We are finally in our new house. It's been great. We've been here since mid March. Once the paperwork went through, it was all downhill.
Will post pictures soon...
Will post pictures soon...
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Monday, February 20, 2012
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Still waiting for HUD to finish with our offer. It is so frustrating. It is also very unfortunate that our first home buying experience is purchasing a short sale home. Everything is taking a long time. Everything. Never listen to a bank, or anybody in the government for that matter, when they say "3-5 days" (unless they are collecting payment for something). Three to five days means two weeks, three weeks, so on and so forth. We put an offer in on this house in NOVEMBER. It was accepted by the sellers immediately, the bank took some negotiating and hair pulling (them being the pullers, the jerks, the sloths), but we finally reached an agreement...That was a few weeks ago....It is almost March, and we were supposed to hear from the last reviewer a week ago (which would have been the "day 5" in "3-5" days). Of course now the soonest we will hear something is Tuesday, because Monday is President's day, and as we all know the banks and government offices are closed so they can spend time at home celebrating George Washington's birthday. (yeah, I'm sure that's what they're doing).
They really don't want to sell this house...Brian and I are hanging on because we love this house that much...But I don't know how much longer I am willing to hang in here...
Do yourself a favor and steer clear of short sales and foreclosures unless the house is THE house you see your family in and are willing to be taken advantage of (time and money) by various departments who don't care about you one iota. I really am ready to walk away from this...
They really don't want to sell this house...Brian and I are hanging on because we love this house that much...But I don't know how much longer I am willing to hang in here...
Do yourself a favor and steer clear of short sales and foreclosures unless the house is THE house you see your family in and are willing to be taken advantage of (time and money) by various departments who don't care about you one iota. I really am ready to walk away from this...
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Everything seems like a rip off. Coupons are a joke. I don't know how "extreme couponers" do it. I shop by inserts that come in the mail to find out what's on sale, but the coupons are just ridiculous. One dollar off of TWO $3.50 boxes of cereal? Or 35 cents off of a $3 item? Seriously?
It doesn't help that most of the food I purchase isn't the kind of food that they mass produce coupons for. One dollar off of two packages of tofu? I've never seen it. I DID have a receipt print off for me a general $5 off coupon with purchase of over $10 worth of produce the other day. That's helpful, but doesn't happen often.
I don't know. I guess I am in this money worrying stage because I don't know how Brian and I are going to afford to live in this house. We're considering calling the whole thing off because after all the bills are paid, it leaves us only a few hundred to put into savings every month, and only a few hundred after that for everything else (kids clothing, furniture, any extra expenses we may incur such as braces for the kids, car parts/inspection). We're talking tight budget.
Then again, the house we are buying is a STEAL for the area we are in. Everybody keeps telling us we will never find a house like this again for what we're looking to spend. That just makes it worse, you know?
Right now Brian and I live in my parents house, or more accurately, we live in the in law suite which is a two bedroom, one bathroom with a kitchen. There are 4 of us living in here (Brian and I and our two children). Our bills are not bad, but add a mortgage to it and we could possibly be in over our heads. To add insult to injury, everybody is pushing us into this house now, and we are not even sure we want it. The idea of getting a mortgage in general turns my stomach. I know that's "the way" things are done here in America, but why? After a few years of saving, Brian and I could have $200,000 saved and BUY a house outright. No mortgage, no interest being paid to some bank....and in less than 30 years (because it certainly would not take that long for us to save $200,000) we would actually own a house, and not have paid over $100,000 in interest. The downside is that it's not like it would be anytime soon, and I am already almost 30 (2013)...
...I also can't shake my guilt. A big part of our bills is all my fault - because I was one of those kids who took out loan money "knowing" I'd have to pay it back, but not really understanding or comprehending or even respecting the money. So I feel like not only am I getting back what I deserve in spades, my family is suffering for it (sometimes our bad decisions effect the innocent). Now, I AM blessed enough to have a job that I can actually afford to be paying back my loans, but who needs this stress? I hope kids graduating high school can learn from those who had gone ahead and took money that now they have to pay back, and jobs are hard to come by. Go to a technical school and get a technical job. You will be much better off than kids with their masters degrees and a hundred thousand dollars worth of debt who cannot even find a job. Let's face it. It was a money game and the carpet was pulled out from under us. We just happened to be standing there.
It is all just exaggerated by having kids in the mix. When Brian and I were a single couple, we were making it happen. Now we have a whole lot more to worry about. Thank God we have decent health coverage, and I dare say are better off than many students with a lot of debt who don't have good jobs like we do...
