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All the fridge talk is odd to say the least. Some people are saying "it's only $1000" and others saying "It's less than normal ownership costs." Both are odd. It's $1000. That's a lot of god drat money. Fridges don't last 20 years anymore. Buying a used 10-year old fridge for $200 is the same as forcing me to buy a fridge in a year when that one dies. It's pointless. A decent fridge is about $1000, and I wouldn't settle for $200 either. It's technically a working fridge, yes, but it's also a "going to die soon and make you shell out money you wouldn't normally need to" fridge. If being terrible with money and saying "oh just take the $200 piece of poo poo fridge they are going to give you" counts as normal cost of ownership then I don't even know what to say. Hint: They wont get a $200 fridge. They will go to the junkyard and get one that runs enough to pass inspection for $25 and call it good.
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Aug 25, 2014 13:25
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When I bought, my agent told me a story about a seller who agreed to buy a new fridge. That was the only stipulation, so they went to Wal-Mart and bought the cheapest, smallest dorm room fridge they could. My contract had serial numbers of the appliances that were staying in the house.
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Aug 25, 2014 13:43
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Spermy Smurf posted:All the fridge talk is odd to say the least. Some people are saying "it's only $1000" and others saying "It's less than normal ownership costs." Exactly this. I didn't think I was being obtuse by asking for cash for a new fridge vs "whatever they want to get".
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Aug 25, 2014 15:33
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The contents of my fridge are probably worth more than the fridge itself. I try to do whatever maintenance and superstitions necessary to appease the anger of the appliance gods so that I don't have to shell out for new ones. My A/C is original to the house (12 years old), and is on the far end of the expected service life. It's a matter of time before it dies, and I'm really not looking forward to that.
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Aug 25, 2014 16:53
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Jastiger posted:Exactly this. I didn't think I was being obtuse by asking for cash for a new fridge vs "whatever they want to get". I almost made a small fuss over a tacked on first-time-showing-up-in-any-of-the-paperwork charge for propane left in the tank that was being sold to me at a much higher price than I would be buying it at from the coop that fills the tank, and the price difference was only about $45. While I decided to let it go because the sellers had been really cool about everything else, money is money and that $40 would have bought a couple really good ribeyes. Yeah, drop in the bucket, but in that case please give me 1% of your salary - it's only a drop in the bucket. (I mean the other guy, not you)
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Aug 25, 2014 16:58
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canyoneer posted:My A/C is original to the house (12 years old), and is on the far end of the expected service life. It's a matter of time before it dies, and I'm really not looking forward to that. The A/C and hot water heater in the house I just bought are both over 20 years old 
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Aug 25, 2014 18:19
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Welp, there goes our application. Since I was a stay at home dad last year, that is a lapse of employment. So, now after we've done the radon testing, got the inspection, negotiating with the sellers....my loan fell through. The VA won't back the loan since I have that lapse. So glad that this was handled well. God fuckin' dammit.
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Aug 25, 2014 22:03
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That sucks, but you've learned an important lesson: get your loan pre-approved first (including ironing out any little wrinkles like that lapse in employment), then go house shopping. At least you didn't put down any earnest money! ex post facho fucked around with this message at 22:20 on Aug 25, 2014 |
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Aug 25, 2014 22:12
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That's a bummer, but there are other houses in the world. Maybe your next house won't have science fiction gases trying to kill you!
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Aug 25, 2014 22:24
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Jastiger posted:Welp, there goes our application. Since I was a stay at home dad last year, that is a lapse of employment. So, now after we've done the radon testing, got the inspection, negotiating with the sellers....my loan fell through. The VA won't back the loan since I have that lapse. So glad that this was handled well. Is a VA loan the only financing you could possibly get? Are you working with a mortgage broker, or just directly with the VA?
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Aug 25, 2014 22:26
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Spend another year renting, save 20% down. You'll be in a lot better position to buy a house then.
