Mon 17 Dec 2007
After a (Satur)day of house-hunting (my favorite house is unfortunately 3.5 million buckaroos) and discussion about how to best handle and grow our finances, I take this horoscope as a good sign:
Possibilities arise from unusual places now, but this won’t make them any less favorable. Emotionally charged discussions with friends or a romantic partner could lead you to a conceptual breakthrough as you realize a new way to reach your goals. Remain open to the alternatives, for your path is about to widen if you let it. Sunday, December 16, 2007
One of the realtors who was manning an open house we stumbled upon started a discussion with us about our possibilities, and is hooking us up with a financial advisor and a broker to see where we stand. He also said we’re at the best possible time with the best possible scenario (as far as our finances and current positions in housing are concerned), ready to lay in wait until our perfect prey ripens at the lowest price, then we’ll swoop in and be victors in our new home. *crossing fingers*
Sunday, Mr. W and I took our two sets of respective parents to The Stinking Rose for dinner. The elders seemed to get along fine although I thought my parents spoke too much Chinese among themselves for my taste. But both sides did make effort to chat and get to know each other. Nothing weird happened at all (except for my mom’s stomachache, I need to email her and check up on her), no tension, and everyone was overall jovial. *whew*
I’d resolved to actually write and mail Christmas cards this year. I’ve been wanting to do this for years, but never got around to it. Now all I need are addresses, and I get to spread some Christmas cheer! *jazz hands*
I’m so glad the evening of the ‘meeting’ went well! Not that it wouldn’t…but much easier on all, when things go smoothly!
So do you have a specific house in mind, that you’re waiting for?
No, not really…we’re still in the very preliminary stages of trying to decide what neighborhoods we want to keep an eye on. We can wait out the stubborn sellers, we have that luxury.
so there’s definitey going to be a new house for both of you?! that will be nice – instead of one moving into another’s house…starting fresh
Hopefully you can find a neighborhood close to the cheap gas! 🙂 ha ha
His place is way too small for me, and he could rent out his place for a lot more money than I can rent out my place, so the practical thing to do is to put his place up for rent and move in with me (which is also closer to work for both of us, AND I live in the area with the cheapest gas) so we can save up a lot of money pending the wedding and new house purchase, BUT he doesn’t want to. So we’ll just have to plod along until we find a place for both of us, I guess.
of course the ‘logical’ thing would be make more work for yourselves: find a place, get a place, move – while working on wedding plans and such… ha ha 🙂
well – maybe it will work out better in the end anyways?
Well, the reason it’s more “logical” to buy our place first before the wedding is because once we spend all our dough on the wedding, the banks will not look too kindly on us when they consider us for home loans. So you want to get financing approved and done while you appear to have the most assets and the least debt-to-income ratio.
Hey there! Hopethe house hunting is going well. Wasn’t James house hunting, too? And… Jay and I are going to the Stinking Rose!!! For his b-day on the 26th 🙂
hello, hope all is well. u have been a busy bee writing 🙂 me, not so much. was sicky for awhile but better now. did u ever get my email back? was awhile ago, but may be spammed.
Vanessa – last I heard, James was planning on house-hunting at the end of this year, but I haven’t talked to him forever so I don’t know whether he’s actually doing it.
Have fun at Stinking! It’s good that you both go together cuz if only 1 of you go and then come home to the other…pee-ew!
a – I’m averaging just under 1 post a day, which Jordan used to complain about cuz she was used to my 2-3 posts a day before, but now she’s so busy she hasn’t even noticed my posts.
Hope you feel 100% soon. I’m still sickly, and it blows.
Never got your email back. The last thing between us was my email to you telling you to “reply” to both addresses cuz the last email was quarantined. Uh-oh, maybe you never got that one.
Chad has been to the Stinking Rose before…I want to go!! I love garlic!!
I’m glad you’re on the road to happy house buying!! It’s a great feeling to know you got a good deal.
K – you want Cindy to move to the cheap gas neighborhood? You realize that’s in Kuwait, right? I so won’t be visiting… but hopefully she’ll come back to the states once in awhile.
Is this the first time the ‘rents all got together?
House hunting is so much fun (most of the time) especially when you DO have the luxury of waiting because you already own a place and don’t HAVE to move right NOW. I love going to all the subdivisions and looking at the model homes. If not for anything else, decorating ideas. I still do it.
Oh, I was meaning the ‘logic’ as in …why go through all of the stress and work of moving, when you, like you wrote – could just have him move in w/you! 🙂
But for sure, if you are going to buy first, it sounds like there are definitely pro’s to doing so. Reasons I would never think of, ha ha
Jordan~ mmm…I couldn’t visit there either. But…I could handle Argentina! 🙂
Flat Coke – I just brought my Stinking Rose leftovers with me for lunch today! Garlic prime rib, garlic mashed potatoes, yummers!
Yeah, I got a crazy deal for the place I have now. It felt like it was meant to be with all the pieces that fell into place at all the right timing. Hoping the streak continues. YOUR new place in our area, BTW, would cost $1.3 million.
Jordan – HEY, I didn’t realize K was trying to kick me out of the country until NOW! Waaah!! Can I come live with you?
Yup, first meeting of the ‘rents. It’s hard to get them together cuz his ‘rents retired to Vegas, and my parents don’t go there much.
I LOVE model homes and open houses! I’m always dying to see how people live. I like to pretend I live there and would assign people or activities to each room. Of course, after I leave, I always feel sad to be returning to my modest little less-than-designer abode.
K – I don’t think Mr. W is going to budge his finances at all right now, so it’s up to me to increase our income. I thought it’d be fun to pick up an evening job at Bath & Body Works or Victoria’s Secret and soak up their discounts, but Mr. W wouldn’t hear of my taking a 2nd job. 🙁 The only other alternative for quick money now is to rent out my place.
that SUCKS. i sent u this ginormous email back same day. i don’t think my email archives sent stuff either. boo!!!!!
haha about the 2nd job at BB and BW or something like that becuase my g/f Kimberly and I have been shopping a lot together the last few weeks and I keep telling HER that we need to get a ‘seasonal’ PT position in these stores for the discounts… like at World Market (love that place)
a – Got your email! I’m working on a response. 🙂
Jordan – Feel free to jump on your “seasonal” job, and I’ll “borrow” your discount. That way I don’t have to work there for the perks. Oh, except for the whole second income thing.
I think we ALL should have gotten part time jobs (at least for the Holiday season) and then used each other’s discounts. Next year, we need to make a list of what stores we need to apply to.. 🙂
I just bought a $120 pair of Dansko (work) clogs at Nordstrom… so I think one of us needs to workt here.
I think we ALL should have gotten part time jobs (at least for the Holiday season) and then used each other’s discounts. Next year, we need to make a list of what stores we need to apply to.. 🙂
I just bought a $120 pair of Dansko (work) clogs at Nordstrom… so I think one of us needs to work here.
woops, I was trying to correct “work” in my last sentence (knowing there isn’t a ‘t’ in work… haha…. but it sent it twice. One with the typo and one without… and now another comment just to explain why I sent two comments. 🙂
I would’ve corrected it for you if you’d asked, but you already did it yourself. So I’ll just leave it. 🙂
Yeah, it’s a great idea to all hit up our favorite stores and exchange discounts! Next year, do something in mortgage loans and stuff. Thanks!