WOW! Thanks guys, this is very helpful. This is why this community of toy geeks f'n rawks. We've received bits of advice from friends and family, and among them are volunteers to help us through the process. This is more up-front information than anyone has given us so far, though, and I am very grateful. [img]graemlins/thumbs_up.gif[/img]
The tour yesterday was mostly for us to take some more pictures. I had questions in mind, but while we were there I forgot most of them. The guy has mentioned that there is a plumbing issue with the rental unit that will be specified in the seller disclosure, which we're supposed to get after we make an official offer.
We had been advised to hire a home inspector, and I think we have a guy lined up for that. Today, my wife has talked to our bank and the lending company that pre-approved us back in June for what we considered our "cap", or the most we would be able to pay back on at this point. Equity is the big reason that finally got me to move, and why I regret that we didn't do this sooner, but our landlords were so nice...and there was so little work to do... I'm lazy, what can I say?
Anyway, on the advice and encouragement of yinzall, I now know there are many more phonecalls and research we'll need to do in the upcoming weeks. I knew that it's not a pleasant or easy-going process, but I think I assumed the bank and the realtor did a lot more of the leg work. The realtor guy that has been showing us around to other houses has been very up front about everything, and he did say something about acting as a buying agent, so I'm going to email him another list of questions. Someone also said something about hiring a closing specialist, so I'm going to look into that more as well.
I think the bank has looked up our credit score, but since I don't know what it is I guess I better do that, too. I've heard that there are ways to consolidate all of my other loans into the mortgage, and the notion of reducing the number of bills that comes in the mail is certainly appealling. Then there's the escrow arrangements a lady at work has that pays her taxes for her, as well as an allowance for home improvements. <sigh> While I'm sweating all this, she's already got us moved in in her head and keeps going on about which bedroom will be ours and the changes she wants to make in the kitchen... I think I'll be happy if we have the keys by November and I haven't suffered a stroke.
Mac, I will probably have some more questions for you. Thanks for leaving your email. [img]graemlins/thumbs_up.gif[/img]
SW, the thing with the paneling is that we saw it on almost every wall of every house we saw prior to this one. I'm just as tacky as the next guy, except when the next guy is the fellas around here that used paneling like it was drywall. I took pics like I was surveying the joint, but like a dummy I forgot to shoot the main roof. I'll swing by later and see what the lense can see, get 'em posted. Really appreciate the professional eye. [img]graemlins/thumbs_up.gif[/img]
My internal optimism meter is calibrated low, but I thinks that we may officially join all you other homo-ners in about a month as long as everything goes well. If not, the plan B house can wait until spring before we get very serious about it. It's a big, old, drafty duplex that was converted back to a one-family house. Everything in it except the furnace needs updated. Mostly, I just don't even want to think about the oil bill from heating that through the winter, but it's priced low enought that we could afford to do most of the renovations within a year.
We had wanted to build initially, but the way the laws have changed turned the process into a real nightmare for two of the guys I work with. It was enough to convince me that we had better start with something that already exists before we go breaking ground on a parcel of my parents' farm. We're learning.
Thanks again.
