Sunday, May 4th - An Update
It has been about four months since I last posted on the BLOG. I will bring you up-to-date because a lot has happened since January.
You might remember that we signed a contract with Poinsett Homes to build a nice, small home in River Shoals sub-division in Simpsonville, South Carolina. We were in love with the floor plan, the development and the location...6 miles to Ashley and her family...11 miles to my new work place. Construction was to have begun the first week of January.
Well, the weeks drug on and on and there was no movement toward breaking ground. By mid-February, VERY strong rumors were circulating on the local area Internet forums that Poinsett Homes was in financial trouble. When the sales person kept asking us to be patient, that new rounds of financing were coming, etc., we started looking at other options. We had zeroed in on another home and were seriously negotiating on it when we got a call from the Poinsett sales agent asking us to consider a virtually identical floor plan on an inventory home in an upgraded section of River Shoals. Long story made short... we negotiated a highly appointed home with a much larger lot, in a more desireable section of River Shoals for just slightly more that the original to-be-built home. Once the negotiating was done, we closed the deal on February 29th. Because I was so concerned that there could be last second liens filed against the home due to Poinsett's financial issues, I asked that the closing attorney send his para-legal to the courthouse to assure absolutely clean title and to file the deed WHILE we were at the table! Everything went well and be became owners of a new "stick" home.
In mid-March, MA and I drove over to Monroe, Louisiana. On Thursday morning, with the help of James and Jackie, we unloaded our 10' x 20' storage unit into a 26' U-Haul truck. We then drove back to Simpsonville, SC on Friday (narrowly missing the tornado that hit downtown Atlanta, Georgia). With help from Two Men & a Truck, we unloaded the U-Haul and began moving into our first brick & mortar home in two years.
Since the time of closing, Poinsett has filed for bankruptcy protection and has shut their doors. Our only issue with this is the lack of a "goto" for warranty issues. However, we have had no issues surface and we do have a structural warranty for 10 years. MA & I feel very fortunate to have been directed to this home. It is sized just right for us. The large yard (0.40 acre of all grass) is an issue but we have a lawn service come for only $25 per cutting.
We are seeing Ashley, Javi, Cammie & Ceci often and have done some babysitting. It is great when our 4 year-old and our 2 year-old come running up to greet Gemma & Grandpa!
My work at Infor Global Solutions is going very well. The technology brainwaves have returned...a little rusty and dated.
We are now "settled" and the fun projects can begin. I will be building a two-level arbor adjacent to our screened-in porch. We really love our screened-in porch. We watch the setting sun (some evenings it is spectacular), eat meals and frequently spend evenings out there. The springtime has been glorious here in SC!
In order, the pix are:
1. The Sunroom (built to be a breakfast area but Gypsy, MA & I use it as a reading area when the weather is too cool for the porch.
2. The Family Room
3. The Dining Room
4. Front of the house (please note the personalized license plate on MA's new Jeep...when pressed, MA will tell you what "Gemma" stands for)
