We decided to buy a house

[Krikit 1,163]

Hang in there, KimBear. It could be that the person doing the appraisal is on the lien-holder's end, which means the end is in sight. Meaning the Asset Department has the file in motion. We found that the best thing was to have an aggressive realtor who'd keep phoning and bumping our case to the front to where they finally picked it up and dealt with it.

Just one more thought.... make sure you purchase the upgraded Home Warranty at closing. We had the seller/bank pay for it but we would have purchased it ourselves if they hadn't. It turned out to be a very good investment. Properties which have been foreclosed on or are in a short sale situation are generally neglected to the point of deterioration and the home warranty minimizes the cost of repair or replacement.

[Moosker 7]

I second the home warranty . Even with a "regular" house, you never know. Our hot water heater went on us right before Christmas. $100 deductible was paid and we got a brand new one without hesitation. We will definitely be renewing it again when our year is up.

Edited June 27, 2011 by Moosker

[Udella&Wiz 325]

I 3rd the Home Warranty item, we didn't use ours but it provided a certain amount of peace of mind.

most of our stuff went after the first yer - haha Murphy's law

[Stuart and Thea 95]

Hi Kimbear, I just found this thread yesterday, and rather than lurk anonymously, I wanted to say good luck, and I hope things start to run a little smoother for you! I too plan on buying a house but not till I sell the one I'm in here in Canada still and move to the states and marry. I had no idea just how crazy the US real estate market was, I always thought it was a mess here! So I'm lurking in your thread to see what I can learn from you posting all your nightmare here, so again, thankyou, and good (better) luck with the purchase!

[Moosker 7]

I'm going to second my "seconding" of the home warranty Last night I went to turn on my dishwasher...and...nadda, nothing! It's completely dead. We checked out fuses, my husband tried messing around with it a bit, it just decided to bite the dust (which I'm happy about, because quite frankly the thing was horrible at cleaning my dishes). So, dishwasher is covered under our warranty! Just thought I'd share!

[Flames9_RN 358]

Just ensure you check into the home warranty, some are better than others.

I have bought in Canada ad the USA and both experiences were rather similar. I think it may have been a lot easier to mortgage shop in Canada, as we went the mortgage broker route. More fees in the USA I think---was back in the late 90's when i bough tmy last place in Canada.

When dealing with a short sale/foreclosure they say they can be a real pain. Sure one can find some good deals, but 1 has to be patient and I think one has to be ready to walk away as well. A house takes a lot of maintenance and up keep and if its not being done---which happens in a lot of these short sales/foreclosures----can cost a lot of $$$$ to bring them back into shape. Houses can be huge money pits!!Like anything else, one falls in love and hates to walk away!

[Udella&Wiz 325]

I'm going to second my "seconding" of the home warranty Last night I went to turn on my dishwasher...and...nadda, nothing! It's completely dead. We checked out fuses, my husband tried messing around with it a bit, it just decided to bite the dust (which I'm happy about, because quite frankly the thing was horrible at cleaning my dishes). So, dishwasher is covered under our warranty! Just thought I'd share!

Love it when something works out as it should

[Krikit 1,163]

Our home warranty is with Old Republic. They have been fabulous. We just had the heat pump which services our top floor replaced, hassle-free. Only had to pay for duct modification. We also had tons of plumbing problems repaired. All for $75 deductible. They have always been courteous and helpful, and also follow up to make sure everything is to our satisfaction. Just one word of advice..... you pay the deductible whether you have one problem or 10. I waited until we'd been here a few months to make sure I had all the problems, and then called everything in at once. The deductible is per trade, so it doesn't cover both plumbing and electrical, for instance. It's $75 (or whatever) for the plumber and $75 for the electrician.

[Moosker 7]

I like that idea Krikit! Wait for other issues to come about. We are with a place called HMS Warranty (came with the house purchase), but I may shop around before we renew. A lot of our appliances are 20+ years old, which means, once they go, the company won't fix, they just automatically replace.

[Kimbear 53]

Ok so we are moved into the inlaws..ugh what a day...uhaul and my storage company both scrwed up ...and then we got stuck in 3 mile an hour traffic..got home finally unpacked etc..at midnight and we had been up since 5am...and 4 hours of sleep only the night before..and my bloodie dogs although i love them woudln't let us sleep in today lol.

Ok so some good news!!!!!

we found out it was the lienholder that did the appraisal. we got a call from our realtor saying they counter offered our price. house was 70k originally we offered 58 and they came back with 66 take it or leave it..so we're taking it!!! just gotta wait for the fha loan and in 2 months we'll have our house!!!!!

although ..that means i have to move...again...UGH LOL.

they wont pay for the home warranty..bah...but we'll go ahead and buy it ourself...i'll just have to shop around.

I can't remember if i posed pics or a link to the house but here it is:

http://www.century21.com/property/1713-DeForest-Ln-1713-Hanover+Park-IL-60103-C2136265100

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel...and wow when my realtor called..i was shocked and my stomach did flip flops lol. I can't wait!!

[Moosker 7]

Yaaaaay!!! So glad it's working out! There were a few hurdles, but if it's meant to be, it'll always happen!

[Krikit 1,163]

That's fabulous, Kimbear. Congratulations! It's a lovely home.

[Kimbear 53]

Thanks for putting up with me over the last couple months lol. I tell ya its a very different process buying a house here...even if you think you understand you get thrown so much more info charges etc..wow. Not sure i wanna go through it again! lo.

so why is it insurance companies need our ssn and credit check for a quote?? i'm insuring the house not me...sigh. and so far my bank tells me it should be around 450 but the only quote i've beena ble to get so far was for over 700 with State farm..

just worried with all these credit checks for everything related to the house davids credit is gooing to go down.

also..whats a good price for a home warranty? i see many different companies and many different prices

tryign to figure out my clsoing costs here lol. although i like the free first month thing..where you dont have to cough up a mortgage payment right away

Edited July 5, 2011 by Kimbear

[Moosker 7]

State Farm was the highest quote for us too. We shopped around, Allstate was the best, but we had to bring out auto over (no biggie).

I think our home warranty was listed as $379/year (that's what the previous owners paid). I don't know if it depends on how big your house is though, or how many old appliances you have, etc. Definitely good to get quotes on that too!

[Krikit 1,163]

I believe ours was $450. Ask your realtor for their recommendations. The title company (at closing) will have recommendations also. I agree that the process in the US SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!! Big time.