All that to say - Is it WORTH it to add a house into the mix? Again, it IS a great house. It is very well built, it's in a great location...But it adds more debt, more debt. Swallowed by debt, mortgage, school loans...But if we don't buy this house, who knows what will happen? Interest rates will rise, housing prices will go up - but I'll still be paying my student loans...Oh yes. I will be paying those for a long time. ...and if all that happens, still will not have a house....
I fear that there isn't a "right" answer to this question. I feel damned if we do, damned if we don't. I am a wife and a mother for crying out loud - can you blame me for wanting to run a home of my own?
It doesn't help that most of the food I purchase isn't the kind of food that they mass produce coupons for. One dollar off of two packages of tofu? I've never seen it. I DID have a receipt print off for me a general $5 off coupon with purchase of over $10 worth of produce the other day. That's helpful, but doesn't happen often.
I don't know. I guess I am in this money worrying stage because I don't know how Brian and I are going to afford to live in this house. We're considering calling the whole thing off because after all the bills are paid, it leaves us only a few hundred to put into savings every month, and only a few hundred after that for everything else (kids clothing, furniture, any extra expenses we may incur such as braces for the kids, car parts/inspection). We're talking tight budget.
Then again, the house we are buying is a STEAL for the area we are in. Everybody keeps telling us we will never find a house like this again for what we're looking to spend. That just makes it worse, you know?
Right now Brian and I live in my parents house, or more accurately, we live in the in law suite which is a two bedroom, one bathroom with a kitchen. There are 4 of us living in here (Brian and I and our two children). Our bills are not bad, but add a mortgage to it and we could possibly be in over our heads. To add insult to injury, everybody is pushing us into this house now, and we are not even sure we want it. The idea of getting a mortgage in general turns my stomach. I know that's "the way" things are done here in America, but why? After a few years of saving, Brian and I could have $200,000 saved and BUY a house outright. No mortgage, no interest being paid to some bank....and in less than 30 years (because it certainly would not take that long for us to save $200,000) we would actually own a house, and not have paid over $100,000 in interest. The downside is that it's not like it would be anytime soon, and I am already almost 30 (2013)...
...I also can't shake my guilt. A big part of our bills is all my fault - because I was one of those kids who took out loan money "knowing" I'd have to pay it back, but not really understanding or comprehending or even respecting the money. So I feel like not only am I getting back what I deserve in spades, my family is suffering for it (sometimes our bad decisions effect the innocent). Now, I AM blessed enough to have a job that I can actually afford to be paying back my loans, but who needs this stress? I hope kids graduating high school can learn from those who had gone ahead and took money that now they have to pay back, and jobs are hard to come by. Go to a technical school and get a technical job. You will be much better off than kids with their masters degrees and a hundred thousand dollars worth of debt who cannot even find a job. Let's face it. It was a money game and the carpet was pulled out from under us. We just happened to be standing there.
It is all just exaggerated by having kids in the mix. When Brian and I were a single couple, we were making it happen. Now we have a whole lot more to worry about. Thank God we have decent health coverage, and I dare say are better off than many students with a lot of debt who don't have good jobs like we do...
All that to say - Is it WORTH it to add a house into the mix? Again, it IS a great house. It is very well built, it's in a great location...But it adds more debt, more debt. Swallowed by debt, mortgage, school loans...But if we don't buy this house, who knows what will happen? Interest rates will rise, housing prices will go up - but I'll still be paying my student loans...Oh yes. I will be paying those for a long time. ...and if all that happens, still will not have a house....
I fear that there isn't a "right" answer to this question. I feel damned if we do, damned if we don't. I am a wife and a mother for crying out loud - can you blame me for wanting to run a home of my own?
Friday, February 10, 2012
Putting my kids to bed at night is a test of endurance and patience, let me tell you....
My toddler has her good nights and her bad nights. Sometimes she welcomes slumber, other times she fights it tooth and nail. My 2 month old son has gotten into this strange sleep pattern of being wide awake from like 8PM to midnight with constant crying unless he is being held/fed/tended to in some way, and then he sleeps from midnight to 0530 before needing to be fed, and then will fall back asleep, but wake up every hour until I or my husband gets up for good in the AM...
I know that infants don't have much of a schedule and you are sort of at his/her mercy, but for crying out loud (literally)...
I don't know about other mothers out there, but sometimes I feel trapped. Stuck. My husband is working full time and I am taking care of the little ones, who constantly need me and basically need to be watched every second (my toddler) lest she start drawing on the wall with crayons or sticking small objects in the VCR or toilet or something. I go back to work in a couple of weeks, and when I do, my husband is with the babies. God love him, but he does not have the mommy touch. I came home to him and my daughter and the sink was stacked with dishes, the house was a mess, my daughter would be wearing her jammies all day...WHo knows what it'll be like with two babies (one who is currently crying in her crib...my son is on my lap crying as well).
