So, it's Saturday, but the week isn't over so let's see where I stand!
Got a copy of the fully signed contract, so we're officially set to close on May 4th.
Mortgage is in process and I've gotten everything I need submitted.
Home inspection went swimmingly (is that the phrase?). Everything is good to go on that front.
My Credit Sesame still hasn't updated from 762.
Same goes with my Credit Karma score at 766.
Final estimated money to be paid by me at closing is $3,483.04 and I have $2,127.60 in savings for that, plus an extra $850 I can pull from other, less important things. Add on top of that the $400 for the loan application fee, and that leaves me with just over $100 I need to gather from here till then, which I think I might already have sitting in my checking account.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Order of Events
A few people have voiced their concern about the order in which things have been done in the process of buying this house. Specifically related to the home inspection and signing the contract. For the most part, they said I should have had the home inspected before I signed the contract to buy the house.
It makes sense that you don't want to commit to buying a house without knowing the house isn't in really bad shape and need a ton of repairs. It's good to know that you'll be buying a quality home.
The thing is, the contract itself stipulated that I had 10 days from the date it was signed that I could cancel it for any reason. That gave me the ability to lock in the home, keeping another from buying it before me, and the time I needed to get the home inspected, making sure that the house was something I actually wanted to buy.
I'm fairly sure this is a common thing, possibly even a state requirement, when buying a house. Everyone I've asked about it at least followed the same procedure as I did, putting in an offer, then having the home inspected after. With the 10 day window at the beginning of the contract to cancel for any reason, I felt confident in signing the contract before having the home professionally inspected.
Now, this is also the reason I was stressing so hard earlier. I only had a 10 day window to figure out everything. I had to know that there wouldn't be any major hurdles to buying the house, and if there were, I'd need to know right away. So I made sure I got all my paperwork into the lender right away, made sure I got the inspection done, made sure I could get insurance. Any one of those things going wrong could have meant I wouldn't be able to close on the house and if it happened after that 10 day window, bad things would happen.
At this point, I'm sure there's going to be more to stress over, there will be more things that pop up that I'll need to deal with. But right now, I've done everything I can do to make sure it all goes as smoothly as possible, and I'll have to deal with anything else as it comes along.
It makes sense that you don't want to commit to buying a house without knowing the house isn't in really bad shape and need a ton of repairs. It's good to know that you'll be buying a quality home.
The thing is, the contract itself stipulated that I had 10 days from the date it was signed that I could cancel it for any reason. That gave me the ability to lock in the home, keeping another from buying it before me, and the time I needed to get the home inspected, making sure that the house was something I actually wanted to buy.
I'm fairly sure this is a common thing, possibly even a state requirement, when buying a house. Everyone I've asked about it at least followed the same procedure as I did, putting in an offer, then having the home inspected after. With the 10 day window at the beginning of the contract to cancel for any reason, I felt confident in signing the contract before having the home professionally inspected.
Now, this is also the reason I was stressing so hard earlier. I only had a 10 day window to figure out everything. I had to know that there wouldn't be any major hurdles to buying the house, and if there were, I'd need to know right away. So I made sure I got all my paperwork into the lender right away, made sure I got the inspection done, made sure I could get insurance. Any one of those things going wrong could have meant I wouldn't be able to close on the house and if it happened after that 10 day window, bad things would happen.
At this point, I'm sure there's going to be more to stress over, there will be more things that pop up that I'll need to deal with. But right now, I've done everything I can do to make sure it all goes as smoothly as possible, and I'll have to deal with anything else as it comes along.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Inspection? CHECK!
Alright, the inspection is complete! The house got a clean bill of health, with some very minor repairs that will need to be done soonish, but nothing pressing and absolutely nothing that be a deal-breaker.
Basically, there's some siding around the chimney that will need to be replaced, just one piece. In the sun room/patio, the windows need to be sealed, the roof needs a good cleaning and so do the gutters. The free-standing carport has a hole in the roof, it's not a big deal, can be patched over temporarily, and shouldn't be too hard to make a permanent fix.
The roof is nearing its lifespan, so I'll have to set aside some money to make sure that can be replaced when the time comes. The inspector didn't find anything wrong with the roof, it's full wood and not plywood, so that's good. He walked around up there and checked it from underneath and found no damage.
The water heater is a bit old, so that will be another cost, luckily replacing that will allow me to upgrade to a decently energy efficient model. Currently it's gas, and I may consider going with something electric, but I'm not ready to research that quite yet.
The heating and air system is a bit older as well, but it tested ok. I have to say I was really impressed with how well the air conditioning unit worked. Even with a door open to the outside, it was able cool the room enough to give me a chill.
There are also a few minor repairs that will need to be done, some sanding of doors and frames, lots of work outside in the yard, fixing lights (most likely just need some new bulbs), and of course the tiling around the floor in the master bath.
One thing to note, as part of the closing on the house, the seller has agreed to pay for 1 year of a home warranty. With the age of the house and some of the main systems, this will give me some peace of mind.
