silvana.toma

Hmmm.....

The company we used is liberty mutual, and so far they were the one to give us the best rate. It's 660 for the entire year. But don't they take into account how big the house is...etc etc...? We are insured for 220k in case the house burns down to the ground. Geico wanted 900, and we are having geico car insurance(the best ever!!)and still their home insurance was way higher than liberty.

My MIL breeds shih tzus. They DO bark, and they DO shed. They shed much less than a regular dog and shed very little skin (referred to as "dander"). They also harder than normal dogs to train because they require a LOT more repetition compared to other breeds. The dogs are very affectionate though and adorable. Grooming them gets $$$ unless you can do it yourself (which my MIL tried to do but she's bad at it).

My personal favourite is Jack-A-Ranian (Jack Russell x Pomeranian) because that's the last two dogs my family have had. They're VERY smart and if she didn't shed so much she'd be perfect. I prefer lap size dogs. Bigger than Chihuahuas (yappy little things!) but still lap size. Big dogs are less fun 'cause they take up too much room, they're too strong, and typically end up living outside during the day 'cause they require so much room.

To be honest i have 2 shih tzus(one is in romania with my parents) and they don't bark at all. I was wondering if they are even dogs

the grooming is a problem indeed, but we shave him of in the summer so that saves us some headache.

I like small dogs as well, easier to handle, and when they get excited they don't hurt you. We have been contemplating getting a rotweiler for when we buy a house, but for now we will stick to the mister small guy.

have you guys seen will ferrel on comedy central i believe it was, "how to train your dog"? super super funny!you have to see it if you haven't.

All dogs are great, but shih tzus are adorable-they don't bark, they don't shed...they are very good dogs. i would recomend this breed to anyone.

Well... then you should open your eyes around the world - and while we are living in US let's start with this: the economy, healthcare, salaries are also not part from the american dream anymore NOW it is american nightmare! People die of hunger every corner of the world !! Would you try to change that?? I will die trying making my life and life of others better. Who knows where the steps of my life will bring me but I know that if that will be Romania I will be very happy!! I prefer to live in US just because my husband's job is in the entertainment industry and together we are donate a lot of time helping others and beeing here will help me - helping Romania.

oh...actually my eyes are pretty open, but we are not talking about romania vs usa.

I think it's great you are helping your country, but that wasn't the point of the conversation. Yes people die of hunger everywhere in the world, in some places they do because they are lazy, and in some places they do because the society is build that way...almost primitive where only the strong survive...

You say that you will be happy to live in romania, but be careful what you wish for, it might actually happen.

So everyone keeps on saying ...american dream not so much of a dream, they all ###### and moan, is that the reason why still to this day everyone is trying to imigrate in this country?

USA might not be a perfect place, but at least if you are hard working you have something to show for, where in romania no matter how many 90 hours a week you are working you still struggle.

This is only my point of view, we don't need to agree, we are all different with different ideeas. I respect yours, even if i don't necesarely agree with it

Don't worry about that. If the closing looks as though it's going to go beyond that date, just have your realtor push back the date. We had to deal with that too.

The survey is not mandatory. If you really need to cut costs, this is one that can go if you believe there are no issues.

The American banking system, and the whole house purchase system in the US is unbelievably ridiculous and usurious. The costs to close on a house here are mind boggling. I still get ticked thinking about it.

Tx Krikit,

At least now i know i am not the only one noticing thses things. Buying a house is by far a headache, The only super fun time was actually the shopping part-that's about it. Then once you find a house then the nightmare starts happeneing, and i have feeling beeing a home owner is not so hunky dory as it seems either.

For starters we have: 1700 property tax, 500 home owner association fee(where they don't do anything for that money, except take the little snow out of the way in the winter-but hey this is virginia, not the rocky mountains), mortgage insurance, hazard insurance or home insurance, home waranty...jesus...i'm actually there is something else but i can't think of right now.

The sneakiest part that even now is unbelievable to me it's the VHDA loan. We were told with this loan we have no mortgage insurance this way we are saving around $100 a month, so our mortgage will be less every month. we went on the official website to double check and it says NO MI(mortgage insurance). Then we get the bomb, the MI that we supose to pay every month is actually a big lump sum added to ths cost of the house. So your house was 175, so now it's 181 because they aded the MI as a lump sum instead of doing it every month. OMG..i told my husband let's get this over with before i change my mind and stay in the nice, stress free rental apartment.

what kind of bull s## is that? So you are telling me no MI when in fact there is a MI. Banks love to play with you, especially the friking fine lines, they always get you, somehow they always do. Sometimes i feel like here you need a lawyer for just about anything you do...

