You would whine too if it happened to you… Well, maybe not.
As a disclaimer, I am not writing this for the Barnes family who read this blog as an update into the house buying process. I am writing this to vent. I am venting because if I don’t, I think my head will explode.
Buying a VA foreclosure sucks rocks. It sucks BIG TIME. Don’t ever do it. Buy a HUD foreclosure instead, buy a short sale, buy a pre-foreclosure but for goodness sake, spare yourself the stress and avoid a VA foreclosure at all costs. Because otherwise it will cost you more than a very nice used car just to close on the stinking thing… I know people think we are getting screwed on the loan, I know people think we are getting taken advantage of, I know people think there are better ways of doing what we are trying to do and better ways to save a “couple thousand” but I have my parents involved and I trust my dad’s opinion and don’t think he would hide from me if he thought we were being taken advantage of or if he thought there would be a better way, a better loan, a better Realtor, whatever. My dad has been in contact with both our Broker and Realtor and he, like us, is okay with the situation we’re in. It just sucks, but there is no way around it. VA foreclosures apparently have completely, totally, bass-ackwards rules and stipulations that do not follow anyone’s definition of logical proceedings.
With all that said, we will close on Tuesday at the earliest and Thursday at the latest, depending on when some guy named Christopher can bring the papers down for us to sign. I’m confused about this part because the seller’s agent is a man named Christopher Beckett but apparently he is a different Christopher than the Lender’s Agent named Christopher who has no known last name, at least, not known by us at this point. Christopher Beckett works in South Austin… Christopher ___? works in Dallas. Somehow, I don’t know which one we have to make the appointment with or which one will get the courier fee in our closing costs but if it is the Christopher that works in South Austin, you better bet your buttons I will refuse to pay that fee. Flat out refuse.
Anyhow, I guess part of being completely honest with people when they ask how things are going means dealing with an onslaught of advice. I appreciate all of it because it means they love us but there is nothing I will do to change what is happening. I just feel like complaining about it, not necessarily doing anything about it. I’m lazy. I get lazy when I get stressed out.
On top of the house thing (which I only barely scratched the surface there), David’s a Band director which means UIL competition. There are 3 bands at his school and each band performed/competed on a different day (or night, as is the case today)… makes for very stressful week for him — his band got twos on stage and one-one-two in sightreading — and long days for me. When you take the contest week and you add it to the week before closing on this house and everybody needing signatures on this paper and can you call us back ASAP and oh, by the way, PMS is here!!, well, I can just start to fall apart. I am going to have a big pity party with my box of Puffs® this weekend.
After my pity party, I plan on going to church, refocusing myself for another rough week, then signing my life away sometime between Tuesday morning and Thursday afternoon. We should get the keys on the 11th or 14th and, God Bless them, my parents are hiring a cleaning lady to clean the dirty new house for us so we can start doing what needs to be done without cleaning some other peoples’ pubic hairs off the bathroom floor first.
First off, we’ll need to get a fridge. I don’t know how this will happen but it’s pretty necessary as you can’t live long without a cold one. Afterall, a One that is not cold is scarcely a One at all. This can happen anytime before we move in, but preferably before we start painting since I know it would be nice to have a fridge around for taking a break and keeping some snacks cool and the cold ones cold, even if all the cold ones are is cold Dr Peppers. Secondly, we’ll need primer and paint. All 4 bedrooms, at the very minimum, must be sealed and painted before I will allow my kids to spend longer than a few hours there. After that, it becomes eh-not-so-important. Oh, besides the one drawer that needs to be rebuilt and the air filter that needs to be changed out.
I know we’ll be okay. I know I will be okay. I am just so tired of phone calls and emails and loan jargon and stressing out. I have had it with the stressing out. Just gimme the keys already.
Okay, I’m done. And if you’re wondering, yes, I do feel better, thankyouverymuch.
