mortgage sparring 202

A little follow-up to anyone who read my first post about this whole mortgage lender debacle:

Before I even got home that night, I'd already decided to go with my girl regardless of the money difference. So the choice was made and I'd planned to let everyone know in the morning. I checked my email that evening and she had sent me a message saying that she reviewed her quote because she was sure that her fees weren't as high as they looked, and she realized her computer hadn't picked up a debit and instead registered it as a credit. Long story short, once that little computation error was fixed, her bid actually beat out the guy's bid, meaning that I wouldn't have to mourn that $$ loss at all. So I guess good decisions can be rewarded after all!

Super Nerd

Oh how things have changed. Once upon a time, I avoided the Rhodes business building like it was lined with hypodermic needles. Now, I see the front cover of Business Week and think, Oh great! An article on generational tension, and even better, Jim Collins contributed! And Michael Bloomberg! Oh this one, this one's going to be good. Ugh. 

After that little outburst, I was already a little self-conscious about my nerdiness...and then I went to the dentist. And loved it. I didn't even get a free goodie bag or anything. I just love having my teeth cleaned, and I loved the new technology they had (ultrasonic water picks and digital x-rays, oh my!). I loved the metal scraper tool that makes awful vibrations in your enamel because it is hands down the best plaque removal tool I've ever seen. (I may or may not have tried to buy my own). I had a great conversation with my hygienist about dental school. I polled her about her favorite types of toothbrush and toothpaste and whether or not Listerine was really the best mouthwash or not. Like a kid in a sugar-free candy store.

Then this afternoon to top it all off, I decided to finally set up a LinkedIn profile. I've been avoiding this for a while in an effort to maintain a modicum of privacy. Also, there's just something super "adult" about professional networking. And really I don't need to add anything else to my cyber toolkit. But don't worry, I gave in anyway. And then spent a good hour importing information from my resume, seeking out old colleagues, and adding people to my network. One more site to check now!

So let's just do a quick recap of SuperNerd's day:

9:30 a.m. - Uses the phrase "This could be the best issue yet!" while referencing Business Week 

12:00 p.m. - Loves dentist 

2:30 p.m. - Creates LinkedIn profile

After work I'll be subscribing to a pocket protector catalog, and before bed I'll make sure to dust my Star Wars action figure boxes. 

mortgage sparring 101

While I never thought that buying a house would be easy, persay, I never expected to be in the middle of a menage trois of lenders. I'm like the girl that didn't know she just walked into a swinger's party...maybe I'd have been okay with it if I'd have understood what was going on, but all of the sudden being in a tug-of-war for my affection (or commission, as it is)...well, that's going to take some getting used to. 

I suspect the mortgage business has soured in the past 12 months since Bear Stearns tanked and America put out her un-ashed cigarette and gestured with a grimace and fake naivete, "What'd I do?" Since tons of buyers can't even get a loan to buy one of the thousands (millions?) of overstocked homes, it seems as though brokers are in a real pinch here. Which means they want your money. Bad. 

I had a broker that was a friend and co-worker of another very close friend, so I was completely confident this girl wasn't going to screw me into 2038...that's right, when my loan will be complete {insert gag}. Put on your Pig Latin hat and let's call her Endall-kay, for privacy's sake. So things were moving along nicely when my builder decided to jump in the mix and start offering mortgage incentives. So they passed me onto their lender. Already I felt like I was cheating, but I know that it's common to "shop around your loan" so I thought why not. The lender then passed me to an "associate" who I come to realize is a broker from an unconnected business. Meaning, two people are getting commissions now. Red flag.

So Ris-que (Pig Latin, people) then sends me a bid that undercuts Endall-kay. But he also calls me 3 TIMES while I'm at lunch, freaking out saying I have to lock in my rate that minute because oh shit I think the stock market is dropping and rates will rise and what will do if the world caves in and you haven't locked in your rate? Sign here, please. His urgency and faux concern for my interest rate totally irks me, so I send Endall-kay his quote, asking if she'd match it so I could just get rid of him. She does. She points out all the places he was jacking up fees, which totally offset any incentives I was supposedly getting. Red flag. I send a Dear John letter to Ris-que. The builder's lender (stay with me) writes and says he's sure that once the dust settles, he'll be able to undercut her again. I'm sorry, when did "dust settles" become a proper negotiation term? Red flag. I get another email from the builder asking to see my girl's quote. Red flag. Now I'm extra irked, like the same kind of irked I am when I realize I'm out of colby jack cheese. So I blow them off. Sure enough, just like a typical man, the silent treatment works and today I get a final bid from Ris-que saying he's cut his commission in half just to get my business and hopes that I will appreciate the "really great option" he's given me. 

