Emotional Blows: The Good, and The Bad

Well, yesterday was a good day, and a bad day. Let me start from the beginning:

I didn't have much to do yesterday, with my work mostly completed for the week, and all I had on my schedule to do was call the insurance people back. Well! I couldn't really do that until we found out for sure that Roger was on his uncle's insurance policy as insured. To figure that out, I needed Roger to call them, and fax us a copy of the policy. Since he started that ICE training, he's been getting home later. So! I drugged myself with the sinus meds that knock you on your ass and slept most of the day (I feel much better now, btw).

I heard from Bruce, letting me know some good news. Our contract was written for "allowables" that the seller was required to cover. The lender had told Bruce that those were going to be $497.00, so that is what he put in the contract. Well! Since we got approved for everything, and got the bond money, the "allowables" only totaled $70.00 and the $427.00 will go towards our closing costs! So, we had to meet up with Bruce as soon as Roger got home, to sign the change in contract.

Roger got home at around 5 p.m. and right away I made him call his uncle's insurance company. We found out that, yes, he is on the policy. So, I told him that he needed to ask them to fax us a copy of the policy, and give them the fax number for the new company we were talking to. I called Mike, our new insurance agent, and told him about the policy. He said the fax was just coming in, and when can we meet him. His office, oddly enough, was just right down the street from where we were to meet Bruce. I told him we would meet him right after. We met up with Bruce, chit-chatted for a few minutes, signed our updated contract page, and made sure of the appointment for the inspection on Friday. Then we headed to Mike.

Mike was a very friendly guy (of course! He wanted our business and money, hehehe). We got an excellent rate for our home insurance (would total to about $63 a month), a great rate for our truck (would total to about $43 a month), and even a life insurance policy for Roger ($110,000 for about $20 a month; however, having the life insurance policy will lower our rate on home insurance to about $55 a month and the car insurance to about $40 a month). All sounds great, right?

Begin Rant:
Well, herein lies the emotional blow that almost brought me to tears right there in the insurance agent's office...He showed us the policy Roger had been paying. He was on his uncle's car insurance because after both parent's murders and his step mother's death from cancer, left him an orphan, so his uncle was his guardian. We had thought that Roger was paying a little too much, but we just chalked it up to him being a young male..we didn't know any different..I don't have any brothers, and Roger's an only child for the most part...We trusted his uncle. *shakes head* Looking at the policy, we found out that Roger has been paying for more than half of the entire premium...The total premium for 6 months is $812.00 with a down payment of $210.00 and payments of $150.50 every month for 4 months and 2 months off. Roger pays $135.00 every month for 4 months, then gets 2 months off. That means he has been paying $540.00 every 6 months and his uncle has been paying about $15.00 a month, and the down payment of $210.00, totalling to about $272.00 every 6 months. So, in summary, we pay $135, his uncle pays for the down payment and $15 per month, and his uncle drives a 1998 pickup, where we drive a 1988. According to his policy, he should have been paying $77, and his uncle $73. How long has he been mostly paying his uncle's car insurance? Since he started driving at the age of 18...All I can think about is the months in the last 2 years, where we had nothing left at the end of the month, and struggling, while his uncle sits on his ass and milks this hard earned money from us. I thought you could trust family...

Okay

So, now that I'm finished holding my breath and stressing myself out, I have an update to make.

After deciding on *our* house, we got a little scare the next day on August 16th. It went a little something like this:
We had a whirlwind of a day.. I went through most of the day not thinking anything about the house, actually. Then Roger got home, and told me that my phone wasn't working...again...so I got it working (this has been happening more frequently since AT&T took over Cingular *sighs* where I can't dial out, or receive calls either..) and I had 3 messages. One from Roger trying to call, and two from the realtor. The house (our house dammit!) had already gotten a bid on it! I went into panic mode and told him I'd call him back. I tried my mom's phone three or four times, the house phone, and even Miranda's cell. When I *finally* got my mom on the phone (she was in the shower), and told her the situation (we were *still* not pre-qualified), she told me to call Bruce, and put in a good faith offer, and if he wouldn't do it, she'd call another realtor that would.