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Aug 25, 2014 22:26
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Engineer Lenk posted:Spend another year renting, save 20% down. You'll be in a lot better position to buy a house then. The entire reason was that renting was more expensive than owning for us. It'll be a slog at this point. Leperflesh posted:Is a VA loan the only financing you could possibly get? Are you working with a mortgage broker, or just directly with the VA? Its the only one that makes sense for us. It sounds like we can get an FHA loan no problem, its just a question of whether we can afford the PMI and forgoing the other breaks we got on the VA loan. a shameful boehner posted:That sucks, but you've learned an important lesson: get your loan pre-approved first (including ironing out any little wrinkles like that lapse in employment), then go house shopping. $500 was down in Earnest money, and the lender told me I was 100% pre approved. It wasn't until his UW called and askeda bout the lapse of coverage. I dunno, he's trying to salvage it. Depression and anxiety mode activated.
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Aug 25, 2014 22:41
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Jastiger posted:The entire reason was that renting was more expensive than owning for us. It'll be a slog at this point. The same thing also almost happened to us. They were concerned that I hadn't had a real job (apparently contract/consulting for your wife's non-profit doesn't count?!) since 2010. I told them I was in school off and on and they just put down student for the whole time. No more questions after that. They did ask me how much my minimum payment was for my student loans, I told them they were deferred because I am still in school (back in school) but the underwriter wanted it anyways. 10 emails back and forth before the underwriter understood how student loans work.
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Aug 25, 2014 22:51
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Jastiger posted:The entire reason was that renting was more expensive than owning for us. It'll be a slog at this point. Can I split hairs here and say that you don't know that for sure? Maybe renting is $200/month more expensive, but a month into your newly purchased home your furnace croaks and you're out $4000.
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Aug 26, 2014 00:00
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canyoneer posted:Can I split hairs here and say that you don't know that for sure? Absolutely true. I had built into our budget an extra $200 a month in assorted repairs that would go into the home-fix budget. Since our mortgage was literally half our monthly paymnet, we'd have no PMI, I work for an insurance company, so I only pay like $40 a month in insurance, and taxes are the most expensive "extra" at $292....we'd be able to set aside that extra money and STILL come out ahead. The cost of living here is actually pretty reasonable, its just finding good, decent rental property that doesn't make my family sick through their dated AC unit is super pricey. Also new home warranty was included in the purchase 
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Aug 26, 2014 00:09
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Jastiger posted:Welp, there goes our application. Since I was a stay at home dad last year, that is a lapse of employment. So, now after we've done the radon testing, got the inspection, negotiating with the sellers....my loan fell through. The VA won't back the loan since I have that lapse. So glad that this was handled well. You're an insurance agent right? Are you self employed? Otherwise I do equity but the Qualified Mortgage guidelines are pretty much the same and you should show documentation showing stable employment prior to that for 2 years and explain the time off was to care for children. If you're self employed you are pretty much boned if you have less than two tax years.
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Aug 26, 2014 03:34
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Jastiger posted:Yes, because of the second paragraph. I'd rather spend money on the emergency poo poo than have to worry about paying for a new unexpected REQUIRED repairs instead of on a new fridge that was part of the original purchase agreement. this is a completely valid point and I agree with you on this point as it stands but a lot of your other posts have indicated financial distress or concern about minor monetary details relating to your purchase which make me wring my hands and go 'oh man I hope forums user "jastiger" knows what he is getting himself in to'... 
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Aug 26, 2014 10:09
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therobit posted:You're an insurance agent right? Are you self employed? Otherwise I do equity but the Qualified Mortgage guidelines are pretty much the same and you should show documentation showing stable employment prior to that for 2 years and explain the time off was to care for children. If you're self employed you are pretty much boned if you have less than two tax years. It was because I was a stay at home dad for the first 9 months of my daughter's life. That is an employment lapse, so the VA is flipping out about that. Once January hits I'll have 1 year of employment, so we're trying to sneak in under the radar since I'll literally be making two payments before the anniversary. Otherwise the lender dude is like "Lets go FHA, pay two payments, than refinance to a VA" and......I dunno about that. That sounds super risky and expensive. mindphlux posted:this is a completely valid point and I agree with you on this point as it stands I hear ya. We can afford the place as is, and once my wife is working 100% full time, it'll be gravy since nearly her entire pay check can go to all debt, emergency funds, and savings.
