We closed on our new house Monday evening and have been working like crazy on it since. Closing went very smoothly without any real hitches. I have had several people in the past month telling me to “leave allot of time for closing, it takes forever”. This is when I have to revert to my previous advice of finding somebody you are comfortable doing business with. The Title Company Val chose was great, and we were in and out within an hour. All and all, a very painless experience.

My experience with working at Wells Fargo has taught me that you can’t allow others to rush you at the closing table. This was not an issue for us, as I was able to review each document before I signed without feeling pressured. I have heard endless horror stories of people being told they are signing one thing, although the document in-front of them reads something else. It is worth the extra time to review the documents before you sign, so you can be sure what you are agreeing to. Check to make sure that information such as your interest rate, loan amount, and escrow are consistent with what was previously discussed. Also be wary of addendum’s and riders that may have not been previously mentioned.

We were able to get a 30 year fixed loan at a great interest rate, which is keeping are payments very manageable. We were also fortunate enough to work with people such as Valerie (our agent) and Greta (our loan officer at Countrywide) who were able to provide us a product that fit what we were looking for. We put no money down (besides a very minimal amount in closing costs),  and did not get stuck with a pre-payment penalty. This way we can upgrade in a few years without taking a significant financial hit. We were even able to work with our agent to get the house at a price that was a good amount lower than what was listed. The reason I bring all of this up is to illustrate that even as a first time home-buyer…you can get yourself a great deal to get you started and in the right direction.

I will be posting pictures as soon as possible, as well as any new updates I may have. In the meantime I have added a new section to the page titled “Work in Progress” which lists all of the things we eventually want to do to the house.