Closing Time
Today, I think I signed my name more than I ever have or ever will sign it for the rest of my life.
Today, Omar and I bought our first house.
It almost seemed somewhat anticlimactic. We went in, signed about fifty thousand pieces of paper, got the keys from the seller, and left. We had a late lunch at Uno's of all places, walked around a bunch of stores, went to Home Depot and got more of an education on washers and dryers than I ever thought I would have, had a late dinner at PF Chang's and came back to the Hellmouth to watch the Patriots.
We met our next door neighbors, who were home today because it was their oldest son's first day of kindergarten. They seem nice and apparently we are the talk of the neighborhood. Which is disconcerting. I never perform well to strangers. Even if Mr. Darcy said it first, it doesn't mean it's not true. So I'm pretty sure that people will be dropping by to see us, which is nice, but I loathe small talk. It's not how I'm built. And, God love Omar, he's even worse at it than I am.
One small mar on the day. We knew the seller worked at the Lowe's near the neighborhood, but we didn't realize when we went in there to pick up paint sample tonight that he'd be working today. He got a little choked up talking about the neighborhood and Omar freaked out, completely unable to now go into the paint department and pick up samples. So we left, but I told him that he's going to need to get over it, that if the guy has seller's remorse that's simply not our problem. We can't leave the house like a shrine to this guy and his family just because Omar feels badly for him that the seller has mixed feelings. I am going to rip up that kitchen (eventually), I am going to redo those bathrooms (someday) and I damn well going to take that hideous wallpaper off and paint the walls (this weekend). Omar's going to have to get over it. Although I do think that Home Depot has better prices and that's where we're most likely going to end up buying most of our stuff anyway.
I know how I would feel if my parents sold their house and then I came by and saw the new owners had torn up the yard or redone the house in a way that was unfamiliar. I would feel sad, but on the other hand I would understand that just because my family loved the house the way it was doesn't mean that the other people didn't like it; they just wanted to make it their own. And I think that that's how we have to look at it. If we go in to buy paint and he asks what changes we're making, I told Omar to tell him that we're making minor cosmetic changes. He doesn't need to know we're talking about chopping down trees or ripping up the kitchen and bathrooms to be completely different.
I can't wait for this weekend because we're going to go over there and really start making it our own. It's going to be a lot of work, but I am so looking forward to building something here that's ours. I know that even though it needs work, it's still going to be ours.
Today, Omar and I bought our first house.
It almost seemed somewhat anticlimactic. We went in, signed about fifty thousand pieces of paper, got the keys from the seller, and left. We had a late lunch at Uno's of all places, walked around a bunch of stores, went to Home Depot and got more of an education on washers and dryers than I ever thought I would have, had a late dinner at PF Chang's and came back to the Hellmouth to watch the Patriots.
We met our next door neighbors, who were home today because it was their oldest son's first day of kindergarten. They seem nice and apparently we are the talk of the neighborhood. Which is disconcerting. I never perform well to strangers. Even if Mr. Darcy said it first, it doesn't mean it's not true. So I'm pretty sure that people will be dropping by to see us, which is nice, but I loathe small talk. It's not how I'm built. And, God love Omar, he's even worse at it than I am.
One small mar on the day. We knew the seller worked at the Lowe's near the neighborhood, but we didn't realize when we went in there to pick up paint sample tonight that he'd be working today. He got a little choked up talking about the neighborhood and Omar freaked out, completely unable to now go into the paint department and pick up samples. So we left, but I told him that he's going to need to get over it, that if the guy has seller's remorse that's simply not our problem. We can't leave the house like a shrine to this guy and his family just because Omar feels badly for him that the seller has mixed feelings. I am going to rip up that kitchen (eventually), I am going to redo those bathrooms (someday) and I damn well going to take that hideous wallpaper off and paint the walls (this weekend). Omar's going to have to get over it. Although I do think that Home Depot has better prices and that's where we're most likely going to end up buying most of our stuff anyway.
I know how I would feel if my parents sold their house and then I came by and saw the new owners had torn up the yard or redone the house in a way that was unfamiliar. I would feel sad, but on the other hand I would understand that just because my family loved the house the way it was doesn't mean that the other people didn't like it; they just wanted to make it their own. And I think that that's how we have to look at it. If we go in to buy paint and he asks what changes we're making, I told Omar to tell him that we're making minor cosmetic changes. He doesn't need to know we're talking about chopping down trees or ripping up the kitchen and bathrooms to be completely different.
I can't wait for this weekend because we're going to go over there and really start making it our own. It's going to be a lot of work, but I am so looking forward to building something here that's ours. I know that even though it needs work, it's still going to be ours.
Labels: house
posted by Lucy Starr @ 9:39 PM
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