Basically, there's some siding around the chimney that will need to be replaced, just one piece. In the sun room/patio, the windows need to be sealed, the roof needs a good cleaning and so do the gutters. The free-standing carport has a hole in the roof, it's not a big deal, can be patched over temporarily, and shouldn't be too hard to make a permanent fix.
The roof is nearing its lifespan, so I'll have to set aside some money to make sure that can be replaced when the time comes. The inspector didn't find anything wrong with the roof, it's full wood and not plywood, so that's good. He walked around up there and checked it from underneath and found no damage.
The water heater is a bit old, so that will be another cost, luckily replacing that will allow me to upgrade to a decently energy efficient model. Currently it's gas, and I may consider going with something electric, but I'm not ready to research that quite yet.
The heating and air system is a bit older as well, but it tested ok. I have to say I was really impressed with how well the air conditioning unit worked. Even with a door open to the outside, it was able cool the room enough to give me a chill.
There are also a few minor repairs that will need to be done, some sanding of doors and frames, lots of work outside in the yard, fixing lights (most likely just need some new bulbs), and of course the tiling around the floor in the master bath.
One thing to note, as part of the closing on the house, the seller has agreed to pay for 1 year of a home warranty. With the age of the house and some of the main systems, this will give me some peace of mind.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
So very stressed
So, yesterday I started dealing with the mortgage paperwork. I read through all the documents on Sunday after I finally got them. Then as I was going back over them while I signed them, something seemed off. Looking at the numbers given by the bank, the money due up front from me was insanely huge. Like double the max money I had available to spend. So I tried to get a better idea from the lender about it, and turns out she completely flubbed the numbers. Left off $1,000 of the earnest money and put in the wrong information for a number of other areas. Now, the number is in a more appropriate place where I can handle it.
Even so, those wrong numbers caused me an enormous amount of undue stress. This whole thing is really throwing me for a loop. Luckily I've only got about a month of all this, then it'll become a different kind of stress.
I'm really worried about screwing something up, or something going totally wrong and me being out all the money I've put in and owing even more cause of something that could have been avoided.
On top of that, today is the inspection of the home. I'm going to try to put together a video of the home, like a walkthrough and introduction to the premises. Also, because I'm so worried about money and being ready to put money down on the house, I'm going to be working all weekend for overtime. I might actually just end up working everyday this month if I can. It's gonna suck, but in the end I think it will be worth it. Luckily I have 3 paychecks till the closing date, so I'll be able to sock away some money.
I'm just going to have to live off credit cards for the next month and spend as little actual money as I possibly can. I'll probably have to raid my Dragoncon savings for this year to make sure I have enough money at the end.
Even so, those wrong numbers caused me an enormous amount of undue stress. This whole thing is really throwing me for a loop. Luckily I've only got about a month of all this, then it'll become a different kind of stress.
I'm really worried about screwing something up, or something going totally wrong and me being out all the money I've put in and owing even more cause of something that could have been avoided.
On top of that, today is the inspection of the home. I'm going to try to put together a video of the home, like a walkthrough and introduction to the premises. Also, because I'm so worried about money and being ready to put money down on the house, I'm going to be working all weekend for overtime. I might actually just end up working everyday this month if I can. It's gonna suck, but in the end I think it will be worth it. Luckily I have 3 paychecks till the closing date, so I'll be able to sock away some money.
I'm just going to have to live off credit cards for the next month and spend as little actual money as I possibly can. I'll probably have to raid my Dragoncon savings for this year to make sure I have enough money at the end.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Weekly Standing
Another Friday means another weekly look back at what's transpired
Contract has been submitted to the seller, and I'm fairly certain it has been signed.
Mortgage documentation has been submitted to the lender.
Quote for homeowners has been received (but not in writing yet)
Appointment for a home inspection is setup for Tuesday
My Credit Sesame score is still 762.
My Credit Karma score is also still 766.
Contract has been submitted to the seller, and I'm fairly certain it has been signed.
Mortgage documentation has been submitted to the lender.
Quote for homeowners has been received (but not in writing yet)
Appointment for a home inspection is setup for Tuesday
My Credit Sesame score is still 762.
My Credit Karma score is also still 766.
Mortgage win
Alright, after spending the last day collecting what was asked for, I was finally able to get it all to the lender. 38 pages in total, and that was short a page or two because I still haven't gotten the written quote for insurance yet. Luckily, the lender seemed to be ok with that, just knowing the insurer was enough to get the ball rolling.
Next step is she will be sending me back the mortgage packet, paperwork I need to look over, so I can read it over the weekend. I'm seriously stressing over all of this, but at the same time I think that's helping keep me on the ball. I'm usually a really big procrastinator, but if I put things off too much it'll end up costing me, so instead I'm getting everything done as quickly as I can to make sure there's wiggle room in case something bad happens.
