Views of the House

So...house update.

The appraiser came and we offered less than the appraised value of the house, which is a good thing since the bank would have turned down the loan had we offered more.  Step 35423/45654298 complete.

Also, the home inspectors came out, and gave their report.  Structurally, the house is in great shape, with many of the fixtures and things being brand new.  The foundation is perfect, and the house has recently been treated for termites with that stuff that lasts like 30 years.  The air conditioning is in good shape, but old (will probably need replacing in 6-10 years), and the roof is terrible and needs replacing now.

Herein lies the problem.  Ive told the seller that we need the roof fixed before the sale goes through, which will cost him an extra 6000 dollars according to his estimate.  We've decided to pay half of that for him, and he will pay the other half (if he agrees).  The guy brought down a shingle and showed me that the roof really is in shitty condition so I hope he agrees to that deal.  If not, there isn't much more we can do since we are close to that appraised value at the moment.

At any rate, here are some pictures (sorry they are late, and they are stolen directly from jill's blog, so thanks for putting those up for me jill :) )

Also, as for video game and book reviews: I'm almost done with Assassin's Creed (yes, i know, i'm ridiculously late on that).  I have a problem...I collect video games more than I play them.  I guess I'm saving them for a time when I am super bored.  I have another problem though, when I start something like a game or a book, I am compelled to complete it before moving on to the next game/book.  Recently, I was super bored and started Assassin's Creed...hence the need for completion.  I can tell where the complaints of repetitiveness came about early on in this games review cycle...many can I tell where the complaints came from.  Ultimately though, I think Assassin's Creed was meant to be more of a story experience than most people played it as.  At any rate.  Full review coming soon.

Adieu

Think we found a house

This house we are looking at is smaller than the one we are currently living in, but the area is a million times better.  In addition, the house itself is in much nicer condition than where we are living now (all wood floors, brand new appliances, etc).  The price was right and we made an offer.  The seller accepted, and now we are going through the underwriting process.

This has been hectic as hell trying to get a house.  I have no idea how people can do this as their job (the guy we are buying from bought the house cheaply and fixed it, putting in the appliances and fixing the floors and such).  How he can go through this process on a weekly basis is beyond me.

Anyway, wish me luck with the underwriters, and Ill take pics of the inside sooner or later.

Adieu

Buying a New House

I find myself in the market for a new home today.  The stress is unbelievable.  Driving from location to location with my agent, gathering money together for a down payment as well as proving to the bank that I am capable of paying the monthly payments, etc.  This process takes a lot out of you.

That doesn't even include the process of finding a house where my children will be safe to grow up in, and the neighbors aren't complete lunatics.  It seems like with all the foreclosures due to the poor economy, people are leaving their houses in terrible states of repair these days as well.

The house we finally settled on is slightly smaller than the one we are in now, but in much better condition and in an incredibly good neighborhood.  Additionally, the new house has a yard and space for a dog (something we have been wanting for a long time).

I figure that, worst comes to worst, we can live in the house for 3 years to avoid capital gains taxes, and then sell it off for way more than we bought it for (assuming the economy rebounds in 3 years...hopefully it will).