Working With Rentals/Renters...

So what is there to real estate besides buying and selling? RENTING! You will meet more and more people out there that would rather or can only rent for a variety of reasons. Bad credit, recent foreclosure, and those that would just rather rent than own! Whatever the reason, they can be your best clients. AND most renters become buyers at some point. Why not get to know them first? Rental showings are similar to real estate showings only instead of a commission percentage on sale price, you normally get a flat fee.

We offer property management at Friemann Companies and are ready to assist you! We run all the background checks, verification checks, and reference checks. We find the renters for your home, collect payments, deal with the fixes (well we do have a construction company as part of our office! :)), and make it easy for you to feel confident in your income property.

Whether you are buying, selling, renting, remodeling, or building new, we can help! What is fun (for me anyways......you might find it completely boring!) is finding fixer uppers with great potential and making it grand!  You make your image and dream home come to life with your own touch! Not everyone has the eye for that or wants/can do that, but that is a great way to turn a home in an ideal location but not your ideal set up into your own!!!

Why not right????

Now What???

Well, I passed. Let's get it started!

A week after I finished my last test, I got a call from an agent who was wondering if I could show her buyer a condo in my area since she lives much farther north.  I showed him the condo that day. Holy wow was that a lot to take in.....let's get it going though!

Guess what!?

He wanted to buy it!! My first showing ever and I was writing an offer....I had the assistance of my broker and Brenda and they helped me write it up. The condo was in multiple offers so we had to go in wisely and offer accordingly. It has been quite the experience but we got the home for him! I have been learning a lot now about appraisals, lending, and all sorts of stuff! It is a fun learning experience though!

I also have been helping with open houses. It's hard to get a lot of traffic for these but be patient...you might just find yourself a buyer! Last weekend, I did 3 open houses for Brenda. You need to be willing to work and put the time in to grow your business. It can be stressful but the benefits to me are greater than the sacrifices.....who does anything from 11-6 on Saturdays anyways! Ha.....

The Next Step...

So I passed the National and State Exam so now I am "home-free" right??? (Let's hope you kind of understand my humor in that phrase!)

Not Quite!

After Course I, you must complete Courses II and III. These are each 30 hours worth. This course goes over how to select a brokerage, understanding your agency and representation paperwork and rights, how to do walk-throughs and CMAs (Competitive Market Analysis), how to prep for a listing, how to represent your clients, financing options, consumer protection rights and laws, expense worksheets, and writing your very own PA (Purchase Agreement).

Sound simple? Maybe.....I thought it was a LOT of information to take in. Keep in mind you are getting an overview of EVERYTHING! You need this generalized knowledge but don't act like an expert in an area that you are not (i.e. mortgage bankers). You can give an opinion, but always direct them to professionals in the appropriate fields! You would hope that the mortgage banker wouldn't direct them to one home (that's your job - let them do their job and you do yours!).

After working for a couple agents, I learned so much more than I could ever by reading a book or watching videos. Don't get overwhelmed....take it all in and do your best. No one expects an expert overnight! It does help to get some prior experience assisting with other agents though!!!!

Yes, back to school....

The day I graduated college I swore I would NEVER go back to school.....like NEVER! I hated the homework and classes and I just did not enjoy school. So when I was told I had 90 hours to complete on the courses and 5 tests, I figured "OK, deep breath.....don't think of it like school but like a fun new experience...." If that kind of thinking works for you, then great, do it. Didn't work for me, I just wanted to be done! As mentioned before, I took my courses online. You can do this through Kaplan, Continuing Ed Express, MN Realty School, etc. I took my Course I through Kaplan. You can also purchase an exam prep package. I can't speak for that because I didn't order it, but that is an additional 15 prep course.