Excuse me but have you ever been in Romania to call it dark side??? And if then where in Romania???

i think he was jocking more than anything else, but for those of you who haven't been in romania in a long time let me give you a summary of happened in the last 5 years, a more realistic aproach of the land of choice called romania:

We elected a drunk worthless, greedy president who brought us further back than the comunism ever did

Then we elected him again, like the first rape wasn't enough, so he raped us again, meaning they stole too much money and they couldn't cover it so they had to cut salaries(25%), pensions(15%), kids alimony, and the list goes on and on. Romania is the only country in europe with such low salaries, and on top of that they cut them again

Because of that, old people could not afford to buy their medicine, people could not afford to heat their homes in the winter, not to mention the most people could not buy proper food.

The median income in a romanian family is around 500 us dollars and that is if mom and dad both work, everything from clothing to food is AS if not more expensive than US.

SO...yes...i believe romanian people live in dark times. For the people who live here in us and go home every now and then, of course romania is bright, but when you actually live there and every day you wonder where will you get the money to pay bills and feed your kids...it's not a hunky dory situation. Most retired people in romania eat bread beans and potatoes, as they can not afford anything else...

I am not questioning or puting you guys down for beeing patriots, it's actually a good thing that you can still be so pasionate about it after the fact that your own country couldn't give you a decent life.

Let's be honest how many of you would return to romania to live there?

I know it sounds horrible what i am saying right now, i might even slap myself later, but it's the truth, the very sad inconvenient truth.

I think those girls are just attention hungry, and when they cannot get it the way they want it and when they want it, they whine, and accuse and manipulate. It is like she is playing with my feelings. In the end, I feel bad because she feels miserable, but I am the one far away from my friends and family whom I have not seen for over 2.5 years and am supposed to start my own family. What does she think how my father feels? Then she dares to complain to me how her family never gets together, and that we all must get together for Easter/July 4th/Thanksgiving/Christmas (I hate imperatives), but what prevents her sons to communicate without Mommy Messenger in the age of the Internet, Skype, iphone, Facebook, and other modern goodies remains a mystery to me. My hubby and I dread the holidays now because they are like a chore, and they are supposed to be fun!

It is funny you mention drama. We even have an "internal" saying - "Save the drama for your mama".

that's so funny! I will keep that for the future

But you know...at least she has feelings, that's always a good thing. If she feels miserable afterwards that means she is human, and she feels sorry, so hopefully one day she will do the things in such way she doesn't need to feel sorry anymore.

Have you seen four christmases? With rese witherspoon, where she and her husband they go "volunteer in another country every holiday"just so they don't spend the time with their families? I'm just saying...it's an ideea

My MIL thinks we are in a competition -who has more power over my husband...at least that's what i believe, and i'm preety sure i'm right.She once told me just because i'm sleeping with her son doesn't mean i know him, actually she told me that when we were supose to have a girly time...

She also told me once if my parents would know what kind of girl they raised they would be very sad, as my parents don't know me at all that just made me laugh...because she met me 3 times(in 5 years), few hours every time, and she thinks she knows me better than my parents, who know me for 29 years....

I am impressed with your knowledge of Romania!

Now, seriously, Romania is a very pitoresque country with good things and bad things like any other country in the world. Perhaps we should be more careful when writing things like this. Also, I thought that this forum is supposed to help people with immigration adivce and some adjusting to their new life in the US tips, not to slap them over the wrist for wanting to find people from their home land. I am just saying......

I hate to say this because i love my country just as much you do, romania is indeed a beautiful country, but as somone once said "romania is beautiful, it's a pitty there are people living in it". We get what we deserve, we think we are smart, when in fact we are not, we are a country who made all the wrong choices, and then blamed everybody else for the misfortunes. We need to start taking some responsability for our actions, and stop geting ofended when people speak the truth.

People make these kind of remarks because that's all they know about our country. Can i blame them? Nope...they say what they know...and it's not their fault for our bad reputation....

It's sad...but after we elected the drunken don't give a s##it president the second time around that's when i knew ...we are not just ignorant ..but we actually deserve what's coming to us...

