Good news!! And still waiting. ...

So.....we have been conditionally approved for our mortgage! I was told that there is a second approval at the end, but it's a relief to have the first hurdle cleared. :-) Hopefully, that pre construction meeting happens soon. Have a good weekend.

Dear Ryan Homes....

I spoke with the SR today. He was really great about a last minute change to switch out the smaller toilets to the taller ones for us. I thought we needed to get a different cabinet for the second bathroom, because I think the one that comes standard is ....not pretty. The charge for the upgrade was $250 to switch it from natural wood colored to white. I thought that was outrageous, so I chose not to go with it. I would rather just upgrade that once we move in. So, on to the light fixtures. I still have not seen any. The SR said there are other packages but nobody ever chooses them. I'm not sure if that means that he chose for us or what? He said there was not a big difference in them. I haven't seen them for myself, so I am not sure. I will just go with the blah blah blah standard for now. I found out today another Verona is being built next door to mine. That stinks! There is also one right across the street. I have a different elevation than both of them, so that is good to know. I was extremely disappointed today when I asked about having the driveway expanded to the edge of the garage. It would be about two feet on each side. It would seem to me that it should be that way, anyhow, but the rendering I got of the property shows the driveway is only the width of the garage door. That doesn't even make sense to me. I asked if I could get it expanded and I was completely shot down. I thought that was something I needed to talk to the PM about, as it was not an option on the options sheet. I'm really annoyed by that. Nothing like having muddy kids feet because your driveway is too tight to provide walking space next to the car. My minivan is pretty wide.

DEAR RYAN HOMES - If expanding the driveway to a reasonable width is an option, please ADD it to the options sheet. Telling me I should have asked for it sooner is ridiculous. How was I supposed to know it was even an option? How was I supposed to know...without seeing the survey for my home....how wide the driveway is? If you all had told me that it was not built out to the edge of the garage, I certainly would have requested it sooner. If this needed to be asked up front, the survey of the house should have been presented to me sooner.  #FAIL

Now that I have that off my chest, my home is supposed to be ready in May. Mid May to be exact. We have not met our PM. We have not had a meeting for pre-construction. Nothing. Just waiting. I am skeptical that it will be done on time. I am hoping for good developments in the weeks to come. I am waiting on my approval from NVR. We should know in a couple of days. Fingers crossed! For tonight though, I'm disappointed. 

Light Fixture Fiasco

Light fixtures selections are rather important. Unfortunately, we never saw any light fixtures on paper. I am curious....do you get to choose which ones go in or does RH pick for you? At our meeting,  our SR asked us if we wanted nickel or oil rubbed bronze bathroom fixtures and door knobs and hinges. We voted nickel. After our appointment with Rite Rug, we emailed the SR because we thought we were going to select light fixtures while at the Rite Rug meeting, but we didn't. He emailed back saying we already chose them. That's odd. Neither my husband or myself ever chose anything. We were never given a selection sheet. I've never looked at a light fixture on paper. So when did we choose? After relaying this to him,  he said he was busy today and would call when he got a chance. I definitely would like clarification. Meanwhile, I am curious to know...are light fixtures selectable? Is there any option at all as far as what goes in to each home? Or did I choose my fixtures by saying I wanted satin? Hopefully tomorrow, I will know for sure. 

A Meeting With Rite Rug

I had my meeting today. We chose to keep it simple and not upgrade anything. The prices of the upgrades were staggering and we feel like we should just let them put in the basics,  then upgrade it in the next couple of years. Something about paying for carpet and flooring for thirty years, as its tied into my mortgage, is just wrong. I was not impressed with the included choices. In fact, since this meeting is happening a week after my 14 day final choices, I asked my SR to change my cabinet color choice for the kids bathroom. The colour was a pine looking color. I asked to change it to white, because not one of the options I had would look good with that cabinet. I won't know until Monday if it's possible. I also requested the raised toilets. I'm a 6ft tall woman. Sorry toilets just seem wrong for my family. I hope my SR cooked through. I wish i could have seen these color choices earlier but the company that Ryan was using before Rite Rug was very unaccomodating when it came to scheduling. I'm crossing my fingers. Anyway, check out my choices below! I have names somewhere if anyone is interested. 

Master bedroom

Foyer

Carpet For living areas and bedrooms

Kitchen

kitchen and all bathrooms

Sometimes You Just Need to See it...

I am getting frustrated. For several weeks we have been asking to see a model of the Verona. We just want to see one in person. I've spoken to three different people in the sales office and so far, we haven't had any luck. I've seen one on paper. I know there is one under construction nearby. I just want to get a feel for the spaces so that I can start furniture planning. Is that really to much to ask? Sometimes you just need to see it...hopefully, this request will be accommodated soon.

A new Verona is on the way...

So, here is the story. We have been scoping out a new Ryan Homes community in southeastern Virginia since April 2013. I happened to ride past a sign for a new model and we stopped to check it out. It was gorgeous! However, there were no other homes sold or built yet. I am not one who can "see" things on paper, so I just couldn't see myself buying a house that I couldn't picture. For months, we stalked this development. It grew, and grew and grew. Finally, we decided to go for it (about 20 houses later). I could finally see what they neighborhood was going to look like. We decided on a Verona. Its a nice home, large enough for our 6 person family. We got a decent deal on the house, the house price itself was not negotiable and most of the upgrades weren't either. At this point, we have gone to contract, done our 14 day where we make final selections and we are waiting for our first approval from NVR, a call from the infamous Rite Rug, and to meet our Project manager. Our sales agent has been super helpful. I am skeptical of NVR, just because of what I have read, but so far, things seem ok. We will see how I feel about them at the end. I am quite disappointed how everything is an upgrade with this house, but I am hoping in the end, it will have all been worth it. We chose to forego a lot of the upgrades, because I think its cheaper to do some after the fact. Here is a photo of the lot. Its pretty empty...for now. =)