Don't Need to Be Clark Howard to Figure Out This Bit of Financial Advice...
Well, we are finally in the new house. So far, it has been ok, but as anyone will tell you-- you don't know what a house will REALLY be like until you live in it. It's not bad so far, but I am seeing some strange things the previous owner did. He seemed to have been fond of drilling GIANT holes and using the biggest/longest screws possible on EVERYTHING. Sometimes, it turns out the screws were holding the shit together ;p I haven't uncovered anything horrific yet. It has been mostly just facepalm moments and wondering how the hell I will patch the 4 inch holes if everything should become wireless someday :p
But for the time being, I'm mostly happy. We still have an issue with the bay window to address. I have been in contact with a contractor but he has been slow getting back to me about scheduling the work.
At first, I thought he was just busy (or being dicky because he didn't want to do it for some reason). Then I find out his wife was having some kind of surgery, she's been in the hospital for a while and he was taking her to OH to be with her mother this weekend. Now, I'm kinda hesitant to call and nag him again :p
I just, kinda wanted this DONE before I go back to work (and can't be home to supervise --; ) I'm considering going to a home improvement store and just asking if one of their contractors can do it... I want it done, but I want it done right... so that's why I'm a bit torn. I have heard this guy does good work and he told us straight out what needed to be done and wrote the proposal... I just need it done... like now plz. But I'm trying not to be a bitch now that I know his wife is sick :\
So, I spent the last 2 weeks doing everything else. The place is painted, carpet is in. Movers came last Friday. Did a pre-cleaning on the old apartment with my husband. Scheduled a cleaning lady for the rest of the apartment and the carpet cleaner guy (as is required in the rental agreement). We are more or less done now. I just have a ton of pictures to hang!
I set up mail forwarding, and changed our address with all the places I could think of right away. So, now all our bank statements should come here. The only things left to change are: 1) Driver's licenses-- waiting on a few bills to come in for proof of address change, and 2) new voter registration. So, I have accomplished much. :)
Now for the "fun" news.
My in-laws are coming to deal with SOME of their issues in the next 2 months. First, the sister-in-law comes in LATE July, then mother-in-law in August. No one is saying anything, but I think they are coming to finish the foreclosure on their home. They failed to sell it (surprise, surprise) and I think August was when they were out of time. Father-in-law has no idea that this is happening AFAIK, so the poor bastard will blow a gasket if he ever does find out.
The sad thing is... they MIGHT have been able to sell the thing and pay off the bank, had they been REASONABLE. His sister listed the house at about $400,000. Um, no. The house IS in a "rich" suburb of PGH, but it is not THAT rich. They owe about $100,000 on it. They should have listed it for $250,000... Seriously. A lot of houses on that street and in that neighborhood are $150,000-350,000. With $250,000 they could have paid off the house and paid some of their other debts too. But they got greedy and put up a dream figure in a buyer's market. That house was ok, but it wasn't THAT nice. They probably COULD have got $300,000-350,000 for it, but not in the 3-month time frame she had to sell it in! At $250,000 it would have been a "steal" and would have sold quickly.
Then the water heater burst and ruined the floor of the finished basement. And the roof began to leak. Yeah, no one is paying almost half a million for that now.
So, of course it didn't sell.
Then there is the continuing saga of the mail. We are still getting all of their fail mail and I have to admit, it's getting to the point where this is becoming almost comical. Lately, we have been getting checks in the mail from the bank. Apparently, since the house is in foreclosure, the bank will accept no less than a check for the entire amount owed. So, my in-laws must have set up some lame auto-pay some place, and they have been sending the bank paltry amounts like $300-400. The bank keeps returning the money to us with a form letter explaining why. I can't decide if this is just their continuing stupidity or if this is a valid strategy that their lawyers suggested to stall the foreclosure process (as in: See? My clients TRIED to pay you something, but you didn't want it!) All I know is, that $400 is not even HALF of one of their monthly payments 9_9
Then there is the matter of his sister's university. Apparently, she lost her diploma. So, she ordered a new one, for a $10 fee. She did this back in April before she went to Turkey. We have received about four bills since, asking for the $10.
Really? You can't even pay TEN DOLLARS for a diploma YOU ordered? I mean, I have moved to Guam, Korea, Alabama, and two homes in GA since I left college. I have not ONCE lost my diploma. In fact, I have all three: HS, BS and MEd in my bedroom closet, right now. So, it really bothers me that she won't pay them the $10. I'm sure it would take all of 5 minutes on the internet to send them an e-check.
