http://www.idkfa.com/v3 idkfa: syndicated http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=1901&msg_id=2830 Not that I know of anything in this arena at all considering how far out I am from taking this leap into "real adulthood." But, with that said... I have heard from friends here that some work places have extra benefits that get tacked on on top of health etc that a lot of people don't take advantage of because they forget they are there. I have heard that sometimes some places have benefits that can help with mortgages etc. CapitolZebra@idkfa.com (CapitolZebra) Asked and Answered Mon, 16 May 2011 22:35:03 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=1901&msg_id=2830 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=1901&msg_id=2829 might as well play the cards you've got... everyone else does, so you might as well too. or so I've learned over the years. CapitolZebra@idkfa.com (CapitolZebra) Asked and Answered Mon, 16 May 2011 22:32:35 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=1901&msg_id=2829 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=1901&msg_id=2828 well, the internet IS for porn, isn't it? CapitolZebra@idkfa.com (CapitolZebra) Asked and Answered Mon, 16 May 2011 22:31:39 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=1901&msg_id=2828 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=1901&msg_id=1919 Yes. But it's consistent. kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Asked and Answered Wed, 26 Jan 2011 14:28:15 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=1901&msg_id=1919 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=1901&msg_id=1917 Don't you have like a swirling, nebulous region of oddly oriented hair on your cheeks? Scrotor@idkfa.com (Scrotor) Asked and Answered Wed, 26 Jan 2011 14:21:19 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=1901&msg_id=1917 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=1901&msg_id=1916 I was just joking. You're a liar, not a mexican. Scrotor@idkfa.com (Scrotor) Asked and Answered Wed, 26 Jan 2011 14:20:37 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=1901&msg_id=1916 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=1901&msg_id=1911 Absolutely, you do! - Misguided affronts when identifying minimally with that culture - Above par pronunciation of Mexican-American vernacular (see: Gallos) - Scholarship opportunity that is still denied by income strata (ZIP code helped me more!) - Disbelief due to skin and eye color - Above par perception of socio-economic problems plaguing our nation - New box to check! (1/8th not included) Green Man@idkfa.com (Green Man) Asked and Answered Tue, 25 Jan 2011 18:59:11 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=1901&msg_id=1911 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=1901&msg_id=1910 Things I have benefitted from as a result of being 1/8th Mexican: I know how to fold a burrito. Consistent facial hair. Some fun, non-dictionary Spanish curse words. kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Asked and Answered Tue, 25 Jan 2011 18:46:40 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=1901&msg_id=1910 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=1901&msg_id=1908 Mmaybe I can get something for being mexican american? Suggestions, Mike? Scrotor@idkfa.com (Scrotor) Asked and Answered Tue, 25 Jan 2011 18:37:42 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=1901&msg_id=1908 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=1901&msg_id=1907 Shut your damn dirty mouth. Right now I'm having the wife look into what she needs to do to qualify for this, if she does at all. We just need to see if her grandmother was registered with the tribe or not. Because that shit would be awesome. MrFood@idkfa.com (MrFood) Asked and Answered Tue, 25 Jan 2011 17:55:09 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=1901&msg_id=1907 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=1901&msg_id=1906 over the weekend, didn't we learn that everyone's a little bit racist? and the internet is for porn? kitacek@idkfa.com (kitacek) Asked and Answered Tue, 25 Jan 2011 17:35:29 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=1901&msg_id=1906 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=1901&msg_id=1905 Throwing out the race card, I see how it is... Scrotor@idkfa.com (Scrotor) Asked and Answered Tue, 25 Jan 2011 17:29:54 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=1901&msg_id=1905 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=1901&msg_id=1904 Here are a few things that I gathered from various sources while looking for a house: Get pre-qualified for a loan. Check out different banks/brokers to see how large of a mortgage you qualify for (in my case I qualified for a lot more than I was willing to take on, but at least I knew the lender would be willing to provide a mortgage on the houses I was looking at). This should also give you an idea of