In Course I, you learn the basics and essentials of real estate. What it is (literally they give you the definition of real estate and realtor....um....I am sorry but if you don't know what that means before you sign up for the class, you might have troubles), the facts for the MN Real Estate Exam (or whatever state you are from), and the groundwork on what you will run into in the real estate world. You have a few books for this Course. They send you 1 huge book on the main real estate information you will need as you jumpstart your new career as well as a workbook and a smaller MN laws book. These are good tools to have throughout the process.

The online course I took was all videos. It of course is timed so you can't skip through the videos and say your hours are done. You do need to play out the videos. After each section, there are small quizzes you take on what you just watched to move onto the next portion (you can take these as many times as you like and actually the questions change so they are good to review). I think this was the hardest part for me. I didn't know what parts I would need to know (they do give some clues throughout saying you should REMEMBER this point.....meaning, learn it for the test!). I took a lot of notes, went through the books, and worked really hard to get it done which still remembering what I just took in. It's hard to make time in your life to sit and study and listen, but if you can focus on that a little each day, it is well worth the end result.

When you finish the course online, you call to schedule your proctored exam. I scheduled my proctored exam for the next day so I would still have it fresh. Then you need to schedule your National and State Exam which you can take together. I was optimistic and took my Course I proctored exam in the morning and then scheduled my National and State Exam that afternoon (through psiexams). I studied and studied and studied and when it came to the test was still really nervous....I hadn't done this in a while! The test wasn't too bad and if you studied, you were most likely going to pass. I then had my National and State exam that afternoon and then passed those. They are STRICT going into the test. They make sure you have NOTHING on you, no hat, no purse, no anything you might have answers on. Go in there and be confident in what you learned and you will be fine.....

Now what?

Along my journey.....

Along my journey, I worked for a real estate company for a while before I worked for Friemann Companies full time and I loved looking at all the houses. I loved digging in to the prices to see what we could get the customers and finding ways to get everyone their dream home! I took a short stint away from that and followed some other career paths but in the end, I came back to Brenda and joined the Friemann Companies team! I think I always knew deep down I would!

After working a while on office management and marketing for Friemann Companies, it was brought to  my attention that maybe I should think about getting my real estate license. You think that would be a no brainer but it is a little scary at first thinking about it!

Think about it...of course it's fun to look at homes (I guess maybe not everyone loves it as much as I do!), and it's fun to be a part of everyone's home journey, but what happens when you are the one with the responsibility to make sure the paperwork goes through and the inspections are done and the home appraises for your buyers and sellers and that everyone goes to closing and leaves closing happy....then it gets a little more real!

I knew I wanted to pursue this and decided to jump right in! It helps that I had a great mentor to talk to me about the process and knew I had someone to talk to when I finished and help me whenever I ran into any issues. So I signed up!

The courses as a whole are divided into 3 Courses. Course 1 preps you for the MN and National Exam. I will dive into these a little more in the next posts but to just give you a general idea..... After Course 1, you take your proctored Course 1 exam (if you completed the course online), then you sign up for and take the National and State Exam. After that, you take Course 2 and 3 and take the proctored exams (again if you took it online otherwise you take the exams in the classroom) before you can continue. After you complete all of that, your broker (I will get into that as well later) needs to send in all your paperwork to apply to get you your license.........at that point.........welcome to the world of real estate!!!
 

And the Realtor Journey Begins!!!!

"I truly believe that everything that we do and everyone that we meet is put in our path for a purpose. There are no accidents; we're all teachers - if we're willing to pay attention to the lessons we learn, trust our positive instincts and not be afraid to take risks or wait for some miracle to come knocking at our door." - Marla Gibbs

I believe everything we go through in life serves a purpose. Whether it be a lesson learned or to help us figure out who we are, or to give us an answer that we are looking for - it may not help us now, but later we will see it had a reason for being part of your journey.  I look back at myself a couple years ago and I  must have been crazy! Within a 6 month period, I moved to the Twin Cities, planned my wedding (or was in the heat of planning), got a new job, moved into a cousin's house for temporary living arrangements, got to know a whole new area and how to drive in all this traffic, and bought a house! Oh that's nothing right? Well I look back wondering how I actually handled all that without pulling my hair out, but I did it!

