Stoked

Sunny with head high drops, the perfect morning.

Life is for the living

A friend of mine is almost finished with college and planning a 6 month trek from Western Europe through the Middle East and across the breadth of Asia.  Someone might say he's taking a big risk by not diving into the job market straight out of school.  I say that we need to grab every opportunity that allows us to truly enjoy life, and if such an opportunity does not present itself, then fucking make it happen.  The biggest risk is waiting a lifetime to truly live.

"First I was dying to finish high school and start college. And then I was dying to finish college and start working.
Then I was dying to marry and have children.
And then I was dying for my children to grow old enough so I could
go back to work.  But then I was dying to retire.
And now, I am dying... And suddenly I realized I forgot to live."
- unknown

"We live as if we are never going to die.
We die as if we have never lived."
-unknown

... I wasn't able to dig up an author for either quote, but the message is what is important here.

A little country living, a little white trash, and a lot of love

It just occurred to me that I never wrote a word about what came of the home-buying process, so I'm going to do my best to sum up the experience. The long and the short of it is that everything worked out. The original underwriters ended up coming back and saying that they'd take the loan after we decided to seek out another one.

We closed the deal and moved in on Thursday, August 20th with the immense help of my family and friends. Over the next weeks my parents made us VERY happy that we moved to a place so close to them by coming over frequently and doing inordinate amounts of work around the house including garden work, lawn mowing, gutter cleaning, weed whacking, pressure washing, trash disposal, and countless other tasks.

The empty space inside the house quickly filled with our things and became our own. It took time for most of our boxes to become unpacked, and we've still got some painting and decorating to do here and there, but by-and-large we're moved in. So far I've succeeded in replacing some windows, and I learned a bit about maintaining the pool. I cleaned and reorganized the work bench in the cellar so we know where to go when we need a nail, or screw, or circular saw or blowtorch head. Which reminds me, we've managed to inherit a bajillion things leftover from the previous owner and her ex husband. So... since lists are fun:

• Somewhat expected: refrigerator, washer, dryer, dishwasher
  
• 1 snow blower
• 1 reversible leaf blower / mulcher
• 1 very nice patio set
• 2 auxilliary patio sets
  
• 1 big play structure with slide, climbing wall, and swingset
• 1 heavy duty 2-wheel barrow
• 1 treadmill
• 1 air-hockey table
• 1 trash barrel enclosure
• 2 trash barrels
• 1 extra long hose
• assorted pool supplies
• rakes, shovels and brooms
  
• 1 tree trimmer
  
• 2 ladders
• 1 circular saw
• 1 drill
• 1 electric sander
  
• 2 toolboxes chock full of tools
  
• ~8 box cutters
  
• tons of latex gloves
• 1 frozen turkey
• 2 air conditioners
• 1 tape recorder
• lots of cans of paint
• extra floor tiles and a tile cutter
• 1 christmas tree stand
  

...the list goes on.

From the date we moved in, we still had a solid 8 days of vacation to get settled. I'd highly recommend this to anyone else who moves into a new house in August. I was worried it would feel like a wasted vacation since we didn't go anywhere, but the newness of our home, and the fact that we had a pool and a beach nearby just made it perfect. We felt like we were staying in a vacation home, and since it was August a lot of friends were able to find time to come by and join our little fantasy.

Now it's safe to say that we are cozy with the idea of this being our permanent abode. Our thoughts are now turning to closing the pool, and putting out autumnal decor. I am also taking full advantage of our proximity to the beach by making frequent trips to Hampton for a little surf and peace of mind. Besides the beach, so many of our favorite places are within 10 minutes drive of us, like Cinnamon Rainbows surf shop, food at The Secret Spot, KBs, Tripoli or Dairy Queen, bluegrass music and apple picking at Applecrest Farm, downtown Newburyport and Amesbury, Maudslay park, and my parents and grandparents houses. And who can deny the importance of the other contrasting locales such as Kittens, Joe's Playland, Tens Club, and the good ol' Seabrook Market Basket! We're creamy coastal, country living, with a bits of white trash sprinkled on top for flavor. Come visit sometime!