Next step is she will be sending me back the mortgage packet, paperwork I need to look over, so I can read it over the weekend. I'm seriously stressing over all of this, but at the same time I think that's helping keep me on the ball. I'm usually a really big procrastinator, but if I put things off too much it'll end up costing me, so instead I'm getting everything done as quickly as I can to make sure there's wiggle room in case something bad happens.
Home inspection is a go!
Got ahold of the home inspector, we have an appointment scheduled for Tuesday at 4:30. Had to make sure my agent was on-board because they'll have to let us in. Next step is to figure out things I need to inquire about. I think I'll do an update to this post as I find things, but here are a few links I'm using to determine what I need to know:
Questions to ask during home inspection
Home inspection checklist
What to look for during a home inspection
Questions to ask during home inspection
Home inspection checklist
What to look for during a home inspection
Homeowner's Insurance Update
Ok, so I just got off the phone with State Farm and they saved my bacon! They quoted me at just over $1,000 for a year which is about in line with what I was expecting. Of course, if I get an alarm system installed and move my car insurance to them, my rate would go down, but for the time being I have my quote, which was the last piece of the puzzle for the mortgage.
I was really fearing I would have to go into the Georgia FAIR Plan, because that didn't sound like it would be a good thing. The FAIR Plan is insurance for people who need insurance but can't get it for one reason or another. Basically, the highest risk group gets to pay twice as much for less coverage.
Obviously, if that was my only option, I'd have to go with it, but luckily I can avoid that, at least for now. I'm sure I'll have to see about updating some parts of the house in the next few years, but those are expenses I can prepare for ahead of time. As those updates are done, my premiums will hopefully go down too, saving me more money in the long run.
I was really fearing I would have to go into the Georgia FAIR Plan, because that didn't sound like it would be a good thing. The FAIR Plan is insurance for people who need insurance but can't get it for one reason or another. Basically, the highest risk group gets to pay twice as much for less coverage.
Obviously, if that was my only option, I'd have to go with it, but luckily I can avoid that, at least for now. I'm sure I'll have to see about updating some parts of the house in the next few years, but those are expenses I can prepare for ahead of time. As those updates are done, my premiums will hopefully go down too, saving me more money in the long run.
Homeowner's Insurance
So, I got an e-mail with a list of all the stuff that the lender wanted as part of the mortgage process. It didn't take me long to get it all together, it's been less than 24 hours and I have everything, except one. Quote for homeowner's insurance, and it's a dog.
The Road so far:
I contacted Progressive, I have my car insurance through them. They were unable to help me, because the age of the house, I needed to know how long ago the major systems (heating, roof, electrical) were replaced, and I don't know. They sent me to one affiliate, but they couldn't insure me because the value of the house didn't match the market rate or something like that.
I also tried contacting Allstate, but they won't quote me homeowner's insurance without also quoting me for auto. I decided to put that off, because I don't want them to possibly ding my credit by running it more than it needs to be.
My next call is to a State Farm agent. I've been somewhat reticent to call them because of a bad experience with them in the past, but if they're able to give me what I need, history won't be enough to stop me from using them.
The real problem is homeowner's insurance isn't something you can get a quick and easy quote on the internet and I have to talk to a real live person to get a good quote fast. And it's still a little early and a lot of the nearby offices aren't even open yet.
I'll continue calling around and will update you on any new developments as they occur.
The Road so far:
I contacted Progressive, I have my car insurance through them. They were unable to help me, because the age of the house, I needed to know how long ago the major systems (heating, roof, electrical) were replaced, and I don't know. They sent me to one affiliate, but they couldn't insure me because the value of the house didn't match the market rate or something like that.
I also tried contacting Allstate, but they won't quote me homeowner's insurance without also quoting me for auto. I decided to put that off, because I don't want them to possibly ding my credit by running it more than it needs to be.
My next call is to a State Farm agent. I've been somewhat reticent to call them because of a bad experience with them in the past, but if they're able to give me what I need, history won't be enough to stop me from using them.
The real problem is homeowner's insurance isn't something you can get a quick and easy quote on the internet and I have to talk to a real live person to get a good quote fast. And it's still a little early and a lot of the nearby offices aren't even open yet.
I'll continue calling around and will update you on any new developments as they occur.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Home inspection
So, I have two inspectors in mind. One is recommended by my parents, he does general contracting work for them. The other is a service recommended by my realtor. It's a little bit of a hard decision because the guy has done some good work for my parents and I plan on seeing what he'll be able to do for me when I need stuff done, but from my reading, you need special licensing to be able to inspect a home for certain things (at least according to this article on about.com). The most important (other than the general home inspection) would be termites. Of course, the only real way I can know is to ask, and I will do that when I call him later today.
The other recommendation (the one from my realtor) is Inspect-All Services. They seem to be a good company, and have good reviews across the internet. Plus they can definitely do the inspections I want. The only problem is, I'm sure they'll be more expensive than my parent's contractor.
In the end though, I'll have to go with whichever I feel will do a better job, no matter the cost. Can you really put a price on peace of mind?
