Finally Closed

[Maikeru-sama]

Just wanted to thank the CZ members that gave me advice publicly and privately about Homeownership.

We closed the loan in 15 days and it literally came down to the wire as we closed at around 5 PM CST today.

I just got back from the new house as I had to learn how the Water Sprinkler System and AC Control Pad worked and I needed to reset the garage door keypad (wasn't able to figure this one out yet).

I spent the majority of the day at utility companies as the Seller had scheduled all the utilities to be turned off tommorrow.

Homeownership is kind of a beating and I know one thing, Credit Scores are more important then ever. I would have paid hundreds more in deposits to the utility companies if I had bad credit.

I'm still a little worried as im still not used to the fact that I own a house, but with time, I think it will all work itself out.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Just wanted to thank the CZ members that gave me advice publicly and privately about Homeownership.

We closed the loan in 15 days and it literally came down to the wire as we closed at around 5 PM CST today.

I just got back from the new house as I had to learn how the Water Sprinkler System and AC Control Pad worked and I needed to reset the garage door keypad (wasn't able to figure this one out yet).

I spent the majority of the day at utility companies as the Seller had scheduled all the utilities to be turned off tommorrow.

Homeownership is kind of a beating and I know one thing, Credit Scores are more important then ever. I would have paid hundreds more in deposits to the utility companies if I had bad credit.

I'm still a little worried as im still not used to the fact that I own a house, but with time, I think it will all work itself out.

we are soooooo relieved

j/k, congrats

 

[Yeagermeister]

Congrats Mike

Now Bob can sleep tonight knowing your ordeal is over. :laugh2:

 

[Maikeru-sama]

For you guys/gals in the States with temperatures like Texas and have sprinkler systems, how often are you watering your lawn now?

Doing some research on the Net, it said that in the Summer you should water twice a day in the mourning and in the afternoon for 10 minutes and do this every other day.

I set mine for MWFS, twice a day at 6 AM and 8 PM and each station will run for 10 Minutes.

 

[Avaj]

Congrats!!! You deserve it!!

 

[Faerluna]

For you guys/gals in the States with temperatures like Texas and have sprinkler systems, how often are you watering your lawn now?

Doing some research on the Net, it said that in the Summer you should water twice a day in the mourning and in the afternoon for 10 minutes and do this every other day.

I set mine for MWFS, twice a day at 6 AM and 8 PM and each station will run for 10 Minutes.

I'd say stick with the times you have. Watering in the afternoon is nearly pointless here in Virginia, as the hottest time of the day is usually 3-4pm.

Congrats!

 

[theogt]

Congrats, enjoy your home!

 

[poke]

the experts say in north texas one inch of water a week is enough
(i dont totally agree, i like my grass a lil greener)
set a dish in the yard, run your sprinklers, measure the water, figure out how long they need to run to add up to an inch for the week.

also arlington forbids watering between 10am and 6 pm so check your cities rules ( it is a waste anyway )

congrats on the purchase, good luck.

 

[CowboyWay]

For you guys/gals in the States with temperatures like Texas and have sprinkler systems, how often are you watering your lawn now?

Doing some research on the Net, it said that in the Summer you should water twice a day in the mourning and in the afternoon for 10 minutes and do this every other day.

I set mine for MWFS, twice a day at 6 AM and 8 PM and each station will run for 10 Minutes.

Dude, thats alot of water. Twice a week, every other day? First off, what kind of grass is it?

I have beautiful grass, and I rarely water it. First off, grass is basically a weed. It will grow. I've made it through several summers without watering more than 5 times. People think grass needs more water than it does. If you water alot, your root system will be very short, and thus, not be overly healthy. If you don't water as much, the roots really dig in and go searching for water, making their root system longer, and healthier. I'm not saying your grass won't look good if you water it a bunch, but it won't look bad if you don't either.

I'd put my grass up against anyone on my block, and there are guys on my block that water 2-3 times a week. (which is still quite a bit).

