Waiting...

Tuesday 22nd September '09

It's been over a month now and I'm still waiting. Waiting for the builders to get my contract ready for signing. Waiting for Keystart to decide whether they'll approve my finance. Waiting for that phone call to get me to go and sign my financial freedom away for the next few decades.

Meanwhile, I'm trying not to think too much about the actual house. I've been focusing more on the budgeting but during those moments when I do let myself fantasise about the home that I will be building, I can't help but feel a rush of excitement and I literally chuckle in glee at the thought of my own kitchen.

I took these photos of the display home during my last visit. I know some of you have gone to see it with me already, while others of you are eager to know what it looks like. You want to know what was so special about this house that I decided I wanted it within seconds of looking at it. And only just this one house. There were no others. I knew that this was the one I wanted. I knew before I even saw the display home. I could see the potential in the house plans that I printed off the website. Even a few weeks later when I looked at the other display homes down the street, it only delighted me knowing that I didn't feel that panicked dread - "Oh no, this one's better than the one I chose. Is it too late to change my mind!?"

I remember approaching the display home for the first time that day...I was already grinning before I even stepped foot inside. As soon as I saw the kitchen area, I was smitten.

Yes, House. You had me at hello.

the living area - dining, kitchen, living room

I love the open plan living area of this house. It just opens up the house and as you step inside from the front door, you can see all the way through to the back alfresco area. The second I saw the kitchen, images leapt into my head of people standing by the island counter with cocktails poised to their lips; people sitting around the sofa nearby; and others outside in the alfresco area enjoying a BBQ. I could see it in my mind - it's an entertainer's heaven. I can just see myself entertaining in this house.

the ensuite bathroom

the entertainment room

the gorgeous alfresco

Of course, all I'll have is a bit of paving out the back but I do love the decking and hope to adopt a similar look for my backyard when it's done.

So...there you have it. A few photos for a sneak preview of where the party will be at.

Drive By

Saturday 12th September '09


I stopped by on the way home from work to see if I could spot any work done to the land. I was looking for some sort of sign that the builders had started the Preliminary Works on the site.

Nothing.


I did find this watermelon though. I'm not sure if it's actually growing there - I didn't take that close of a look. It would be funny if it was though. I'll look out for it in future when I stop by.

As time goes by...

Thursday 10th September '09

Yes, it's been a while since my last post. Not much has happened in the past two weeks, but I am getting more anxious by the day.

Last week, the builder rang me and said that they could not proceed with the contract unless they got the finance approval from Keystart. I rang my broker immediately and he got in touch with the builder. The situation was that Keystart would not accept the variation that I had the builder draw up for me regarding me doing the floor and window coverings myself, which means that my finance would not be approved. However, they got back to my broker to say that if I could provide relevant quotes for the materials and work, and evidence that I have sufficient funds to pay for them, then they would allow for that. Provided that the builder stipulates in the contract that they will grant permission for my independent tradespeople to be allowed onto the building site to carry out their work and for it all to be completed before key handover.

Aargh!

I wish there was a comprehensive 'to do' list for me to go through, instead of bumping into all these little problems. It all just contributes to delaying the all important builders contract that I need to be signed before 30th September. I just feel so misinformed, and I hate it. It's like at work, when someone is showing someone how to do something. They just tell them what to do, isntead of explaining the reasons why something is done or not done, so that the person can get a clear idea of the whole picture and know why they're doing what they're doing. That's how I train people at work. People need to understand why they have to do something. So in a way I'm feeling like I'm being let down by the builder and Keystart where they're not being thorough with what they require of me.

It's totally frustrating.

Sex with Durex

Sunday 30th August '09

I drove out to the block today to see if the builders had started the preliminary works. I was told to look out for a hole in the ground with a pole protruding from it. I didn't see anything that wasn't there before.

I walked across to the end of the lot - the first time I've done this. It didn't take me long to pace to the far end of the block and when I turned around, it looked so small.

Scattered on the road, I found some rather disgusting things. I don't know who in their right mind would drive out here to have sex. Are they doing it in their cars and ditching the condoms out the window before driving off? Or are they rolling around in the sand and grass? *shudder*

the Waiting Game

Tuesday 25th August '09

Those who know me, know that I'm very organised and like to know what's going on and to be on top of things, which makes for the next few weeks to be a difficult time for me.

Waiting.It's going to be at least a three week wait until Keystart even get around to looking at my application, so I've been told. In the meantime, I'm trying to make sure I'm preparing myself with other things that I need to organise and just trying to not go insane with the wait.

So...let's talk BUDGETS.

I've never really prepared a proper budget and adhered to it. However, I do know my spending patterns and it doesn't take me long to save. I just don't seem to be able to retain any of my savings because once I get to a substantial balance, it gets spent on a holiday. Things are about to change.

Being on a single income means that I have to be diligent with adhering to my budget. I've spent hours working on it to try to get it right. It took a few hours to just get comfortable with using Excel again! Much to the amusement of friends, I've come up with a budget spreadsheet that I'm very happy with and am really excited to see it in action. Over the past week I've been working on it a little each day to try to iron out the kinks and to plug in numbers to make sure it's working as I want it to.

With my budget in place, I won't be forced to live on instant noodles, but there will be a change in my spending habits, especially when it comes to food. This won't mean that I will be sacrificing on quality or quantity though. It just means a few less lobsters and bottles of wine, and more dining at home rather than going out for expensive degustation dinners *sniff*

Being one of the last of my friends to finally get into real estate, I have a huge resource of people in various situations to go to for advice and help. It gives me a boost in confidence knowing that in a way I am not alone in doing this, that my friends are eager to help me and to watch out for my best interests. I really appreciate all the help I've received so far - and I've still a long long way to go!

So...I am feeling really good about my decision. Yes, it does mean that Europe is on hold for the time being, but my priorities have changed for the time being and can only benefit me in the long run.

and the saga continues...

Friday 21st August '09

I thought the contract saga was over and dealt with, but I was wrong. Upon arriving to work and checking my email, the builder had informed me that he had not yet received the annexures and covenants (that form part of the land sales contract) that were necessary to put my paperwork through. The block of land I'm purchasing is one of twenty strata blocks and there are building restrictions that need to be taken into consideration when putting the building contract together.

Extremely frustrated, I pulled out my own copy of the contract and faxed all twenty-one pages to the builder myself.

If you want something done, you're better off doing it yourself.

Contract MIA

Thursday 20th August '09

The last few days have been so stressful. The offer I placed on the block of land was accepted, but the signed contract was yet to make its appearance at the real estate agent's office. After being reassured that my builder, broker and myself would get a copy of the scanned contract sometime yesteryday afternoon at the latest, I was pretty anxious that I hadn't received it yet. The builder informed me that if he did not receive the contract by today, I would most probably incur additional costs since the price of building materials had increased on the 15th August.

I rang the real estate agent - ATTREE - and spoke to the manager on duty. He called back shortly to tell me that they did not know where the contract was, but that it was assumed to be in transit to their offices after several day's delay.

*Grrrr*

No matter how frustrated I felt, I had to restrain myself and be as polite as I could so as not to annoy the real estate agents because I didn't want to run the risk of them delaying things even further out of spite.

By the early afternoon, I finally received a call from my agent to inform me he had managed to pick up the contract from the developer and soon after I received the scanned copies.

Another hurdle crossed.