The other recommendation (the one from my realtor) is Inspect-All Services. They seem to be a good company, and have good reviews across the internet. Plus they can definitely do the inspections I want. The only problem is, I'm sure they'll be more expensive than my parent's contractor.
In the end though, I'll have to go with whichever I feel will do a better job, no matter the cost. Can you really put a price on peace of mind?
Now what?
Contract is sign, so what's next? Well, I have to talk to my lender, get the mortgage going. I need to get the home inspected. One article even says I should contact the municipality to find out more about the home. So, today during lunch I will need to call my bank and talk to the mortgage guy. I sent him an e-mail last night, but have not yet gotten a response, so I need to find out the next steps there.
I also need to do some research about home inspections. Find out what I should do to make sure I have gotten a proper and thorough inspection, and questions to ask ahead of time to know the inspector will do what needs to be done. Then after work contact some people to get it scheduled.
Then maybe tomorrow I should see about contacting Lilburn (I'm guessing that would be the "municipality" I need to contact) about the property. Of course, I'm going off the suggestions of a blog I found from a couple years ago.
I also need to contact my insurance company and get homeowner's insurance. Luckily, I can do that anytime of day. I plan on continuing to use Progressive, since they do my car insurance already and should have reasonable costs.
I have e-mailed my agent to find out more about scheduling with her about getting the inspection done, can't get in without help.
I will also need to worry about utilities, but I have time before that has to be done. Luckily I don't plan on moving in immediately, but I do need the house to be somewhat livable right away. This is going to be an ordeal, that's for sure.
A couple more links that might be helpful:
Finishing Details
Post-contract Pitfalls
After the Contract is Signed
I also need to do some research about home inspections. Find out what I should do to make sure I have gotten a proper and thorough inspection, and questions to ask ahead of time to know the inspector will do what needs to be done. Then after work contact some people to get it scheduled.
Then maybe tomorrow I should see about contacting Lilburn (I'm guessing that would be the "municipality" I need to contact) about the property. Of course, I'm going off the suggestions of a blog I found from a couple years ago.
I also need to contact my insurance company and get homeowner's insurance. Luckily, I can do that anytime of day. I plan on continuing to use Progressive, since they do my car insurance already and should have reasonable costs.
I have e-mailed my agent to find out more about scheduling with her about getting the inspection done, can't get in without help.
I will also need to worry about utilities, but I have time before that has to be done. Luckily I don't plan on moving in immediately, but I do need the house to be somewhat livable right away. This is going to be an ordeal, that's for sure.
A couple more links that might be helpful:
Finishing Details
Post-contract Pitfalls
After the Contract is Signed
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Good news getting better!
Heard from the agent today and it's on. I have to run by the bank to get another cashier's check, and then deliver it to the agent, sign some papers, and then do all the rest of the stuff that comes with being under contract. Technically, I'm not yet in escrow, but tomorrow I think I will be!
I'm pretty sure the next steps are going to be to deal with the mortgage paperwork and schedule a home inspection. Hope to get that done by the end of the week, but gotta figure out what's involved and all that.
Other than that, I think everything is going according to plan. I'm still kind of nervous about this whole thing, but I know it's the right thing for me. I honestly can't wait to get on with the moving process, because that is going to take a while.
I'm pretty sure the next steps are going to be to deal with the mortgage paperwork and schedule a home inspection. Hope to get that done by the end of the week, but gotta figure out what's involved and all that.
Other than that, I think everything is going according to plan. I'm still kind of nervous about this whole thing, but I know it's the right thing for me. I honestly can't wait to get on with the moving process, because that is going to take a while.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Weekly update
Sorry this is a little late, things were busy and hectic at work.
Spent my FSA money, just in time too! Got new glasses for my son.
I am now in the offer/counter-offer stage of the home buying process! Should know in a day or two if we're moving ahead on this.
My Credit Sesame score is still 762.
My Credit Karma score is also still 766.
I got a piece of mail from my mortgage lender and it said my Transunion score was 744
Spent my FSA money, just in time too! Got new glasses for my son.
I am now in the offer/counter-offer stage of the home buying process! Should know in a day or two if we're moving ahead on this.
My Credit Sesame score is still 762.
My Credit Karma score is also still 766.
I got a piece of mail from my mortgage lender and it said my Transunion score was 744
Friday, March 16, 2012
So far so good
Agent called and I got a response from the bank, they have provided a counter-offer to my revised offer. They want $80k with the rest staying the same basically, which is good news. It's still well within my price range, and HOLY SHIT! I just ran those numbers through a mortgage calculator at Bankrate.com and my monthly mortgage payment would be less than $400.
So yeah, back to what I was saying, I agreed to the changes. Only problem is, they want $1,500 in earnest, and I am only prepared to pay $1,000. Luckily, I have moved some money around and I should hopefully be able to get the extra $500 to them quickly enough to make it work.
I'm really excite about this, but at the same time I'm still really nervous and anxious. I'm still not going to pin my hopes on this, but I can't help but think everything is going to go my way. Moving and such may not quite fit the timing I was planning on, but I will definitely be able to work around it.
