we're buying our first house!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
By ljcapps
@ljcapps (1925)
United States
March 27, 2007 3:52pm CST
LOL i'm completely giddy. After my wife cried and we did the jumping up and down and called everyone we know to tell them WE'RE BUYING OUR FIRST HOUSE! I just had to come onto mylot. LOL You guys are my friends away from home, and i couldn't imagine people that would be more happy for us. We have to get two things settled on our credit first, but they're no big deal. We've been pre approved for a loan, and given a real estate agent. We hope to start looking by the end of the week. oh, i can't believe it. we thought it would be YEARS before we could buy a home, we thought we'd be stuck renting, and it was breaking our hearts. WE'RE BUYING A HOUSE!!!
12 people like this
33 responses
@ljcapps (1925)
• United States
28 Mar 07
congratulations on your own home! We're so excited and it's such a huge step that it's really amazing to us. We haven't quite come down off the high of the words, prequalified and pre approved. LOL we've already spoken to a realtor and set up some showings for thursday, and we just got the loan today! We're hoping to find a house and close fairly quickly. So cross your fingers! How was it for you? was it relatively easy to close on your house?
1 person likes this
@mfpsassy (2827)
• United States
28 Mar 07
We actually bought ours from our old neighbor. So we got to skip the realtor. You can look out my kitchen window and see our old house. Once we settled on a price closing was easy and painless. Sounds like you got most of the tough stuff out of the way. Now you only have to figure out which house you want. I have a discussion going on how people aquired their property so stop over there and tell me how it's going
1 person likes this
@ljcapps (1925)
• United States
29 Mar 07
That's awesome. We're actually looking at moving to a different town but one that's only about 20 minutes away, so it's not that big a deal, really. However by doing that, we're getting more square footage for the price. Right now in the town we live in, prices are skyrocketing. so, we're looking at a little town a little north of us. But i will definitely hop on over to your discussion once we actually pick a property that i can talk about!
1 person likes this
@breezie (1246)
• Canada
28 Mar 07
Congrats and good luck.
We just went to the bank this week and are in the process of getting approved. We have been renting forever and were thinking of moving and for kicks we thought we'd see if we could get approved. We have been wanting to buy our own place for a few years, but never thought we'd qualify. It's so exciting. There isn't much on the market on our area, but were going to take our time and wait until more homes come up for sale.
1 person likes this
@breezie (1246)
• Canada
4 Apr 07
We just looked at a great house yesterday. Most of the ones in our price range are tiny or need a lot of work , but the one we saw it perfect. We put in an offer yesterday and it was accepted! The owners need to relocate asap due to work so we got a pretty good price too. It needs minor cosmetic work, but that's the easy stuff. We are just waiting to hear from the home inspector and have him look at it.
@ljcapps (1925)
• United States
29 Mar 07
Your story sounds so much like mine, it's not funny. My wife made me go to lendingtree.com yesterday and said, hey, lets fill it out. You just never know, and the worst they can say is no. let's see how many people laugh at us. We actually got 4 companies calling us offering us mortgages. it was insane. and wonderful. my wife started crying, because we've been wanting a home forever. The city we live in, the prices have skyrocketed, so we're actually looking in a smaller town about 20 miles north of where we are now. it's better prices and bigger homes. So i will jump up and down with you!! LOL isn't it insanely exciting?
@Lauraleigh99 (4718)
• United States
28 Mar 07
Congrats to you! My hubby and I have been working on buying one too So I understand your excitement on this, We just can't find anything we like right now in our area which sucks Cause I am sick of renting also
@ljcapps (1925)
• United States
29 Mar 07
We are so tired of renting it's driving us nuts. that's what we're afraid of, having approval, but not being able to find anything we like. we start the house hunt tomorrow. there's quite a few on the market, but we've got very specific things we're looking for, and if we don't find them, we'll wait until we do. so i'm trapped somewhere between excitement of yeah! we're approved! and nausea at....what if i don't find one? and how much paperwork did you say was involved? how many times do i have to sign my name? LOL i hope you come back and say when you found one, as i'll probably once again broadcast it to the world when we do. LOL
@SachseMom (448)
• United States
28 Mar 07
Congrats!!! I'm so happy for you and your wife! My husband and I are working towards our very own first house!! We have trying hard to save money and get some credit issues worked out. We hope this time next year to be jumping up and down in our new house!! Good luck in the search and keep us posted!
1 person likes this
@ljcapps (1925)
• United States
29 Mar 07
Oh, i will. Everyone will probably be tired of hearing about it, before i'm done! We were afraid we'd get turned down for credit, but we went with an FHA loan, and there's a couple of things we have to work on, but nothing too major. As long as it shows we're paying them, then our mortgage lady said it would be fine. Plus, all these years we've stayed away from credit cards, so that's the big thing that's worked in our favor! But good luck to you finding a house! and thank you for the congratulations!
@samtaylorskykierajen (7977)
• Canada
28 Mar 07
I'm really happy for you , it is so exciting to get something you have waited and wanted for a long time . You will now have something to call your own and you won't have to worry about all the things you have to worry about when renting such as if you want to hang something in a spot that they might not like as I know where I am renting we have to watch even where we hang our pictures lol .