You probbably think i am not a patriot and you are probably right, my country didn't give me any reason to be.

Oh, I could write so much about this little topic(nice to meet you btw, you can all call me Xena). The problem I had with my MIL is that we (hubby and I)caught her lying to us within the first few months, and ever since then, I have troubles getting along with her, but I would really want to have a better relationship. The thing is, they have this daughter that causes all kinds of trouble, and the mother often covers up for her and protects her, but everything is only getting messier and messier. Other family members have no idea what is going on, they are all very distant, and I never really got a chance to meet them. They have family gatherings once in a while, but I do not feel comfortable attending them because I have the feeling that that is when the mom and daughter have a show for the high-class family members (everything is great and fantastic and could not be better), and nobody seems to know anything or care about anything. The MIL also serves as some kind of a messenger between her kids (information filter), but I do not understand why do we need her to communicate with other family members??? It also seems that she sometimes "forgets" on purpose when some of the family members invites us over, for a birthday party for example. Everything just really upsets me and I am still trying to figure out if it is me or if it is her. BTW, I have always been respectful to her, and it is going to stay that way. Still we cannot be close. My hubby feels pretty much the same.

At some point i had the same question-is it me? Am i crazy and i don't know it? But then i found out it wasn't me. I thought about it long and hard- 2 out of 3 sons don't want to hear about her, 2 husbands asked for divorce, she barely gets along with her mother, and she pretends she has a lot of friends but that is another of her many lies. SO if she is that great of a person why is everyone running away from her?

My husband had a screaming match over the phone(i know it's sad...right on easter day)yesterday. She called thursday that she wants to come over on friday to give us an easter basket, and my husband told her we already made plans to leave town. Well...she came anyway and left a voice mail on my hubby's phone how dissapointed she is we were not home, and it's the hollidays and bla bla...SO after you know we are not home you xome anyway and then you put on the victim mask??#######?? I'm sorry but we can not put every plan on TBA in case she decides to show up...

I think she and TNT are twins-they both love drama. I actually think she is genetically engineered to love drama, and to always be right

The one thing she has yet to understand is that two can play her game.

I actually think if there would be a contest of who has the most difficult, most manipulative,controling, crazy, psicho, know it all, talk to much MIL, i know by far i would be the winner. I know i know...you are jealous, and wish you could be in my shoes, right? Oh well, we can't all be the winners..

So when you think you have a cucu-AKA crazy MIL, well...think of me, and then life will look much brighter for you.

I was trying to be optimistic.

I know...and thank you for that!

Yes - if hubby weren't on my side, I don't know what I'd do! I hope she changes when you have kids for your sake.

I'm not sure i believe in people changing..i think people can hide their monsters better, but a complete change? probably not...

Exactly. I was (stupidly) hoping that having a new baby would bring us closer somehow - something new and exciting to share - but the exact opposite happened. To say I was stunned, and hurt, is an understatement.

We don't have kids but when we will, and if we will continue to talk to her...omg..i can already imagine what she will say and do. She already told me a while back that i am too cold and i need to change because when i have kids i will have to hug them and kiss them all the time, and she doesn't want her grandkids to have a cold mom

I can barely stand her right now, can't imagine how it will be when we have kids and she will be the know- it- all person telling me what to do and when to do it....hm....yeah...i don't think so..

Good thing you don't have to see her often, and the best part is that your hubby is on your side...

I completely agree with you.

I had no red flags about his mom in the 3 1/2 years that hubby and I were engaged. Sure - she was not perfect, and could drive him nuts from time to time, but nothing that I ever considered over the top. He'd learned over the years how to engage her when she did drive him crazy and they were always able to work through whatever.

But it seemed like us having her (first and only) grandchild sent her over the top in ways he didn't even see coming. He NEVER expected her to arrive in our house and start slamming us as parents every time we turned around. We are first time parents and obviously, we don't know everything - but seriously. We had a child with no issues with eating, sleeping, etc. and she kept imagining ones and suggesting solutions. No - suggesting is the wrong word. DEMANDING is the accurate word.

On her second night in town, they got into such a screaming fight that I could hear them on our back deck from inside our house (windows shut, AC on) - and he told her to stop it or get on a plane in the morning. He has since said to me that, if he were in my shoes, he would never want to speak to her again. That's pretty much how I feel towards her, but try not to be that way for our daughter's sake. If she didn't live 4000 miles away - seriously - I don't know what I'd do.

