I know that I used to fill my time before we bought a house. I didn't just laze around. I certainly did MORE lazing around, but not JUST.
And yet, even though we only moved in five weeks ago, I cannot remember what I did before the loooooong list of house projects. Every evening, every weekend--project after project.
I'm not complaining! I totally love it. I really think that I love my house the way some people love their children...rather all-consuming. And I already forget what life was like before we had it.
All of which is to say, sorry internet. You are not fogotten, just not on the list of projects.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
Monday, August 03, 2009
Food for thought
A new study has come out saying "The greenhouse gas impact of a child is almost 20 times more significant than the amount any American would save by such practices as driving a fuel-efficient car, recycling or using energy-efficient light bulbs and appliances." Read the full blurb here.
I will repeat that I'm not against (other) people having children--I do intellectually understand the desire--but I do find it interesting that population control isn't something discussed very often in the environmentalist's rhetoric. In fact, quite the opposite--aren't we always hearing about how we need to improve the planet for the sake of our children and future generations?
I've heard people try to say that we have very few cultural taboos anymore in contemporary society, but I think the concept of population control is definitely one of them. Think about trying to declare that people should not have children as a means of saving the Earth--that would be a chilly reception, especially from people who already have kids. Particularly when you think about how horribly oppressive China's one-child policy has been (and the disasterous side-effects some claim it has had).
Well, now I can say that it's not just that Justin and I selfishly wish to remain a duo (furry third wheel notwithstanding), we're doing our part to save the planet. :)
I will repeat that I'm not against (other) people having children--I do intellectually understand the desire--but I do find it interesting that population control isn't something discussed very often in the environmentalist's rhetoric. In fact, quite the opposite--aren't we always hearing about how we need to improve the planet for the sake of our children and future generations?
I've heard people try to say that we have very few cultural taboos anymore in contemporary society, but I think the concept of population control is definitely one of them. Think about trying to declare that people should not have children as a means of saving the Earth--that would be a chilly reception, especially from people who already have kids. Particularly when you think about how horribly oppressive China's one-child policy has been (and the disasterous side-effects some claim it has had).
Well, now I can say that it's not just that Justin and I selfishly wish to remain a duo (furry third wheel notwithstanding), we're doing our part to save the planet. :)
Thursday, July 30, 2009
The lawsuit begins
I have spoken, whined, talked and written about all of this a great deal. But just in case there is one last person in the world who doesn't know what is going on, here is the recap. I will try to be brief.
We found a great house, made an offer. They responded with a counter (not asking for more money, just a shorter contingency period). We accepted. When my agent called to confirm and set up the inspection, the seller's agent told her that five minutes after she sent the counter offer, they got a better offer and accepted that one. My agent, Tanya, told her that is not right, that we had 72 hours to respond and they couldn't sell it to someone else. The woman hung up on her.
Clearly, we are dealing with mature and professional people.
They didn't answer the phone the rest of the day and the voice mail box was full and they didn't respond to faxes or emails. My awesome awesome lawyer friend helped me draft a letter demanding mediation (our contract says we have to ask for mediation before anything otherwise we risk losing the ability to recoup lawyer fees).
They were so unresponsive that I went to the address of their real estate agency to hand deliver the letters--I planned to tape it on the door if there wasn't a mailbox. Instead, it turns out to be their personal residence. And they are home. And the front door is wide open. We have a very painful conversation wherein he tells a series of falsehoods--telling me we didn't return the counter in time, that they had multiple offers (which they would have to disclose on the counter)--and finally offering to sell me another two bedroom house they have--real cheap. Nice. I merely repeat the need to contact and deal with my agent. At one point, I confirm that this person he refers to is the real estate agent for the property. He says yes. I ask if she is a licensed real estate agent, to which he replies, "I don't have to answer that."
The conversation ends quickly after that, with him saying we have to agree to disagree and shutting the door. The conversation was heated but never yelling. Plus he was a tiny Asian guy and I thought in a pinch that I could take him.
Yesterday, we officially hired a lawyer. The lawyer is extremely confident, and thinks that they probably just assume we will walk away and they can just get away with it. Boy, did they mess with the wrong people.