So yeah, back to what I was saying, I agreed to the changes. Only problem is, they want $1,500 in earnest, and I am only prepared to pay $1,000. Luckily, I have moved some money around and I should hopefully be able to get the extra $500 to them quickly enough to make it work.
I'm really excite about this, but at the same time I'm still really nervous and anxious. I'm still not going to pin my hopes on this, but I can't help but think everything is going to go my way. Moving and such may not quite fit the timing I was planning on, but I will definitely be able to work around it.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Don't count your chicken's before they're hatched
So my realtor called me today. It seems that someone else put an offer in on the house too. Unfortunately, there's no way to know what the offer was, but I had the option to either leave my offer as it is, revoke my offer, or change it.
I'm really new to this whole thing, so I don't know what to expect from a competing offer. I chose to ask my agent what they though, and she said I should increase my offer by $2,500. It didn't take me long to decide to do that. Even if she had said $5,000 I probably would have, but much more than that, and I might have decided to just keep looking.
The house is great, and even at the revised $77.5k it's still a steal. But I'm not going to get my hopes up and get attached to a house until it's closed. There are all sorts of things that can go wrong to keep a sale from going through, and I am a realist.
So, according to my agent, we will know tomorrow if my offer is accepted, and until then, I can only hope. But it won't be the end of the world if I have to keep looking, I'm certain the right house is out there just waiting for me, even if it takes a few tries.
I'm really new to this whole thing, so I don't know what to expect from a competing offer. I chose to ask my agent what they though, and she said I should increase my offer by $2,500. It didn't take me long to decide to do that. Even if she had said $5,000 I probably would have, but much more than that, and I might have decided to just keep looking.
The house is great, and even at the revised $77.5k it's still a steal. But I'm not going to get my hopes up and get attached to a house until it's closed. There are all sorts of things that can go wrong to keep a sale from going through, and I am a realist.
So, according to my agent, we will know tomorrow if my offer is accepted, and until then, I can only hope. But it won't be the end of the world if I have to keep looking, I'm certain the right house is out there just waiting for me, even if it takes a few tries.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
The check is ready
Just spoke to the 'rents and the check is ready. I will be going by there after work really quick to pick it up and then run it over to the agent and all will be good with the world.
She did say she verified that the offer was presented to the bank this morning and we should know by tomorrow (if not today). After this, we have 30 days to get everything done and taken care of, so it'll be a rush to the finish, and god, this is stressing me out a bit.
I knew this was big, and I recently came to realize how big it is, but it just seems even bigger than ever! I am really excited though, finally a house I'll be able to call my own.
She did say she verified that the offer was presented to the bank this morning and we should know by tomorrow (if not today). After this, we have 30 days to get everything done and taken care of, so it'll be a rush to the finish, and god, this is stressing me out a bit.
I knew this was big, and I recently came to realize how big it is, but it just seems even bigger than ever! I am really excited though, finally a house I'll be able to call my own.
We have an offer!
So, after a little deliberation and some work, I came to the decision to put in an offer on the house on Casco! The house is in great shape inside, with a lot of room for the things I need, as well as some great space for holding get-togethers. The landscape will need some work, there are a large number of trees that I will want removed and a little remodeling I can see wanting, but in all, the house is perfect for me.
The house is a 3 bedroom 2 bath with brick on all sides. One part appears to be an addition that is actually hardy-plank. New carpets, cabinets, kitchen, appliances, and other stuff. There is a large fireside family room that is just awesome. There is a finished basement with a lot of unfinished space for storage.
I had my agent put in an offer, but one thing no one happened to mention to me is that I needed to be able to get a check in the hands of the seller for earnest right away, and all the money I have for the house is in a savings account. Because of that it will take days to get the money anywhere I can get a check. Luckily my parents were willing to front me money while I do this.
After work I have to run to my parent's to pick up the check and then back out to the realtor to pass it along. Don't know if my offer was accepted yet, but having the money at the ready is important for this, and any future endeavor if this offer doesn't go through.
The house is a 3 bedroom 2 bath with brick on all sides. One part appears to be an addition that is actually hardy-plank. New carpets, cabinets, kitchen, appliances, and other stuff. There is a large fireside family room that is just awesome. There is a finished basement with a lot of unfinished space for storage.
I had my agent put in an offer, but one thing no one happened to mention to me is that I needed to be able to get a check in the hands of the seller for earnest right away, and all the money I have for the house is in a savings account. Because of that it will take days to get the money anywhere I can get a check. Luckily my parents were willing to front me money while I do this.
After work I have to run to my parent's to pick up the check and then back out to the realtor to pass it along. Don't know if my offer was accepted yet, but having the money at the ready is important for this, and any future endeavor if this offer doesn't go through.
More House Hunting
So, I got another list of 17 houses, and looked through them all. Picked out 9 that I found interesting, and when the time came, only 4 of them were actually available to show. The rest were already under contract or something. Yesterday we went out and looked at all 4 of them.