Thank god you guys are not too close to eachother.

The sad part is that they don't realise that by behaving like they have nothing to gain, but a lot to loose. You would think with age people learn and become more inteligent, but i notice the older you get you become more crazy and mean. I can understand people who have lost their husbands or they are ill, you don't feel like beeing hunky dory all the time...but still... don't take your frustration on inocent people...

My MIL and I get along great. I actually knew her before I met my husband so when he introduced me to her we just laughed at each other. We have a good relationship and we understand each other so it works. I also have a good relationship with my FIL.

The same goes for my husband and my parents.

I'm glad to see people happy, you are so blessed you have no ideea!

My MIL is the kindest and sweetest person I have ever met. She treats me so nice that it makes even my own mom jealous. And it is not by luck that I ended up with a good MIL, I had made it a point to date men who had nice parents and had a healthy relationship with them. This is mainly because I almost married a guy with a crazy mother and learned a really big lesson.

My ex's mom is a psycho.. really. She seemed kinda strange when I first met her, and then she started acting all psycho when I started dating my ex. I am using the term "psycho" because she would be all nice to my face and then turn around and stab me in the back. She would do/say small things in a underhanded way that implied that I was a #######. The one time I spent the night at his parent's place, she locked me up in the room with his sister in case I decided to seduce her precious boy in the middle of the night.

I later found out the back-story for her "psychoness". It turns out that my ex's grandmother was the town ####### who went after married men and broke up numerous marriages. They lived in a small town, so my ex's mother was treated like a pariah and would get cussed by random strangers on the road telling her that she was the daughter of a #######. So my ex's mom grew up with a sh!t load of issues and had an unhealthy view of all women. In her mind, all women are sluts who try to lead men astray.

Towards the end of the relationship, I realized that my ex had inherited his own fair share of issues infidelity-morality baggage from his mother. Since then, I consider it as a redflag when a person has crazy parents or do not have a good relationship with them.

And also, I think it is very important to spend enough time and REALLY REALLY get to know your spouses' family before getting married. For example, my ex's mom is a teetotaler who attends mass 3 times a week.. On the other hand, my current MIL drinks, smokes occasionally, and does not attend church. But when I looked past the surface, it was quite obvious that my MIL is worth her own weight in gold and has a wonderful relationship with her sons (which my ex's mom did not have).

ETA: Spelling

hey Nina,

Funny you mentioned that because i actually told my hubby(we have been together for 5 years)if i would have met his mom earlier, i would probably stop dating him, but we were too far into our relationship, and he is just to nice and loving to dump him because of his not so normal mom.

The thing that drives me up the wall, and the thing that i just can not deal with no matter how much i try is how manipulative she is.

1. She is saying things that she wants me to hear by "jocking"- so if i get upset i am the "crazy"or "not cool" one for not getting her jockes.

2. She talks about situations or people but actually she talks about our situation and ME ..indirectly of course-so if i say something then i will be the crazy one, because "she wasn't talking about me"

So..the problem i am facing is that she is a ###### to me, but she is covered, because she is "not talking about me", she is only "jocking"etc...

Of course over dinner she had to explain to me how my hubby NEVER LIED TO HER and ever since he met me he started lying, and changing for the worst...so ...what i am suposed to say to her? Excuse me mam ...did you had a lie detector in your home and every time your son came home you asked him to take a test?

also for an hour she talked about how well she raised her children, and how good of a mom she was; and in my mind i was thinking maybe that's why 2 out of the 3 sons don't even want to hear from her...because she did such a great job!

anyway...i invited her over dinner because deep down i hoped she can change and we can all be a family, but i just don't forsee how that can happen, when all she does is beeing a ######.

If you think you can do it, just do it and don't mind other talking ###### about it, even if that was your mom in law . I'm sure she will change her opinion about your ability to study that program one day when you succeed. God bless you.

hey, thank you for the support!

I did some real soul searching and i will be following a different career path, at a different school, not because of the MIL, but because this program i am trying to pursue only exists in this school.

I was thinking of what she said, and to be honest i think she is only trying to excercise her power on us(again) by telling me not to go to this school because the teachers will not like me because she told them stuff about me.

