Really good progress

So we got hit with our first significant snowfall of the season yesterday, which only means that we found it imprudent to drive to see the house after work. So when we go today, we can be pleased with all the work that has been done.

We went yesterday at lunch and found that the painters were nearly done with the painting. They said that they had a little touch up to do and a few minor repairs to make. They were painting the stairs yesterday, the risers, not the treads. Lots more work than one might think - all of it needed to be primed and then painted, and the work is all detail work. The railings and treads are also getting a coat of varnish or urethane (not sure which, not sure I care).

The kitchen cabinets are missing some doors, as they were not exactly the right size. The rest of the kitchen is done, though.

The recessed lights in the batchrooms have been installed - they are a bit different than the other recessed lights, in that they have a cover of the light bulb itself, likely to avoid exposure to moisture.

The carpets had been put in at least half the house - the entire first floor (office, bedroom, living room) had been done, and one room on the second floor had been done. I think I saw the carpeters driving to the house with another roll of carpet as I was driving out. It is nice carpet, though not as soft-feeling underfoot as the best carpet we bought in our old house. That's ok, though, we can upgrade in a few years if we feel the need.

The cabinets are in in the laundry room. Mom asked where we planned to put the litterbox in the new house and Karen and I said we hadn't given it much thought. She suggested the laundry room, and it is a perfect idea. There is space to either side of the washer and dryer, and one side will be filled with shelving. The other is perfect for the litterbox - out of sight, on linoleum for easy cleanup, etc.

I got all the utilities set up yesterday: power, phone, cable, gas, rubbish, water, and sewer. Most of these places already had accounts in our name, and I just needed to transfer the account to the new address. The gas company was the only new one. James and my father in law have suggested satellite over cable, but I'm happy with cable and don't want a dish hanging off my house. Apparently there are more HD channels, but truthfully, I don't watch many of the extras - mostly local CBS and ESPN, which Comcast has. I also like Sopranos in HD on HBO and I've seen the ocassional movie on HDnet, but that's about it. What I really want is the rest of my local channels to go HD: ABC, NBC, and Fox. Anyway.

So we got our closing date - why was this not at the top of this entry? I duno - but it is the 15th, just one week away. We are now looking at some numbers, deciding if we can pay points to shave our interest rate by using some of our down payment money. One scenario had us paying $50 per month by paying 2 points, but we would have to take about $7800 out of the down payment to do it. It is all well and good as long as we're financing less than 80% of the cost, so we can avoid mortgage insurance (which is another scam of the mortgage industry). And it may be too late to decide to pay points. We're figuring that out.