We went back and forth about it, especially because on the other side of this there could be a very innocent couple just like us who thinks they just bought a house. But it could also be an investor or company--there are a TON of those plucking up real estate in this area right now. If nothing else, if we get the house the way we are trying to, they have the right to sue these people, too.
It's scary, it's huge, I never in a million years thought we would ever be hiring a lawyer, but I feel like we should do it. We have the money (from our saved downpayment). We have no burning need to move. We don't have kids or pets that need a yard. We really like our apartment now (if a little far from work, but many people have much worse commutes). We have a month to month situation, so we won't lose money or get trapped paying rent and a mortgage. We love this house, and we think it is worth at least a little bit of a fight. If we walk away, it's like we're telling these people it's fine to treat people like that, it's fine to screw people over.
I don't want to live in a world like that. I want to live in a society where you can trust a signed contract and count on people doing the right thing. Apparently we are being called upon to put our money where our mouth is and stand up for what we think is fair and right.
Here's hoping justice doesn't take too terribly long...
We found a great house, made an offer. They responded with a counter (not asking for more money, just a shorter contingency period). We accepted. When my agent called to confirm and set up the inspection, the seller's agent told her that five minutes after she sent the counter offer, they got a better offer and accepted that one. My agent, Tanya, told her that is not right, that we had 72 hours to respond and they couldn't sell it to someone else. The woman hung up on her.
Clearly, we are dealing with mature and professional people.
They didn't answer the phone the rest of the day and the voice mail box was full and they didn't respond to faxes or emails. My awesome awesome lawyer friend helped me draft a letter demanding mediation (our contract says we have to ask for mediation before anything otherwise we risk losing the ability to recoup lawyer fees).
They were so unresponsive that I went to the address of their real estate agency to hand deliver the letters--I planned to tape it on the door if there wasn't a mailbox. Instead, it turns out to be their personal residence. And they are home. And the front door is wide open. We have a very painful conversation wherein he tells a series of falsehoods--telling me we didn't return the counter in time, that they had multiple offers (which they would have to disclose on the counter)--and finally offering to sell me another two bedroom house they have--real cheap. Nice. I merely repeat the need to contact and deal with my agent. At one point, I confirm that this person he refers to is the real estate agent for the property. He says yes. I ask if she is a licensed real estate agent, to which he replies, "I don't have to answer that."
The conversation ends quickly after that, with him saying we have to agree to disagree and shutting the door. The conversation was heated but never yelling. Plus he was a tiny Asian guy and I thought in a pinch that I could take him.
Yesterday, we officially hired a lawyer. The lawyer is extremely confident, and thinks that they probably just assume we will walk away and they can just get away with it. Boy, did they mess with the wrong people.
We went back and forth about it, especially because on the other side of this there could be a very innocent couple just like us who thinks they just bought a house. But it could also be an investor or company--there are a TON of those plucking up real estate in this area right now. If nothing else, if we get the house the way we are trying to, they have the right to sue these people, too.
It's scary, it's huge, I never in a million years thought we would ever be hiring a lawyer, but I feel like we should do it. We have the money (from our saved downpayment). We have no burning need to move. We don't have kids or pets that need a yard. We really like our apartment now (if a little far from work, but many people have much worse commutes). We have a month to month situation, so we won't lose money or get trapped paying rent and a mortgage. We love this house, and we think it is worth at least a little bit of a fight. If we walk away, it's like we're telling these people it's fine to treat people like that, it's fine to screw people over.
I don't want to live in a world like that. I want to live in a society where you can trust a signed contract and count on people doing the right thing. Apparently we are being called upon to put our money where our mouth is and stand up for what we think is fair and right.
Here's hoping justice doesn't take too terribly long...
Sunday, July 26, 2009
House hunt, complete. Now on to Escrow!
We found a lovely house, and with slightly less drama than the first time around, we bought it!
Well, basically we have declared that we will buy it pretty much for sure in ten days when the contingencies clear and that the seller pretty much for sure will sell it to us in thirty days after all the paperwork is done and they got their money.
Apparently, this is the period of time where a good deal of mistakes and frustrating miscommunications are made. Luckily, I have an advanced degree in paper processing (aka arts administration--and if you've ever applied to an NEA grant you know what I'm talking about). I also know quite a few people who have bought a house recently, so there are plenty of people around I can commiserate with/ask for advice.