Somewhere along the way, I met Brenda. I remember calling my dad one day about what I should do for living situation and how I hated my apartment hunting (if you don't know that story, look back in my blog!). He mentioned to me how awesome the interest rates were and I should talk to my husband (fiancé at the time) about it maybe being a good time to look at purchasing a home. Well I shared that whole experience with you but what I didn't share is how much I came to LOVE homes and looking at them in the process. Brenda became one of my best friends in the process and has been my mentor and inspiration to get my license. And now, I have it!!

But, what does that take to get!!?!! And how did I know enough about real estate to decide it's for me??!?? That you will find out in the next post!

Stay tuned!

BIG NEWS! I just passed my licensure exams today! I am offically an agent!!!

How did I get here? Let me tell you how! Stay tuned!!

 

 

Closing Day :)

CLOSING DAY!

If your closing goes smoothly, this is the best day and one you won't forget! You get the keys to your new home! We were extremely blessed and had great sellers so that helped a lot! Sometimes the sellers or the buyers will have power of attorney to sign their documents (giving permission to someone else to sign your paperwork) and may not be there. If you are there with the sellers it can be awkward....crickets....or it can be super fun and a chance to talk to them about their home! Brenda also had gotten a list of utility companies they used previously for us to call and switch names and billing for to make the process smoother. The closer, buyers and sellers (or person designated by one party or another to sign), along with possibly the mortgage broker will be there. They go through a million pieces of paperwork and you sign, sign, sign, sign and oh, you sign! You have your funds sent there for them as well (your down payment).

After we finished, we got a great congratulations gift from both Brenda and our closer. Then we got to the home and the sellers had planted some new flowers for us in the outside pots, wrote us a super nice note, got us a couple of big robes, and had a bottle of champagne, and 2 wine glasses awaiting our arrival (I told you they were awesome!).

After that, move in and make it your own!!

OR, sit back, relax (most likely on your floor unless your furniture is there!), and look around at your brand new purchase!!

And then what happens....

Whoohooo let’s move in! NOT! Now comes the appraisal and inspection process. Most lenders require an inspection on the property. You should get this anyway! We had a great inspector that walked us through the whole house and the ins and outs. He checks the shingles outside and some siding and landscaping then went inside and explained the furnace, water heater, water softener, sump pump, etc. I probably looked like a little nerd carrying my notebook taking notes but I wanted to learn! We went through the plumbing, electrical, foundation, and everything! He made notes on every little thing that could be improved. After he prepared his report, he sent it over with all the improvements. We went over this with Brenda, and determined which ones were pressing. We for sure wanted the window to be replaced, plumbing fixed, outlets to code, and furnace checked. We submitted these requests to the home owners and they came back to us with what they agreed to take on. Once you have an accepted purchase and sale agreement, you'll take a copy to your mortgage lender. He or she will be responsible for ordering the appraisal and will order the Title Policy, if this has not already been done by your agent. This will happen after you have seen the results of the home inspection and have indicated that you are prepared to go forward with the purchase.

Your appraisal is then done (without you there) and if he/she determines that the agreed upon price is acceptable for the home’s value,  you can move forward! Did you include an appraisal contingency? Do you have the cash to make up the difference in price values if the appraisal comes in lower than the offer? Those are things to think about. You work on setting a closing date as well. Be sure to watch your spending – don’t go buy all these new items for your home! Wait!! The underwriters on your loan see that as a red flag!

You also schedule a walk through before your closing. The walk through you do with your realtor to be sure the home owner hasn’t decided to go pull out their fireplace or something! It’s a final look around before you call the home, yours!!!

 

Now, closing day!!

FIGHT FOR IT!

