October 2017 Moms

Weekly Randoms 5/8

I just started tearing up because a coworker sent an announcement that his baby was born this morning.  We're not even particularly close but I couldn't hold back the waterworks.  Ahh, pregnancy hormones.   
    



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Re: Weekly Randoms 5/8

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  • VLillyVVLillyV member
    @bluejeanbabi05 this is immensely helpful already, thank you! I at least need some pointers, because no one around me has bought a home. They all just rent or bought a home decades ago. The open house cookie factor sounds like a big plus.
    Lilypie Pregnancy tickers
  • edited May 2017
    Oh also look into the FHA program (3.5% down payment) if you're low on funds for a down payment- we used that for our first home and it really worked out. We had to pay around $200 a month in mortgage insurance, that's the thing to keep in mind. 



  • mrs_fogue said:
    O17ers better step up their game!  Not a single one of you are on the leader board! 
    And @bluejeanbabi05 is on the board!
    This makes me scratch my head. I've commented like twice today. 



  • mrs_foguemrs_fogue member
    edited May 2017

    @VLillyV I would talk to the bank first but download a few apps and start looking for houses you want to look at.  There isn't a ton of options in our area so I already knew which house I wanted from the get go.  We used the sellers realtor who was a good friend of my cousin/new next door neighbor.  The part that sucks is making an offer and negotiating.  It was so stressful and left us both deflated.  Also talk to your realtor and lender about all the fees.  Not only are you responsible for your down payment, but closing costs as well.  We weren't 100% aware of what all that would entail and coming up with that little bit of extra at the end was tough. 

    Oh and don't be afraid to ask for things in your offer.  We got the seller to pay 50% of our closing costs as well as keeping the fridge. 

    Edit because spelling has been hard lately, blame it on the preggo brain

  • VLillyVVLillyV member
    edited May 2017
    @natleilynn ahh thank you for this also! See now this is also helpful -  @bluejeanbabi05  we were def. looking for down payment assistance (this is a pretty sudden jump) and didn't know quite where to look. I am looking through my contacts to see who may know a few realtors personally as well. Technically we can stay after our lease is up but it will cost us a lot more then we are comfortable paying on a month to month basis.
    Lilypie Pregnancy tickers
  • VLillyVVLillyV member
    @mrs_fogue score on the fridge! That's pretty awesome!
    Lilypie Pregnancy tickers
  • VLillyVVLillyV member
    @ChocolateIsLife thanks for the tip. I want to be very careful with who we go with. I have seen that happen to a couple of coworkers with different business ventures. It's not fun at all
    Lilypie Pregnancy tickers
  • @villyv congrats on house hunting! It's so exciting (and also stressful, but mostly exciting). For us we Had better luck when we found the realtor first, who then introduced us to their preferred lender. The first time we tried to get approved first but we're having issues because DH hadn't been in his current career for X amount of years (5?) so lenders didn't want to use his income even though it was twice mine. But once we got hooked up with the realtors lender it was fine (this was also 2009 when I think lenders were started to get more strict after the housing market crashed). I also second using apps (I liked Redfin) to find houses that you want to look at. I also found the house we live in now, not our realtor. Mortgage insurance does suck initially if you can't put down 20%, but you can always think about refinancing later.

    *O17 June Siggy Challenge - You had 1 job!*
    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker Pregnancy Ticker
  • @vlillyv yay on preparing to buy first home! We were pre approved before we reached out to a realtor/broker. We wanted to make sure it was something we could actually do before diving in to the process and getting excited. Since it was our first home, we chose an FHA mortgage loan, which allows for 3.5 down payment instead of 20%. The downside to this is that we have to pay private mortgage insurance which is about $200/month. As far as getting a realtor/broker from a friend referral, make sure they are legit. Next time we purchase a home I would personally only use a referral from a friend/family if they have used them. Also I would check reviews for them as well. The only reason I say this is because we initially went with a broker/realtor duo that a family member referred and recommended us to. It turned out that this broker was just a casual bar buddy, and was just starting out. She kept losing our paperwork that we would send her, even though the document was in the email, so we just ended up forwarding the same email that had her initial response in it. This happened a handful of times, and consequently lost a holding on our interest rate because she forgot to lock it down, so it is nearly 1.5 points higher than it would have been. I know that most cases aren't this way, just make sure you don't blindly trust a referral like me and DH did. It will save you the stress in the long run!
    +100000000 to this. Our first broker screwed up as well, so badly we almost lost the house until the new broker we had found saved the day. She was amazing.



  • VLillyVVLillyV member
    @purplestarz Thank you! I may have this problem... DH has only had his job for about 2 years now although I have had mine more and make slightly more. Hopefully it is a non-issue. I will be on the look out for the right team though! Thank you

    You ladies are so immensely helpful!
    Lilypie Pregnancy tickers
  • @carries2018 random, how do you like that bookshelf/toy box?  I've looked at getting that several times for dd's room.  We are fixing to move the dresser into the new nursery so I need to make my mind up about what we want.
  • @villyv congrats on house hunting! It's so exciting (and also stressful, but mostly exciting). For us we Had better luck when we found the realtor first, who then introduced us to their preferred lender. The first time we tried to get approved first but we're having issues because DH hadn't been in his current career for X amount of years (5?) so lenders didn't want to use his income even though it was twice mine. But once we got hooked up with the realtors lender it was fine (this was also 2009 when I think lenders were started to get more strict after the housing market crashed). I also second using apps (I liked Redfin) to find houses that you want to look at. I also found the house we live in now, not our realtor. Mortgage insurance does suck initially if you can't put down 20%, but you can always think about refinancing later.
    My favorite part of Redfin was the app - so when we were out driving around I could follow along on their map and see how much houses were on the market for quickly without having to look up individual addresses. It made for some awesome Sunday afternoon drives :smile:

    BFP#1: 12/3/13 EDD 8/15/13. Heartbeat found on 12/26/13, HB gone on 1/4/13. D&C 1/7/13
    BFP#2: 4/19/13 EDD 12/28/13. Team Green for pregnancy and Baby Girl arrived 12/21/13.
    BFP#3: 2/9/13 EDD 10/18/17. Team Green for Round 2!

    BabyFruit Ticker
  • @mrs_fogue i LOVE it! great storage and not sore on the eyes. we are tight on space so the play room is in our living room so i can easily throw things in there. and it looks clean/organized when guests come. i can stuff like 15+ stuffed animals (for the love no one ever gift a child stuffed animals...or blankets for that matter) plus all their games and shiz.

    for inquiring minds.
    https://www.amazon.com/Sauder-Bookcase-Footboard-White-Finish/dp/B00B2QU5YW/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1494266818&sr=8-11&keywords=toy+storage

                                      DD1 - 10/11/13                 DD2 - 5/07/15

    Pregnancy Ticker

                                         May Siggy Challenge: Parenting Fails
    Image result for parenting fails
  • @mrs_fogue we got DD this for Christmas and she/we love it. She has a ton of books so the shelves are all for books, but we have her stuffed animals lined up along the top two. It's in a little dormer in her room, which fits perfectly. She's 3 and it's small enough for her, but big enough to grow into a little.  She's tall but tiny for her age so I'm thinking we might have to upgrade at age 6 or 7. 

    https://www.amazon.com/KidKraft-Bookcase-Reading-Nook-Furniture/dp/B01LIRL4C6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1494266812&sr=8-1&keywords=book+nook 
    BFP#1: 12/3/13 EDD 8/15/13. Heartbeat found on 12/26/13, HB gone on 1/4/13. D&C 1/7/13
    BFP#2: 4/19/13 EDD 12/28/13. Team Green for pregnancy and Baby Girl arrived 12/21/13.
    BFP#3: 2/9/13 EDD 10/18/17. Team Green for Round 2!

    BabyFruit Ticker
  • @mrs_fogue i LOVE it! great storage and not sore on the eyes. we are tight on space so the play room is in our living room so i can easily throw things in there. and it looks clean/organized when guests come. i can stuff like 15+ stuffed animals (for the love no one ever gift a child stuffed animals...or blankets for that matter) plus all their games and shiz.

    for inquiring minds.
    https://www.amazon.com/Sauder-Bookcase-Footboard-White-Finish/dp/B00B2QU5YW/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1494266818&sr=8-11&keywords=toy+storage

    We have this same toy chest and I love it. It's surprisingly heavy and sturdy for the price. I would definitely buy it again.
     --------
    I heart theSkimm
    I heart YNAB
    ---------
    “Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, 
    if one only remembers to turn on the light." 
    - Albus Dumbledore
  • @ChocolateIsLife you are having a shower right? i would just register for it, and then make your decision if no one bought it/you see your gift card situation. for us it didnt make sense bc we were looking at 6 total months for all the kids. but you are looking up to a year-ish figuring 2 kids. so the cost makes more sense for you.
                                      DD1 - 10/11/13                 DD2 - 5/07/15

    Pregnancy Ticker

                                         May Siggy Challenge: Parenting Fails
    Image result for parenting fails
  • I'm like carries2018: lurking and reading but feel like I haven't got anything huge to contribute at the moment!

    Congrats on the house hunt though, VLillyV! It can be a lot of fun and stress at the same time. We just went through it last year and, while I don't have anything to add that hasn't been said before, try to enjoy it and make sure all your ducks are in a row first (financing, etc.). It'll make the process a lot easier. And also be willing and able to walk away from something that doesn't feel right. We had to do that twice in the hunt. Good luck!
  • VLillyV said:
    @purplestarz Thank you! I may have this problem... DH has only had his job for about 2 years now although I have had mine more and make slightly more. Hopefully it is a non-issue. I will be on the look out for the right team though! Thank you

    You ladies are so immensely helpful!
    Depending on how closely related his last jobs were it might be ok (for example all of my past "office jobs" could be counted even though they were all pretty different). His jobs were night and day with zero relatable factors so he was considered high risk I guess.

    *O17 June Siggy Challenge - You had 1 job!*
    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker Pregnancy Ticker
  • @chocolateislife I did what @carries2018 suggested and threw it on my registry. We will re-evaluate after the shower.



  • ariz17ariz17 member
    @ChocolateIsLife We finally went to Babies R Us to start registering this weekend and I was so confused about the bassinet situation. More or less I was confused because there were like only 2 options in the store. I was planning on doing some research too and maybe register for one at another place?

    Let me know if you find a good one or come to a good conclusion.

    Also, your Bump name just made me crave chocolate :smile: Luckily I have some in my "snack" drawer at work!
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