The past two days have been easy breezy compared to the hell we were put through with our first contract. There were some small hiccups (nothing unsolvable) after getting our 'clear to close', but we are now officially home owners for the FIRST TIME EVER!!!
It's crazy, y'all.
Once I walked out of my attorney's office, I felt somewhat blasé. Just being real. Honestly, it was likely due to the LONG home buying adventure we had been through, and the trauma of the first contract.
Everything about our second contract went entirely different, in a good way.
My loan processor gave us the "clear to close" on the evening of December 27th. From there we just had to navigate how to go about getting a cashiers check for our 'cash to close'. You see, our primary bank (USAA, I am looking at you) has ZERO locations around here. I could have requested a wire transfer or even for them to express mail a cashier's check, but we were not trying to take ANY chances that could render a longer process.
We had already went through two missed closings (due to the seller of our first contract), and we were not about to be the reason for a missed closing on this contract.
Yes, I overthink.
Yes, I wanted 'cash' in my hand prior to closing morning.
No, I was not willing to risk a single thing when it came to the closing of this house.
That's when our Navy Federal account came in handy.
We set it up years ago when our last duty station failed to have a physical USAA location. Long story short, the kids wanted their own accounts and I needed free notary services. Win win.
The amount for 'cash to close' was too high to attempt ATM withdraws or even try a quick Zelle transfer without a hold. So I simply did a cash advance to my Navy Fed, from my USAA, and then used that 'cash' to create an on the spot cashiers check made out to my closing attorney.
Then closing day came. We first met our agent at the house to do a final walkthrough. The seller had left behind some wall decor (we did look behind it for holes and such), so we thought it was only right to ask if he wanted it back. We also noticed that we were still missing garage openers. Figured we'd ask if he didn't provide at the closing table.
It was storming like crazy. I was just glad to have made it in one piece across the city to the attorney's office. Closing honestly wasn't as long and drawn out as people had made it sound. Pretty straight forward, but this could be because I went through every single document since signing a contract with a fine tooth comb, thrice. My agent, my loan processor, the seller, his agent, myself, my husband and the attorney were all gathered around the table as we signed a fat stack of papers. And then it was done!
Most people rejoice at this point and have some casual "Yay, we did it" talk before exiting.
Not I.
My attorney stopped me in the doorway and asked what I did for a living. I explained I was a legal studies student, hours away from graduating and possibly heading to law school at Georgia State or UofSC within the next year or so. His reply: "Want a job?"
He gave me the grand tour of the office, introduced me to the staff, and even showed me where 'my' desk was. It was kind of surreal in the moment, more so than being a fresh home owner. When he walked me out, my loan processor and agent basically knew what was up. My agent asked, "He offered you a job, didn't he?" My attorney smiled and answered "Yes".
Although we did not stay the night in our new home upon closing, moving in sans furniture is the plan beginning New Year's Eve, just because we are SO DONE with AirBnb life.
We are super happy and ready to begin our lives in Augusta as official residents, and as new home owners. Honestly, everyone in the family is relived in some way, shape or form. My kids can care less that we purchased. They're mainly excited to have their own space and rooms again.
Next step: Paint throughout. I did not notice how much I hated the color until I owned it!
Comments
Post a Comment