Oopsie! Update time.

So it's Monday, and I didn't get a chance to give you guys an update on Friday. Here comes one!

It looks like my lender is trying to move the closing date up to April 30th, according to her, it'll save me money, although I think it's more about their quotas and such.
I was asked for more documentation from the underwriter on the mortgage, and I was able to supply that yesterday.
My Credit Sesame has gone up to 771!
But my Credit Karma score is still at 766.
Not exactly sure how I came up with all those numbers last week, but I'm still looking good for the money for closing and down payment.
It appears I totally dropped the ball on my monthly overview of spending, I'll try to get that done tomorrow. Work has been very busy (and I've been working a ton of overtime to get more money) so I haven't had as much time to write as normal.

Late Update

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.

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.

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

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.

And the verdict is . . .

So, as I was stepping out to lunch, my phone rang from a number I didn't know. It was Tom calling me about the mortgage. He had a chance to look it over and found everything to be in order, and I was approved for up to a $130,000 mortgage. He told me that my credit score was good, I guess they run it against all three bureaus, and they were 701, 745 and 790. Averaged at about 742 (I do so wish it were just a bit higher), so that was great.
He asked me about what amount I was actually looking to spend, because as it turns out if my approval is for too much higher than the amount of the house I wanted it would give me less bargaining power. So I told him $100,000 was the max I was considering spending (at least for now, until I actually start looking around at houses). So he told me he'd be firing a pre-approval letter off to me shortly.
With all this in mind, I'm thinking to myself "This is really happening." I know I was going through all this stuff leading up to where I am (and to where I'm going), but until now there really was nothing, I was planning ahead, doing stuff to prepare, but now the search actually begins.
I did hear back from the credit union, but their response left a little to be desired, so I'm going to see about calling them instead. It does seem like I really don't have to though, as I'll have a letter, and I'm certain the credit union would have the same requirements, so I might wait a bit before getting back in touch with them.
The approval is valid for only 60 days, which is unfortunate, but the timing might work out well, since if I start the process of actually buying a house near the end of the period, I'll be right in line with when I was hoping to move.
Tom did say that he couldn't give me an actual rate on the loan, but that I could expect around 4% on a 30 year fixed.
Next step, find a realtor. . . .

Friday Roundup

Here we go again, not a whole lot is different though.
I have been procrastinating with the FSA but really need to get around to spending that money.
I now have $3,804.17 in savings for down payment and closing costs.
My Credit Sesame score has not fluctuated from 754.
Also my Credit Karma score hasn't changed from 766.
I've also been putting off applying for a mortgage, but I WILL do that next week! You betcha!

Another weekly roundup

So, where we at this week?
I have been way lazy with my FSA. I really need to spend that money before it's too late.
I now have $3,779.17 in savings for down payment and closing costs.
My Credit Sesame score is still sitting pretty at 754.
My Credit Karma score is still listed at 766.
I have spoken to my friend and looked over the form I got, now I just need to get it filled out and talk to the other bank I was considering going with.

One more Friday

So here we are again, time to look at where I stand in relation to where I'm going.
I've still not touched that FSA and really need to get something done with the $358 in there.
I now have $3,754.17 in savings for down payment and closing costs.
My Credit Sesame score has gone down, it is now at 754. I don't know exactly why, but it might have to do with the recent credit card I started a couple months ago. I'm not sure exactly how quickly things like that affect the score, but of the things they list that may affect it. I'm still over 740, which is good. I also had a decent amount of debt on one credit card, which may have also decreased my score, but that has been paid down decently by now.
I just signed up for a new service Credit Karma, and my score listed there is 766 which is great! This score seems similar to the Credit Sesame score, and I think it is pretty close to an official credit score.
I spoke to my first lender yesterday! I haven't filled out any paperwork yet, because I'm waiting to hear back from my friend about how I should do this, but I'm at least on my way!

A week in review

Here's another Friday, and it's time to look at where I stand. This week, I didn't post as much as I would have hoped for a few different reasons that I won't go into here.
I really need to get with the FSA thing and spend that money. I still have that $358 in my FSA from last year.
My refund came through! Because of that I now have a whopping $3,723.54 saved in the house fund.
Credit Sesame still hasn't updated for February yet, so I'm still sitting at 772, but it should give me a new score in a day or two.
I still haven't talked to any lenders yet, but now that I have my refund I'm ready to start. I think in the next week I'll call the guy who sent me that hand-addressed envelope.

Friday already?

So, it's Friday again, and it's time to give you guys an update on where I am.
I still have that $358 in my FSA from last year, and I have been lazy about spending it, but I have until March, so I've got time.
I've now have $703.54 saved for the house fund.
Turns out that my tax refund is now expected this upcoming Wednesday.
My credit sesame score is holding steady at 772, but that's partly because it only updates once a month.
I have not contacted any lenders about a mortgage, or any realtors about finding a house yet. I did talk to a friend about the upcoming process and gained a little insight.
I have also been able to use the sharing option on Credit Sesame, you can see my badge at the bottom of the column on the right.

Running my credit report

So, my phone just dinged, and alerted me to the event I created to remind myself to run my credit report. I originally planned on running it and dealing with anything I found on it before talking to a loan officer about a mortgage, but after discussing it with a good friend, I decided to wait. I ran my credit history just over a year ago. I ran the reports for free, via the only truly free credit report site, AnnualCreditReport, which I found thanks to Clark Howard. I was able to get all three of my reports (one from each major reporting bureau, Experian, Transunion, and Equifax) with no hassle.
At the time, I looked them over, and everything on them was positive, except for one thing, which only appeared on one report. The item was a debt that was sent to collection a few years ago from an apartment complex I where had previously lived. Originally, I felt I needed to address that debt before looking into a loan, as it would make it harder for me. I wasn't sure whether I was going to try to contact them and address the debt, or first run the report to see if it was still on there. I'm certain it is, but because of my credit score, I figure paying that off could wait until after I consult with someone about a loan.
I may be going in blind when I don't run the report, but I will have a few months between when I go to talk to a loan officer and when I will actually need a loan for a house. That time will allow me to address any issues they feel need to be addressed.
Now, the fact that it was over a year since I last ran my credit history may cause some concern, there's no telling what's new on there. I know that I haven't missed a single payment on any of my debt. I have opened very little new credit. And I don't think there have been very many requests for my history in that time period. There have been a few instances where my personal information may have been leaked because of things that happened to companies I've had dealings with (Sony, with their Playstation thing for one, and there were others that don't come to mind right away). But I've had no indication that anything has happened, so for now I'm going to live in peaceful ignorance. Obviously, at the first hint of anything from a loan officer I will be running my credit report.
Another thing to note, I am lucky when it comes to this, that I live in Georgia. The state allows for you to run an extra credit report from each agency (beyond the mandatory free one from the Feds) for free once per year. So if I need to, I can run it twice at no cost.

Credit Sesame Review

I figure I'd start off reviewing my suggested links with Credit Sesame. This site will allow you to track your current rating. It gives you a score on par with your FICO score, ranging from 300-850, although I do not believe the score it gives is actually your FICO score. It will update you monthly on your score, as well as changes over time in your score. With this site, it will also give you recommendations and ideas on how to save money and improve your credit. It also gives you a list of factors that may impact your score and possible ways to improve.
Along with all this, they offer badges, based on your credit, that you can share to "promote your financial responsibility and showcase your good credit standing". Unfortunately, at this time the sharing isn't working so I can't show you my badge, but when it's back up and working, you'll be able to see I've earned the Excellent Badge.