Inspection

Yesterday I experience my first ever home inspection.  I was nervous about the home inspection for a few reasons.  To start with - what if your inspector is terrible or doesn't make sense to you? Thankfully for us, Bart - our home inspector, was fantastic.  He was honest and fair, he knew about homes and repairs, and he made both Bryan and I feel comfortable asking questions.  So at least that fear was calmed.
The other part of the inspection fear came from what the inspection would uncover.  I, personally, was nervous about the roof.  Would this roof need to be replaced after the next thunderstorm (which, let's be honest, would be the day that we move in)?  Our realtor also warned us about something called 'orangeburg' pipes, and since the home was built in the 50's she said that it was a definite possibility.  So basically my prayers were, "Dear Jesus, please no problems with the home inspection! But also, give us an honest home inspector and help him find anything that's wrong."
Unfortunately for Bryan and I and our dreams of owning a home, the inspector found several BIG ticket issues. Let's review, shall we?
1. Mold in the attic: The inspector said that it was normal to see in this type of home, but that it was a big issue and would need to be taken care of before anyone moved in.  This was the first of the major issues and I though, huh, well okay I can deal with that. Next...
2. The Front Porch:  So apparently back in the day, you didn't just build steps to your door, no no. You had a little space underneath the cement slab that actually opens into your basement.  We knew that there was a door out to this odd little space under the porch after the first time we walked through the house.  We didn't really know what we were looking at, but we new it was there.  Thankfully, Bart knew what he was looking at - mold, mildew, water seeping into the foundation of the home, motor deteriorating, and so much more! Basically the report was that the STEPS MUST BE REPLACED prior to anyone moving in since the cement could cave at any minute. Don't worry...there's more...
3. The Electric:  So I guess having your electric set up correctly is important to avoid things like fires.  Well our panel is not set up correctly, it has 100 AMPS coming in, but it was on a 200 AMP service meaning that before the circuit would shut itself off, it would overload and catch fire.
4. Finally, the dreaded ORANGEBURG PIPE! We had a sewer scope completed on recommendation from our realtor, and thank goodness we did! Orangeburg pipe was used around the in the mid part of last century and they thought it would be the latest and greatest in plumbing.  However, it's basically cardboard w/tar around it - which clearly cannot stand up to water running through it and roots growing around it for 50 years and so it collapses and then your sewer line backs up into the house. Clearly not what you want after a nice big storm.
So, those were the big things in our inspection.  We're going to ask the owner to take care of all these issues or give us concessions so that we can fix them, but we're kind of convinced that he won't be able to help us with these, which means that the cute little 1950's ranch will not be our first home.  Since the issues are so severe, I'm okay with it. I'm disappointed, but okay.  I am stressed that we will be homeless or that we'll get an apartment and then we'll find a house a week after we've signed our lease, but alas, there's no way to predict what will happen with our home search.
Later today we will talk with our realtor to discuss everything and hopefully to move forward from our very disappointing inspection yesterday.  I am glad of a few things: that our inspector was AWESOME and honest, that our realtor isn't just out to make a buck and thought about asking for the sewer scope, and that we know about all the issues in the home. At least we didn't move in without an inspection and THEN find these things out.  Thank you God for that! And now...more houses....

M*ch*g@n

So here we are, living in the belly of the beast, blue and maze everywhere we look.  As much as it's weired being in Ann Arbor and feeling that I should loathe everything in sight, I really like the city so far.  It feels good to be back in Michigan, nostalgic in a way...even though I've never actually lived in Ann Arbor, it still feels like coming home.  I've been able to reconnect with my long time friend, Meghan, and it's been great to have someone to call and hang out with.  We've been house hunting and we're pretty confident that we'll find something to call our own.  We're going out again the next two days to check out neighborhoods and some other homes.  We're praying for guidance and patience with the whole process. After our first time out we both felt overwhelmed coming home, neither of us talked for about 30 minutes, we just sat in silence, ha! But, now that we've had a few days to recover we're glad to hit the trail again.  I'll keep you updated on the hunt.
The other part of moving is that you realize that no matter where you go, you'll always miss parts of where you've been. I already miss Market Square and all the food and dessert it had to offer. I'm sure we'll find places here in A2, but I miss all the southern comfort that came from those Knoxville favorites.  In the office, too, you notice changes and wonder what type of person you would rather work with.  For instance, would you rather have a very competent worker who can handle a lot of work and you feel confident in, BUT they can be bossy and do not necessarily listen to what management asks of them -OR- have someone who is good at their position, but only to a certain extent, however, they ALWAYS listen to management, and NEVER question any decisions they make? Clearly you could debate back and forth all day, but it's just one example of changing offices and realizing that no matter where you end up you will have to work with different types of people in different ways.  I do miss Knoxville, but I am more excited about what Ann Arbor has for us.  Hopefully, my time here in A2 will be just as great as our time in Knoxville - maybe even better.  So I will hold my head high, wear scarlet and gray whenever I get the chance, deal with the mocking block M's around the city, and learn to be a Michigander.  Here's to you A2, my new adventure!

Oops...

So we were visiting the family in Cincy this week and my mom says, "You haven't updated your blog lately, I thought for sure you would be updating with the move!" and she was right, I haven't written since November which is quite unacceptable. Therefore, I am going to attempt to write more while in Ann Arbor and keep a better digital record of our lives up north.
Speaking of moving, I can't believe we're all packed up from Knoxville and on our way to our new home in Ann Arbor. It's weird. I feel like we'll be going back to Knoxville to our little apartment on Gallaher and back to the mountains and the southern heat.  But, instead we're driving North to Ann Arbor to look for a new home and I will be starting in a new office. I'm not nervous or scared, I feel like this is exactly what the Lord wants for our lives right now and that we're just following his plan.  I'm not overly excited, either, I think just because it's so much change and I just don't know how it's all going to turn out.
The biggest news is that we're looking to buy our first place in Ann Arbor! THAT I am excited about.  We're looking at condos and some single family homes, but I'm quite sure we'll be able to find something to call our own. I can't wait to find it and get settled, I hate living out of suitcases and not feeling settled. So hopefully there will be more blog posts about the home buying process and home ownership there after.
So in honor of mother's day, here is my post for my mama who always keeps me honest and reminds me to keep doing the things that I love...LOVE YOU MOM!