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Though not quite the same as last year, we'll be watching the last preseason game of the year against our good ol' friends on the other Lake. And to my two Bears friends, "Here we go Brownies, Here we go! Woof! Woof"
Apparently I can actually win a contest for my creativity in the kitchen! There is a chicken recipe contest every year, and intend to submit as many recipes as I can before the deadline. I hope everyone likes chicken because they're going to be eating a lot of it these next couple of months.
I have now joined the millions of Americans in living part of the American dream – I’m buying a house! Though we have only been in North Carolina a few weeks, after our 2nd outing of looking at houses, we find the one. The goal of the first house purchase was that it should be a good investment and have great re-sale value. This house met all our criteria:
- 3 bedroom
- 2 Bath
- 1 car garage
- In the best school district
- In a hot subdivision
- In our price range
. . . and most importantly, we loved it!
Here are a few pictures of the house
Buying the house is the easy part. Now begins the process of applying for a loan, getting a house inspection, a termite inspection, a property survey, creating a rapairs list, doing a final walk through, and then meeting with all parties (buyer agent, seller agent, and lawyers) to sign 97,000 documents to officially own the house.
This week, I went around different banks and lending institutions to compare programs and rates. I created a rather elaborate workbook to analyze all my options (Note: I am going to post the workbook once I clean it up a bit and add some more automated calculations). After I calculated which program was best for me, I called the bank and said ‘Let’s do it’. I gave them all the personal information they needed over the phone, however, that’s just the beginning. Yesterday, I received a package from the bank requesting EVERYTHING (W-2’s, bank statements, retirement account numbers, employment history, proof of employment, my zodiac sign, etc.). On top of that, I have to get house insurance before I even buy the house.
Today, we did a walkthrough the house with our buyer agent and the house inspector. Though not required to buy a house or borrow money, it is highly recommended to get a house inspection. This person was very thorough and pointed a few key issues that a regular person (namely myself) would not find.
So, what are the costs of buying a house? Well, a lot more than one would think, and the costs are just starting. The running tally as of today:
- Buyer’s Agent: FREE If you’re buying a house, get a buyer’s agent. Absolutely no reason not to. They are helpful, know the area, can give you guidance, and they cost you NOTHING.
- House Inspection: $315
Costs still to incur:
- Termite inspection
- Lawyer fees
- Hazard, house, and tax insurance
- Closing costs
- More to come . . .
For the last 2-3 years, I have been a Flickr Pro Account user. I was with them pre-Yahoo purchase and when it was in Beta form. Since then, I have seen the functionality grow and grow to where it is a very versatile online picture sharing application. However, 2 things that sort of has been a draw back for me: 1) I cannot manage my pictures easily offline and share online, and 2) most people don't view your pictures, you just do, so why continuously upload them all online.
Here comes Picasa - Picasa has been around for awhile, but I have just most recently found out that they do websharing now. So, I'm going to give Picasa a try and see how I like it. It seems to have similar functionality as Flickr, but I have just begun playing with it.