what you'd expect to get for an interest rate. Upfront costs to expect: -Earnest Money (to "hold" the house during negotiations) ~1% of purchase price. Home inpsection ~$300. Closing costs ~3% of purchase price, but sometimes sellers cover some/all of this. Down payment - amount is up to you, but like Josh said the 20% avoids paying extra interest/insurance. I looked at a lot of houses on my own before even talking to a realtor so I had an idea of what was in my price range and what I liked. On weekends I'd check the paper for open houses and during the week I'd pick up fliers to compare prices and $/sq ft for different neighborhoods. Create a list of features you must have, want to have, and would like to have. Also create a list of things that could be deal breakers for you. That way when you talk to your realtor you can give them an idea of what's important to you (# bedrooms, certain neighborhoods, or even something like a real fireplace) so they can help narrow down lists. Then when you go look at houses you have your priorities listed out and can see how the house stacks up. Here's a website that a realtor recommended for first time buyers to become acquainted with the process. in Anchorage there are workshops put on by AHFC for home buysers and they have their course material online. Could be useful. norwaygirl@idkfa.com (norwaygirl) Asked and Answered Tue, 25 Jan 2011 16:42:07 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=1901&msg_id=1904 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=1901&msg_id=1903 A few things I took away: Don't get yourself into a mortgage / utilities / taxes situation where you're dedicating more than 50% of your monthly income towards living expenses. This is probably more in general than just for buying houses, but given how weird / heavy costs come up for maintenance and improvements, it's a good idea to be able to save plenty, or at the very least, be pretty liquid. This was my upper limit in determining what kind of house I could buy (as the price of the house and the interest rate determined my mortgage payment). What percentage you set depends what you're comfortable with for supporting your family. I'm a single dude who has cheap hobbies. Your mileage may vary. If you can manage 20% down on a house, you can get out from under having to pay mortgage insurance. I didn't make it for mine, but I paid damn near everything I had, and I think I got my "insured" period reduced from 2-3 years down to a year. More you put down, the more you save in the end, insurance, or otherwise. It may help for convenience's sake to have a real estate agent, but for the 4-6 months I was looking, it was just my parents and I. Granted, my parents have bought a few houses and knew what to look for, but what you might assume are the "hard parts" of buying (financial stuff, underwriting, stacks of papers to sign) are taken care of almost entirely by your bank. Seriously. They will do everything. It's in their best interest to make sure they have a good investment as well as you. The only reason I ended up having to get an agent was because the seller's agent I was dealing with refused to deal with me directly on the house I really wanted, nor act as a neutral third party. Because the buying agent's commission doesn't come out of the buyer's pocket, I just called up one of my parent's previous agents, she walked on the property for 15 minutes, said "This kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Asked and Answered Tue, 25 Jan 2011 15:16:30 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=1901&msg_id=1903 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=1901&msg_id=1902 with a native first time home buyer's program, i was looking at 2.5% down on a mortgage of up to $250,000. Add the buyer's expected closing costs (all closing costs are negotiable), I was looking at coming up with $10,000-$15,000 in order to purchase. I had got pretty close to getting a condo for $190,000, and i was expected to come up with about $12,500. kitacek@idkfa.com (kitacek) Asked and Answered Tue, 25 Jan 2011 14:39:35 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=1901&msg_id=1902 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=1901&msg_id=1901 So the wife and I are attempting the next step in becoming real adults. Not just the fake ones we've been pretending to be the last few years. We're looking into buying a house. So the question I pose to those of you people who have taken this leap in the last few years is there any advice you have to share? Any first steps we should take or hints as to what kind of cash we actually need lying around to make this shit work? In general we're pretty lost on what to do next or really if we should, and the internet is kind of a confusing place when it comes to decent info. MrFood@idkfa.com (MrFood) Asked and Answered Tue, 25 Jan 2011 14:26:32 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=1901&msg_id=1901