Don’t expect them to accept your offer the first time!  They will come back most likely with a counter offer. That doesn’t mean you can’t counter again! We went back and forth 4 times! In between the third and fourth offers, we almost gave up. Brenda even "made" or STRONGLY ENCOURAGED me go look at other homes during it so that I could see if this was really the home I wanted and if I was willing to keep fighting! Heck no to any of the rest of those homes!!! I found myself always comparing to the home I wanted and I wouldn’t like any of the new ones as much as I liked that one! My mind was stuck.

We knew the items we wanted included with the home and it was quite the experience going back and forth trying to get our precious washer and dryer included in the home! Also, having them pay closing costs or at least part of them is VERY helpful! With all the costs of buying a home, it is nice to feel like they are going to pay for something for you!

I was never so grateful to Brenda until after this experience. She calmed me down, put her boxing gloves on for me, and dealt with all the behind the scenes things I didn’t even want to know was going on! After battling for what felt like forever, the offer was finally accepted!

So now what? Move in right? NO!

 

35 Houses Later...

We are down to our 35^th home (that is after many days of looking of course, Brenda is SO patient though, she enjoyed every minute of it I am sure right?!?)…we were going to give up for the day but there was one we thought we should probably just at least drive by since we had an appointment….and boy am I glad we did!!! We LOVED it! It had everything minus a fireplace that I wanted (and you better believe we bought a portable one shortly after moving in!). Other than that, there are things looking back like wishing the entry was a bit bigger that could be changed, but I LOVED the rest and so did my husband! We agreed! No one I don’t think will ever be 100% satisfied with their home, whether they are building it or purchasing a model or buying pre-owned, but if the shoes fits your family's feet, some things can be looked past!
 

So the house across the street is for sale too….let’s check it out….

We walk in and immediately I realize nothing is going to compete with the house we just saw! I WANT that! We sit in the car as I stare starry eyed at this home. I want it and I want it now! There was another appointment after us….I told my now husband to stand out front and act like a crazy neighbor so the people don’t want it ha….he didn’t but I thought it was a good idea! No?!?!

So we found it….now what? Hit your head on the wall and realize you are going to not be as rich as you were before. NO! Sit down, go over your budget. Go over how much YOU feel comfortable paying each month. Can you afford the payment after EVERY expense you have already and still save and have money for fun things too? Don’t rely on making more later….that is not going to help you now!

Talk to your realtor, Brenda! What is an okay offer based on comps? What can we ask to include with it? Go over every detail…this might be YOUR new home!

So we did that…we sat down and went over EVERYTHING! We talked with Brenda, came up with our offer, and boom we got the house…NOT! I wish it was that easy!

So we fight for it…

 

What Type Of Sale Is It???!!!???

      Ever heard of a short sale? Yea….they aren’t short! Whoever came up with the name of that was obviously trying to be funny.  It is a LONG process but can be well worth it if you have the patience! A short sale occurs when a particular property is sold at a lower price than the mortgage due to the bank. The bank then accepts the “short” payoff – taking a loss on the loan.  If you don’t even want to consider a short sale or foreclosure or auction property, let Brenda know that upfront…she won’t show you any! I wasn’t sure initially if it mattered to me so I went to see a couple. The particular ones I saw were NOT something I wanted to live in! Walking in to foreign music and incense burning along with grease infested ovens, writing all over the walls, wiring out everywhere, need I keep going….is not something I wanted to stay in! NO way! I did see one really great one too don’t get me wrong, but decided the timing just wouldn’t work for us. Be careful with these though as they are as – is. Also, just because the seller accepts your offer doesn’t mean the bank will! When the homeowner is no longer able to make their payments and has quit making payments, then the lender starts the foreclosure process in which time the people living in the home are forced out but still have the opportunity to buy the property back. Once the property is REO (Real Estate Owned), the bank owns the property as collateral for the loan. Usually the short sale process takes longer than the REO since the banks have to agree to take less money than they are owed, but they each have their own set of rules. And be careful to know where the foreclosure process is when you go to purchase it! Auction properties have their own set of rules as well. Some have reserves which force you to start the bid at a higher price than you anticipate.  There are many pieces to the short sale and foreclosure puzzles! Brenda of course is the expert for that – literally a certified expert! This isn't something you need to be a pro on but be sure to work with an agent that is!

