I'm 40 and right in the middle of buying my first home. Have been a renter until now. Was planning on going in September, but that's off now. This is going to be a long 45 days.
I feel your pain brother Zamboni. We'll get through this together, with the help of a good friend of mine...Jack Daniels.
I might ease off until October myself. Early October, late September, is still good pool weather. I'm beginning to feel the pressure of too many "what if's" when it comes to gambling. I have proven to myself that I know how to play now. That is no longer an issue. What if I have a colossal run of bad luck? I have experienced the whole gamut of Las Vegas that interest me. I think the fact of being unsure is proof enough. Shit. I got old.
I was 40 also before I bought my first home. Congratulations on home ownership. It's not easy but I believe it's worthwhile. I was renting since I was 18 and all through marriage at 21 and 3 kids. Not tooting my horn or anything but I did it all on my own. (yeah, I guess I'm kinda tooting my horn). I didn't get hooked on Vegas until my first trip at 49 yrs. of age. So Vegas will always be there. Hope you don't have to wait that long and can visit it again very soon. Again, Congratulations on your new home.
Congrats on your new purchase Z. You got your priorities right with a long term investment. Hope you checked out all the first time mortgage options (a good realtor can help direct you to them). Yeah, things will be a little tight for a few years but at least you have something you can call your own and maybe might make a profit in the future if you sell or upgrade. And you got in at the right time, we keep hearing that mortgage rates will start to go up but getting a mortgage at 4% or close to it is awesome. When I first bought a condo (I was 28 at the time), interest rates (in the late 80's) were over 12 to 14%. I picked up a new homeowner FHA (fannie mae) loan with a graduated %. I got in at 9% but refinanced within 2 years to a lower rate. Good luck with your new house!
We got pre approved at 3.875% but by the time we found the house we loved and got our paperwork in the rate went up to 4%. I'm not going to complain, that's not too bad. We offered $900 under asking with seller paying closing and our escrow and they agreed, also a good deal. He bought it a year ago to flip, and had turned down a few offers until he accepted ours. Before he bought it, the house hadn't been bought or sold since 1957, it's a great solid house and move in ready. He re-did the kitchen and master bath from floor to ceiling. Only negative is no appliances in the kitchen, but a brand new washer dryer set are staying in the basement. Central air is brand new as well. Shingles will need to be replaced in a couple years but my wife said her brothers can replace those, I just have to buy the shingles.
Welcome to the wonderful world of home ownership. If it makes you feel better, the interest rate on our first mortgage was 8.25%, and we had put down 40 percent! Not having appliances means you can get exactly what you want. Vegas will be there when you're ready.
Bought our house in 1984 and were paying 13%! It was the going rate at the time, but OMG - I would never even consider it now. Still in the same place, mortgage long since paid off and worth every sacrifice it took. Congrats to you!
Congrats on the home purchase! I bought my first house in 1978 on a land contract. Interest rate was 9%. If I needed a mortgage, 4% doesn't sound bad. It's all relative. We have bought and sold 12 houses and still are looking for the "forever" house. In fact we just made an offer yesterday on a pre existing home. Waiting to hear back from the sellers. We have been in this house 4+ years and that is the second longest we have stayed in one house. All but two were sold for a profit after including all expenses. We took a big hit when we sold in Vegas. I thought in 2008 we were buying at the bottom of the Vegas market, but it was still dropping in 2010. A home is a wise investment as long as property taxes & mortgage expenses continue to be a deduction on federal & state taxes. Good luck to you! First purchase...Buy a good, high voltage, cordless drill!
I bought my house 30 years ago at 10.65% interest. I refinanced about 13 years ago and it's been paid off for a number of years. Problem is, it's falling apart and I don't want to put tens of thousands into a 70 year old house. My income is low so I can't afford rent or condo fees so I don't know where else I'd live...
Got a Black and Decker 20 Volt already. One of the Matrix ones, heads interchangeable so you can put routers, sanders and saws on the end of. The guy that re-did the kitchen did it right, he left an opening for a dishwasher next to the sink and put an outlet under the sink as well. We are really excited. Can't wait to call a place home for the long haul (unless we move to Nevada or Arizona) I bought 2 ceiling fans yesterday, the master bedroom and living room still have light fixtures in them that are about 60 years old, if not older. I want to update those- they are pretty neat looking, but I want a fan in those rooms. - - - Updated - - - Yes, my brother said that is a must.
Isn't it great to be able to do whatever you want to your house instead getting the landlord's approval first? One of the many wonderful things about home ownership.
Homes that are built these days usually have reinforced ceiling boxes to accommodate the installation of ceiling fans. Not so much 60 years ago. You might have to get up in the attic and install a new box with a fan hanger. Fan installation is pretty straightforward if you have a solid ceiling box. Over the years I have installed nine of them and would never put in another one that didn't have a remote. Screw the damn chains.
Joe is on the money. Old electrical boxes probably won't support the weight of a fan. It's not a hard job to brace it and install a new box. Your fan will be easier to balance if it's in solidly.
That is why we never started taking big vacations until our later 30s. We got married had a child and bought a home in our 20s. For us vacations had to wait until finances were easier. Congrats on the house!!!