Mostly, I am very very excited. Not only by the thought of having our own house which is bringing me a feeling of security that I did not expect to feel but also being able to plan for my favorite activity....moving!
I can look forward to a month of going through everthing, trips to Goodwill, and dreams about how I want to arrange the furniture. Oddly, I really am looking forward to this part, I love the organizational thought processes involved.
Really what you want to see, of course, is the house. Here are a few of the pictures we took:
Cute little front patio. Nice corner lot on a very cute street (next time I'll remember to take picture of the street, too.)
Living/dining room combo. Note freshly painted in a decent color that we won't have to repaint anytime soon.
Living room. Ceiling fan. Also note the windows--they are new throughout the house. As is the wood laminate flooring (No more fleas! Or carpet to ruin!)
Kitchen. Not brand new, but plenty big and decent flooring. And really, I'm kind of excited about using some of the tax credit for new appliances.
Another perspective on the kitchen, where you can see the ancient dishwasher. But at least it has a dishwasher!
Covered back patio, with a decent sized yard that is just the right balance of space where I could plant vegetables and the rest is mostly concrete so not much mowing or maintenance or water.
Well, basically we have declared that we will buy it pretty much for sure in ten days when the contingencies clear and that the seller pretty much for sure will sell it to us in thirty days after all the paperwork is done and they got their money.
Apparently, this is the period of time where a good deal of mistakes and frustrating miscommunications are made. Luckily, I have an advanced degree in paper processing (aka arts administration--and if you've ever applied to an NEA grant you know what I'm talking about). I also know quite a few people who have bought a house recently, so there are plenty of people around I can commiserate with/ask for advice.
Mostly, I am very very excited. Not only by the thought of having our own house which is bringing me a feeling of security that I did not expect to feel but also being able to plan for my favorite activity....moving!
I can look forward to a month of going through everthing, trips to Goodwill, and dreams about how I want to arrange the furniture. Oddly, I really am looking forward to this part, I love the organizational thought processes involved.
Really what you want to see, of course, is the house. Here are a few of the pictures we took:
Cute little front patio. Nice corner lot on a very cute street (next time I'll remember to take picture of the street, too.)
Living/dining room combo. Note freshly painted in a decent color that we won't have to repaint anytime soon.
Living room. Ceiling fan. Also note the windows--they are new throughout the house. As is the wood laminate flooring (No more fleas! Or carpet to ruin!)
Kitchen. Not brand new, but plenty big and decent flooring. And really, I'm kind of excited about using some of the tax credit for new appliances.
Another perspective on the kitchen, where you can see the ancient dishwasher. But at least it has a dishwasher!
Covered back patio, with a decent sized yard that is just the right balance of space where I could plant vegetables and the rest is mostly concrete so not much mowing or maintenance or water.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
TWENTY TWO
The house drama continues.
The lender actually said it would probably fine--no guarantees, of course--so we went ahead with the counteroffer. We went with a 10% down conventional loan and upped our bid $5,000...topping ourselves out but not stretching ourselves much at all (especially since there wouldn't be any HOA fees).
After we signed the new paperwork, I pretty much thought I was going to throw up I was so nervous. Then Tanya calls. We couldn't have heard back in an hour, I think to myself. No, she was just letting me know that she spoke to the seller's realtor and learned that TWENTY TWO offers were made.
The nervousness instantly dissipated and was replaced by mild disappointment. Damnit. I doubt we have a snowball's chance in hell.
Over lunch, we looked at a couple of places. One was an utter sinkhole and the other was just okay. And if there is one thing I am NOT going to do, it is settle for a house that's just "okay". We don't actually NEED to move, I would just love to have a shorter commute and an $8000 tax credit.
Sigh.
Just when I was losing hope (we'd looked at and dismissed everything listed)...another promising listing pops up! New today! On the same street as the house we loved! Who knows if that one will work out (Tanya said that we should pretty much expect multiple offers on everything in our price range) but hope has been renewed.
Of course, I am essentially hoping that people get kicked out of their houses or decide to see their house for far less than they could have gotten two years ago, but hey! Gotta do whatcha gotta do.
The lender actually said it would probably fine--no guarantees, of course--so we went ahead with the counteroffer. We went with a 10% down conventional loan and upped our bid $5,000...topping ourselves out but not stretching ourselves much at all (especially since there wouldn't be any HOA fees).
