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[vixalicious]

*sigh*

Up at 5:30 again. I tried to get back to sleep for an hour, and then gave up. So now I'm up, having breakfast, reading through my home-buying guide. I'm looking on some websites that the book recommends, and I think it may be making me nauseous... that's a lot of money. And they have all these calculators out there that tell you whether you're better off renting vs buying, and I don't understand enough about the variables to know if I'm filling them out right.

*sigh*

Everybody I've talked to keeps telling me that it's ridiculously easy to buy a house. And I'm sure it is. But I'm freaked out that I'm going to get into some sort of really bad mortgage arrangement, or end up paying twice as much as I pay now for more headache or something.

In other homefront news, they're re-doing the water pipes in our building. Now, this is absolutely something that needs to be done. We've had leaks all summer, as you might remember from my constant whinging, and I think it's great that they're finally doing something about them. That said, it's going to be a nightmare. We have to take everything out of the kitchen cabinets and our bathrooms, and the work is scheduled to take 7-10 days per unit which will of course translate to at least two weeks of chaos and destruction.

There's a meeting tomorrow night, Scott's going to go to it, and find out more information. We want to try to get them to schedule our unit for the week of Thanksgiving and the week after, because we both work from home at times (me almost constantly this fall, yay!) and that would be the least distracting.

But the reality of it is that there's no way they'll put everything back the way it was. We've done custom painting and wall treatments in the kitchen and both bathrooms, and the apartment complex has flat out said that they will not fix that. And we're only here til February, so there's no real point to re-doing everything for that short of time, especially considering that with the holidays coming up and travelling for work, we'll both be gone half that time anyway. Scott & I talked about it Monday, and we both decided that we'd just clean really well this week, and take some pictures of the apartment the way it is now, and remember it that way. Just, stressful, you know? I don't like the idea of my home being torn up. Well, not when it's not going to be prettier at the end.

I just feel like everything's in this big state of flux right now, and even though I know life will be just as good, with the possibility to be even better, at the end of it all, it's stressing me out. And affecting my sleep patterns and my mood.

Comments

[zillah975]

*hugs like mad*

On the house-buying front, I'd do a couple of things. First, I'd talk with my folks or other parental figure about it. You'd mentioned you'd talked to your dad once? is he someone you can talk over things like renting vs. buying and these calculators, and mortgages and financing etc with? Don't think for a moment that you're ever "too old" to ask your parents for advice if they're people who can give it. If you don't trust your dad's head for money, what about someone at work? Do your benefits include any kind of service like that, financial counselors or legal advice or the like?

What about people you work with? Any of them who might be able to help you at least understand the variables on the calculators? (What kinds of variables are you talking about? I can try to help if you want.)

And find a reputable Buyer's Agent or Buyer's Agency. Not a dual agent, and not just a real estate agent, but a real estate agent who only helps home buyers buy homes. This person will work for you to help you through the whole home buying process. They'll help you with lawyers, inspectors, loan officers, all that stuff. Buying a home is only ridiculously easy if you have one of these people on your side, or if you've already done it a few times. And engaging a Buyer's Agent doesn't obligate you to buy a home, and to the best of my knowledge doesn't obligate you to pay them a thing if you don't. Check the terms of whomever you talk to, but at the buyer's agency I was an office chick for, they didn't get a cent if the buyer didn't buy.

If you don't have someone you can talk with about financing issues, then when you find your buyer's agent, talk with her about it and see what advice she can give you, or let her refer you to someone good. Maybe several someones, to get a few opinions.

*hugs more and more*

[shirecreature.livejournal.com]

When I bought my condo it wasn't that bad, I don't know if buying a house is worse. I had a very nice realtor. I know sometimes they can be a nightmare, though.

[sally-simpson76.livejournal.com]

*cuddles you* Yep, that's stressful. And it sucks. But you will get through it, and you'll do great! *hugs more*

[thescreamregime.livejournal.com]

Change can be really hard. You know all the stuff I went through in 2004 and to a lesser extent in '05. But what I learned from all that is that the harder you try to "deal" with it and the more you think about it, the worse it feels. The best thing to do is just try to have a zen-like attitude about it. Easier said than done, of course. And if that doesn't work, go to your doctor and get some really good pills! :-) But seriously, these things can be stressful for anyone, so just know what you're feeling is perfectly normal. As far as buying a house goes, I'd definitely recommend getting a buyer's agent. They will make it so much easier for you and will protect your interests.

[juweldom.livejournal.com]

Buying a home wasn't too difficult for me, but again, I had a good real estate agent who was a friend of the family. I'd say the most important thing to do is have the home you're looking at inspected--my sister just put a bid on a house, then during the inspection it turned out the entire roof needed replacing and the owners weren't going to do it. She pulled out. On mine I asked that a vent be fixed on my AC unit and was told it was done, only to find out later it wasn't--so if they do fix things, inspect it again.

The great thing about owning your place is that you can do anything you want to it and really make it your own (which it sounds like you want if you're actually changing things in your apartment!) The bad thing of course is that anything that breaks, you're the one who has to deal with it. And there's DEFINITELY more costs involved in owning vs. renting. All stuff to consider.

Good luck! *hugs*

[opheliaskiss.livejournal.com]

Think of what a wonderful feeling it will be to own your own home, being able to decorate and set things up just the way you want them. I don't know that it would be so easy, so definitely having an agent to help you with all the detail stuff is necessary, because you can't think of everything. I agree that once you are looking at a home, have an inspector come to check it for you. The first house we were trying to buy ended up having over 12,000 worth of pretty immediate repairs necessary, and when we asked the buyer to either fix it or bring down the price, and they wouldn't - so we didn't buy it. We could tell some things needed a little fixing, but would never have thought it would cost so much.

Which brings me to the next part - the less obvious repairs necessary, the better, because things still pop up, and that is where the extra expense comes in - if you fix the small things as they happen, it won't be so stressful or costly as letting them pile up or get worse.

Try some lavender essential oil on your temples and wrists when you go to bed, it soothes and helps relax you to sleep.

Hugs, Love & Light

[davidmcd.livejournal.com]

You should've called me.... I was up. And my little dog, too!

I've got some thoughts on all of this, but it's a bit much to post at the moment. But I do think it will encourage you.

[butterflysteel.livejournal.com]

Gah! That kind of thing is so scary and disruptive and just. I know exactly how you feel. *hugses*

[http://users.livejournal.com/saura_/]

Everybody I've talked to keeps telling me that it's ridiculously easy to buy a house

not true! And in fact, it's not a decision to take lightly --because then you find yourself with an expensive house (all of them are) you can't sell!

Sometimes I thought it might have been easier to rent instead of buying Would have fly out of the place four months ago *sighs*