* before i write anything about our house purchase i wanted to say congratulations again to gamecock43 & BB on their finance approval. i do wish things had gone as smoothly for them as it did for us, but it is all (finally) done now and i can't wait to read move-in posts!
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I got a call at work today at 10am, my loan manager called to let me know our loan had been officially approved. I dropped off the $5k deposit at the real estate today, and I was able to meet the contract manager (I have been tlaking to her on the phone for about three weeks but hadn't met her yet). She was a very lovely lady. The real estate agent that we have been dealing with also appeared from his office to shake my hand and say congratulations.
I know everyone is supposed to be wary of real estate agents, and generally people treat them as though they are the devil, but honestly this bunch have made everything go so smoothly. The solicitors had no problems with any of the paperwork either, which is a good sign.
We pick up the keys on March 2nd. Unfortunately for YOU GUYS, I can't say I won't be counting down the days in every single entry I make until then. So I apologise in advance.
House Buying Costs So Far:
$500 (legal fees deposit)
$1000 (good intention deposit)
$5000 (finance deposit)
$5.40 (cheque fee)
Total So Far: $6505.40
Oh don't worry, there's plenty more to come where that came from!
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I have a related but un-related question:
I think it's important to show sometimes that you appreciate the help that people give you, especially if you know that they have gone above and beyond what they normally do. Because of this, I am thinking of buying a box of chocolates for:
- my boss and his wife (because my boss's wife initially got us started on saving for the mortgage insurance and showed us where we had to be financially before even THINKING about looking for a house - and my boss, well, he married her :P )
- our loan manager (she has returned EVERY SINGLE ONE of my calls (there's been... a few...) and has always been friendly and helpful. she's organised our loan structure so we can save the most we can on interest, and she organised the first yearly fee to be waived when she didn't have to do anything)
- the staff at a particular branch of the bank that i am with now, but will be leaving - i will probably take the chocolates in when i close the account (this paricular branch has three ladies that have remembered me since i got my personal loan, one of them made sure she called me after i enquired about a home loan, and they went out of their way to help DF and I when our accounts were frozen - they fixed it all within a day after them being frozen for two weeks)
- the real estate who sold us our house (for reasons i have listed above!)
anyway, my question is, am I being a little bit weird? do people still do this?
i just think its nice... to be nice... sometimes.
(my friend baked her mechanic a cake when he did a service on her car for free because he felt sorry for her, she had gone through three cars in two months. he was like 'ummm... thanks???')
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Expense for today:
$1 on two cans of coke (one i gave to a work colleague)
that's it! i did well! i talked myself out of buying a celebratory cup of coffee on the way home from the real estate. i made one when i got home instead 
DF I think wants to go out for dinner because his mum is visiting his grandparents, and they always go to the local service club.
you can get cheap meals there, but most of them are around $15-$25, plus then there's drinks ... I am going to attempt to talk DF out of going. I don't really feel like it, plus my brother and his family are arriving tomorrow and we have to get the house ready still, and I have chicken thawed for his green curry...
To end on a good note: it's Friday, and out of my $60.30 mock allowance this week I have spent:
Hot chocolate: $3.50
Coffee: $3.80
Coke: $1.50 (3 cans over the week)
Staff Lotto: $2.00
Total: $10.80
Left Over: $49.50
Only Saturday and Sunday to go! :S I have mixed feelings - it could go well, or badly... we will see!
official approval!
February 6th, 2009 at 07:04 am
February 6th, 2009 at 09:47 am 1233913677
February 6th, 2009 at 10:44 am 1233917066
February 6th, 2009 at 11:41 am 1233920478
February 6th, 2009 at 01:42 pm 1233927756
February 6th, 2009 at 05:31 pm 1233941509
On the flip side, our first home and last one we attempted to buy had TERRIBLE selling realtors. I mean there was no WAY we could have gotten such a nice condo so cheap otherwise. Or such a deal for 3500 sf on 1/2 acre. (That one they took another offer before we could sell our home, but we saw it relisted twice before it ever sold. Their realtor was just terrible. IT would have been a lateral move from us; from less desirable area and smaller home. Was just a steal). I think terrible selling realtors can be a gold mine for buyers. You just find these absolute gems that others have passed up, at unbelievable prices. But our realtor was the best. She set the bar pretty high. I'd probably have more trouble in seeing the value of a selling realtor, but for our experiences above. Our realtor sold our home in a day. Good enough for us.
Well, yay for things moving right along!
February 6th, 2009 at 08:52 pm 1233953565
February 6th, 2009 at 08:54 pm 1233953640
February 6th, 2009 at 10:57 pm 1233961044
February 7th, 2009 at 03:35 am 1233977717
I agree with the others, a little something showing your appreciation would be appropriate.