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Aug 26, 2014 16:40
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The title company has all the final paperwork and I close Thursday. What have I done?
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Aug 26, 2014 21:16
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I'm also closing on Thursday! It's a rental property and the day I don't have nausea and anxiety the week before a close is the day I get the gently caress out if that business.
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Aug 27, 2014 00:24
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Nothing like going to put an offer in on a cheap bank-owned house (that needed a lot of work) and finding out there was a previous buyer with a home inspection report that found rot in the main beams (which were like solid-wood 4"x16"x30' and exposed). The bank dicked around the prior prospective buyer from May to August without approving the repairs, at which point they walked away and it was back on the market. We weren't interested in getting involved in that mess.
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Aug 27, 2014 19:03
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We've been in the house for almost two months now, and just when things were getting to be a little normal, the water heater starts leaking (maybe as a result of an earthquake? probably not). Thankfully, our realtor got us a home warranty, so we aren't paying anything for it, but we have both had to shower at work this entire week while waiting for a new one. Why did we buy a house again? Our dogs don't even use our backyard!
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Aug 28, 2014 04:50
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REO bank finally managed got back to us, electricity will be on tomorrow, and thus begins our home inspection contingency period. If things go well there, then we just need a survey and an assessment. Totally doable in the next few weeks, right? There's still a small matter with the title, where the lending bank's attorney failed to file a state-mandated affirmation at the time that the foreclosure paperwork was filed, but apparently we can still get title insurance if the affirmation gets filed soon. This issue might sink the whole purchase, in which case I'm only out a couple thousand for all of the inspections. Would it be worth having an attorney take a look at the preliminary title binder?
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Aug 28, 2014 09:32
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Officially a homeowner!  In all seriousness, the process was pretty smooth and painless once I found a house I didn't get outbid on. So basically, make good money, have good credit, buy less house than you can afford and you can be just like me!
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Aug 28, 2014 17:24
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fknlo posted:Officially a homeowner! Congratulations  Now, be prepared to grimace at spending $2-3,000 furnishing, painting, buying a lawnmower, and performing the repairs noted in the inspection. Still 1000x better than apartment living.
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Aug 28, 2014 17:28
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a shameful boehner posted:Congratulations Already bought my mower! Gonna need to spend way more than that on furnishing and repairs. Going from an 800 square foot 1 bedroom apartment to a 2400 square foot house with 2 living rooms, 2 dining rooms and 3 bedrooms. So much poo poo to buy. Also needs some pretty immediate stucco repair. Yay!
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Aug 28, 2014 17:31
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fknlo posted:Already bought my mower! Gonna need to spend way more than that on furnishing and repairs. Going from an 800 square foot 1 bedroom apartment to a 2400 square foot house with 2 living rooms, 2 dining rooms and 3 bedrooms. So much poo poo to buy. Also needs some pretty immediate stucco repair. Yay! Don't do what we did and spend $20,000 on furniture. (Or do because our furniture is loving awesome and will last us many decades while remaining timeless in style.)
