House
Buying a house is no joke. They tell you, ( they being the loan officer, program folks, real estate agents, etc.) that it’s the most important thing you’ll do in your life…i ‘m not so sure about that, if I could feed a nation or house the hordes of displaced folks in a decent flat AND provide a hot meal. that would be the most important sh&t ever.. I digress, but it’s plenty significant. I went through a housing program..had the good fortune of having a spouse that cattle prodded me into getting my finances in order and got surry-us (serious in DC slanguage). There were a number of hoops and hurdles to navigate and some straight bullcaca that popped off at the most unwanted times, but all in all we got through. So as not to write a what to expect when expecting esque post. i’ll reserve my opines and advisements to simple non-scary blurbs.
Pray 1st for patience and understanding. you’ll need it.
1. Check your credik (credit). you get a one time all in from the big 3 once a year. find out whats on the lines. try to get your numbers over 620 or you won’t get a loan. real talk.. unless you save all your cash and can plop down all the guap and walk off free and clear..if not run your credit and fix what’s bad and call bammas and settle and all that. get letters stating that you paid and get them bad things wiped off your slate.
2. Needs vs Wants. Plain Pat champeens. what you want ( a villa in Corsica) and what you need ( a 2br/2ba fixer upper) are separate. don’t aim low, just be realistic.
3. Find a good inspector once you find a property.. i know i’m assuming you have a reputable Real Estate* agent, get a quality inspector who is bonded in their state. In DC i used a MD inspector.. VA(i think) and DC don’t require a license or bond for inspectors.. MD does. my dude was a pain for the seller and listing agent..but dude was on his j-o and made sure my jont was no setup jont.
4. Get thy yo-yo nerves in order. Young, wholetime, bammas were playing with my emotions. I got sick. literally, lost my voice for 2 dasys, due to stress. I complained about the classes and the calls and emails and the ” don’t spend this” and the prying into my life via the bank..etc. Joe. i was worn.. but my folks oput it into perspective. He said ” if the bank was giving out free money one day , but they made you wait and jump through hoops and all that, would you leave knowing they had this guap for you?” my answer was nope.. i’d sit right there and simon says all day until they gave me my bread.
All in all it was a good experience and i learned a lot from the process. so much so that i had to share. Also, lastly some quick tips. don’t use your debit card for everything.. everything shows up, stop paying folks in cash, get checks from the bank, (no money orders) to track your bread, keep a spending journal, go on the financial fast and get a budget together. That’s it. i have a new crib, before the new year..good energy. y’all be easy.
Epilogue: I’m moving soon. Have the utilities ready and we had the house painted while it’s empty which significantly reduces your cost. if you need a good lender and agent holla at me.
* When i wrote this I tried to not use names and such, however, i have to give props where due. Nancy Miranda is my agent. she, my friends, is a beast. Having a good agent is one thing having a; reputable, honest, no BS Agent is a Godsend and Nancy is all of the aforementioned. She made sure that we didn’t get got, educated us when necessary and maintained our best interest at hand..mind you she showed the 1st round of homes and then moved to Hawaii…from Hawaii she got us a proxy agent to show us more homes and eventually our house, answered calls at 3am (her time) and hounded the seller, bank, HPAP, LEDC, GWUL and everyone else, all to ensure that we were taken care of. hats off to our blessing on the big island. We love you gyal!