Also, remember when I said don’t settle? Yea, don’t! It’s easy to get wrapped up in it all and decide on one we think is “the one” right away but take your time to think about it! One that we saw the first day I thought I “loved” – Nate went to see it the next day and laughed at me. He reminded me that it had cedar shingles and siding (and I am not a bird fan…what animal do you think is drawn to that material!) with a swamp in the backyard full of mosquitos in the summer – think about the seasons and what they will bring to you! For example, the swamp, a steep driveway in the winter, etc. Some things though can be fixed with a handyman or a great construction company - of which I know of one!!

Now….34 houses later…

 

And Let's Walk Into The Home...

      Ok let’s talk....me to you….no one wants to walk into a home and feel out of place, smell the last persons cooking, or feel like you walked into a sweaty locker room right? So think about how you feel walking in? Walk in, take a breath, take a quick look around (What are your first impressions?? Often they are the ones that are lasting!), and start exploring. Enjoy this part! Walk around, feel out the floor plan – what is your routine every day? Does it fit in this home? Where do you spend most of your time? Picture your family there with YOUR things in it (not their custom made furniture or Ikea handiwork)….can you see it? LOOK at each room and in each door and in each nook and cranny. Come on, all of us are snoops at heart….here is your chance to snoop and it’s okay! When staging a home the homeowners are told to take their personal photos out. Did you ever think about why? Well it is MUCH harder for a buyer to picture their own family in a home when you see the owner’s Great Grandma Louise and Uncle Bob and Cousin Ralph on the wall. If they ignored that precious advice, ignore the photos and don’t get caught up on who lives there now! SEE yourself there. Sit down for a minute and picture what your life would be there! 

What are the upgrades like in the home? Maybe you are handyman or you know someone that is and can see the potential of an older home and what you could make of it. I love my husband to pieces but there was no way he was going to be able to whip out anything construction related so I knew I wanted something already to my liking. I wish I knew Friemann Companies when I looked! They are awesome! Look what they did to the kitchen below! Call them for anything! They can do it! Look past the paint and wallpaper (EASY fix – well maybe you have taken down wallpaper lately and disagree but it is something you can fix at least!) What kinds of appliances are included? How old are the appliances? Will they need to be replaced soon? (This will change your budget!) Are the countertops updated (if not, is this going to bother you?)? Do you have a washer and dryer/are the ones in the home included? How old is the water heater and furnace? When you are looking into that, think about the outside as well….when was the roof last shingled? Is the siding permanent or something you will have to paint? All these things start adding up over time!! Maybe it has an association – what are the fees and what does it cover?

Now, how do you access the great outdoors? Maybe you are the type that wants to sit inside with your book all summer and that’s great! For myself, however, the outside was a HUGE thing for me! I grew up with a large ravine lot yard and didn’t want to be on top of my neighbors and wanted a yard for myself and future children to be in. Is there even a yard? Is it a hill and how will rain flow through it? Will you have your own pond out there after each rain? Maybe you are looking for lake property….then be sure to know your riparian rights, property lines on the beach, if you have a big beaver dam by your deck, if a deck and/or lift is included, etc! Brenda can help with that! You should always know your property lines no matter where you end of living though! Maybe the sneaky neighbors started taking over your land…it pays to know!

Now, for myself, we ended up purchasing a home with gazebos, a privacy fence, a deck and hot tub. They all need to be stained at some point! Lots of work but my husband knows how to do that (I give him credit for that!!!). With a hot tub though becomes more responsibility….how/when/what chemicals do you use? How often do you have to change the filters? How much is a pump? How much is this going to cost extra in water each month? Same goes for a pool!