Unfortunately, it kind of is a good option. It's like, a brand new 42" LCD HD TV good option. 

But I just have this female-intuition-vibe that's telling me if he doesn't screw me now, he'll screw me later. I feel like he's somehow going to mortgage roofie me at some point, and what price tag can you put on fear?

So I'm going to sleep on it, because that's how I make big decisions, and then tomorrow I'll follow my gut and decide that my 24" TV gets a pretty good picture after all. 

i'm a big kid now

You know it's Friday when you wake up and realize you dreamt that Troy Aikman had been following you from party to party because he was in love with you. I mean, really, can you blame him? 

Strangely, my Cowboys-lover dream was not the biggest thing that happened this week. Nor was the last day of class, signaling my three-week release from prison back into the real world! Nor was the amazing Hold Steady concert, at which Lundy and I wriggled our way to the second row and sweated it up to some rockin' rock. Amongst all that stuff, I signed a 1,273 page contract signing away my firstborn child in exchange for a sweet-ass-all-mine-put-your-big-girl-pants-on house! 

I've been on a serious house hunt since June when the armpit shithole rental house fell through. Sally referred me to Don, the patron saint of good decision making, and after visiting at least 50 houses, we both finally agreed that my new little gal was the best choice! I am so thankful to have had a knowledgeable, wise, altruistic, and patient helper like Don and I was so excited after signing the contract that I distributed not one but two hugs in appreciation! 

My whole goal during this process was, first and foremost, to find a home that I would love, feel stable in, and feel "me" in. Secondary goals included avoiding a money pit, choosing something that would rent easily once I move on, and finally picking something that would re-sell easily someday down the road when the market is up and running again. After much see-sawing between those objectives, I realized that buying an old house (hence, one I felt most comfortable in) was diametrically opposed to all sensibility. Given my general stress level of life right now and my track record of luck lately, the charm and character of an old house would probably soon give way to some unwelcome repairs that would leave me just shy of a strait-jacket. Since I'm looking for more stability, not less, I realized I needed to save my "ideal" house for later. 

Just as I was about to give up (why is this always when it happens?), my little lady fell right into my lap, before she even hit the official market. By the end of the month, I'll be a proud new member of the Mueller development going up on the site of the old airport. For those who think traditional developments are the Anti-Christ, I hear you, and I hope you're pleasantly surprised by the new urban concepts at play in this green community. It took me a while to warm up to the idea of paying a homeowner's association fee, but the bike trails + greenways, town center, light rail, and easily maintained house eventually swayed me. This whole hunt was a great test of my patience (or lack thereof), and I'm so glad I held off on the many properties that I considered. I think the reality of being a homeowner will kick in once I start hiring movers, painting, switching utilities, forwarding mail, and all of the other prosaic tasks that come with moving....and I can't wait.

what's your sign?

The only horoscope I've read in the past four years was out of The Onion, and it told me the good news was, I was going to have the best day of my life tomorrow! The bad news was, I'd be hit by a car the next day. I hadn't even so much thought about my sign until a "family dinner" the other night when Jenilee proclaimed that obviously she's moody, I mean, she IS a Cancer, which spiraled into a detailed dissection of all of our personalities and sent me running for the Internet to figure out who I really was.

Thanks to astrology.com, I found out I am a huge pansy. I'm sensitive and dreamy and emotional and I sound seriously annoying. I hate illiteracy, and I'm probably short with pouty lips. (I joined forces with Wikipedia too, okay?) Which is where I also found out that Pisces have the most beautiful eyes in the Zodiac. Boo-yah! Where's the part about my voluptuous breasts?

More reputable sites suggest that I'm a good confidant, a solid caretaker, and I want to love and be loved. Sometimes I feel isolated and disconnected. Now we're onto something. I have a strong intuition and use that to solve problems, although I hate making big decisions. Tough times will be great sources of wisdom for me. Damn well better be. 26 is going to be a year of important change. Gah, not more than 25 please! There's a good chance I'll be a writer, and I'm usually very loyal. I can't cook for shit. (I couldn't find that exact phrase but it had to be in there somewhere).

So aside from the whole pouty-lipped dreamer thing, I feel like a lot of this stuff was pretty dead on, which kind of blew my mind. Does anyone else buy into this whole zodiac thing, or am I taking a turn down Crazy Road?