Remember that house I told you about a while back when I regaled you with the story of my bottle of Tanqueray? Well to sum up, I couldn’t afford it. The mortgage guy told me that I had too much debt (student and car loans). He advised me to take almost my entire savings and pay off my car loan, which I did, and it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I hoped that I could recoup my savings in time to get that house, but alas, someone else is now its proud owner. Boo. But now I’ve moved on and found this house:
Isn’t it the most adorable little house you’ve ever seen? Like, what is this quaint little country home doing in suburbia? It’s like the country home I’ve always wanted plopped into a reasonable commuting distance to work. And it’s cheaper than that other piece of crap house that those losers now have to deal with. But alas, I still have no savings. And lets not forget that 30K I still owe in student loans. So everyone keep your fingers crossed that this stays on the market for another million years so I can have the time necessary to pay off and save up. Thanks!
Craig, I love it! I can’t wait for the House-Warming party with G&T’s!!!!
P.S. Play Lotto tonight
That is adorable. You would look amazing relaxing in that living room watching copious amounts of television. You just never know, it could happen.
With all of the bailouts you’d think they could spare a few dollars to help an adorable buyer purchase an equally adorable house.
I know some lenders are scared to lend right now, but others are begging for qualified (over qualified) buyers. That house is totally cute. What do you have to lose by trying?
Keep squirreling away your money, like some sort of….squirrel? Cute house, looks like it would be perfect for two.
We lost out on a dream house when we were looking, but about 6 months later our current house came up and we fell in love with it.
What a great house! I agree with Mark, it is worth a try. Wishing you all the best!
I can Totally picture you preparing this in your new kitchen next year.
http://puntabulous.com/2008/01/30/now-i-will-prepare-you-for-the-superbowl/
I love the sconces in the living area but I would lower them a little. And a “mud room” plus a pantry…Where is this house? I Want! And the counter in the right of the kitchen shot…
Aww it looks so comfortable. I like smaller houses.
So if you really do move in, are you gonna follow Hayden’s thought and really have a house-warming party and invite all your faithful readers?
It’s really, really adorable. You should try again!
Hayden/Enrico: Of course! I’ll be sure to prepare a gift registry too
Mark: It’s on Long Island. If I tell you any more you’ll steal it out from underneath me! Or maybe you’ll buy it for me and surprise me with it????
I’ve always wanted a house with a porch. And I love how big the living room is. It used to be half that size with another bedroom on the ground floor, but I like this way better.
If I could I would Sweetie.
And as an aside, the old Mark would have made comments about “Long Island” and “underneath me”. But the new improved Mark has resisted the temptation. I like the new Mark. I have a recipe for oatmeal if anyone’s interested.
But srsly, (homage to vuboq), at least try. I’ll go to bed and shut up now.
Mark: If it helps, I totally made comments in my head about “Long Island” and “underneath”. Something along the lines of buying it from underneath him, but having him beneath you after giving it to him…
Oh, and Craig, what’s to lose in trying to get pre-qualified?
That house looks nice. Just be careful about capes. I looked at a few when I was in the market, and the bedroom ceiling heights were an issue in some of them. For someone of your profound stature that could be more of an issue.
My advice would be to keep looking and keep saving. It took me a few years before I found the house I bought. In that time house prices dropped, and my savings increased. Looking at houses helped to inspire me to save more money. I made an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of how much house I could afford based on my savings. I also had a sheet showing how my monthly payment dropped based on having more money to put down. Not having a monthly payment that would kill me was important to me. I didn’t want to trade my life for a house. I will send you the spreadsheet when I get home.
I am also a big fan of porches. I really like that my house has a big porch. It is on a curve in the road so I feel more separated from my neighbors and it faces a really nice woodsy nature park across the street. I really fell in love with the location. I love feeling like I live in the woods (except maybe for all the raking
).
Chris: the only person who gets more leaves than you is God.
I’m already thinking about something purpley to get as a house warming gift!!! And I’ll bring the pink champange (just cause to my knowledge, they don’t make purple champagne, and pink’s the next closest thing).