Think about the size of your yard as well…do you have the right equipment needed to keep it up if you aren’t going to hire it out?? How good of shape is the lawn in? These are all things Brenda will help you with!

Now….something we haven’t talked about….what kind of sale is it?

Wait, We Are Only In The Driveway?

       The first houses we saw were a big learning experience for me. Do you like to have to walk up steps right when you walk in the door? What size entry way do you prefer? (i.e. what are you planning to fit in your entry) Do you like the layout? Is it awkward having this long hallway? Why is the kitchen so closed off? Yea that shower is NOT going to work…. Do you really need a master bathroom? Do you want a walk in closet? How much storage space do you need? Why are there 5 levels in this home….do I really want to clean that!? (Because come on, most of us aren’t going to be able to have a housekeeper!)

You certainly learn after 4 or 5 houses things you like and things you don’t. I was pretty closed-minded about a few of the looks of the homes from the outside after seeing them (you know the ones that look like they have caps on top right? No? Am I the only one that thinks some of the roofs look funny? Okay...) but Brenda forced (okay maybe forced is harsh but strongly encouraged! me to give them a shot). I am certainly glad she did too! Just like you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, you shouldn’t judge the inside of a home by it’s roof! We saw huge houses stuck in the old days, smaller ones with some awesome upgrades, multi-levels, ramblers, split foyers, and everything in between.  I figured out my style little by little as we went. We looked all over the Twin Cities too. If you don’t know what location you want, try them all! We looked in Apple Valley, Eagan, Prior Lake, Shakopee, Savage, Eden Prairie, Burnsville, and Richfield. As you drive to the homes, check out the neighborhood. Could you see yourself and family living there? Who is outside? What time of day is it and what is going on? What kind of neighborhoods did you have to go through to get to the home? Is it an established neighborhood or is it in the early stages of growing?Does it look like people have kept their homes up or let them go with the ages…believe me it’s not hard to tell! Be aware of your surroundings!

When you pull up to the home, think about how it feels…could you see yourself pulling in this driveway everyday and driving to and from work everyday, church, the grocery store, etc  from here? What is the weather like where you are? How long is the driveway? Is it steep? Will you have freezing where you won't be able to get up it? Is there a garage? Do you want a garage? If you plan to entertain ever, is there room for additional parking? How is the curb appeal? Could you keep up the landscaping outside? Is the driveway asphalt, stone, or concrete? Where do you have to go to get your mail (if it is across the street, is the street busy where you wouldn’t want to have to do that daily?)? Don’t get overwhelmed…enjoy it! But think of these things in the back of your mind while you are in the process. Okay, you are officially parked in the driveway or wherever your parking is. Look at the neighbors’ homes and who is out and if you are in an older neighborhood or young families (what do you prefer to be in?)

Now…the inside…..

 

The Brenda Chapter Has Opened...

          Now to the Brenda chapter. The first day Brenda and I talked, she sent me many house options that we may be interested in. She did this after asking a bunch of questions like the area we were looking for, our budget, where we work, if the age of the house mattered, what we like to do in our spare time, how many bedrooms or bathrooms we were looking for, what type of yard, what kind of community, and all our MUST-haves. Now, at the time, we were pretty open to looking at all types of houses and areas as we didn’t know what community we liked best.  I don’t know what you guys think, but looking at pictures of a potential house to call your own home is very surreal. I LOVE looking at houses. I always used to tell my mom when we would walk that we should have our own show that walks around neighborhoods and comments on what each house could do to make it look nicer, what they could add, trying to figure out what the heck they were trying to do, or trying to find cost-effective ways we could do the same thing.  Not to say I know the best ways/decor, because, let’s be real, I have plenty to learn about in that area! If I had no budget limits though, I feel like I could come up with some pretty awesome stuff! If you are a do-it-yourselfer, you can also come up with some pretty creative ideas on a budget. I feel like all of us have it in us to make our dream house come true whether it be on a smaller scale or not.