She then went up to F&M herself to throw a stink (all the good it did us). Anywho, I told Bruce that we would put down twice the Earnest money ($1,000 instead of $500), just to make a bid if we had to, since we didn't have our pre-qualification letter. He finally agreed (I think the extra earnest money got him going), and made sure the seller would hold off her acceptance of the other offer until we could get ours in. She agreed. We went full asking price.

So! We had to rush to his office in Broken Arrow and sign all the required paperwork in five copies, and then wait to see what the seller said. We went to dinner, and when we got home we got to talking, and didn't hear the phone until my mom called. I missed the call, but noticed I had missed calls, Bruce calling. She had accepted our offer!!!! Great news! One more step closer....except... We still had yet to hear from Kyle, that one little "yes" is all we were waiting for.

The story continues on August 19th:
Kyle called that day, around 9:00 a.m. to tell me that we still hadn't gotten the final go ahead, but, "everything looks in order, and everything that they've checked out so far checks out clean. Your debt-ratio is great, not much debt. Your credit (Roger's credit) is good, just not enough of it. I can't give you a definite, but...between you, me, and the fence post, you'll get a yes." Don't worry, right? I still did..because we could have still lost the house, by not being accepted.

I felt like I had crawled up to the top of a tall hill, stumbled, fell head over heels all the way back down, and at that moment, I was dazed and confused and not quite sure what happened our how I got where I landed with a sore, spinning head and a sore bum.

So! We waited with our collective breaths held all weekend, trying to take a break from it all and not think about it. Monday, August 20th, came and went with not a word. Bruce did call, to tell me to go ahead with scheduling the inspections and checking out insurance. He said that it would be much easier to cancel an appointment than to make one. I told him that I'd get on it tomorrow.

That brings me up to speed, I believe. I am trying to fight a sinus infection (grass and mold gets me every time), and haven't been feeling well. Been fighting the pressure and headache that doesn't desist all weekend, and then started with a raw, sore throat. So, I called Kyle yet again Tuesday morning at around 9 a.m. and left a message, took some meds, slept a little, and then early Tuesday evening, around 3 or 4 p.m., I stared calling some people. I booked an Inspection, seemed like a really nice guy with the best rates, for Friday (ended up being the easiest thing I've had to do for this house thus far!). Then started calling insurance. I hit a snag, and will have to finish that up later today (which is Wednesday). I still hadn't heard from Kyle, so I decided to call Bruce to let him know about the inspection appointment. He is the one that tells me we got qualified!! Said it took so long because they weren't sure we were going to get the bond money, but we ended up qualifying for all of it!! The loan and the bond money!! Oh..My...Gawd!!!!!!! It's our house!!!!!!! EEEEEEeeeeEEeeKKKKkkkkkkkKKKKkkkkkKKK!!!!
Kyle met up with us at around 8 p.m. and finished up our paperwork!! The end of the tunnel is *finally* in sight!

My Husband on the News!

Here is my sexy man! ICE training classes started today, and he was in the front row. *grins*

The Jury is in...

and the verdict is...

To start, I felt better after Stac made her comment about how she was nervous also, but how seamless it seemed to go, and not to think of it as a permanent change (even if it actually might be), but just as a stepping stone.

Then D made her comment about listening to my gut, and not to rush it...

That made me realize that, yes we could have lived in the yellow house, but maybe it wasn't quite right. I loved the living room and the master bedroom's sizes, the full bathroom was a good size, and even the half bath was nice. The kitchen was a little small, and would need a little updating, and the dining room was...well...way too small. I also didn't like the way the driveway sloped at such an angle, and the outside would have to be painted. I liked it, but maybe I was settling after all...I had a strange feeling of needing to be reassured that we were making the right decision, and not being to hasty.

