Oh, give me a home...

Hello folks!

As most of you know, Jimmy and I have been house hunting for a few years now. We thought we had found the perfect home; it was owned by a friend of the family, and he was going to sell it to us, rent to own.

The long and the short of it is, after he saw just how much money he'd have to put into it, he decided not to sell, but to rent. Since renting was what we are trying to get away from, and the house is in the city, we decided to continue our search.
I have some info for you all about what kins of loans are out there...and even how to avoid some of the pitfalls of buying.

The main thing I want to mention here, is don't get your hopes up. By this, I DO NOT mean to be pessimistic, what I DO mean is don't expect...see, evaluate, talk; but do not have preconceived expectations.

I don't care if your buying from your grandma!Do not have preconceived expectations.

And...always READ your contract before you sign. I don't care how long it takes you, and, if the person you are signing with hurries you, STOP! ask WHY they want you to sign away your life without reading everything. If they still rush you...LEAVE WITHOUT SIGNING!

I don't care if the house is one in a million. If they want to rush you, there's a reason they are not disclosing to you.

If they get a phone call and say they have an emergency? Same thing! Don't5 sign. Simply say" OK, we;ll leave this for another day, when I have time to go over the entire contract. DO NOT let them convince you to sign now and read later...remember, this is your life at stake. Once you sign that contract, your in it for the long haul...no turning back. Even if you took them to court, the judge would tell you there is nothing he/she can do...

Now, here are some ways you can buy a house:

RENT TO OWN: This is ideal for people that work from home, self-employed or single parents who are recently divorced. The great thing about it is that if the value of the home increases during the period of repayment, you won't pay more as the price is fixed the day you move in. It offers buyers and sellers the flexibility of a lease, but the feeling of having completed a sale and purchased a home.

Traditionally, FHA loans have helped military families who return from war, the elderly, handicapped, or lower-income families, but really, anyone can get an FHA loan - they are not just for first-time home buyers. Rates for FHA loans are set by Ginnie Mae securities; those who have been in bankruptcy as recently as two years ago may be eligible for a full loan. A loan officer or underwriter will require and explanation from you regarding the financial situation that damaged your credit and often a statement explaining that the situation is resolved and you are now prepared to move forward.


VA Loans are typically 15 year or 30 year loans. The maximum VA Loan term is 30 years and 32 days. VA loans do not have a cap on the amount of money that can be borrowed. The lender ultimately decides on the amount that they will lend. VA loans offer up to 100% financing�on the value of a home.

VA loans are restricted to individuals qualified by military service or other entitlements. There are limits to the size of FHA/VA loans, but they're generous enough to handle moderately priced homes anywhere in the country There are no mortgage insurance premiums on VA loans, and assumable mortgages are permitted. (Assumable mortgages are such that they can be transferred from one owner to another owner without any alteration in the terms of the loan.) Eligible areas are designated by the VA as housing credit shortage areas and are generally rural areas and small cities and towns not near metropolitan or commuting areas of large cities.

I hope this has helped even one person understand some of the Ins and outs of buying a home. Today's economy is bad, but it's also good if you are wanting a home of your own. I personally can not waite until we find the right home for us...but for now, back to the drawing board!

Here are a few resources you might want to check out:

My Miracle Loans

Free Government Grants And Loans

The Do-It-Yourself Loan Modification Kit

Marshell

50 Books...

I was just heading for bed when I made the mistake of reading my local county's website/forum.



One of the members posted that they made a resolution to read fifty books this year. I love to read and as I sat here thinking about this - I wondered if I made a list of fifty books - what books would I put on it?



I can tell you books I've read and loved -



The Devil Wears Prada

Bridget Jones Diary

The Alienist



Books I wanted to like, but didn't-



The Friday Night Knitting Club



Books I already have, but haven't got around to reading yet...



Twilight

Boom



but....a list of fifty books....THAT is a little harder...



This is the year that is suppose to about ME though. Enriching my life, making myself a better person, taking time for me.



What better way to do this - then by reading?



So....I'm going to make my list over the next few days and I challenge anyone else that loves to read to do the same!



As an added bonus --- many of us in this group sell books on EBay, Biblio and Amazon....just think...if we get more people to commit to reading fifty books this year --- we could get more sells!



Now there's a novel idea...NOVEL get it! Ha-Ha...



So....anyone want to join me?



:-)

How to Get a Husband Where You Want him To Be

Someone asked on an ebay board about how to get her husband to go to the Doctor which she thought he needed to do. And he'd already refused, repeatedly. Now we have a husband in Tn who won't go to the ER after a car accident so I thought I'd share a method my mother perfected. She never really had to use it cause the threat of it was enough to make most people do whatever you were asking them politely to do.

Follow the steps:
1. Buy several rolls of duct tape and a handtruck.
2. Wait until the person is sleeping.
3. Put duct tape around their ankles so they can't run.
4. Put duct tape around the hands so they can't escape and run
5. Put Duct tape over their mouth so you don't have to listen to their whining and moaning about "why are you doing this to me"?
6. Stand them upright on the handtruck. This might take manuevering but YOU can do it, I know you can. Do not put them on the handtruck in a headdown position,no matter how severely tempted you might be. Two reasons - Puke and Balance. They will puke and they will be hard to keep balanced as most people's heads are not flat on top. There are some exceptions but it's not worth chancing.
7. Duct tape them to the handtruck.
8. Now if the doctor or hospital is close enough, just roll 'em on in. Otherwise load them in the truck, van or the trunk of your car.
Call ahead to the doctor's office to get help unloading.
9. Roll 'em right in to the examining room. Do NOT release them or you'll end up walking home when they escape and take the car and leave you there.
10. Roll 'em home. I'd be tempted to leave them taped to the handtruck, until they took all the medicine the Dr. prescribed but that's up to you because then you have to hose them down occassionally and that leaves water all over the kitchen floor.