Back on task here…as I looked through the houses online, it was a lot of , “This is okay; I don’t know about that bathroom; The bedroom is stuck in the 70s; The yard is nasty; The dining room is too small; The kitchen needs updating; Ooo I love this;" and so on. But, hey, go SEE them! You know the saying that a camera adds 10 pounds; the same is true for houses only it adds 10 pounds of greatness to something or 10 pounds or bad angles to it! If you have the time, go see the places in person. DON’T settle, EVER! When you go, write your pros and cons, write down how you felt walking through the house, and if you see yourself/your family there? Could you drive there every day, could you live in that neighborhood, could you do the activities you enjoy in and outside of the house???—the questions are endless.

My mother-in-law (soon to be at the time) got together and jumped into Brenda’s car the day after she sent me the options and off we were! We saw 12 very different houses that day! So here begins the house hunting journey….

It all begins somewhere...

          Hello everyone!  I have become such great friends with Brenda Hanson, Realtor Superstar at Friemann Companies Real Estate Services, I almost forgot we met while I was trying to find a house a couple years ago! So first, let me take you back to where it all began…

My husband and I (or fiancé at the time), got engaged in October of 2011. I had lived in Mankato and he lived in the Twin Cities here in MN. After three and a half years of mostly long-distance dating, one of us had to move eventually, and it was only logical that I do it since he was in school yet in the cities. I found a job in the Twin Cities in April and had started apartment hunting! We decided to wait until marriage to move in together, so I was trying to find a place to stay until we got married that coming October, 2012. So, my mom and I packed up the car for the afternoon one Saturday and went hunting! I will always remember the first place we went to…I won’t even say the name of it! It was terrible looking on the outside but we thought we would give it a chance. I can tell you that when I asked if they had mice problems (not really sure why I asked that, I guess it seemed to be appropriate after looking around), she said “Amanda, all apartments have mice. Go for the top floors if you are worried. They usually don’t make it that far.” Like, are we serious!!! Okay, okay, I know I grew up quite spoiled but come on now, was she nuts!? We walked right out of there and didn’t say a word to each other the rest of the way to the next place. We looked at two or three more that included mold-infested areas that I wouldn’t put my worst enemy in. We decided to completely switch areas after driving through one without even stopping in due to noticing the bars all over the windows. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not saying there are not some great apartments out there, just none of the ones in my budget at the time! These places were the prices of a house payment, and I couldn’t understand how anyone would pay that! We were both pretty discouraged and the last studio apartment we saw that would have fit me, a bed, and possibly an ottoman (pending the size), led us straight home. We both needed a drink by the end of that day! My cousin randomly, by a gracious act of GOD Himself, offered his new place for me to stay until I found something. THANK YOU!

So, I moved in with them in April and the house journey began. My fiancé was working full-time and in school full-time, so I was doing most of the leg work until we needed to make some decisionsJ. I walked into the bank and talked to a Mortgage Loan Officer, which was a great experience. She was great and really helpful! Be warned though, the price range they give you isn’t necessarily the price range you should look in. Just for the sake of easy numbers, say that you qualified for $400,000. You may be able to possibly pay the monthly mortgage for that, but you have to consider your other expenses. What do you like to do for activities? How much do you spend on entertainment? Do you like to give a lot of gifts? Do you throw a lot of events? How much goes in your savings every month? How much to you like to splurge on different things?  Do you like to travel?  Will you be able to afford it when you have kids some day? Will you be able to save for their graduations/college some day?  NO ONE wants to be house poor.

So my venting session on that is done, but I just want you to consider this before going in to speak to the loan officer. Our lender, who was amazing-did I mention that?- recommended Brenda, who was also amazing-did I mention that either?-to me since I didn’t know any agents or have anyone I knew of to work with.  I called her right after I left the bank, left a voicemail, and heard back from her that night, and so starts the Brenda chapter of my life. J