The first house we went to was Kylman. The house was built in 1995 and was on the market for $100k. In all it was too small and would require too much work to get it livable for the price they wanted.
The second house was Casco. A much older house, built in 1965 with an asking price of $75k. The yard and landscaping outside are horrible, but something that can easily be fixed. The house itself is in great condition, and the interior was recently redone. The photos don't do it much justice, but the house was nice. It was the first house my son gave a total thumbs up to.
The Third house was Teresa. Built in 1982, the asking price was $80k. The house was in good condition, hardwoods everywhere. Yard wasn't bad, but had a huge deck out back that totally needed to be replaced. Other than that, the rest of the place appeared to be in pristine shape.
Last, we visited Four Winds. It was built in 1980 and is on the market for $90k. One of the things that drew me to the house was that it had a pool and a hot tub. For the price you couldn't beat it. But after some research, I came to realize that owning a pool increases your monthly expenses way too much outside my comfort zone. The house itself was nice, lots of space and in decent condition, but the pool made money a concern.
I did decide to put an offer in on one of these houses, check back later for that info!
The first house we went to was Kylman. The house was built in 1995 and was on the market for $100k. In all it was too small and would require too much work to get it livable for the price they wanted.
The second house was Casco. A much older house, built in 1965 with an asking price of $75k. The yard and landscaping outside are horrible, but something that can easily be fixed. The house itself is in great condition, and the interior was recently redone. The photos don't do it much justice, but the house was nice. It was the first house my son gave a total thumbs up to.
The Third house was Teresa. Built in 1982, the asking price was $80k. The house was in good condition, hardwoods everywhere. Yard wasn't bad, but had a huge deck out back that totally needed to be replaced. Other than that, the rest of the place appeared to be in pristine shape.
Last, we visited Four Winds. It was built in 1980 and is on the market for $90k. One of the things that drew me to the house was that it had a pool and a hot tub. For the price you couldn't beat it. But after some research, I came to realize that owning a pool increases your monthly expenses way too much outside my comfort zone. The house itself was nice, lots of space and in decent condition, but the pool made money a concern.
I did decide to put an offer in on one of these houses, check back later for that info!
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Looked at some houses
Went out today and looked at two houses. For the sake of this, we'll call them Cole and Bethesda, just to make it easier to decipher what I'm saying.
Cole is a 2188 square foot house that was built in 1977. It is currently on the market for around $85k. The house looked interesting, I saw a lot of potential in it, large front yard with a decent sized backyard that is completely fenced in. It is a split level that has a second kitchen in lower portion, almost as if it could be rented out as an apartment. There is no garage or carport.
The house wasn't in great shape, whole place needs to have the walls redone (paint, wallpaper) and new floors. The outside has some issues too, and needs some work. I liked the size of the place for the price, and the layout is nice, but it seems like there's just too much work that needs to be done for the price. If it were 10-20k less, I'd definitely consider buying it and using that money to improve it.
Bethesda is a 2027 square foot house that was built in 1999. It is currently on the market for around $108k. It is in really nice condition and a good size. The neighborhood is completely secluded and withing walking distance of a really big park. It has a nice enclosed back yard, a big FROG and 3 bedrooms. There's a living/dining combo (I think) as well as a separate dining room that could be used as an office. There is a nice big 2 car garage with automatic door, lots of space for a car (or two) and a work area.
The house itself is great, but the price is a little bit higher than I would want to pay, if it were $10k or so less, I would be all over it. Right now it is up for short sale, so it is possible the house won't get any cheaper.
If I had to choose one of the two I would probably go with Cole. At that price I could probably get it in much better shape paying the $20k difference between the two. The size, layout, and area all fit my needs, but I'm hoping to find something that's just right.
My agent has sent me another group of 17 listings. Of them, I picked out 9 to go look at on Monday. There are a few that I think could easily be the perfect place for me, but I really need to look them over before saying more about them.
Cole is a 2188 square foot house that was built in 1977. It is currently on the market for around $85k. The house looked interesting, I saw a lot of potential in it, large front yard with a decent sized backyard that is completely fenced in. It is a split level that has a second kitchen in lower portion, almost as if it could be rented out as an apartment. There is no garage or carport.
The house wasn't in great shape, whole place needs to have the walls redone (paint, wallpaper) and new floors. The outside has some issues too, and needs some work. I liked the size of the place for the price, and the layout is nice, but it seems like there's just too much work that needs to be done for the price. If it were 10-20k less, I'd definitely consider buying it and using that money to improve it.
Bethesda is a 2027 square foot house that was built in 1999. It is currently on the market for around $108k. It is in really nice condition and a good size. The neighborhood is completely secluded and withing walking distance of a really big park. It has a nice enclosed back yard, a big FROG and 3 bedrooms. There's a living/dining combo (I think) as well as a separate dining room that could be used as an office. There is a nice big 2 car garage with automatic door, lots of space for a car (or two) and a work area.
