• General Information

    Episode III – The Evil Empire

    All right- to finish this off, let me start by providing you with a list of known items that were damaged or destroyed. To date. Because I’m still finding things. TV DVR/ cable box stereo microwave computer VCR refrigerator (still runs but can’t stay cold anymore) The Progress Energy Claims guy who has been assigned to me has told me that they will pay only for what the items would have been worth when destroyed. So essentially, what would I get for my two-year-old TV on Craigslist (pre-smoking and sparking). Unfortunately, I still have to pay full price for the items I have to replace. Like the $64.99 (plus tax)…

  • Storytime

    The Hunt for the Red-Hot Neutral

    Ok, yeah I didn’t post last night. Sheesh. Apparently all you have to do to get people interested is end with a cliffhanger… When last we saw our heroine she was making her way through her now-darkened, smoked-filled family room. Obviously I needed to call an electrician (this should not actually be considered “obvious”; more on that later) but my first thought was “How can I find an electrician without the interweb?”. Fortunately I had a phone book holding open a door somewhere so I used that and, on my eighth call I finally found someone who would come out (they all say “24 Hour Service” but no one was…

  • Storytime

    Pop, pop, fizz, fizz

    You know, when it rains, it pours. I’ve had so much fun over the past few days and have oh, so many stories to share with you! I’ll have to split everything into multiple posts but I know both of you will be on the edge of your seats. Monday afternoon I came home from work early to do some cleaning (Mom was coming into town that night). I turned on the washer and tried to start the dryer but it wouldn’t quite start and then the laundry room light flickered and dimmed. I was just starting to get annoyed and a little teeny tiny bit worried when I heard…

  • General Information

    The Question that Follows

    Some life events have questions that naturally follow those events. Though it’s really quite rude, people always seem to ask the newly married couple when they’ll be getting married. Even worse (and probably much less welcome) people who have kids always seem to be asked when they’re going to have their next one. These are very personal questions but they seem to be tolerated in our nosy society, and I’ve just found a new circumstance for them: the single girl who owns a house. Since I’ve moved in three weeks ago I have had several friends and coworkers – people who know me and know I’m not dating anyone –…

  • General Information

    Cold Feet

    I really hope that some day I look back through my posts, read this, and laugh. Actually, I doubt I’d ever laugh, but maybe at least breathe a sigh of relief. I close on my townhouse in three days and I am terrified. I am not excited. I am not relieved. I am stressed and tired and I think I have at least the beginnings of an ulcer. I know I’m prone to worry, and I’m sure that’s part of this. Plus work has been seriously high stress lately so the house stuff has almost taken a backseat; perhaps I feel I haven’t been paying enough attention to the details.…

  • General Information

    Make an Offer

    Now here’s an opportunity to show what I know! I do now finally have a place under contract but it was a case of third times a charm. I made offers on two other places before I got this one. So I’ve been through the offer process a few times. A lot of what’s important may be in the negotiation, which is our next section. However, to begin you must make a first offer so:1.) make sure you want this house before you make an offer. When you make an offer you are signing half of a contract and if they sign the other half, it’s going to take some…

  • General Information

    Home Search

    I’m starting to fall behind and I’m literally in the middle of a session at a conference on how to blog right now so… call me inspired. Searching for a home is typically everyone’s favorite part of this process. This is where you wander around and look for “your” home. You’ll learn a lot about what you can afford during this phase. All the photos of places you may have looked at up to this point will be very different in person.You may realize you need to spend a little more money to get what you want (people rarely decide they want less…) but as with my previous post, I…

  • General Information

    Neighborhood Information

    I’ve neglected you, blog. I apologize. Fortunately, since I still have 8 steps to get through, my home search is taking quite a bit longer than anticipated. It’s not that I’m not looking. If you ask my poor, frustrated agent we’ve been out ten times and seen dozens of places. This is an exaggeration, but we have seen a lot. I am picky, but unfortunately I’m also unlucky. I’ve made two offers and both have fallen through for different reasons. But I’ll save those stories for the Make and Offer/Negotiating to Buy sections. I can talk about neighborhood information now though. Since I am single, with no kids and a…

  • General Information

    Pre-Approval vs. Pre-Qualification

    Pre-Qualification: Answer some questions online or over the phone about what you make, what you spend, what your credit is like, what you think you can afford/want to spend. You answer as you decide. However you decide.The amount you are “pre-qualified” for depends on what you tell the lender. This will not get you a mortgage, just get you an idea, again, based on what you tell the lender, of what you’ll be able to afford. Pre-Qualification: Fill out lots of forms, give personal and financial details that allow the lender to SEE (vs. hear it from you, you big liar) what you make, what your debts are like, and…

  • General Information

    Define Needs for Your New Home

    The big challenge on this one is to define the NEEDS vs the WANTS. I don’t need hardwoods or built-in bookcases or a third bedroom. My problem is that I want all these things. Since I’ve jumped ahead a few steps I can tell you that making a list of “wants” rather than “needs” actually isn’t a problem. It’s really very fun! Until you start the house hunt and the realization hit you that not only can you not afford the hardwoods, built-in’s and a third bedroom, you can’t afford ANY of them. Unless you enjoy a three-hour commute. But that’s for the ‘Neighborhood’ post…