The house buying process continues apace. Yesterday came the survey.
The surveying system is so much better here than in the UK. You don't just wait for an expensive report telling you that you need the electrics/plumbing/roof looked at separately at extra cost. We got to inspect the house alongside the surveyor, which meant that he could explain to us the workings of unfamiliar equipment (furnace, air-con, sump pump, reversible ceiling fans, heatalator) as well as pointing out anything requiring attention.
Our guy came highly recommended. With his beard, rosy cheeks and twinkly eyes he seemed comfortingly familiar - just who was it he reminded me of? And did we really see those deer loitering in the neighbouring yard? Anyway. His voice was so gentle and mellifluous that even if he'd told us the house was riddled with dry-rot and infested with vermin I'd have just smiled and nodded and lapped it up. But fortunately he found little cause for concern, just a few relatively minor repairs to be done.
Next task, this evening, was a meeting with a financial advisor to discuss mortgage arrangements. Here again the system is somewhat different to that at home. Put simply we will be signing up for a 3-year A.R.M. with zero points, adjusted to T Bill +3, and we'll be escrowing our tax. So that's good. I think.
Is a 'heatalator' a warm moving stairway that you have to jump off quickly at the end before you get your slippers shredded?
ReplyDeleteWhy yes - they come as standard in all American houses, hence slippers are made with reinforced steel toes...
ReplyDeleteNah, not really. It's what we would call a gas-log fire. Only don't tell the Boy 'cause he's still expecting Santa to be able to come down the chimney.