Congrats Cristi!
In order to get the “feel” of being a homeowner… you may want to try the following excercise.
Take (bank account, wallet, purse)contents…
Flush. Repeat.
Seriously, I’m really happy for you and I know you will have many years of fond memories in you new home.
Take Care
opus, are those your rates? Cuz I can do them for far less .
Milossarian: You make good points. But who’d want to come to Flint for a party?
No, bad example. I mean, I’m going to Toledo.
As for flushing the checkbook, my brother said something very similar last night. He just bought a house last summer. He bought it from my dad (I am a proud member of one of three non-dysfunctional families in the United States). That house was the house we grew up in. My dad had been renting it. The woman he rented to lived there for over ten years. Never really did tell my dad when stuff needed doing. The ceilings needed replacing. The basement had so much moisture in it, my brother had to run a dehumidifier 24 hours a day for nearly a month. Plus a few other niggling things. I think the tenant didn’t tell my dad anything because she just wanted him to stay away.
I’m sure I’ll run into some problems eventually. My ace in the hole, though, is my current landlord. I’ve been renting from this guy since 1992. He has many connections with people. His best friend owns a prominent heating & cooling business here. My landlord is a prince. I rented an apartment from him for four years before I moved in to this house. He raised the rent on me a grand total of one time–and that was when I moved from the apartment to the house. He’s seen me go from a single young woman, working a minimum wage job, to a respectable married lady with two children and a good job. It’s going to be sad leaving him, but hey, we all have to move on. But I’m sure that if I have a problem in my new house, he can probably hook me up with someone who can fix it. 
:::still happy dancing:::
This is my new sig. Thank Wally. It was his idea.
“I made my husband join a bridge club. He jumps next Tuesday.”
Handy said:
Gosh I hope so. Here’s the lowdown:
Roof Repairs: Single piece metal roof. According to the pros, paint has to be stripped, metal including all flashing primed, rust repaired & whole thing painted.
Painting: Admittedly, this was the high estimate. The reasoning was that the building is five stories & the work would have to be done from scaffolding. More, being in an historic neighborhood we are required to use special[y priced] paint to keep the 'hood looking spiffy.
Repointing: The building is 100+ years old and has a high degree of detail in the stonework. A special contractor familiar with historic buildings is required, at a special price of course.
Plumbing: I don’t think this is that high, a lof of demolition had to be done to get to the old pipes.
Heat Pump: Two thou would normally be enough, but the heat exchanger is on the roof (5 stories, remember!) and I will have to rent a crane to bring it down. I’ve bugeted $500 extra for that.
Chimney cleaning: The house has eight chimneys.
Looking forward to your quote!