After we signed the new paperwork, I pretty much thought I was going to throw up I was so nervous. Then Tanya calls. We couldn't have heard back in an hour, I think to myself. No, she was just letting me know that she spoke to the seller's realtor and learned that TWENTY TWO offers were made.
The nervousness instantly dissipated and was replaced by mild disappointment. Damnit. I doubt we have a snowball's chance in hell.
Over lunch, we looked at a couple of places. One was an utter sinkhole and the other was just okay. And if there is one thing I am NOT going to do, it is settle for a house that's just "okay". We don't actually NEED to move, I would just love to have a shorter commute and an $8000 tax credit.
Sigh.
Just when I was losing hope (we'd looked at and dismissed everything listed)...another promising listing pops up! New today! On the same street as the house we loved! Who knows if that one will work out (Tanya said that we should pretty much expect multiple offers on everything in our price range) but hope has been renewed.
Of course, I am essentially hoping that people get kicked out of their houses or decide to see their house for far less than they could have gotten two years ago, but hey! Gotta do whatcha gotta do.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Drama-rama.
The update on the offer:
They had SO many offers that they have asked everyone to up their bid and resubmit. Due to the unpermitted backhouse (I'm positive it's structurally fine but it's not on file with the city), Tanya thinks that we might have to just let it go. Potentially, lenders might not be willing to fork over money for a place with possible permit problems. She's checking on it, but I'm not holding my breath.
Weirdly, I am not really upset about it at all. I mean, don't get me wrong, I totally love the place and if Tanya comes back and says the lenders would be okay with it then we'll probably put in a revised offer....but there are other places out there. Even if they are getting snapped up right away, we'll just have to try to find the next one to snap on.
And in the completely selfish portion of my brain, I really hope some of those foreclosures that got stopped by the government in the last few months start going through. Awful, I know.
They had SO many offers that they have asked everyone to up their bid and resubmit. Due to the unpermitted backhouse (I'm positive it's structurally fine but it's not on file with the city), Tanya thinks that we might have to just let it go. Potentially, lenders might not be willing to fork over money for a place with possible permit problems. She's checking on it, but I'm not holding my breath.
Weirdly, I am not really upset about it at all. I mean, don't get me wrong, I totally love the place and if Tanya comes back and says the lenders would be okay with it then we'll probably put in a revised offer....but there are other places out there. Even if they are getting snapped up right away, we'll just have to try to find the next one to snap on.
And in the completely selfish portion of my brain, I really hope some of those foreclosures that got stopped by the government in the last few months start going through. Awful, I know.
Whirlwinds
If you were to tell me that in a span of a year I would get married, run a 5 mile race in under an hour, get laid off, have a major health crisis, be unable to find full time work for nine months, get a cat, finally get my dream job thanks to the tanking of the economy and the subsequent stimulus package, and then still have managed to be in a place where we could seriously consider becoming homeowners, I likely would have laughed in your face.
And yet.
The whirlwinds of change will not cease their gale force. On Friday, Justin and I were pre-approved for a mortgage. Not a huge one, but enough that I figured we might be able to find a decent condo. We called a friend's realtor that they used and loved and we set up a Sunday appointment. On Saturday, we ran the inaugural Orange County Mud Run--hilarious and gross--then the traffic jam afterwards precluded our attendance at my cousin's wedding so we decided to just drive around and look at some of the listings we'd found online. We quickly realized that condos in our price range were likely in condo communities we didn't want to live in and nicer ones had such high HOA fees it wasn't worth it. We lucked into a few open houses at places on our list, both with the same amazing interiors but in terrible locations. There were a few tiny single family houses listed, and one in particular that was in a great neighborhood. We walked around outside it and peeked in the windows--very promising.
On Sunday, we meet our realtor (Tanya, every bit as great as my friend Bil promised) and see a few places. The first was okay but had no patio or outdoor space and parking would have been a nightmare. The second was the craziest old house you've ever seen--five bedrooms, ONE bath, all crammed into about 1,000 square feet. The third was trashed and had a huge yard that we don't need or want. But the fourth...the fourth was the house we had seen the previous day, and it was even more awesome when we got inside. I won't bore you with the details of it, but basically we became guilty of the first time buyer trap that Property Virgins warns you about--we fell in love with it. Tanya warned us that because it was bank-owned if we wanted it, we had to put in an offer NOW.