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Aug 28, 2014 18:14
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Rurutia posted:timeless in style Yeah, sure. Pics please
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Aug 28, 2014 18:37
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slap me silly posted:Yeah, sure. Pics please Fine. Timeless in my tastes. We didn't have a proper bed or desks or anything before this so this includes outfitting a dining room, living room, 2 bedrooms, kitchen (bar stools/table), and a dual office/library from scratch. I'm at work so I only have a couple pictures in my files. We definitely splurged on quality. Everything is real leather (including the cream bed frame). The dining room base is a special kind of steel. The dining room set by itself was $6000, which I honestly don't regret. The metal doesn't rust, doesn't catch fingerprints, and they're the most comfortable dining chairs I've ever sat in. Anyways, I feel like the pieces we really splurged on are ones that you can update with just updating the decor in the rest of the room. Guest Room  Living Room  Dining Room 
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Aug 28, 2014 18:54
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$6,000? Jeebus. I thought I was splurging with a $1k dining table. Which has $20 Ikea chairs (that are literally falling apart) around it because I haven't been willing to face the cost of good chairs yet (the one we've seen and liked so far was $200 per chair). On the other hand, I'm about to sign for a $23,000 HVAC upgrade.
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Aug 28, 2014 18:59
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Zhentar posted:$6,000? Jeebus. I thought I was splurging with a $1k dining table. Which has $20 Ikea chairs (that are literally falling apart) around it because I haven't been willing to face the cost of good chairs yet (the one we've seen and liked so far was $200 per chair). Yeah, our original budget was around $1000 for a dining table. I can't really defend spending as much as we did, except we agonized about it for ages and after a year of purchasing, we don't regret it at all.
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Aug 28, 2014 19:02
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Rurutia posted:Yeah, our original budget was around $1000 for a dining table. I can't really defend spending as much as we did, except we agonized about it for ages and after a year of purchasing, we don't regret it at all. That's pretty much the determining factor though. If you have the resources, why not drop 6 grand on a table you really like and are going to eat at every loving day. My personal feelings about glass tables are irrelevant here so I won't mention them
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Aug 28, 2014 19:24
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I hate North Dakota. Spent all summer trying to find a listing I like, saw one today and called the agent. It was listed last night and someone has already made the full price offer. Do people even look at the houses they are buying any more??
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Aug 28, 2014 19:31
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They may have seen it before it was listed. There are a lot of connections in real estate and sometimes having the right agent means seeing stuff before it hits the market. Or it could just be a cash offer from an investor who is buying a dozen properties in your area and doesn't give a poo poo about whether the crown molding matches his furniture.
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Aug 28, 2014 19:40
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If someone is looking at property near railroad tracks, how can he find out what kind of schedule the trains run on and if it's passenger or freight?
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Aug 29, 2014 00:10
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Stultus Maximus posted:If someone is looking at property near railroad tracks, how can he find out what kind of schedule the trains run on and if it's passenger or freight? Your best bet is to politely catch a neighbor leaving for/arriving from work, and ask them. Ask what else sucks/is great about the area while you're at it.
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Aug 29, 2014 00:21
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As awful as it sounds, local railfans/train spotters may have the best idea, other than the actual railroad companies.
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Aug 29, 2014 00:43
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Stultus Maximus posted:If someone is looking at property near railroad tracks, how can he find out what kind of schedule the trains run on and if it's passenger or freight? Super helpful post, I know.
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Aug 29, 2014 01:32
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gvibes posted:I hooked this recently and found an answer, but forgot how. Some federal agency has train/cars a day info on each crossing, so find where the tracks cross a road and look at that info. Well, my friend was just looking at the iPhone video he shot when looking at the place and discovered that a train was going by while he was there so clearly it's not very noticeable.
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Aug 29, 2014 01:39
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I spent about $5300 (about $4000 USD) setting up my house after moving from an apartment. For that I got a couple of second hand leather couches (minor marks on one and some wear on the other), a glass dining table (6 seater with only 4 seats), reclaimed timber entertainment unit, set of drawers, B&D edge trimmer, a mitsubishi fridge with ice maker, samsung washing machine, and last years model of a 55" 3D LED TV. Second hand or discounted furniture is good, and buying clearance stock for electrical goods works well. The fridge has a couple of minor dents in one side that you can barely see, and the tv was a display model. The display models for that tv were in poor condition in most stores but each store had one so I went around each store until I found one with a screen that wasn't scratched or scuffed.
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Aug 29, 2014 04:31
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