Update Smupdate

I've learned a valuable lesson today. If you choose a business based on the person you speak with on the phone, only to get to the business and be handed over to someone else...you should worry.

If the person you are passed over to seems to be slightly incompetent and sloooooooow...worry!

If, every time you call that person and they bumble around and start 4 different sentences before finally finishing one...RUN!

Seriously.

So, obviously, I do not bear good news. I chose a mortgage company based on speaking with the owner on the phone several times and really liking him. He was older, in his 70's, and he didn't try to sugar coat anything, didn't try to do whatever it took to get my business. He was honest, told me the house I was looking into buying was NOT a good deal and I should hold off and keep looking. I respected that, took his advice, along with others, and moved on.

When it came time to purchase this house, I gave this man a call and set up an appointment to buy the house through them. But, upon arriving, we were handed off to his son, Bobby, who is in his 50's, and things went downhill from there. It seriously seemed like this may have been his 3rd mortgage ever.

But, we stayed. I think I regret that. I should have said, You know what, we need to talk this over some more...we'll get back to you. Then, drove off.

I guess I'm being melodramtic. I should mention that nothing severe is going on. We are still in contract. I'm just mad.

He told us we'd have no problem closing by the 30th. Then, last week I called him to see where we were at in the process. That's when he told me the investor had almost finished our paperwork then realized it was for a manufactured home, which they no longer loan on, and cancelled the deal.

????????????

Shouldn't he have checked that before sending all of our paperwork to him? For those of you not following the market right now, a lot of things changed recently, like in the past 2-3 months, regarding loans. Most importantly, most investors quit loaning on manufactured homes at all. Period.

The first question I asked every bank and mortgage company was, Do you loan on manufactured homes? 9 times out of 10, I was told NO. So, why didn't our mortgage facilitator know to do this?

I should clarify. Bobby & his mortgage company no longer loan money on homes, they just work with other mortgage investors who do. So, basically, all he does is shop around and find me the best loan. Which is what I was doing before I met him. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me now.

Anyway, they switched to another investor last Tuesday and I was told it would take him about 3-4 days, tops. I found out Friday, he didn't even get our paperwork till Thursday. Monday, I called Bobby again (you know they LOVE me there now, right?) and he hem hawed around again and said he'd check on it for me and call me right back.

Still waiting on that phone call, 2 days later.

I did get a call yesterday from the new guy, Brian. Seems they are concerned about our debt to income ratio. We are doing a VA loan and they have strict guidelines. On paper, it looks like we won't have enough money to make our monthly payment, because they can't take into account that we'll be using the Home Buyer Tax Credit to pay our van loan off completely, erasing the $250 monthly payment.

So, as it stands today, I have an appointment with Brian tomorrow to discuss our options. We can switch to a FHA loan, which has less strenuous guidelines. He also suggested we pay off our van loan before closing. Yeah, right, buddy. And maybe I'll win the lottery (without actually playing) too.

I'm mad and extremely frustrated. Shouldn't Bobby, our mortgage guy, have recognized all of this when he ran our credit that first day? Shouldn't this have been brought up before NOW, a few days from closing?

My real estate agent, Demetra, said yes, he should have been the one to bring this up, weeks ago.

I just prayed two days ago that, if this house is the one God has for us, let the process go quick. If we're going to end up there anyway, why not sooner rather than later?

The only answer I can come up with is this: God is more interested in developing my character than making sure I get what I want, when I want. And by character (Mom!), I mean HIS character. I do believe we are on this earth for a purpose that has nothing to do with material things. Off of the top of my head, we were made to worship Him. To glorify Him. To be His chosen people, His sons & daughters. And to show His character, His nature, to the world. So...He's allowing things to push my buttons and show me the areas I need to work on. Obviously, patience is a biggie ;)

So, please pray for me. I'm failing this test miserably, cause I really want to call up old Bobby and call him an drooling idiot for wasting so much time for us. But, I haven't yet, so maybe there's hope for me yet ;)

I feel better already, just getting all this frustration out. I'll try to come up with something fun & uplifting to post next time!

Still waiting...

