There are actually things I want in this mehrathon… closing in less than 30 days… can’t spend…. but I’ll be a hoMEOWner soon. (Bonus points if you read that word like irk reads usernames…)
we just moved a couple weeks ago. on our first night in the house, there was a giant wind/rain storm. woke up to no power and a huge branch from our neighbor’s tree blocking the driveway (luckily no real damage to our house other than a motion light getting banged up). we couldn’t get the cars out of garage since it was detached and the previous owners never used the side door entry, so they didn’t have a key.
a neighbor from three doors down came over with a chainsaw and we cleared the driveway. we got to meet and help a lot of neighbors with clean up that day. they’re all really nice people. odd way to meet everyone, but it is what it is.
no power all day. it was 95 degrees with a dew point of 70. so we basically said “fuck it” to unpacking, walked over to the aquatic center and stayed in the pool most of the day.
here’s hoping you meet your neighbors in a more normal way!
My biggest issue why I passed on everything is the moving it. I wanted to snag a fuko and the coffee maker and a few other items that will be helpful post move… but I don’t want them shipped here then move. They want way too much to move everything. first time buying a home. Decent area. I know it’s considered a “small town” but it’s bigger than the “larger” Vermont town I live in
If possible, prepay a bit more towards the principal every month. Almost all of the early payments goes to interest and keeps the principal balance high. A little extra every month in the first couple of years knocks it down faster and can shave a lot more time off the back end.
(In my case, just an extra $50-$100 a month in my first two years took my 30 year down to 26 years.)
@narfcake have to keep in mind this is relative though. In theory your home loan should be your lowest interest rate.
If your home loan is rate is below your expected return on a 401k or Roth IRA or HSA which have caps each year. It doesn’t have sense to put the extra cash into the loan if your investment return is higher.
I got my mortgage back in 2013 at 3.5% lots of people got them during the pandemic at wildly verying ones and now they are up higher.
It’s a calculated thing. Obviously pay down the highest first. But if you got a low interest rate… Eh…
Also had to do the roof and an unsecured personal loan was as cheap as a HELOC. So. Tossing money at that till loan rates drop or it’s cleared
but I’ll be a hoMEOWner soon. (Bonus points if you read that word like irk reads usernames…)
Congratulations on the home and the cats!
Every home should have a bare minimum of three cats and one life sized concrete badger statue (preferably sold by meh)
@OnionSoup Don’t forget the Home Depot skeleton.
/giphy congrats!
Congratulations!
You got a house, why do you need a credit rating any more? CONSUME!
congrats on becoming a homeowner!
we just moved a couple weeks ago. on our first night in the house, there was a giant wind/rain storm. woke up to no power and a huge branch from our neighbor’s tree blocking the driveway (luckily no real damage to our house other than a motion light getting banged up). we couldn’t get the cars out of garage since it was detached and the previous owners never used the side door entry, so they didn’t have a key.
a neighbor from three doors down came over with a chainsaw and we cleared the driveway. we got to meet and help a lot of neighbors with clean up that day. they’re all really nice people. odd way to meet everyone, but it is what it is.
no power all day. it was 95 degrees with a dew point of 70. so we basically said “fuck it” to unpacking, walked over to the aquatic center and stayed in the pool most of the day.
here’s hoping you meet your neighbors in a more normal way!
@carl669
Good fucking job re homebuying!
Fuck working in the heat w no a/c
@carl669 bonding over working together is a normal way of meeting new friends
A homeowner is someone on the way (back) to the home improvement warehouse.
@sohmageek
Congrats re the big bad house you have invited into your wallet!
Beats being homeless, amirite?
Congrats! So exciting!
You’ll be poor for a little while, but you are building equity and ownership…which is so much better than paying someone else’s mortgage!
My oldest FINALLY found a starter home and settles on it in 2 weeks…he can’t wait. It’ll be interesting to see what he thinks of homeownership, lol!
@k4evryng I hope you’re close enough to lend tools/wisdom if needed
My biggest issue why I passed on everything is the moving it. I wanted to snag a fuko and the coffee maker and a few other items that will be helpful post move… but I don’t want them shipped here then move. They want way too much to move everything.
first time buying a home. Decent area. I know it’s considered a “small town” but it’s bigger than the “larger” Vermont town I live in 
Congrats!!
If possible, prepay a bit more towards the principal every month. Almost all of the early payments goes to interest and keeps the principal balance high. A little extra every month in the first couple of years knocks it down faster and can shave a lot more time off the back end.
(In my case, just an extra $50-$100 a month in my first two years took my 30 year down to 26 years.)
@narfcake have to keep in mind this is relative though. In theory your home loan should be your lowest interest rate.
If your home loan is rate is below your expected return on a 401k or Roth IRA or HSA which have caps each year. It doesn’t have sense to put the extra cash into the loan if your investment return is higher.
I got my mortgage back in 2013 at 3.5% lots of people got them during the pandemic at wildly verying ones and now they are up higher.
It’s a calculated thing. Obviously pay down the highest first. But if you got a low interest rate… Eh…
Also had to do the roof and an unsecured personal loan was as cheap as a HELOC. So. Tossing money at that till loan rates drop or it’s cleared