OK - now it's official! I'm a homeowner!!!!

[GOPisEvil]

Signed my life away and everything!

I spent the last couple hours buying tools and other home-improvement-related activities.

[VelmaD]

1. GO YOU!!!

CONGRATULATIONS!!! :party: :beer: :toast: :bounce:

So, when are we moving your stuff? Pizza and beer is all it takes. :)

[GOPisEvil]

4. Whaddya think about Wednesday?

Sound good?

[VelmaD]

5. As far as I know...

Wednesday is fine. :)

[wryter2000]

2. Good for you!

I took the big step a little less than 2 years ago. Best thing (short of marrying the dh) I ever did.

[supernova]

3. Congratulations, GOPisEvil!

Welcome to the club! :toast: :party: :toast: :party:

I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

[matcom]

6. WOOOOHOOOOOOO

let the REPAIRS BEGIN!!! :bounce:

:D

j/k pal. CONGRATS!!!!

now, would you MOW THAT DAMNED FIELD YOU CALL A LAWN?????

you are bringing down MY PROPERTY VALUE DAMMIT!!

x(

[GOPisEvil]

No kidding!

It's knee-high out back! x(

I bought a power tool though. A new drill! :D

[kevinam]

7. congrats!!!

Oh, the home improvement-related activities never end. Before you know it you will want to paint a bedroom, or add a ceiling fan, or tile a bathroom. Actually, for some (myself included) that is much of the fun. No more throwing away money on rent, now just throwing it away for interest :) Oh, you will be shocked by how much money you spend on little things, like bath matts, kitchen stuff. Either way though, home ownership is great and you will love it like most home owners. As my Dad always tells me, it is my little piece of America (assuming your live in the USA)...Kevin.

[mopinko]

8. good luck

like having kids, it seemed like the thing to do at the time. i guess i'm glad i did it, but the to-do-list is just so much of a pain. then again, there is a piece of land on my block that is listed for 5 times what we paid for this house 17 years ago, so at least it was smart financially.

[PopSixSquish]

9. When's the Housewarming Party?

We should combine it with the 3-day drunken binge to celebrate Kerry's inauguration.

What...nobody's planned that yet?

[ulysses]

10. congrats! Peanut's on his way.

;-)

[GOPisEvil]

11. I'm going to need him.

Just minor stuff for now though. Getting rid of some ugly-ass light fixtures, replacing door locks, that sort of thing.

[ulysses]

14. P-nut's your guy.

A word of caution, though - he'll show up between 6:45 and 7 am sharp, and will be *gone* at 3. And he'll be wanting cash. :)

[GOPisEvil]

15. At least he's consistent.

The cable people will be out between 1pm and 5pm...on June 19.

[NoPasaran]

12. Congratulations!

:toast:
Time to start bitching about taxes!

[GOPisEvil]

13. Done!

Twenty-five hundred bucks?!?! *grouses*

[FarLeftRage]

16. I'm happy for you.

Hope you have many happy years living there.

:toast:

[radwriter0555]

17. so you closed TODAY instead of friday, didn't you???

I hate that.

I tried EVERYTHING I COULD to NOT close on Friday the 13th.

Seems to have been ok so far though, except for the knee, teeth and dog things.

[GOPisEvil]

27. Ugh...I didn't want to close on a Monday...but, there you go...

At least it's done!

[Pithlet]

18. Congratulations!

:bounce: That first year of homeownership is a lot of work, but fun. My husband and I bought our first home a little over a year ago.

[SOteric]

19. Yay!!!!

:bounce:

Congratulations!!!

[prolesunited]

20. Congratulations!

:toast:

It's an amazing feeling, isn't it? Well, I know where I'm staying if I'm out your way. Be sure and fix up the guest room real nice. :hi:

[gpandas]

21. great,nothing like your own piece of the rock n/t

[VOX]

22. Welcome to the landed gentry!

Just joined the ranks of homeowners myself last July, after living in apartments all my adult life. I still have to remind myself that I actually have a backyard!

The headaches are mutiple, the taxes are heart-and wallet-breaking, the mortgage is nightmare-inducing, but there is nothing -- nothing -- like owning your **own** home.

Congrats, GiE -- now, go easy on those renovation projects, and mind the budget! :toast:

[SarahB]

23. Congratulations!

You are now legally obligated to keep servin' the man. I hope nothing falls apart and you're neighbors are all cool.

:D :hi: :bounce: :toast: :party:

[nini]

24. Congrats!! I'll bring the purple and gold paint!

:evilgrin:

[greatauntoftriplets]

25. Congratulations!

:toast:

And let the shopping begin....