The house itself is great, but the price is a little bit higher than I would want to pay, if it were $10k or so less, I would be all over it. Right now it is up for short sale, so it is possible the house won't get any cheaper.
If I had to choose one of the two I would probably go with Cole. At that price I could probably get it in much better shape paying the $20k difference between the two. The size, layout, and area all fit my needs, but I'm hoping to find something that's just right.
My agent has sent me another group of 17 listings. Of them, I picked out 9 to go look at on Monday. There are a few that I think could easily be the perfect place for me, but I really need to look them over before saying more about them.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Friday again!
Here we go!
Long weekend again, so hopefully I'll finally get that FSA money spent.
I now have $3,856.51 in savings for down payment and closing costs.
My Credit Sesame score is now up to 762!
My Credit Karma score is still 766.
Looked at a couple of houses and neighborhoods, going to look at them tomorrow.
Long weekend again, so hopefully I'll finally get that FSA money spent.
I now have $3,856.51 in savings for down payment and closing costs.
My Credit Sesame score is now up to 762!
My Credit Karma score is still 766.
Looked at a couple of houses and neighborhoods, going to look at them tomorrow.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Looking at houses
So, the agent sent me a listing of a few houses that were on the market that matched what I was looking for. I looked them over, and at first didn't see anything that looked like what I wanted. But at the time, I was at work, and the agent was on the phone and I just felt kinda rushed, didn't really get a chance to look. So I took some time and looked over them again and found 3 that I thought might actually interest me.
Yesterday, The Boy and I drove past them all. Checked out the neighborhood and the general house from the road, to get an idea if they're really be something worth looking deeper into.
The first house we drove past (3485 Bethesda) was a more recently built house, it was in a subdivision that was very secluded. The houses there were a little bit close together for my tastes, but it seemed like a good place. It was walking distance from a park, but the commute might not be the best. This house warranted a look around inside.
The second house (498 Cole) was a bit older, it was off a semi-main road, not a whole lot of traffic, but there's potential there could be. It had a rather large yard, front and back, and lots of space around it. We didn't get to look too close because of traffic, but I would like to go see the house more.
The third house (657 Mountainbrooke) was in a secluded neighborhood that is directly off a very busy main road. This house wasn't in good shape, the front yard was mostly weeds, and the back appeared to be too much dirt. There was an odd island in the front that looked like it would be hell to maintain. The house backed up to a small lake, which looked like it would be a bad thing in the summer and just breed mosquitoes.
Of the three, I've informed my agent that I'd like to go see two of them, so hopefully we'll get a chance to look back at them this weekend.
Yesterday, The Boy and I drove past them all. Checked out the neighborhood and the general house from the road, to get an idea if they're really be something worth looking deeper into.
The first house we drove past (3485 Bethesda) was a more recently built house, it was in a subdivision that was very secluded. The houses there were a little bit close together for my tastes, but it seemed like a good place. It was walking distance from a park, but the commute might not be the best. This house warranted a look around inside.
The second house (498 Cole) was a bit older, it was off a semi-main road, not a whole lot of traffic, but there's potential there could be. It had a rather large yard, front and back, and lots of space around it. We didn't get to look too close because of traffic, but I would like to go see the house more.
The third house (657 Mountainbrooke) was in a secluded neighborhood that is directly off a very busy main road. This house wasn't in good shape, the front yard was mostly weeds, and the back appeared to be too much dirt. There was an odd island in the front that looked like it would be hell to maintain. The house backed up to a small lake, which looked like it would be a bad thing in the summer and just breed mosquitoes.
Of the three, I've informed my agent that I'd like to go see two of them, so hopefully we'll get a chance to look back at them this weekend.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Real Estate Agents, Take 2!
So I talked to both agents that were recommended to me. One I met in person, and she was great, I felt very at ease with her and she seemed like she would do a great job in finding me a house. I was immediately impressed with her and she really knew her stuff. She was recommended to me by a co-worker who just found a house using her.
The second is an acquaintance of my step-father. They are both members of the local Elk's Lodge. He used to be a commercial realtor and has recently moved into the foreclosure market. I spoke to him over the phone, and he seemed like a good guy, but we just didn't click. He sent me an e-mail of a bunch of listings he had on file, almost none of which seemed to really fit me.
I told the first agent that I had to talk to this guy and I would get back with her after that. I never did, so she e-mailed me, basically saying that since she didn't hear from me she assumed I decided to go with the other guy. I e-mailed her back and set the record straight and apologized for not getting back earlier and that I wanted to work with her.
I haven't heard back from the guy my step-father recommended other than that one e-mail, which shows me that I have made the right choice. As a matter of fact, there is a new e-mail in my inbox right now from them about some houses on the market.
The second is an acquaintance of my step-father. They are both members of the local Elk's Lodge. He used to be a commercial realtor and has recently moved into the foreclosure market. I spoke to him over the phone, and he seemed like a good guy, but we just didn't click. He sent me an e-mail of a bunch of listings he had on file, almost none of which seemed to really fit me.