ANY DAY NOW!!!!! That's what the mortgage lady, Shrimp (a nickmame, I hope!), said to me when I called her last Thursday. I'm trying not to blow up her phone and pull a Micah:

"Is it ready?"

"No."

"How about now. Is it ready now?"

"No, it's not ready now."

Silence.

"Now?"

"NO. NOT NOW. It is NOT ready NOW."

Silence.

"Ready NOW?"

"NO! NO, NO, NO....IT IS NOT READY NOW. OR NOW. AND NOT NOW, EITHER!"

Silence.

Giggle.

"NOW???????????"

At least, that's how it went when he pulled that on Daddy two nights ago. It was awesome!
And I have no idea where he learned that trick :D

So, no, I haven't heard anything from the mortgage company, but as soon as I do, you'll be, like, the 5th person I tell! Promise.

House update

We had been searching like maniacs for Chad's DD214 (the military loves to number their paperwork) for the past week. Seems it's a V.I.D. (very important document - they love their acronyms just as much) (but I made that one up!), which of course means Chad "misplaced" it, probably as soon as he opened it.

Basically, it's the form from the military that shows his time in and out of active duty and proves he is entitled to all the benefits of VA. Meaning, no DD214, no VA loan.

After digging through boxes and boxes of stuff that just makes me cry at seeing, and not finding it, I began to search our crammed bedroom for the 3rd time. Guess where I found it? In a glass (aka see through) candle holder on TOP of our dresser. Where Chad put it so he wouldn't forget it.

Then, we drive 30 minutes one way to the mortgage company's office yesterday to deliver all the final paperwork, and guess what we forget? Yep, DD214!!!

That was a fun ride home.

But, regardless, they finally have everything they needed to turn our paperwork over to the approval department of the THDA loan program. Our lady did say, after I forced her to give me a potential time frame, that we could be closing on the house as early as next Friday!

Can you say, THANK YOU JESUS!!!!

We are waiting on Chad's W2's to arrive in the mail from the past two years. We couldn't find those in storage. They sent off our paperwork without the real copies (oxy moron), but we should have them before time to close. Please pray everything continues to go smoothly. We are very excited and it almost feels like we may really be about to move out of my parents' house. Almost.

Funny for today...

I admit, this is not my writing, but I sure wish I had come up with it first! I found a really funny blogging daddy online today and this was one of his posts. I laughed so hard, I wanted to share:


SCENES FROM MARRIAGE, NO. 2

Husband: “Ready?”
Wife: “I was waiting for you.”
Husband: “Oh… I was waiting for you.”
Wife: “Well… I’m ready.”
Husband: Great. Shall we go?”
Wife: Sure – just give me five minutes.”

Editor’s note: when husbands were asked if they thought this joke was mildly-to-moderately amusing, 84% said “yes;” when wives were asked the same question, 91% said “What joke? You think it’s easy getting ready? We can’t just hop in the shower and be done. We have to do our hair, put on our make-up, and then clean up the bathroom before we leave because our husbands NEVER do. Seriously, do they want the babysitter to think we’re slobs? And how hard is it to hang up a towel and wipe down the sink, anyway? If you want to talk about getting ready to go out, men are the real joke, and we don’t think it’s funny.”

Check him out at http://www.overcaffeinateddad.com/home, at your own risk (I saw a mild curse word or two).

Random pics

Dad came home with an unusual present a few weeks ago:

He had mentioned in church one night that he needed a shirt that said, "I see stupid people", like that kid from the movie Sixth Sense. So some crazy person had one made up and gave it to him the next night. He wore it proudly :D


This next picture is why I DREAD rainy days right now:

Thankfully, they clean up good and go to sleep eventually, looking like little angels:

Face painting, yard sales, and kisses...oh my!

My fanTABulous mother in law, otherwise referred to as Jody, came to visit this past weekend for two days. Originally, Katie was supposed to sing with her Chorus group at the Fall Festival, but her teacher got sick and they cancelled their performances. Personally, I think she should have sucked it up and drug her sick bottom to the festival for 20 whole minutes while they sang 3 songs. But what do I know :) All I'm sayin' is, she better have the pig flu!