[soleft]

26. Cool, is it near the Green belt or Zilker park?

[GOPisEvil]

28. It's near A park, but land near Zilker is too expensive.

:-(

[GOPisEvil]

29. Thanks for the good wishes everyone!

Just today I have:

1. Changed the door locks.
2. Added weather stripping to the front door.
3. Changed one of the shower heads.

I like my new drill, too. :-) $250 spent in total at Lowe's today. :bounce:

[Fenris]

30. Hey, man, felicitations and good luck!

Keep us informed as to when you're having your housewarming party.

:toast:

[flamingyouth]

31. Congratulations!

:bounce:

[Robb]

32. Congrats, man!!

:toast:

And the best part is I didn't help you move or anything! :silly:



...so, can I like crash on yer couch for a few months? You know, just till I get back on my feet. :D

[GOPisEvil]

38. Uhhhh...Robb...I haven't moved IN yet.

So, there's still an opportunity to assist me and earn your crash pad. ;-)

[DemoTex]

33. Congrats! Did you get the obligatory chainsaw yet?

Weed-wacker?

[GOPisEvil]

35. First things first.

Lawn mower, or a goat...hmmm...I bet I can't have livestock though.

I need to get a weed whacker though. Lord knows there are plenty of weeds to be whacked. I need some Round-up, too.

[DemoTex]

41. I just wack the weeds.

After Agent Orange in the 'Nam, I am very careful about herbicides and pesticides. However, I did pull out the bug poison this morning to squirt a BIG black widow spider under my eaves. I also have a ground nest of yellow jackets to deal with. My dad (a retired entomology professor) said to use Sevin dust after dark. After dark because all the yellow jackets are checked in for the night.

[BritishHuman]

60. Ah, the joy of gardening...

In my case, the nagging guilt of not-gardening...

[silverlib]

34. Congratulations! Do you have a garage?

You know its a must for voters in some neighborhoods in Austin.

May you have happy years with many improvements and no repairs!

[Seeking Serenity]

36. You are now a member of the landed class

The world has definitely turned for you.

Congratulations!

:toast:

[madmax]

37. Congratulations!!!!

Now go to Home Depot or Lowe's and make friends with the guy who works in the goesinto Dept. You're going to need something that you have no clue what it's called and you'll bring the piece you have and ask him, "where can I find the **** that goes in to this?"

I've owned 3 fixer uppers and I can tell you I've spent a small fortune on goesinto's. :evilgrin:

:hug:

Good Luck and enjoy yourself while pretending to be Bob Villa ;) Ahhhh, sweet - sweat equity.

[Xithras]

39. Congrats! Here's a serious suggestion:

Took me a while to figure this one out, but it's a lifesaver now. Open up a second savings account and place $50 to $75 a month in it (or as much as you can afford if that's too much). Force yourself to do this every month, as if it were the electric bill or the gas bill, and DO NOT touch the money except in cases of homeowner emergency.

Remember, as a homeowner, if your toilet explodes, you pay to fix it. If your hot water heater conks out, you pay to fix it. If a water line breaks, you pay to fix it. I personally put $100 a month into my house emergency fund, and it really takes the stress out of those horrible homeowner "what-if" scenarios. When my heater died last winter and the repairman handed me a $1600 repair bill, I didn't sweat it because I had about $2500 in my repair fund. When my son tossed a baseball through our front picture window, I didn't stress over the $600 repair bill for that one either, because I knew I had the money. In the "old" days, on the other hand (before I started saving), I'd stress out over every little repair, trying to figure out how I was going to budget them as they came up. This habit has eliminated that stress, and is useful for covering all but the biggest repairs.

[GOPisEvil]

40. Good suggestion!

Thanks!

[ScreamingMeemie]

42. The best of news!!!

Congrats David! May the joys be many and the busted sewer pipes, electrical lines, window sashes etc...be few. :hi:

:toast:
All our best wishes,
Laura

[sus]

43. Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:party:

[GOPisEvil]

45. HELP ME MOVE!!!!!!!!!

It'll be easy. Storage unit - truck - house. Please! I hate moving!

But, yeah, it's :party: time.

[sus]

46. BUY ME A PLANE TICKET!!

:bounce:

[GOPisEvil]

47. That can be arranged!

No house payment until August. ;-)

[sus]

48. doh! i didn't see that comin....

damn. i HATE moving. i can help unpack, though!

[GOPisEvil]

49. OK - deal!

:bounce:

[Kathy in Cambridge]

44. Congrats, Davey!

:toast:

[Flaxbee]

50. Congratulations!

Way to go, it's a terrific feeling, isn't it?