Then there are the home improvement store credit card bills. Sears, Home Depot... they owe money to everyone. And these are TINY bills compared to the epic house fail. We're talking like $1,000 or so. The truly sad part is, I think they might be for the appliances they got for their kitchen back when the house was built. Seriously? You haven't paid off the card by now? That was like... 10-15 years ago.
So, clearly, my in-laws need to go back to credit card 101. NEVER pay the MINIMUM payment. Evar. Always pay MORE or you will be paying the card for the next 20-80 years.
My husband got so frustrated the other day. He's mad enough about them losing virtually EVERYTHING they own (and pretending like it's no big shit). But I think the LITTLE amounts are starting to eat at him. He said, "Why don't they combine all of those stupid cards onto one card? Say, put them on one that is doing a special offer like 0% interest for 12 months and just PAY THEM OFF!!!" Because, darling, that would require your mom and sister to actually understand the concept of money and credit first.
So, I fully expect his sister to reroute all their fail mail from our apartment address to the new one. I don't care all that much anymore. In fact, I find it humorous in that: "I receive sadistic pleasure from watching someone else's life crash and burn," kind of way.
What I DON'T like is the phone calls. This one lawyer dude kept calling here for my mother-in-law. I finally called him back and said, "They don't live here. They live in Turkey. You will NEVER reach them at this number. I'll tell her you called, but I can't promise they will ever call you back."
He tried to tell me that this was the address where all their mail goes. 9_9 Yup, that's me, I'm just their US mail box. So, as I feared (and warned my husband about) they have more or less used the power of Google and the White Pages to determine that our phone number and that address coincide! Image that! 9_9 I TOLD him they'd be able to tie our phone number to that stupid mail.
Oh well... maybe if I answer the phone with my maiden name (which I never changed anyhow) I'll throw them off. :p
The sad part is, with all this new house stuff my poor husband should be feeling accomplished and happy. Instead, he's feeling conflicted. His family is losing everything, and here he is, buying a "new" home. I told him it's not our fault that they lived well beyond their means. And he should not be beating himself up over that. We didn't buy a freakin mansion. We didn't even buy a BIG house. We got one that fit our budget. One that we have a good chance of paying off, a little early even. I got the monthly payment I wanted (less than $900 a month). We moved to a great location (nearest grocery store and Target are less than a 5min drive from here). It's not a mansion, but it's nice enough.
And enough is really all you need.*
*(Note: Unless of course, you are one of my students asking me if your artwork is "good enough," because that suggests that you could have done better but you didn't feel like it. Ask me if it is "good" dammit!!! Leave out the "enough" part!!!)
But for the time being, I'm mostly happy. We still have an issue with the bay window to address. I have been in contact with a contractor but he has been slow getting back to me about scheduling the work.
At first, I thought he was just busy (or being dicky because he didn't want to do it for some reason). Then I find out his wife was having some kind of surgery, she's been in the hospital for a while and he was taking her to OH to be with her mother this weekend. Now, I'm kinda hesitant to call and nag him again :p
I just, kinda wanted this DONE before I go back to work (and can't be home to supervise --; ) I'm considering going to a home improvement store and just asking if one of their contractors can do it... I want it done, but I want it done right... so that's why I'm a bit torn. I have heard this guy does good work and he told us straight out what needed to be done and wrote the proposal... I just need it done... like now plz. But I'm trying not to be a bitch now that I know his wife is sick :\
So, I spent the last 2 weeks doing everything else. The place is painted, carpet is in. Movers came last Friday. Did a pre-cleaning on the old apartment with my husband. Scheduled a cleaning lady for the rest of the apartment and the carpet cleaner guy (as is required in the rental agreement). We are more or less done now. I just have a ton of pictures to hang!
I set up mail forwarding, and changed our address with all the places I could think of right away. So, now all our bank statements should come here. The only things left to change are: 1) Driver's licenses-- waiting on a few bills to come in for proof of address change, and 2) new voter registration. So, I have accomplished much. :)
Now for the "fun" news.
My in-laws are coming to deal with SOME of their issues in the next 2 months. First, the sister-in-law comes in LATE July, then mother-in-law in August. No one is saying anything, but I think they are coming to finish the foreclosure on their home. They failed to sell it (surprise, surprise) and I think August was when they were out of time. Father-in-law has no idea that this is happening AFAIK, so the poor bastard will blow a gasket if he ever does find out.