But Jody was already on her way when we found out and she was dying to see the kids anyway, and vice versa, so she came on. It's a six hour drive, so that was pretty sweet of her.
We had so much fun. She got to be here when her son signed the bid on the house, got to see the house, and she loved it. She was almost excited as I was! Almost.


We just had fun hanging out. She & I get along really well, plus she thinks my kids are the best, smartest, prettiest kids in the whole world. So we REALLY get along well :)

I found out something new about her this trip: she can BARGAIN. As in, she went yardsaling Saturday morning with Katie, armed with a list of sizes and clothing items needed, and came back with bags full of name brand, very nice, some new clothing...all for $17! I was supposed to join them around 11am but she seriously got the kids everything they needed for now, so I didn't have to.

Anyway, we had a blast. Took the kids to their Fall Festival (I forgot my camera. She didn't, of course!), yard saling, a vegetable soup party, and house bidding.

Here are the only pictures I got of her this trip, including outtakes of her with the kids:

Ben, Chad, & Jody have the exact same eyes.

They were being so goofy!

Good enough!

Princess Katie & her tattoo - at least it's not a dog!

How sweet are they?!

Jody's 51st birthday was that weekend but she really didn't want anyone to make a deal out of it, so we didn't, but I regret that now. I wish I had gone all out and baked a cake, put up streamers, and sang the birthday song everytime she entered the room. Just like we did Chad :)

Somehow, I think she got her birthday wish, though, by spending two days with her grandbabies. Cheap gift!

A few more pics

I had to go out to the house (I LOVE writing that!) Monday and I took a few more pictures, to try & show just how large this house is:

A better picture of the kitchen, from the den

Oh, look! I found a Beth! Who apparently thinks she's in a gang...

Left side - all those cabinets have me itching to unpack!

Right side - see the desk? Gonna have to get some bar stools, too :)

The dining room

To be honest, I kind of prefer an eat in kitchen to a separate, formal dining room. Especially not loving the carpet. Who puts carpet in the dining room?! So, going to play around with ideas on how to make it more adaptable for my family and our needs. Ideas are appreciated!

Already planning my mantle decor ;)

Plenty of windows & light, perfect for keeping certain monkeys in view

The door out of the utility room - for easy grocery unloading :)

A driveway made for our "Smith" family parties :)

Oh, and the PERFECT tree for a tree swing...two, in fact!

Can ya'll tell I'm happy?! It's a great deal with lots of square footage, a great backyard, a safe, quiet neighborhood (until we move in LOL)....I'm content.

We have a winner!!!

A week ago Demetra, my really cool real estate agent, sent me an email with two new home listings. One was almost in the next county, about 25 minutes away and on more than an acre. It was a double wide on a permanent foundation. It was older, a little outdated in appearance, but for the land & location, I was okay with it. The other one had just one picture of the outside, which looked great, but had just over half an acre and was at the top of our price range, at $79,800.

We set an appointment for the next day to visit both. I was kind of discouraged and had a laid back, we'll see attitude. We started with the 2nd one, on .63 of an acre. I walked in the door and fell in love. Well, actually, I walked into the master bathroom and fell in love! But more about that later ;)

It's a 2006 doublewide on a permanent foundation (a REAL permenant foundation - we made sure this time!), 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, a living room, dining room, AND den. It has one of the nicest layouts I've seen so far. Plus, and one of the coolest factors, it has 2234 square feet!!!

It looks brand new due to the owner, a retired bank president, buying it as a repo in June and installing new appliances & new carpet, among other things.

So, long story short, we looked at it, loved it, and put an offer on it the following Friday. Saturday he came back with a counter offer, we countered back, he came back with the same offer, but with a twist. Basically, he had a bottom dollar he was willing to accept, but he offered us three different ways to pay for it:

Option A: We agree to a sales price of $76k and he pays $2200+ towards closing costs (estimated at $2700). We only have to come up with approximately $500 cash at closing. Monthly payment will be approximately $485

Option B: A sales price of $74,800 and he pays $1,000 toward closing costs, meaning we have to be ready to pay around $1700 at closing. Monthy payment approximately $460

Option C: $73,750, he pays no closing costs, and we have to have approximately $2700 at closing. Monthly payment approximately $430.

