Might be pulling the trigger on a home purchase soon, need a little advice.

[Big_D]

Sounds like you made the right decision! Congrats!
Definately better to save your cash to use for the furnishings and appliances.
You dont want any credit card debt to accumulate and new houses are notorious for that.

 

[naaman]

Tell me about it...

Looks like we are going to start with safety locks for the exterior doors to keep the kids away from the pool (we have a fence for the pool, but... my boys can climb anything more dense than air, it seems...) Also going to set up the alarm system to inform us which door is opening, etc.

Of course, we need a washer/dryer, too...

 

[Big_D]

Sounds like you are doing good by working on safety items first.

I would avoid the front loading type washing machines. They look cool, but they tend to build up mildew and mold unless you leave the door open all the time to allow it to dry.
Our laundry room is between the garage and the house and its a pain to walk around that open washer door all the time.

 

[Vanishing Point]

For an added level of piece of mind you might add a pool alarm that signals inside/outside should anything fall/jump into the pool.

 

[naaman]

Never knew there was such a thing... sounds worthwhile.

 

[naaman]

So, I just made my first mortgage payment on the house. We are still getting settled in so it's a total mess right now. Will post up some pics when things are more presentable.

I will say that being an older house, there are definitely some "issues" that need to be addressed, but nothing major so far. Mostly just learning about home ownership and DIY problems.

Oh, the plans I've been making for this house!

I've been thinking about paying extra to my mortgage. For now, I'm just rounding up to the next $100 which only makes a $13 difference. I'm still waiting to find out what my new monthly expenses will be now that I have more space to cool/heat, a pool to maintain and a lawn to keep up (first world problems!). I do foresee some child labor in the near future!

My current plan is to finish paying off my wife's car and then use some or all of that money to pay down the mortgage in addition to the monthly.

Also, I'm thinking about installing solar power for the pool (including the backyard lighting). Does anyone have a set up like that? Any recommendations or advice on what to avoid/pursue? Alternatives?

More immediate on my list of money-saving investments, I'm looking at energy efficiency inside the house. My bedroom has one of those cell shades on the window and three AC vents. We keep the AC at 80 and the bedroom is constantly cooler than the rest of the house. I'm looking at window treatments as the first phase of my project. I've considered thermal curtains, cell shades, shutters and window film to reduce the amount of heat coming in. Does anyone have something that they know works well?