Settlement Success

Settlement today went so smoothly.

Actually, let me back up.

My realtor and I went by the property to do a final check of the place, to make sure that everything was in good condition. The place looked fine. It actually still looked like a home (as opposed to completely empty) since the previous owner was nice enough to sell me some of her furniture. We then drove to get the final papers signed.

Before we went into the conference room, the settlement offices had a wall full of junk food goodies and drinks. I guess they like to keep their clients, employees, visitors happy and well fed. I didn't snag anything before signing the papers, but I did take a Laffy Taffy and two Peppermint Patties and a bottle of water on the way out.

Since I had more paperwork to complete and the owner of the townhome hadn't gotten there yet, they let me start with my paperwork. Midway through, the owner, her husband, and their realtor came in. Perfect timing! We signed a bunch of papers for an hour, I handed of the biggest check I'll probably ever have to write, and the owner handed over all the keys. She was super nice during the meeting, giving me tips on how to take care of the rose bushes and things she had left at the house for me (weed controller, manuals for the major appliances, etc.).

On my drive home back from the signing, it was pouring rain so I couldn't immediately move my stuff in. However, the rain eventually stopped and I went with my parents to the new place to put some small things in there. My cousins have been recruited to help me complete the move tomorrow morning. It's nice to have help around!
I'm officially a home owner. It feels good to be able to cross one more thing off my New Year's Resolution list. (I got this fortune cookie fortune at Dad's retirement dinner. I didn't think it was especially applicable then, but it definitely is today.)