Now, we also have to pay for a couple of things up front: the home inspection (not required but a good idea) which runs between $150-$400, and the appraisal. We don't get to pick the appraiser, since we are getting a VA loan and they use their own guys. This will cost about $200-$400 as well. That's $800, worse case scenario, we need to have in our pocket before we even put an offer on a home.

So, with option A, we need to have about $1300 (more if you're smart) in cash on hand. Option B would require about $2500 in cash, and Option C means $3500 comes out of our pocket by the time we close.

The owner had a certain amount in mind that he wanted to make on the deal and he was willing to let the property sit until he got it. But he was pretty flexible as to how we paid for it. Obviously, he became president of a bank for good reason!

He is also throwing in a home warranty good for a year, worth about $500. Sounds cheap but that would be the price to replace the water heater, for instance, if something goes wrong. Totally worth the $500.

We decided to go with Option B. We will have no problem meeting the cash on hand requirements, without putting ourselves in a financial bind, and the monthly payment will be well within our desired range. All in all, it is a great deal.

We did make it all contingent on the appraisal, home inspection, and surveyor's report (the tax records were a little messed up on the lines).

By the way, by the time we got to this first house to tour it, the 2nd one was already in contract...another door slammed shut by my Heavenly Father!

Here are the pictures of my soon-to-be first, fanTABulous home:

Doesn't look like a manufactured home, does it?!

Okay...this is where they got me - master bath :) Right side:

Those who know me really well, know that one of my pet peeves is having your potty next to the area you brush your teeth. Or take a relaxing bath. I mean, WHY?! I have always wanted one of those bathrooms where the toilet was in it's own little room. You do your business, close the door, bam! No smell, no spashage on your tooth brush (think about it! Or, maybe not...). So, it's like God said, Here you go, daughter...your own sanitary friendly bathroom. Enjoy! Yes, that's how my God works ;)

But wait - that's just the right side of the master bathroom. The entire bathroom is as big as my last bedroom! Here's the middle:

Yes, that's a long, walk in closet in the back! And yes, that mirror will be the FIRST thing to go :) But, pretty much, that moment is when I said, I'll take it! The rest of the house was just the cherry on top.

Left side of the master bath. Cute hubby not included ;)

Yep, that's a stone gas fireplace. In my den. :)
Check out this massive kitchen! I love it! That's the living room to the right...

New appliances, including flat top stove :) Pantry to the right.
That's the utility room straight ahead, with a door on the left to the back yard, a door on the right into the kids' bathroom.

A deck already set up for grilling out - God loves me!


The back yard, straight off the back deck. Behind those leaves is a spectacular view of the mountains. Does God not know me inside and out and care so much about the details??? Yes, yes He does!

View from the kitchen sink. I can watch the kids and gaze at the mountain scenery while doing the dishes.

I'm not gonna lie: it's not the setup I had in mind when I started this home search. I'd prefer a smaller house with more land. I'd LOVE to not have such close neighbors. But, we are one mile from the elementary school the kids would be attending. That's big to me. Less time they will be on the bus, if they ride it at all. Plus, their cousins, Natalie & Regan, already attend that school, another plus for me. I'm finally living my dream of the kids growing up with their cousins, aunts & uncles, and grandparents.

Also, I'm about 3 miles or less from Louise & Tim's house. Well, we'll see if that's a plus or not :P Just kidding, Weeze!

You know, I could really obssess about find the PERFECT house (I did, it was already sold when I found it LOL), but I've tried to remember a few things:

First, this doesn't have to be our final home. We can always sell & move again, as our finances improve.

Second, and most importantly: This world is not my home! I'm a pilgrim and a stranger, in search of a better, a more perfect Home. So, while it's a part of life, I refuse to let it rule my life. I will buy a home, move on with my life, and keep the my focus on the One that rules & reigns for all of eternity!