So, since we haven't technically been pre-qualified yet anyhow, I decided to do one more search...I was sick of looking at houses to tell the truth...over 20 houses at that point...but I came up with 5 more to look at. I almost threw one out, because it is 1032 SqFt, when the yellow is 1087, but I decided, "Ah, what the hell's it gonna hurt to look at it?" When I called the realtor he talked to me about 2 of them, and I threw them out. So, at 4pm, we met up with him again (Bruce Gibson, btw, if you're interested. He's an excellent guy, really very helpful and super friendly) to look at the remaining 3 and take one more once over of the yellow one. We started with one, it was cute, but right off of 21st street and across the street from the High School, it would need a little updating, a new AC unit, and a lot of good scrubbing...plus, the asking price was almost $2,000 more than the yellow, so we threw it out.

Then went to one that was pretty much around the corner from the yellow house, this one being the one I *almost* threw out. We didn't even want to see the third one after seeing this one. It was it, "our house" We both loved it, and even my mom was impressed.
**side note** The realtor talked us into going ahead and looking at the third house, and it was trash. *laughs*

So!! We found it! Our home. *grins broadly* The layout is very similar, but I like it better. Like I said before it is 1032 SqFt, 3 bedrooms, only one bathroom, attic fan, dishwasher, disposal, range/oven. The windows are storm windows that are brand new, still white. The kitchen has been remodeled very recently, and has expensive ceramic tiles. The Roof, heating and AC unit, hotwater heater, driveway, garage door, carpet, privacy fence, tile and paint have all been replaced within the last 5 years. It's within walking distance of McClure Park (click link, then scroll down left side menu, to McClure, if you're interested), and the taxes are almost $200 cheaper than the yellow house. There is a little hill/hump in the backyard, that I don't like, but who cares? *grins* It can be dug out, if I wanted to.

Anywho, here are the pics that I took, again, not very good, but it's hard to show a house with only pictures, you know?

The front:


Roger, looking out the front door, in the living room. I'm standing in the dining room:


The realtor, Bruce, on the other side of the living room (notice that I split the big window. One half next to Roger, the other next to Bruce. That's a decent living room size):


I'm standing in the living room, looking into the kitchen/dining room:


Standing in the dining room, looking into the kitchen (the door to the garage is right next to the oven/range):


Standing in the kitchen, looking into the dining room:


I'm standing in the living room, just where the hall starts. Roger's at the very end of the hall. The first room, closest to me, on my right is a bedroom, then the master bedroom. Across the hall from the master, is another room, and then the bathroom (on my left, closest to me). All that make sense? *grins*


These are the rooms, in the order listed above:
First room:

Master bedroom:

Room across from MB:

And the bathroom (haha!! don't laugh at my poor husband):


This is the back of the House:


And the back yard, in two halves:


and (notice the incline/hill I mentioned?):


All pic'ed out yet? :oD

On another note, we might be getting a new car as well. My aunt and uncle are moving to Germany (He's being stationed there), and they needed to sell their car. They would need to use it up until they actually left, and to that I said that there was most definately not a problem in that. So, it's a 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix, with 108,000 miles on it, a V6 engine, and gets approximately 32 Mpg. Definately better than the gas hog we have now, and would be *a lot* newer.

We Think...

we may have found our house.

If we can get it for a little bit cheaper, it looks very nice. It is a 3 Bedroom, 1 1/2 Bathroom, 1 car garage, approximately 1087 Sq. Ft., attic fan, new carpet, freshly painted, good sized bathrooms (even the 1/2 bath was not *tiny*), the closets were decent sized, the water heater was replaced in 2003, the roof in 2004, and the Heat and AC unit in 1999. I took a few pictures, they aren't great quality, but tell me what you think:

The front of the house:


In this one, I was standing in the dining room looking at the front door. When you first walk in, it opens into the living room.


In this one, I was standing in the living room, looking at the dining room. The kitchen in on the right, and there is a door that opens into one of the rooms on the left.


In this one, I was standing in the dining room looking through the back door.