I told the first agent that I had to talk to this guy and I would get back with her after that. I never did, so she e-mailed me, basically saying that since she didn't hear from me she assumed I decided to go with the other guy. I e-mailed her back and set the record straight and apologized for not getting back earlier and that I wanted to work with her.
I haven't heard back from the guy my step-father recommended other than that one e-mail, which shows me that I have made the right choice. As a matter of fact, there is a new e-mail in my inbox right now from them about some houses on the market.
A month in review
Here we are again, looking over spending in the month of February. I've gone through everything and it all appeared to be categorized correctly.
Comparing my spending this month and last there isn't a huge difference. There does not appear to be any one area I can easily cut my spending. There was a shift in the number of times I bought food out, reduced that by about 25%.
I spent less on my car, but last month was higher because of my birthday. I did spend more on utilities, but I think that is because it has been colder and I had to use my heater more. After all the work I put into looking at my spending last month, I don't really feel I need to dig deep into it this month. I think my spending is pretty well under control, but there's a lot of bills I can't control right now.
Comparing my spending this month and last there isn't a huge difference. There does not appear to be any one area I can easily cut my spending. There was a shift in the number of times I bought food out, reduced that by about 25%.
I spent less on my car, but last month was higher because of my birthday. I did spend more on utilities, but I think that is because it has been colder and I had to use my heater more. After all the work I put into looking at my spending last month, I don't really feel I need to dig deep into it this month. I think my spending is pretty well under control, but there's a lot of bills I can't control right now.
Friday, March 2, 2012
Long weekend ahead
We got news!
Oh my god, I really MUST spend the money in my FSA, I'm running out of time.
I totally forgot to do another monthly review! Look forward to February's review next week.
I now have $3,829.17 in savings for down payment and closing costs.
My Credit Sesame score has not updated yet and is still at 754.
Also my Credit Karma score hasn't changed from 766.
I finally submitted my mortgage application and was approved for up to $130,000 but requested the letter state $100,000.
I spoke to a real estate agent, and have an appointment tomorrow to meet her.
Oh my god, I really MUST spend the money in my FSA, I'm running out of time.
I totally forgot to do another monthly review! Look forward to February's review next week.
I now have $3,829.17 in savings for down payment and closing costs.
My Credit Sesame score has not updated yet and is still at 754.
Also my Credit Karma score hasn't changed from 766.
I finally submitted my mortgage application and was approved for up to $130,000 but requested the letter state $100,000.
I spoke to a real estate agent, and have an appointment tomorrow to meet her.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Finding a Realtor
With the good news about the loan pre-approval it's time to find a real estate agent. Realtor? Realty agent? Real estate agent? I don't know. So I did some asking around, and you know what I found?
Every single person I talked to found their agent through a friend. They were either friends, friends of friends, relatives, or recommended by others. It seems that realty is a social job, everyone has a recommendation or knows someone. Asking the question about how people found their real estate agent got me so many recommendations and responses.
Now, my step-father used to buy and sell real estate when he lived in California, and he's given me some tips and suggestions. He says he's got a guy who is ready and willing to help me out.
My coworker just moved into a new house within the past couple months, and he's got an agent that he absolutely loved and suggested I get ahold of her. She did a great job of finding them a house and goes above and beyond for her clients.
My brother used a friend's mother who was a real estate agent. A close friend used his aunt. Another friend's was recommended by their parents. The list goes on. . .
But with all these recommendations from people, how do you choose which agent to go with?
Really the only answer is to talk to them, each and every one, until you find one that really seems to fit your needs. Know what you're looking for in a house, what area you want to move to, what price range you want to spend. Interview them, ask them questions, find out what sets them apart from others. Don't just settle, purchasing a house it a big decision, and every part leading up to the purchase is just as important as which house you buy.
So what am I going to do? I'm going to contact each of the real estate agents I have been suggested.
Every single person I talked to found their agent through a friend. They were either friends, friends of friends, relatives, or recommended by others. It seems that realty is a social job, everyone has a recommendation or knows someone. Asking the question about how people found their real estate agent got me so many recommendations and responses.
Now, my step-father used to buy and sell real estate when he lived in California, and he's given me some tips and suggestions. He says he's got a guy who is ready and willing to help me out.
My coworker just moved into a new house within the past couple months, and he's got an agent that he absolutely loved and suggested I get ahold of her. She did a great job of finding them a house and goes above and beyond for her clients.
My brother used a friend's mother who was a real estate agent. A close friend used his aunt. Another friend's was recommended by their parents. The list goes on. . .
But with all these recommendations from people, how do you choose which agent to go with?
Really the only answer is to talk to them, each and every one, until you find one that really seems to fit your needs. Know what you're looking for in a house, what area you want to move to, what price range you want to spend. Interview them, ask them questions, find out what sets them apart from others. Don't just settle, purchasing a house it a big decision, and every part leading up to the purchase is just as important as which house you buy.
So what am I going to do? I'm going to contact each of the real estate agents I have been suggested.
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