We are OFFICIALLY looking for a house now – as in, checkbook in hand and ready to sign the papers to make it happen. I have been talking with Mortgage Dude and we finally stomped the final hurdle into oblivion. Given the timing of everything, we’re planning to get house and car pretty much simultaneously.
Can we say JAZZED?
Yes we can!
The housing prices have gone nuts over the past few weeks, which is good and bad. Houses that were selling for $80-90K are now up by $20K-ish. That means a higher monthly payment, obviously, but also bodes well for us should we choose down the line to sell and relocate. Higher property values are a GOOD thing.
G actually balked when I said “now”, claiming he didn’t want to be pushed into things.
We’ve been planning this for over a YEAR now. How the hell does he figure that’s being pushed?????
His balk lasted about five minutes, fortunately – just long enough for his brain to kick in. He basically talked himself into it before I said anything, because 1) our rent here is guaranteed to jump to higher levels than a house payment, and that’s only 2-3 months from now; 2) we have NOTHING to show for it when we move from an overpriced apartment; 3) we are seriously crunched for space; and 4) the timing is perfect – a traditional sale will close in June, hopefully late June, which means we’d have to pay our July rent then pick up the house payment starting in August. Ergo his concern about breaking the lease is also rendered moot, because our last month on the lease is July.
It’s also perfect timing for us monetarily. I have a kick-ass bonus this coming week, plus pulled funds from the 401K, which together put us comfortably above the proof of funds numbers we need. AND because now we’re looking at a traditional sale, vs. a short sale, we have a better chance of scoring a home that’s in better shape and the owners are more likely to negotiate for some of the things we really want – like home insurance (covers repairs on things like AC and major appliances during the first year) and appliances. With short sales and foreclosures it’s pretty much you get what you get.
So while we’ll be paying a bit more on a house payment, it’s still doable and will of coincide with the time we were already planning the purchase of a new(er) vehicle.
The only remaining argument now is which area we choose. I first thought Queen Creek was higher than Maricopa. When we started comparing Apples to Apples, though, there really wasn’t a lot of difference, with a possible edge in Queen Creek because of details like landscaping, which are expensive if we have to do it ourselves.
So G and I plan to begin an official house hunt this week to pin down exactly where we plan to land. The more I’m finding about Maricopa the more I’m hedging about it as a potential stomping grounds. Yes, there’s a slight edge monetarily, but I have some legitimate safety concerns (among other things). On the other hand, Maricopa has the Amtrack station and a few other reasons to recommend it, not the least of which is its distance from the kids.
I love my kids, but they have a tendency to become a royal pain in the tuckus from time to time.
The part also came in for the old car yesterday – the right one this time, from what I understand – which is likewise a good thing. Now if they can get the leak in the cooling system fixed, we are golden. Not a lot longer, just long enough to keep us afloat (so to speak) for a couple of more months or so. It means dealing with the lack of AC again for this summer. Can’t say I’m thrilled with that prospect, though I can live with it if it means the difference in getting both house AND car.
I have been holding onto the conviction that everything happens for a reason, including frustrating delays. Looks like it’s exactly that, down to the last dotted i and crossed t.