Tell you what....instead of just watering on your twice a day, every other day schedule, start with watering on saturday and wednesdays. 20 minutes a station, once a day. If it rains pretty good during that week, than skip the watering. Let nature take its course. If its looking dry or starting to lose its "green", then water it. Also, take your shoes and socks off in your grass and dig your heal into the grass. Is the ground underneath soft? Or is it rock hard? If its soft, you don't need to water for several days (depending on how hot it is at the time). If its rock hard, you'll need to water pretty quickly.

Its pretty pathetic how much I know about grass, but like I said, if you don't take care of it on my street, they'll lynch you.

Also, you water on that schedule, and get your checkbook ready. Your water bill will be high. You may want to invest in a soaker hose for your foundation though, but thats another story.

PM me if you need any other info.

 

[TellerMorrow34]

Awesome bro. Enjoy the new home.

 

[WoodysGirl]

Just wanted to thank the CZ members that gave me advice publicly and privately about Homeownership.

We closed the loan in 15 days and it literally came down to the wire as we closed at around 5 PM CST today.

I just got back from the new house as I had to learn how the Water Sprinkler System and AC Control Pad worked and I needed to reset the garage door keypad (wasn't able to figure this one out yet).

I spent the majority of the day at utility companies as the Seller had scheduled all the utilities to be turned off tommorrow.

Homeownership is kind of a beating and I know one thing, Credit Scores are more important then ever. I would have paid hundreds more in deposits to the utility companies if I had bad credit.

I'm still a little worried as im still not used to the fact that I own a house, but with time, I think it will all work itself out.

Congrats on finally closing..

Does your hand hurt from signing the 400 lb stack of papers?

What utility deposits did you have to make? You couldn't simply transfer your existing utilities?

That was the easiest thing out of the whole process for me. Only extra thing I had to do was call the gas company to inspect the gas outlets (or whatever they're called).

I don't know how to program my garage door keypad, but I'm sure if you look up the manufacturer online, you can get a PDF of the owner's manual.

Re: grass. My grass is a cross between really, really green...and burnt. I'm not good with watering it consistently, at all. But since you have a sprinkler system, it shouldn't be too bad. Just be on the lookout for your water bill.

 

[Maikeru-sama]

Thanks everyone

@Cowboyway, check your PMs

@WG, it was quite of bit of signing. What sucked is that we left and the title company made us come back because they forgot some documents.

I downloaded the Sprinkler System Manual a few days ago and I already know how to program it, I just wanted to know what people on here thought about the intervals I have programmed in.

When I went to the City today, by request, she told me the Seller's average water bill was $60, so I don't know if that is high for a house or not.

As far as a Deposit, I only had to put one down for the Water Department. I would have had to put 1/5 of the total electricity bill for a year if I had bad credit but it was waived.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Thanks everyone

@Cowboyway, check your PMs

@WG, it was quite of bit of signing. What sucked is that we left and the title company made us come back because they forgot some documents.

I downloaded the Sprinkler System Manual a few days ago and I already know how to program it, I just wanted to know what people on here thought about the intervals I have programmed in.

When I went to the City today, by request, she told me the Seller's average water bill was $60, so I don't know if that is high for a house or not.

As far as a Deposit, I only had to put one down for the Water Department. I would have had to put 1/5 of the total electricity bill for a year if I had bad credit but it was waived.

that's not bad at all

2.14 cents a day

 

[WoodysGirl]

Thanks everyone

@Cowboyway, check your PMs

@WG, it was quite of bit of signing. What sucked is that we left and the title company made us come back because they forgot some documents.

I downloaded the Sprinkler System Manual a few days ago and I already know how to program it, I just wanted to know what people on here thought about the intervals I have programmed in.

When I went to the City today, by request, she told me the Seller's average water bill was $60, so I don't know if that is high for a house or not.

As far as a Deposit, I only had to put one down for the Water Department. I would have had to put 1/5 of the total electricity bill for a year if I had bad credit but it was waived.

Re: water bill.

it'll depend on how much you use the sprinkler system.

My water bill doesn't go over $35. That includes trash pick up.

My water bill goes through my homeowner's association M.U.D.

 

[Maikeru-sama]

Re: water bill.

it'll depend on how much you use the sprinkler system.

