and the paint colors come from the fabrics. Moving from a one-bathroom house (with a glass-doored shower and soap dishes, etc. built in) to a three-bathroom house means we'll need shower curtains and accessories for three bathrooms all at once. The expense of all that "little" stuff is a bit daunting, but if all goes well with the sale of the existing house, we should be able to swing all that.
Another good development....a young family is also talking to my builder about building in the same neighborhood. We were concerned that being the first to build, we could be neighborless for a period of months. Perhaps not! They have a three-year-old - younger than my kids, but an improvement from the pre-adolescent boys that populate my current block. We're keeping our fingers crossed that a lovely family with kids the same ages as mine will move next door.