VOTE for Me!

I've joined a photo competition on Brickfish to see if I can win $1000!

Please follow the link and click the VOTE button to show your support.
http://www.brickfish.com/GoToPage.aspx?qsi=19011649

Every vote is super appreciated and votes can be made once every 8 hours, so vote EVERY day!


It feels good to participate in competitions like this. I don't know why I don't do it more often. I used to spend so much time working on photos and sharing them online, hoping to get a good response out of people. While my days at deviantArt are far from over, my participation level has dropped off, and I've found myself overly critical of what I share. Maybe it's time to get back on the saddle, if only to create something beautiful again.

The Underwriters

Well, I've spent the better part of the morning explaining what's going on with the home-buying process to people. If I keep this up, I won't get anything done the rest of the day, so here's my attempt to quell the masses.

Sparing a lot of detail on what all the paperwork means, and how many times we've signed each form, revised form et cetera, it is sufficient to say that we have bled ourselves dry scanning, faxing, notarizing, and signing documents. We have now provided sufficient proof of financial capability and signed bajillions of forms, extensions, contracts, agreements and so on to please the many parties involved (including the sellers, the realtors, the loan officers, the attorneys, the underwriters, and so on).

We're at the end of the line, and we're ready to close... we were SUPPOSED to be closing today. But after many back-and-forths we have extended the contract until next Tuesday because the underwriters are not satisfied with what they got back from the appraisers. Sadly this doesn't mean we'll definitely be closing by Tuesday. If there's anything I've learned from this process, it's that nothing is set in stone.

On another note, I recently realized that I never contemplated who the hell "the underwriters" actually were. Thinking about it a little, the name says it all: they sign the bottom line. So that would be our lender, Eastern Bank, right? Guess again. -- One thing I didn't know going into this was that Eastern Bank was going to sell our loan to Citi. They are the "underwriters." They're the ones who will foot the other 80% of the dough to buy this house, and in 30 years, we will have paid them nearly twice its value. It's pretty frustrating to realize that the most money that I've ever spent is going to go directly to a money-hungry mega-bank like Citi when I'd much rather be supporting a smaller local institution.

[ Note (from a soapbox): Some lenders will guarantee that they will not sell your loan to another institution. Keep that in mind when you decide to buy a home. You will be spending more money than you ever have in your life, but you have a choice on how to spend it. It's sad but true that, in this world, money is power, the power to show your values. Never forget that we have a choice. Every purchase made is a statement of our values as a society. Do we value quality products and services, or quantity and speed? Do we value sustainability and the environment or will we leave that to the next generation to worry about? I'm ashamed to be giving Citi bank hundreds of thousands of dollars when I know that their institution does not reflect my values in banking. Whatever your values are, don't let yourself make the same mistake. Don't forget you have a choice. ]

Off the soapbox.

So what's up with the underwriters. Well, they've gotten the appraisal of the house, which includes 6 "comps" or comparable homes. Three of the comps are a better deal than our house, two are a worse deal, and one is about the same. They've decided that they want to see one more comp before moving forward. Remember, the underwriters want to get a good deal (and so do we, admittedly) since they're investing in the house. If the 7th comp indicates that we're getting a good/fair deal on the house, then we move forward and close. However, if it indicates that we could get a better deal on the house, then they would expect us to pay less for it (revise the purchase amount). Alternately, we could try our luck with another underwriter.

We are at the mercy of the banks. "We", being Ashley, myself, and the sellers of the house, who are in an arguably even worse situation than we are since there's a chance that we could come around and say, "We love your house, but the banks think it's overvalued and they want us to pay $X less than the previously agreed price." If $X is $10,000, then they're either screwed out of $10K, or they have to go back to market with the house knowing full well that this could all happen again.

Ashley, myself, and the sellers have all spent MONTHS on this transaction. We've packed our lives up into boxes and prepared to move, and the sellers have probably moved already. So much emotional energy and money has been invested. It feels like we've been pulled back and forth by unyielding forces, and after so many compromises, commitments, phone calls and signatures, we've finally reached the end. And before us is a nameless, faceless automaton in a business suit sitting atop an impossibly tall podium with a stamp in his hand.