Congratulations to both you and your wife on your new house :)
1 person likes this
@ljcapps (1925)
• United States
29 Mar 07
Thank you so much for the congratulations! And i completely understand what you mean. Where we live, we have a fish tank gallon limit. we can't have more than 50 gallons of fish tanks in the house. which is funny, because we have a forty gallon, and two, two gallon fish tanks. every time they come in, the eyeball them. On top of that, i won't have to worry about other people walking into my home because it says they can in my lease. i just can't wait!
@PurpleTeddyBear (6685)
• Canada
28 Mar 07
Congratulations, that is so exciting! I'm happy for you and wish you the best of luck in finding the "perfect" home! My hubby and I quit smoking 10 days ago and the money we would have spent on ciggies is going into a bank account. We figure in about 2 or 3 years we will have enough for a down payment on a house! When that day comes I will be doing the happy dance just like your doing! Congratulations again and good luck in your house search :)
1 person likes this
@ljcapps (1925)
• United States
29 Mar 07
HEY!! that's AWESOME, it's great that you guys have quit smoking, well, that's awesome all by itself! i haven't reached that magical point yet, but i definitely do want to quit smoking before my little boy starts thinking it's cool. Because it's not. i wish i had never started! But thank you, for the congratulations! and i hope you post it when you guys get to that wonderful point, too!
@cutepenguin (6431)
• Canada
28 Mar 07
How exciting for you! I hope to do the same thing next year, but it is tough with the requirements and to save up the down payment. Good for you guys - I'm sure you'll get a lot of joy out of your new home.
1 person likes this
@ljcapps (1925)
• United States
29 Mar 07
Actually, if you haven't tried to get a mortgage yet, you might go ahead and try. We don't have anything to put down, and we got a mortgage with zero down. So you don't know. we tried on a lark, and found out we're approved. so...i urge you to try. the very worst they can do to you right now, is say no. they can't call and laugh at you over the phone. :)
@umavarma1 (926)
• India
28 Mar 07
wow congrats.i am very happy for you.even my dream isto buy a new house.hope even i will reach my dream very soon.i am working on that.hope for the best.i need all of your wishes.then i can reach my dream as early as posibble.wish me also good luck.bye enjoy
@ljcapps (1925)
• United States
28 Mar 07
I will be happy to wish you all the luck in the world that you can get. I know exactly what it's like, and where you're coming from. when my wife and i first got together we were fine, financial wise, and then she got pregnant and had to quit her job, which pretty much plunged us down into poverty. We're very very very very far from rich, but it's nice to be able to know we're in a much better position than we were not so long ago. but best wishes to you, and i hope that you'll tell everyone when you get to achieve your dream, also!
@ljcapps (1925)
• United States
28 Mar 07
buying a house is a HUGE goal for us. Something that we thought would take several more years to accomplish. this really fell right out of the sky for us. so to whatever deity you pray, i guess they do listen. the house we're currently looking at is large enough that if need be either set of our parents could stay there, which is part of what's so great about it. but really, we'll just be happy to be owning our own. this is so big for us, and we're still in the "i can't believe it" stage!
@ljcapps (1925)
• United States
28 Mar 07
thank you for the congratulations! We're so excited that i can't even begin to explain it. Not only the thought of owning our home, but of our son growing up in the same area, and having stability. I went to several different schools growing up, and in different states, and my wife was the same. She went to about 10 different schools. So we're also looking forward to this opportunity for our son.
@dlkuku (1935)
• United States
28 Mar 07
Congratulations that is wonderful. I bought my first house last year, and I remember how wonderful it felt.
When we found the house we wanted, I wanted to show my family and friends back home so I was taking lots of pictures and my husband was laughing at me.
Later, he told me he thought that it was cute that I was so excited about it.
I hope you find the perfect house.
1 person likes this
@ljcapps (1925)
• United States
29 Mar 07
LOL My wife is showing pictures to her family of the houses that we're GOING to look at. Haven't even seen yet, but she talks to her family online a lot, and they're all really excited too. we start hunting tomorrow, and she's already got her digital tucked into her purse. i think it's just awesome, and am probably as excited as she is, and as you were! how long did it take you to find that perfect house?
@gaofei994 (33)
• China
28 Mar 07
GReat!Admire you ! It's the one important thing of everybody's life. I have a good friend who is struggling for her house,she will married after she got it. I want to give my best blesh to her,wish she can get the house like you.Hope I can see move into new building in coming days!!
1 person likes this
@ljcapps (1925)
• United States
28 Mar 07
Thank you for the best wishes! LOL actually my wife and i have taken most of our steps with this. We met, we moved in together, we had a child, we got married, and now we're buying a house. retirement fund? LOL College fund for the boy? Actually, when our son starts school next year, my wife wants to go back to school. so I guess after this monumental step for us, this is the next big thing!
@Heavenly8383 (13)
• Canada
28 Mar 07
Congradulations!! Buying a House is a big step!. Me and my boyfriend just bought our first house 3 months ago! and I know we are happy about it. It's nice to not have to be renting anymore!
