Friday, May 16, 2014

Viva Las Vegas Part 1 (of 3, maybe 4!)

 Well, there have been a few changes in the life of the Sloats these last couple of months. We have gone from two cars to one, from hot weather to warm weather, a desk job to a work from home job, and renters to first time homeowners! All really positive and exciting changes for us! We sold our trusty old civic. The car that Greg wooed me in, the car I spied to see if Greg had moved into the ward and wasn't just visiting after I first saw him, the car we drove to and from our wedding in! Most recently, the car we brought Tess home in. Maybe I am a little too sentimental, but it was hard to let this car go! We had a few really REALLY big surprises when we sold it. Very disappointing to find it had been in a wreck despite a clean car check prior to purchase, and a $800 fix before we sold it. This trusty old car had been hiding a few things from us but we ran the wheels off this thing so I guess we had more luck then we should have!

 Out for a walk in Greeley on a beautiful day! We are at Sanborn Park, a gorgeous park in Greeley only a 15 minute walk from our apartment and it had a great path. I miss that walk, we walk around residential areas here, but they do keep the sidewalks well landscaped so it isn't so bad. Nothing like wide open spaces and quiet. There are other things I will like better about Vegas!

Greg started his new position middle of March. He didn't fly into Vegas until the first of April. We stayed behind to help get ready for Trey's wedding. Our apartment was packed, loaded, and unloaded without us lifting a finger! Now, that is a great way to move! Of course, unpacking took a lot of time but I can handle that end of it. Greg came back for Trey's wedding and then we all flew to Vegas together. Prior to moving, of course, we got to go find a place to live, all funded by State Farm. We had everything paid for and it was so much fun! We had 5 nights hotel, plane ticket, and food covered. The relocation human resource rep helped us get a realtor lined up and so we cam looking to buy instead of rent. Neither of us could be more excited. We spent everyday looking at the current MLS listings, updating our favorites list. We were sad when some that we loved went under contract but every house that we were most interested in lasted!! Wahoo! When we first got here, we were really unimpressed. There was a miscommunication with our lender (actually, she just managed to NOT read our email and look at the attachments I sent her) and made a very out of touch phone call to our realtor. Long story short, our realtor wanted to just be nice and show us some properties close to her office until we got it ironed out. So, we made an appointment to go in and see what we could discuss. Our loan officer was degrading and snarky to say the least. She started to lecture us about how we had failed to meet all the requirements to be full pre-qualified and thus, be eligible for a loan. I could barely hold my tongue while she lectured us about things that were not even relevant to our situation. From one know-it-all to the next, I know how embarrassing it could have been for her if I had spoken up. But...I also didn't want to ruffle her feathers and put a damper in the loan process. We didn't have much time and the housing market in Las Vegas is unique right now. We wanted to make a good offer once we found a place. So, we listened to her and then I let Greg share the facts. I still wonder what she was thinking.

Anyway, the very next day after she made a phone call to our realtor and said we were good to go with a fully qualified pre-approval, we went looking for REAL. We were anxious to get to a certain neighborhood that we had visited the night before and felt really excited about the location and neighborhood. The house we loved online, was still the favorite in person. Then, my realtor wanted to take us to another part of town. We went rather reluctantly, not thinking there could be a better location or house. Well, she was tricky. I had put some houses on my "possibilities" list I had forgotten about. As we drove about 15 miles north, I already liked the area better. Less congestion, prettier view of the mountains, and just better. We parked in a community and walked into what would be our house! It was so much different then any other house we had looked at. A tall entry way which opened it up and made it feel so much bigger. A nice loft area, washer and dryer upstairs, two car garage instead of one, and a much much bigger kitchen. 15 minutes later, we decided to make an offer. It was that obvious. I guess investors were poking and calling about it as we made an offer and we feel like we scooped up this great place just in time. WE LOVE IT! New carpet and new paint, for starters. We could move right in. The location, the two car garage, more room, and the view! We love it! So, here is the outside:


 We went back the next day after our offer was accepted, we were nervous, but it was all done within 12 hours. Now, this is Vegas, unless you are looking at a MUCH bigger budget. Houses are packed in, no yards, neighborhood swimming pools and parks, and a view of your neighbors that seems like spying! Someday, we will have a yard and all that. For now, this is our dream home! We feel like we are living the dream!

 Front of the house with the walkway up to it. The walk way serves 8 homes, all faces each other. The "allies" are where the garages face.





 All of them are detached and single family homes, but they are close together and share a lot of community things.




 We have TWO great patios. We were lucky enough to get a generous home-warming gift from my parents, a Weber grill! We plan to in the coming months get a great deal on patio furniture and have a great set up to enjoy some grilled meals outside. On the top patio, we want to do something comfy to enjoy a book or the weather in general.













 I just have to point out the mountains, this picture does not even do them justice! They are beautiful!
 The walk to the park is like 100 yards, if that. So we strolled by to see it. Tess looks really thrilled, then she ended up loving the swing and still does!



 She looks really pleased! Ha! 
 February folks, and the grass is already turning green. 






 The POOL! 
Playground....
 And SWINGS! Mmmm...what is this, I think I will taste it first.....
 Not bad...



 Not bad at all! 






























 Swings are still a favorite activity! 
 More of the park area...


 The park is complete with a rock climbing wall, perfect for a dad who wants to get them started young!


A quick cheeser smile! You can see 5 of her teeth here! She had all 8 coming in but were hard to see. Now they are all the way in. So weird to see this picture because I am so used to see all 8! Well, more pictures of our trip to come! Her teeth came quick! From Thanksgiving to the end of February she has gotten in all of her front teeth both top and bottom.

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