My water bill doesn't go over $35. That includes trash pick up.

My water bill goes through my homeowner's association M.U.D.

So you pay your Water Bill through your HOA?

How much is your HOA, if you don't mind me asking, mine is $525 a year because they have this huge WetNWild looking swimming complex (pic below). My next door neighbor is on the HOA Advisory Board and she is already being nosy and asking alot of questions (My inspector told me she was questioning him too). So I will definately have to make sure my grass is tight. Right now the HOA is in the control of the Developer and it is gonna suck when the homeowners are given control.

I will have to use trial and error to see how things go.

 

[WoodysGirl]

So you pay your Water Bill through your HOA?

How much is your HOA, if you don't mind me asking, mine is $525 a year because they have this huge WetNWild looking swimming complex (pic below). My next door neighbor is on the HOA Advisory Board and she is already being nosy and asking alot of questions (My inspector told me she was questioning him too). So I will definately have to make sure my grass is tight. Right now the HOA is in the control of the Developer and it is gonna suck when the homeowners are given control.



I will have to use trial and error to see how things go.

Yeah, I kinda live on the edge of the city, so while my address is listed in Houston, the security is through the County. The HOA contracts with a water district and waste company...and we pay a bill based on our usage. Good thing about the trash pickup is that heavy trash day is every pick up day.

The annual required fee is $450...paid out from my escrow acct. Then they send out a "donation request" of a $100 that's due at the beginning of the year. We don't have a wet-n-wild thing in the neighborhood. Got quite a few swimming pools interspersed in the area, bunch of parks, and this ridiculously long bike/hike trail.

I've yet to go to a HOA meeting. I've only gotten one notice and that was because my yard man didn't cut my grass in a really long time. Combo of payment issues and being rained out on the days he was supposed to come.

My only extensive meeting with them was when I first moved in and I got the list of rules and regulations of the HOA. Most of them are from when the subdivision was first developed...with very few addendums.

Based on my observation, my HOA is not a major enforcer of anything but yards.

 

[YosemiteSam]

Just wanted to thank the CZ members that gave me advice publicly and privately about Homeownership.

We closed the loan in 15 days and it literally came down to the wire as we closed at around 5 PM CST today.

I just got back from the new house as I had to learn how the Water Sprinkler System and AC Control Pad worked and I needed to reset the garage door keypad (wasn't able to figure this one out yet).

I spent the majority of the day at utility companies as the Seller had scheduled all the utilities to be turned off tommorrow.

Homeownership is kind of a beating and I know one thing, Credit Scores are more important then ever. I would have paid hundreds more in deposits to the utility companies if I had bad credit.

I'm still a little worried as im still not used to the fact that I own a house, but with time, I think it will all work itself out.

When should we begin foreclosure proceedings? :laugh2:

 

[burmafrd]

Keep an eye on your HOA and if possible make it to occasional meetings. That way if things change you have an edge on most people who ignore it. We have all heard horror stories about HOA's that get taken over by little Hitlers and cause people allsorts of grief.

 

[DallasCowpoke]

For you guys/gals in the States with temperatures like Texas and have sprinkler systems, how often are you watering your lawn now?

Doing some research on the Net, it said that in the Summer you should water twice a day in the mourning and in the afternoon for 10 minutes and do this every other day.

I set mine for MWFS, twice a day at 6 AM and 8 PM and each station will run for 10 Minutes.

That's way too much. Long, deep watering forces the lawn's roots to grow deeper and become more resistant to insects as well.

I water 2 times a week, 20 per station, starting at 4 am, but that cuts in half after the summer. Every sprinkler system covers differently and you just have to do trial and error.

Start with less and increase if you notice you're getting brown spots.

Hope that helps and congrats on your 1st home.

 

[Bigdog]

congrats on you home ownership. As far as watering the lawn, early morning is the best time, before the sun comes up. My sprinklers comes on at 3AM for about 15 minutes but I live in northern CA about 1 hour away from San Fran where we will not get rain until Dec. so I have use a lot of water because of the constant heat and sun. If you have dogs-good luck with the lawn. My two have killed my my back lawn.