The sad thing is... they MIGHT have been able to sell the thing and pay off the bank, had they been REASONABLE. His sister listed the house at about $400,000. Um, no. The house IS in a "rich" suburb of PGH, but it is not THAT rich. They owe about $100,000 on it. They should have listed it for $250,000... Seriously. A lot of houses on that street and in that neighborhood are $150,000-350,000. With $250,000 they could have paid off the house and paid some of their other debts too. But they got greedy and put up a dream figure in a buyer's market. That house was ok, but it wasn't THAT nice. They probably COULD have got $300,000-350,000 for it, but not in the 3-month time frame she had to sell it in! At $250,000 it would have been a "steal" and would have sold quickly.
Then the water heater burst and ruined the floor of the finished basement. And the roof began to leak. Yeah, no one is paying almost half a million for that now.
So, of course it didn't sell.
Then there is the continuing saga of the mail. We are still getting all of their fail mail and I have to admit, it's getting to the point where this is becoming almost comical. Lately, we have been getting checks in the mail from the bank. Apparently, since the house is in foreclosure, the bank will accept no less than a check for the entire amount owed. So, my in-laws must have set up some lame auto-pay some place, and they have been sending the bank paltry amounts like $300-400. The bank keeps returning the money to us with a form letter explaining why. I can't decide if this is just their continuing stupidity or if this is a valid strategy that their lawyers suggested to stall the foreclosure process (as in: See? My clients TRIED to pay you something, but you didn't want it!) All I know is, that $400 is not even HALF of one of their monthly payments 9_9
Then there is the matter of his sister's university. Apparently, she lost her diploma. So, she ordered a new one, for a $10 fee. She did this back in April before she went to Turkey. We have received about four bills since, asking for the $10.
Really? You can't even pay TEN DOLLARS for a diploma YOU ordered? I mean, I have moved to Guam, Korea, Alabama, and two homes in GA since I left college. I have not ONCE lost my diploma. In fact, I have all three: HS, BS and MEd in my bedroom closet, right now. So, it really bothers me that she won't pay them the $10. I'm sure it would take all of 5 minutes on the internet to send them an e-check.
Then there are the home improvement store credit card bills. Sears, Home Depot... they owe money to everyone. And these are TINY bills compared to the epic house fail. We're talking like $1,000 or so. The truly sad part is, I think they might be for the appliances they got for their kitchen back when the house was built. Seriously? You haven't paid off the card by now? That was like... 10-15 years ago.
So, clearly, my in-laws need to go back to credit card 101. NEVER pay the MINIMUM payment. Evar. Always pay MORE or you will be paying the card for the next 20-80 years.
My husband got so frustrated the other day. He's mad enough about them losing virtually EVERYTHING they own (and pretending like it's no big shit). But I think the LITTLE amounts are starting to eat at him. He said, "Why don't they combine all of those stupid cards onto one card? Say, put them on one that is doing a special offer like 0% interest for 12 months and just PAY THEM OFF!!!" Because, darling, that would require your mom and sister to actually understand the concept of money and credit first.
So, I fully expect his sister to reroute all their fail mail from our apartment address to the new one. I don't care all that much anymore. In fact, I find it humorous in that: "I receive sadistic pleasure from watching someone else's life crash and burn," kind of way.
What I DON'T like is the phone calls. This one lawyer dude kept calling here for my mother-in-law. I finally called him back and said, "They don't live here. They live in Turkey. You will NEVER reach them at this number. I'll tell her you called, but I can't promise they will ever call you back."
He tried to tell me that this was the address where all their mail goes. 9_9 Yup, that's me, I'm just their US mail box. So, as I feared (and warned my husband about) they have more or less used the power of Google and the White Pages to determine that our phone number and that address coincide! Image that! 9_9 I TOLD him they'd be able to tie our phone number to that stupid mail.
Oh well... maybe if I answer the phone with my maiden name (which I never changed anyhow) I'll throw them off. :p
The sad part is, with all this new house stuff my poor husband should be feeling accomplished and happy. Instead, he's feeling conflicted. His family is losing everything, and here he is, buying a "new" home. I told him it's not our fault that they lived well beyond their means. And he should not be beating himself up over that. We didn't buy a freakin mansion. We didn't even buy a BIG house. We got one that fit our budget. One that we have a good chance of paying off, a little early even. I got the monthly payment I wanted (less than $900 a month). We moved to a great location (nearest grocery store and Target are less than a 5min drive from here). It's not a mansion, but it's nice enough.
And enough is really all you need.*
*(Note: Unless of course, you are one of my students asking me if your artwork is "good enough," because that suggests that you could have done better but you didn't feel like it. Ask me if it is "good" dammit!!! Leave out the "enough" part!!!)