House in Stanley, NC

Who did what?

I bought a house! Builder paperwork signed on Dec 14th 2020.

Why?

I was tired of paying expensive rent. In my entire adult life, I have paid no more than $700 in monthly rent and have been paying $1400 since moving to Charlotte (granted, it was for a pretty nice 2-bedroom apartment but still). On Tues, December 1st 2020, during a conversation with my sister Heidi (whose family lives in the same apartment complex as me), we discussed options for when our leases expired in 2021 (March and May). After about 20 mins of brainstorming, Heidi said (jokingly), “Krista you should buy a house”.

Enter the angelic hallelujah chorus.

Yes. That’s what I should do – buy a house. I had been contemplating purchasing a home for several years but never felt like it was the right time or location. North Carolina has been a great fit for me thus far and I can comfortably live here the next couple of years.

The original discussion evolved into looking for a place big enough for me, Heidi, Andrew, Jonas and Phoebe to live so we could split the monthly payment and each save cash for important things we want to do in the future.

Thus, the journey began. I quickly found the most amazing relator from Church connections, got 3 pre-approvals from lenders and looked at houses. Charlotte is an INTENSE housing market. Appealing houses are receiving 20 offers or are taken off the market in less than an hour because an investor called and offered to paid cash. Due to low inventory and high price, I knew that staying in Charlotte was not an option. So we looked in areas surrounding the area, looked at a couple of houses, seriously contemplated putting an offer on a 1958 home that would need renovations but had an awesome lot… and realized I could get a new house for the price of an older home.

Can we say “no brainer?”.

Where?

In Stanley, North Carolina. A place I never knew existed until Dec 12th 2020.

Tell Me About the House!

It’s new construction in the Bennington Creek Subdivision with builder D.R. Horton.
2 story house on about 0.19 acre lot.
4 bedroom, 2.5 bath, almost 2,000 square feet with a 2 car garage.
It’s essentially the “base model” with no add-ons or customizations.

Floor Plan – First Floor

Floor Plan – Second Floor

Community Map

When Will it be Finished?

Original date: Sometime in March/April 2021.

Feb 24th update from builder: end of April 2021.

I Want to See Pictures

Basic photos are available at https://www.drhorton.com/north-carolina/charlotte/stanley/bennington-creek/floor-plans/2059.
This 3D Tour is technically for a different floor plan (the Concord) but is basically the same thing as mine (the Brookchase) minus the fireplace in the front living room. Sizes also comparable. See https://www.drhorton.com/north-carolina/charlotte/matthews/chase-view/floor-plans/2060.

Current State as of Dec 14th, 2020

It’s just a slab of foundation 🙂

Current State as of Dec 28th, 2020

I was pleasantly surprised to see all the framing work that had been completed in a matter of 2 weeks.

It was also astonishing to see all the other houses that seemed to pop up overnight! The first houses in the videos were NOT there when I signed the contract on Dec 14th… I verbally mention which house is mine, about 1/2 through the video.

Current State as of Jan 10th, 2021

I have a roof!!!! Ahhh!!! I also estimated that the backyard is at least 40 ft by 40 ft.

Current State as of Jan 21st, 2021

The builder rep sent me the following photos – they show a house with the framing done, roof on, windows and doors installed.

Current State as of Feb 24th, 2021

First meeting with the builder. Rough plumbing, electrical and insulation is done. After another inspection, they will begin drywall shortly. The builder shared that the house is anticipated to be finished end of April. We did get to see a home with our layout that was mostly finished (minus appliances).