1 person likes this
@ljcapps (1925)
• United States
28 Mar 07
I couldn't agree more! About the renting part. We've been renting for six years and we are so sick and tired of it. We've been sighing over house brochures and real estate articles forever, and this was such a big surprise, really. We thought we'd get laughed at! But i figure 26 and buying our first house isn't so bad at all.
@ljcapps (1925)
• United States
28 Mar 07
We've been together almost six years and we've been renting that entire time. It's crazy. We just had our one year lease come up on the place we're in and we got a letter saying thank you for staying and your great business, but oh, we're raising the rent! LOL that's really what kicked us in the butt to start looking. Thank you for your best wishes!
@brokentia (10389)
• United States
28 Mar 07
Congrats!!! That is awesome!
We bought our first house when we moved here a year and half ago.
Only thing was...because I was in Florida and he was here...he bought a house without me seeing it in real life.
But all turned out ok. :)
Remember, take your time and make sure that both of you like it.
Congrats again! It is a big and wonderful step to building memories. :)
1 person likes this
@ljcapps (1925)
• United States
28 Mar 07
We are so unbelievably excited! My wife has scheduled our first couple of house viewings with the realtor, but i trust her taste, and her judgement. Ultimately, the final decision will belong to both of us, you're right. I'm glad that everything turned out with your house! That could have been a complete disaster!
@gypsylady28 (945)
• United States
28 Mar 07
Congratulations!!!! Me and my husband bought our first house a little over 2 years ago. With the economy like it is right now, it is the time to buy. Prices on houses are lower and so are the interest rates. We were very excited also. And we are not paying anymore then we did on rent. Just a word of advice, if you can get your house insurance, and taxes added in on your loan (escrow) it is awesome. You don't have to pay them monthly then, the loan company does. We pay $424.00 a month and that is with the escrow account that pays out the insurance and yearly taxes. We don't have a big fancy house, but we have a 3 bedroom rancher and a nice lot. Also when you start deciding on what you want, and you place an offer on a house, make your offer a little less then what they are asking. They will give you a counter bid if they won't take what you offered. We actually got our home for about $5,000 less then they were asking and they paid all the closing costs. Good Luck!
1 person likes this
@ljcapps (1925)
• United States
28 Mar 07
That's awesome! And actually, it's exactly what our realtor told us. LOL We knew we wanted an escrow account, i'd rather pay a little more each month and let the mortgage company deal with all of that. Same thing with the realtor, there is so many things that can go wrong and everything else, i'd rather have someone hand in hand with us that knows exactly what he's doing. He said the same thing, that when we find a house, to bid lower on it, and start negotiations from there. And he's going to do the negotiating. LOL Which is great. I'm so excited! We'll be paying more than what we pay in rent, but first, any place will probably be twice the size of this one, and it's going to be paying for our house. not someone else's.
@howard96h (11640)
• New York, New York
28 Mar 07
Congratulations! I wish you and your family the best of luck with your new home. I have lived in apartments my whole life, so I know how bad this is. I hope to get one too when I get out of here. Keep us posted on the progress. What State are you looking?
1 person likes this
@ljcapps (1925)
• United States
28 Mar 07
We're looking Kentucky. okay, seriously, don't laugh. :) currently the house that we're looking at is 3200 sq. feet for 88,500. yeah, i wasn't laughing so hard after that! But kentucky isn't where we're plannning spending the rest of our lives, but we'd like to be building equity while we're here. And i'm with you, we've lived in duplexes or apartments forever, and we're sick of it. I want to be able to paint the walls, or put up a fence if i want to. LOL
@maddysmommy (16230)
• United States
28 Mar 07
CONGRATULATIONS ..so happy for you both and thanks for sharing the great news! Ohh I hope to own a house one day :) Best of Luck and I hope you find that perfect house :)
1 person likes this
@ljcapps (1925)
• United States
28 Mar 07
We thought it would be another six years before we could even begin to dream of owning a home! LOL we have like no credit, and we didn't have any money to put down, nothing substantial, and there was a company that was willing to give us a mortgage anyway. we went to lendingtree.com on a lark, and look what happened! So good luck to you, cause you just never know.
@domesticengineer (576)
• Philippines
28 Mar 07
I'm really happy for you. This is one of my dreams at the moment. We've been planning to get a house of our own because we are now living in a house built for us but it's my parents who spent for that. I think it would be an achievement for me and my husband if we could have our own. But as of the moment, I don't think it's still possible because he's the only one working and our expenses are rising because of my children's needs.
@ljcapps (1925)
• United States
28 Mar 07
Well, keep your fingers crossed. You never know. My wife is a stay at home mom, and we thought there was no chance of us finding a lender that would touch us with a ten foot pole, but we were seriously surprised. Now we actually have to start the house hunt, and i know at times i'll be discouraged, but, we're buying a house!! LOL i still haven't quite gotten over the surprise of that. i know it's a HUGE investment, but it's an investment for my family. I hope you guys are able to do this also, i know what it's like to want a house so bad you can taste it.
