Y'all have watched us fix this place up, room by room, since we were first married and we have loved every minute of it. Over the last few months our renovations have stalled out. We've completed all of the easier do-it-yourself projects, but our kitchen still needs a major makeover. We knew when we moved in that it would need more than just a coat of paint, and I've been not so patiently waiting for two years while we figured out how to afford the gut-job I envisioned for this space.
Last month, we refinanced the house to rid ourselves of that pesky mortgage insurance. We decided to use our current mortgage company because they wrapped up the appraisal and closing costs into the loan, an option other banks didn't offer. We were shocked by how much the appraisal came back for, and thankful we were able to refinance with a traditional 20% down loan with enough cash to pay off debt and renovate the kitchen. How exciting!