Guess it's back to work!
My toddler has her good nights and her bad nights. Sometimes she welcomes slumber, other times she fights it tooth and nail. My 2 month old son has gotten into this strange sleep pattern of being wide awake from like 8PM to midnight with constant crying unless he is being held/fed/tended to in some way, and then he sleeps from midnight to 0530 before needing to be fed, and then will fall back asleep, but wake up every hour until I or my husband gets up for good in the AM...
I know that infants don't have much of a schedule and you are sort of at his/her mercy, but for crying out loud (literally)...
I don't know about other mothers out there, but sometimes I feel trapped. Stuck. My husband is working full time and I am taking care of the little ones, who constantly need me and basically need to be watched every second (my toddler) lest she start drawing on the wall with crayons or sticking small objects in the VCR or toilet or something. I go back to work in a couple of weeks, and when I do, my husband is with the babies. God love him, but he does not have the mommy touch. I came home to him and my daughter and the sink was stacked with dishes, the house was a mess, my daughter would be wearing her jammies all day...WHo knows what it'll be like with two babies (one who is currently crying in her crib...my son is on my lap crying as well).
Guess it's back to work!
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Houses
So, there is this house in our neighborhood that is going for an absolute STEAL. Brian and I looked at it when it was $215,000 (which was a steal then), and now it is dropped to $185,000.
The thing is, the house is abandoned. I am not sure as to what happened, but I remember the people who lived there, and the lady who lived there before was a clean freak. Brian and I weren't too interested in the home after looking at it, because it requires a lot of work. It is a bi level (walk in and you are between floors. I am not a huge fan of this set up), but it is a HUGE bi level (2600 sq feet) on over one acre of property (flat level) with it's back to trees and the Brandywine creek. The deck is composite, meaning a very low maintenance deck (though, it does have some wood that needs repair).
The thing is, even though the house has great bones, it's gonna take lots to fix up. For someone willing to do the work, it's a steal. The lower has a drop ceiling (eww, but practical, and fixable if you are not into that sort of thing), but also looks like it has taken in water. Still, the bedrooms are big. Closets leave much to be desired, and the master bath is like a glorified half bath. The yard is gorgeous though, and there is a lot of potential. The house is also just dirty. It's been empty for a few years now, and lets just say mother nature has taken over.
I wonder when somebody is going to buy it. It is a diamond in the rough. Bri and I just can't afford all the repairs it's going to take, and that is just on the stuff we can SEE. Who knows about the septic - the well needs to be shocked I'm sure....If the house Brian and I are moving into has a few issues, I can't imagine what an inspector would say about this house.
It would be convenient to live down the road from my parents though. As it is, we are only moving 4 miles away (important miles...Miles cutting down commute...Miles separating Brian and I from my parents and his inlaws)...
All of our paperwork is with the HUD now....We wait for a settlement date! I browse home depot's website :)
The thing is, the house is abandoned. I am not sure as to what happened, but I remember the people who lived there, and the lady who lived there before was a clean freak. Brian and I weren't too interested in the home after looking at it, because it requires a lot of work. It is a bi level (walk in and you are between floors. I am not a huge fan of this set up), but it is a HUGE bi level (2600 sq feet) on over one acre of property (flat level) with it's back to trees and the Brandywine creek. The deck is composite, meaning a very low maintenance deck (though, it does have some wood that needs repair).
The thing is, even though the house has great bones, it's gonna take lots to fix up. For someone willing to do the work, it's a steal. The lower has a drop ceiling (eww, but practical, and fixable if you are not into that sort of thing), but also looks like it has taken in water. Still, the bedrooms are big. Closets leave much to be desired, and the master bath is like a glorified half bath. The yard is gorgeous though, and there is a lot of potential. The house is also just dirty. It's been empty for a few years now, and lets just say mother nature has taken over.
I wonder when somebody is going to buy it. It is a diamond in the rough. Bri and I just can't afford all the repairs it's going to take, and that is just on the stuff we can SEE. Who knows about the septic - the well needs to be shocked I'm sure....If the house Brian and I are moving into has a few issues, I can't imagine what an inspector would say about this house.
It would be convenient to live down the road from my parents though. As it is, we are only moving 4 miles away (important miles...Miles cutting down commute...Miles separating Brian and I from my parents and his inlaws)...
All of our paperwork is with the HUD now....We wait for a settlement date! I browse home depot's website :)
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