So we did. Gulp. We pulled together the absolute best offer we could in a span of fourteen hours, including driving to my very generous father's house to get a check to deposit in the morning so we could prove the funds were available for the escrow check we had to write (We had saved up the money, but I keep our house fund in an account that takes five days to get any money out of--it really helps you save more but clearly has its downsides).
And now...waiting.
Less than 24 hours after our offer was sent, I can't sleep and I have that pit in my stomach I fully recognize from the entire month of June when I was waiting to hear about my job. And I am trying REALLY hard to not think about it, because we did the best we could and that is all you can do, but my mind is alternating between how I am going to arrange the furniture in the house to planning for packing (it's bank owned, so we offered a 30 day escrow) to yelling at myself to STOP being invested in something that we may not get. We know for certain that there were multiple other offers, and checking various listing websites today shows that all but TWO of the twenty-two properties that were on our list of possibilities are all OFF the sites--most of them with multiple offers according to Tanya.
It makes sense--never in a million years would I have thought we could afford to buy a HOUSE in Orange County, so we're not the only ones taking advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Not to mention a potential $8,000 gift from the government for taking the plunge.
I know, I know, I KNOW. We might not get this. Heavy competition. Anything can happen, we don't have any control. We have to be prepared for rejection. I studied for this by watching insane amounts of HGTV.
But can't I want it really really bad in the meantime?
And yet.
The whirlwinds of change will not cease their gale force. On Friday, Justin and I were pre-approved for a mortgage. Not a huge one, but enough that I figured we might be able to find a decent condo. We called a friend's realtor that they used and loved and we set up a Sunday appointment. On Saturday, we ran the inaugural Orange County Mud Run--hilarious and gross--then the traffic jam afterwards precluded our attendance at my cousin's wedding so we decided to just drive around and look at some of the listings we'd found online. We quickly realized that condos in our price range were likely in condo communities we didn't want to live in and nicer ones had such high HOA fees it wasn't worth it. We lucked into a few open houses at places on our list, both with the same amazing interiors but in terrible locations. There were a few tiny single family houses listed, and one in particular that was in a great neighborhood. We walked around outside it and peeked in the windows--very promising.
On Sunday, we meet our realtor (Tanya, every bit as great as my friend Bil promised) and see a few places. The first was okay but had no patio or outdoor space and parking would have been a nightmare. The second was the craziest old house you've ever seen--five bedrooms, ONE bath, all crammed into about 1,000 square feet. The third was trashed and had a huge yard that we don't need or want. But the fourth...the fourth was the house we had seen the previous day, and it was even more awesome when we got inside. I won't bore you with the details of it, but basically we became guilty of the first time buyer trap that Property Virgins warns you about--we fell in love with it. Tanya warned us that because it was bank-owned if we wanted it, we had to put in an offer NOW.
So we did. Gulp. We pulled together the absolute best offer we could in a span of fourteen hours, including driving to my very generous father's house to get a check to deposit in the morning so we could prove the funds were available for the escrow check we had to write (We had saved up the money, but I keep our house fund in an account that takes five days to get any money out of--it really helps you save more but clearly has its downsides).
And now...waiting.
Less than 24 hours after our offer was sent, I can't sleep and I have that pit in my stomach I fully recognize from the entire month of June when I was waiting to hear about my job. And I am trying REALLY hard to not think about it, because we did the best we could and that is all you can do, but my mind is alternating between how I am going to arrange the furniture in the house to planning for packing (it's bank owned, so we offered a 30 day escrow) to yelling at myself to STOP being invested in something that we may not get. We know for certain that there were multiple other offers, and checking various listing websites today shows that all but TWO of the twenty-two properties that were on our list of possibilities are all OFF the sites--most of them with multiple offers according to Tanya.
It makes sense--never in a million years would I have thought we could afford to buy a HOUSE in Orange County, so we're not the only ones taking advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Not to mention a potential $8,000 gift from the government for taking the plunge.
I know, I know, I KNOW. We might not get this. Heavy competition. Anything can happen, we don't have any control. We have to be prepared for rejection. I studied for this by watching insane amounts of HGTV.
But can't I want it really really bad in the meantime?
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