In this one, I was standing in the dining room looking into the kitchen. There was a door leading into the Garage on the left.


I was standing in the living room, and was looking into the hallway. The door closest to me is the same room that opens in the dining room (2 doors), the second door is another room (probably a guest room until children come into the picture), and the end room is the main bathroom.


This was in the room leading off of the dining room, looking through the hall door, at the master bedroom. There is a half bathroom (just a potty and sink) to the right, inside the master bedroom.


And this is the back:

Humble Abodes

So...Roger and I have been looking for houses to move into as of late. We are tired of the tiny apartment we are currently occupying, and wish to settle down. We don't *plan* on moving again, we want to buy a house and not have to leave it; However, things may happen in life that could force us to uproot later down the road.

Well, because we don't plan on leaving, we want to find a house that will fit our needs now, and when they change later (children, dogs, more junk, etc.). We both discussed what we require-at least 3 bedrooms, nice sized bathroom, not too tiny of a kitchen, decent schools-, and what would be nice but not necessary-attic fan, fireplace, 1 1/2 to 2 bathrooms, garage, some hardwood floors, Central Heating and AC.

My mom tells me earlier in the week about this house in Tulsa that had 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and a pool, but that it was going on auction. The starting bid is $10,000 and there is an open house for it on the 12th.

On the 11th, we checked out a house in Owasso (because I would love to actually live in Owasso). It was terribly run down and was a moderate fixer-upper. I was a little discouraged to find out that decent houses in Owasso are going for more than our price range.

So, yesterday we check out the auction house.......Oh...my....God!!
It is my dream house, it spoke to me, and it is beautiful-inside and out.
In a nutshell: Great neighborhood, great school district, some hardwood floors, breakfast nook, decent kitchen, attic fan, fireplace, wet bar, pool, huge bathroom, decent sized rooms, and the master bedroom is so awesome.
Here's a link, if you're interested in pictures, but they don't do it justice.
Anywho, the auction is Saturday, and I am going to the auction, but we are not having high hopes that we will be able to afford it. The houses in that area are selling for $100,000 and more. *pouts sadly* I need lots of crossed fingers! *winks*

After we checked out my dream house, we look around at some others I had listed. We couldn't go inside them yet, but we will be doing that today. We just wanted to mark off ones that were in cruddy areas, and/or looked bad on the outside-foundation damage, major roof damage, and the like. We narrowed down my list from 12 to 7, and I'm hoping to be able to see the insides of those 7. Maybe we can narrow it down some more, and find a second dream house, but I doubt I'll find one that called to me like the auction house did.

Anyways, I'll keep this updated.

Re-post from D

IF YOU'RE ON MY FRIENDS LIST, I want to know 28 things about you. I don't care if we've never talked or if we already know everything about each other. I really don't. You are obviously on my f-list, so let me know with whom I'm friends! Post a reply with your answers.

1. Your Middle Name:
2. Age:
3. Single or Taken:
4. Favorite Movie:
5. Favorite Song or Album:
6. Favorite Band/Artist:
7. Dirty or Clean:
8. Tattoos and/or Piercings:
9. Do we know each other outside of LJ?
10. What's your philosophy on life?
11. Is the bottle half-full or half-empty?
12. Would you keep a secret from me if you thought it was in my best interest?
13. What is your favorite memory of us?
14. What is your favorite guilty pleasure?
15. Tell me one odd/interesting fact about you:
16. You can have three wishes (for yourself, so forget all the 'world peace etc' malarkey) - what are they:
17. Can we get together and make a cake?
18. Which country is your spiritual home?
19. What is your big weakness?
20. Do you think I'm a good person?
21. What was your best/favorite subject at school:
22. Describe your accent:
23. If you could change anything about me, would you?
24. What do you wear to sleep?
25. Trousers or skirts?
26. Cigarettes or alcohol?
27. If I only had one day to live, what would we do together?
28. Will you repost this so I can fill it out for you?