Be prepared for several weeks of frosty silence and no sex.
Which is not as bad as it sounds actually.

First Success! I Have A Kloset!

Okay, I know that ONLY eBay sellers will appreciate photo number 2 - a closed closet, ahhhhh. but see, how long has it been since you've been able to close your doors? Been quite awhile for me on this particular closet, LOL.

and photo 1? that's an organized closet, believe it or not. I can FIND stuff now, LOL and I through out a trash can full of boxes I'd been saving but just too many. To see the before photos of what this area looked like, click and check out my Picasa album!

THE Pictures that STARTED it ALL!

Ladies and Gentlemen, THESE are the pictures that started our GROUP REORGANIZATION PROJECT! Our friend Trish had the courage to post these pictures and we all jumped in with out own. So here are the BEFORE Pics of Trishs' office! AFTER photos coming as soon as you readers BUG us enough, LOL

Just Some Stuff

So you wonder why my store name has Stuff in it eh? I have lots of stuff, plenty of stuff! UDDERLYGOODSTUFF! Yep that's what it is and it is all loaded in my garage.

So these are my before pictures as I get ready to undertake a major organizing venture.

The first pic is where I keep my online store inventory, packing supplies and incoming stuff.

The second pic is where I store stuff for my real live antique fairs and flea markets.

The plan today is to run to Home Depot for supplies to build my new shelf in the far back which will house all the Christmas tubs that are still laying around the house! Stay tuned for updated pics!

UDDERLYGOODSTUFF

Well I guessed it was about time I started this blog. And no better time to start it then with the OBS Challenge of Reorganizing our Home Offices.

Originally my office was in one of the spare rooms on the second floor of my house. But that room also housed my Grandson`s bed (for sleepovers) AND my sewing machine and all the Fabric I use to make what I sell on ebay.

Which is primarily Blankets and Pillows for Children`s Beds. But I also will sell just about anything that`s NOT Nailed down (hubby`s words NOT mine) as long as I can make money on it.

When my husband got too jealous of all the time I was spending upstairs on the computer working on ebay, he and my 2 Grown sons got together Christmas of 2007 and bought me a LapTop.

Now the laptop is in the Livingroom, which is where hubby is each night after coming home from working 12 hour days 4 days a week.

And along with the Laptop came alot of my ebay "stuff" into the Livingroom.

See this is where I can set up my photos, and research my NON Sewing items that I sell and then sit down next to him on the couch ( that is when there`s nothing on the couch waiting to be listed ) and work away so he doesn`t complain that he never sees me anymore.

So this is how my livingroom "office" looks now.

If I can manage to get some of the "stuff" listed and out of here and not bring anymore in haha I`ll post the after pictures.
Posted by kdmoretti at 11:26 AM

GROUP OFFICE REORGANIZE PROJECT!

Those crazy DSR Sellers are at it again! One of the group decided that January was a great month to make a real effort to reorganize our offices. So in the next few days, we will each be posting our BEFORE photos and then you can bug us about getting our AFTER pictures loaded. This, my dear readers, is Kat's Kloset, LLC headquarters! It's a bit overwhelming! the REST of the photos for BEFORE are online in all their glory and can be seen here:
Picasa Showcase

Another DSR's of our lives update

The life of an ebay seller is very hard lately. We have to work much harder to give our buyers a better deal than anyone else.
If Google would cooperate, well it might help. But they dont.So, I rely on Bonanzle...which is a selling site that I happen to love. They dont do auctions, but they do fixed price. Most of my ebay store items can also be found there.AND, the fees are much better.
Ebay needs to take a lesson on how to treat their buyers. Bonanzle has a customer service dept that is second to none! Always quick responses..but best of all, Bonanzle will send your items to Google!!EBay..take a lesson from this!!
As to the happenings in my house...and the sewer pipe...well..there are 2 that are on the reserve list for the sewer pipe.
Why you might ask?? Because I tried to be nice, we have 2 families living in my house..seating in the living room was limited..so..last Saturday, I found a great deal on a sectional couch..it gave me more seating and I was able to give away our old couch..and freecycle got the recliner!
Did my dear hubby appreciate what I did??????????? Heck no!! I even made sure that it was delivered BEFORE his beloved Titan's playoff game...
Oh well, I got my new couch, and they will just have to live with it!!
Who is the boss around here anyhow! Well we all know, its ME!
Come on ebay buyers!!! Get with the program and buy my items! Great glass at very low prices, books of all kinds...you name it, I might just have it..
Cross your fingers yall.............for my income to improve greatly( my secret hope is to become a power seller and get all those discounts...)
and for my family to get their act together and realize who is boss and to avoid that sewer pipe..its filling up fast and taking reservations now!!
Have a great selling day y'all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I'm blogging today over at my own blog "Sushiboofay's" so make sure to check out my first entry of the year!

THE PLAN (over there) is to blog every day (well, it was suppose to be FOR THE YEAR, BUT...since this is the FIFTH already....) and I would like to get as creative as Kat (one of our members here!) and have a picture a day too.

Alas - my intentions are usually good - but despite having a big blue sticky that even now stares me in the face from the top of my computer with the single word BLOG on it...I forget to do it....



Anywhoo, I hope everyone has survived the holiday rush, your Ebay sells were up and your weight stayed down!

HAPPY NEW YEAR and may this be your best year ever!!!!!