And this market, if ANY house sells, its a miracle, so this little Casa De Craiggers might just still be there when you can afford it!
HUGS…
What a cute house!
The house I bought (>8 years ago) stayed available for the month or so that I looked elsewhere (this was in a hot real estate market), so I always figured we were meant for each other
If this one doesn’t come through, then there will be another, for sure! You’re doing the right things to prepare yourself to buy — especially now that banks are much more finicky about they will lend to.
John: LOL, Sometimes I wonder about that. Last week when we had a big wind storm a bunch of leaves blew out of the woods into my lawn. I am NOT going to rake again in the middle of January!
Did I mention the claw foot bathtubs and slanted ceilings in the bedrooms? Seriously, this house is amazing.
Chris: Regardless of my height, I love slanted ceilings strictly for their aesthetic.
Sooo, if I changed my name to House and then re-read the title of this post, all my dreams would seemingly come true, right?
HUGS…
OMG can I come to housewarming party!?
Jomoe: You will BE the housewarming party.
Craig: you have no idea.
Craig & jomosexual: Why don’t you two just get a room. Um… In Craig’s new house.
Do the “Oprah/Secret” thingie and put it out in the universe that the house is yours. Or make one of those vision boards. That might be a fun post. Craig’s vision board : ).
If it’s occupied when you’re ready, I might know some people…
You had me at “claw footed bath tub”. Go for it! It won’t hurt anything to try. I’ll send you good vibes from California!
Good luck!
Okay….I know there were all of those subprime home mortgages, and Wall Street Bailouts, and The Big Three Bail Out and whatnot…and I might be well talking straight out of my ass (wouldn’t be the first time). BUT….have you looked into that DiTech Mortgage company? They are owned through GMAC and you do have to pay a higher interest payment at first. We financed our first home that way. However, after 18 mos. we refinanced and totally burst out of the financial bubble we were in because our house had increased in value during that time. I realize that financial times are NOT good in this country (or world, for that matter)…but just look at some different options before ruling out the possibility entirely. That house is just waaaay cool! And I’m sure you’d eventually get used to bending in half in order to enter a room with a slanted ceiling.
That house looks really sweet! Your houses are very different to ours but I like’em.
I love houses! I think it’s good that they made the living room bigger.
We have a porch and some kind soul screened it in, which makes it great to sit out on most of the summer. Our across-the-street neighbor sits on his porch and plays banjo, and occasionally plays with our cat using a laser pointer.
When I first saw this post, it was 4am and I was just starting my first cup of coffee. That’s my excuse, anyways. I read the first sentences too quickly and missed the word “house”. So what I read essentially was:
Remember that bottle of Tanqueray? Turns out I couldn’t afford it.
And I thought “Dang! The recession is worse than I thought.”
Chris: Thanks for the spreadsheet! I’m finding that the hardest thing is trying to balance how much to put towards student loans and how much to put into savings. Since my last try and getting a mortgage, I’ve switched gears and have been concentrating on my student loans.
Jewelz: Thanks for the tip! I’ll look into them.
Milo: You guys just have castles over there right? I would just fear the inevitable Viking invasion!
Heather: I love houses too. That’s what gets me in trouble. I can sit online for hours (never at work of course!) and look at houses even though I can’t afford them and I get sad. I guess it’s just good inspiration to save up though!
TwoPi: One can ALWAYS fit Tanqueray into their budget.
Craig: You’re welcome. I suppose that the debt to income ratio may be the big concern for the lenders. You may not have to completely retire your student loan. If you can get your required maximum monthly payments down to bring the debt to income ratio in line with the bank’s expectations you may be fine. However you also need to take the different rates into consideration. They probably covered this in one of your MBA classes that you are still paying for.
I have also found http://www.bankrate.com/ to be one good resource for financial management information. I try to get information from different sources and make sure I understand things before taking action. My next big financial adventure may be considering refinancing for a lower rate.
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