It's in your head
in your head
zombie, zombie, zombie

The Virgin Homeowner

So much for keeping up with my life on here. If I had been writing even once a month, I might have at least mentioned that Ashley and I put an offer on a house on True Road in Salisbury. I might have also talked about the insanely frustrating process of counteroffers. Then there was the ridiculously expensive and disappointing home inspection. But I haven't written a damn thing for months, so it looks like I've got a lot of catching up to do.

The house we found is a modest 1400 square foot ranch sitting on a not-so-modest 1.37 acre plot which is quite beautifully landscaped with gardens all around and a pond with ducks and frogs in the back. It has a large, sunny living room, a beautiful country kitchen with an island that opens into a dining room with a fireplace, 3 bedrooms and a bathroom. All the appliances in the kitchen are new, as are the washer and dryer in the big basement. To top it all off, a 2 level deck and patio are attached to the back of the house overlooking the amazingly peaceful backyard. We loved the place the first time we saw it, and couldn't help but fantasize about getting married in the back yard.

While the property appeared near-perfect, the location was even better: a 5 minute drive from my parents, and less than 10 minutes to the train station and the beach. So we got a pre-approval letter from the bank and made an offer. They countered, then we countered, and they countered again, and we agreed and rewrote contract... and then they decided they weren't going to sign it and were going to stick with their asking price. Apparently they weren't in a rush to sell and were confident they could get asking price in the fall if need be. Whatever, we caved and said yes.

Frustrated with the first steps of the process, we set out to looking for an inspector. After talking to several different people, we landed on a guy from Gloucester with over 30 years of experience. Not only was he the most experienced inspector I talked to, but also the most available... and unfortunately the most expensive. Nevertheless, we met at the house last Wednesday along with our agent and the sellers agent, and started picking the house apart. We learned everything about every system in the house, from the oil tank, to the boiler, to the electrical service, plumbing, insulation, chimney, roof, siding... everything. We started inside and by the time we got outside, there weren't any major issues to speak of, just an aging oil tank, an outdated electrical service, and a bit of "damp house syndrome" which would mean we'd need to run a dehumidifier in the basement 3 seasons out of the year to help prevent mold and mildew in the basement and attic.

Unfortunately, once outside, our inspector noticed a window with some pretty nasty termite damage. The sellers statement mentioned installing a termite extermination system 6 years ago, but somehow this didn't strike us as a big problem. "So what?" we must have thought, "They're gone now, right?" Well, maybe, but even if they are that doesn't mean that didn't turn the house into swiss-cheese before they were eliminated. This was the worst news ever. It wasn't something that we could even put a price tag to, because the damage can't be assessed without tearing open the walls.

I was home sick the following day, so I made some phone calls to other experts, not the least of which was my uncle. His sister had contracted him to replace some damaged siding on her house some years back. He brought his tools and started tearing off the damaged parts starting at the a small visible spot on the outside, but as he took the siding off, he found the structure behind them was completely destroyed. It wasn't until he removed the entire front of the house that he could comprehend the extent of the damage. "I hate to tell ya this, but it sounds like a 'walk away' deal to me, Adam." It was hard to hear, but it was what I needed to hear for reality to really sink in.

Still, the seller's agent wasn't buying that it was actually termite damage even though the inspector seemed sure of it, and even though it was directly above a termite bait station. We ended up having a pest inspector come in the following day to confirm, yes, it was caused by termites, and state multiple times to us in front of the seller's agent "I would not, NOT buy the house because of termites." Thanks JACKOFF, I'll look forward to doing business with someone else if I do buy the house.

No surprise, in the end things fell through. We weren't willing to risk buying the house as-is, and they weren't willing to meet our requests. It was a learning experience. Next time around, I think we'll be much better prepared to start out asking the hard questions straight off before going through inspection. We've learned who to trust for advice, and what to expect from the different parties involved. I just hope we're able to find something better in the months to come.