But a house seems to perpetually need care and repair. Don't let it slide (like my husband did, before we met and I moved in) -- it can be a bugger to catch up!

Enjoy your new home!

[cedahlia]

51. How exciting!!!

Congratulations! :party:

Did you have to look long before you found "the one"? Mr. cedhalia and I are currently journeying through househunting HELL...we've been at it for quite a while now and it's sooooo discouraging. However, your success is inspiring, and it reminds me to stay positive!

Best of wishes to you, and here's to many happy years in your new home!!! :toast:

[GOPisEvil]

52. This was the 2nd house I offered on.

I looked at maybe 20 houses. Price excluded most properties. I started looking at condos, but they were more expensive than my house and were basically an apartment, which is the lifestyle I wanted to leave behind.

[m-jean03]

53. Thought I'd add my congrats to this one, too!

Hope the domestic life treats you well. :-)

[sus]

54. yaaaaaay! i'm still cheering because it's fun! whoohoo!

[GOPisEvil]

55. Did you read that I have already done THREE projects already?!

1. Changed locks
2. Installed new shower head
3. Installed weather stripping underneath front door.

I am Bob Freaking Vila over here! :bounce:

Oh, and I played with my new drill, too. Power tools rule!

[sus]

56. cool! yay you!

listen to the voice of experience: don't play with power tools when you're stoned. NOT a very nice after school special waiting to happen.

trust me...

[GOPisEvil]

57. No problem.

I'm enough of a danger to myself when I'm not impaired.

[Lisa0825]

58. Congratulations!!!!!!:-)

[MissMillie]

59. Way to GO!

Can I move in? I'll bring my new computer......

[commander bunnypants]

61. You da man

now your second home will be the local hardware stores

DDQM

[maxpower]

62. Good on you

Enjoy.

[SiouxJ]

63. Congrats!

now you'll be watching home improvement shows and spending weekends at HD (we don't have a Lowes) like I do. Have fun! :bounce:

:hi:

[GOPisEvil]

68. Been to Lowe's twice already.

:bounce:

:hi:

[underpants]

64. When are you going to turn off the TV and do something about the bathroom?

Oh sorry you aren't married.

Congrats...now about the bathroom.........................

[GOPisEvil]

69. Hey! I fixed the crack in the bathtub, now get off my ass!

Oh, and Time Warner won't be out to get the cable going until next Saturday. :grr:

[XNASA]

65. Fantastic......

Welcome to the club.

[buddhamama]

66. ahhhh, the home was just an excuse

to buy tools, Mr. Handyman.

Congrats!

Many Blessings! :toast:

[Liberal Classic]

67. Congrats!

I just closed on my refinance today as it so happens. And except for my mortgage I am debt free. Now the trick is staying debt free. :)

:toast:

[WindRavenX]

70. Congrats!!

I hope many years from now I can say the same thing :)
Go nuts! Make a nice, big garden. And plant a huuuge " Bush Sucks" sign in your front lawn!

[Canuckistanian]

71. You go, girl!

Now, you sure you got all the tools you need? Think again.
Congrats!
:toast:

[GOPisEvil]

72. Girl?

*checks shorts*

No sex change yet! :P

But there are many more tools to buy. Good thing my 1st payment isn't due until August! :D

[Canuckistanian]

73. Uh, sorry, all the other stock phrases were taken

Good thing you're checking, though.

[GOPisEvil]

74. Hey...you never know...

Better safe than sorry. :D

[Feanorcurufinwe]

75. Congratulations and good luck

now, cut up all your credit cards so you don't go crazy buying tools and home improvement supplies like I did.

[ZenLefty]

76. Now you can have 1/4 of your salary deferred to Home Depot

It's easier that way.

Congrats. :toast:

[arwalden]

77. Hooray! CONGRATULATIONS!!! Yahoo! Whoopee!!!

How exciting for you!!! I know the feeling well.. and it's great fun to get to know EVERYONE in EVERY DEPARTMENT of the Home Depot on a first name basis. --- You'll also get to know everyone at your local landscaping nursery... and you'll think that owning a new John Deere is cooler than owning a new car.

Have fun!

-- Allen

[Darth_Kitten]

78. Congrats!!!!

:beer: :party: :bounce: :toast:

[geniph]

79. Ohhhh DAVID....the toilet is leaking...

the roofing shingles are peeling up...the gables need repainting...the windows are growing mildew...the yard is a mess...welcome to the wonderful world of homeownership!

Seriously, congratulations. I'll never go back to shared housing if I can help it. It is wonderful to have your OWN place, where you can paint your bedroom purple if you want to, put your own locks on the doors, and have a little elbow room between you and your neighbors.