She came for dinner the other week , and for about 2 hrs she talked about her other daughter in law- obviously the refrences to me were so obvious that it made me sick, but i couldn't say anything because "she wasn't talking about me", and if i would have said anything i would look like i am a lunatic.

Then she talked about kids, how we shouldd not have kids anytime soon(meaning not in the next 5-10 years)anyway a disaster. But she smiled the entire time, and was very excited to be here, and bla bla bla

When she came she told my husband to go downstairs to help her bring something up, i was actually curious what she got for us that she need my husband to help her out with...well...it was a bag ...with a sign in it about families..not heavy at all..maybe half a pound?

then when she left she asked my husband to go with her to the gas station because it was dark outside, and she was afraid to put gas in the car alone...ok i forgot to mention she does not have a husband...so i would asume she never puts gas in the car at night..ever.

all this escort bussines...was she trying to show me she still has control over her son, did she just want to spend more time with her son, did she wanted to tell him something that i should not hear?

i got to read those books soon, right after i get in this program i am going to read both books:in sheep's clothing, and nasty people...

I can't really speak for Virginia, but I think you probably have an appraisal office for your county government. The county will appraise all houses for what they think they are "worth" as far as taxing. That is far different than a real estate appraisal which will take into consideration size, location and maybe if it's painted really pretty and has new appliances. The county appraisal may be more about what is the land worth, how big is the house, how many bathrooms. They won't be considering paint, new roof, new carpet, stainless steel and granite. So a real estate appraisal could come out higher than a tax appraisal.

Counties can change their appraisals every year if they like. Just got my proposed appraisal in the mail. They have increased my house 17%. There is some kind of law saying they can't increase you more than 10% in a year, so I will only be taxed next year on a 10% increase and the rest of it goes into affect for sure the following year. So in one year my taxes are up $800 (at the 10% cap) and will be up more next year. They will continue to go up (or down) based on tax appraisal, not what you paid for the house.

Another thing you need to do is call somebody about homeowner's insurance. That will normally also be collected by the mortage company in an escrow account in advance so you've put in enough when the insurance is due. Maybe that's what you were talking about when you said you give them $1200 and only $200 goes toward your loan balance. You have a large amount collected for taxes and insurance. And a large portion is the interest on that huge loan. That's why people try to negotiate a low interest rate. The part that applies to your debt is very small at the beginning of a loan. 25 years from now, the interest will be small and the part going to your loan will be big. And your taxes and insurance (escrow) will probably go up every year, meaning a higher house payment every year if those items are escrowed (collected in advance) as part of your monthly payment.

Yes, i was talking about the county apraiser. We have to hope and cross fingers they will do it(the apraiser on the house) until the 6th of may otherwise we are beeing charged 100 a day as penalty.

So i looked at the breakdown of the monthly mortgage payment and 200 goes towards the house, almost 800 towards the bank(and as the years go by it reverses , you are right), and the rest is insurance and something else(and another hundred will go towards the waranty and home owner asociation). Really i am a bit dizzy with all the insuracces :home insurance, mortgage insurance, house waranty..

We are actually shopping for a home insurance, geico told us 75 dollars a month..so we are still shopping to see if we can get a better deal.

they have increased the value of your house? That sounds strange when homes are still going down in value. SO they take 7%more from you, and X% from millions of home owners, then by next year when they adjust the numbers well...they used your money a little bit...

Sometimes i think there is nothing random, and everything happens because it was supose to happen, but it seems random in our eyes...

This title leaves a lot to be desired. So, I quess this topic is for all of those who check White as a race on the U.S. Census.

that's funny!

Central Europe . . . hmmm

Nothing as exciting as a guessing game on Saturday morning.

Okay, I go first: you are from the dark side, Romania or Bulgaria or Hungary perhaps?

dark side hey? you are so funny!!

You know when i started this post i really thought more people will be experiencing at least some of my problems, but i'm strating to think i'm the exception and not the rule. Good for you girls, it's awsome you get along with your MIl, i am happy for you. This gives me hope to think there are some happy endings in the world.

The next frustration is property taxes and escrow added to your house payment. The mortgage company will collect in advance. Have you been given (or looked up) yearly property taxes for that house? Will your county be taxing you based on the $300,000+ value you said the house is worth?

Thank you....finally someone who speaks my language!

Yes it is frustrating, the frustrations are quite a few when you become a home owner, and of course the path of becoming a home owner is full of surprises. as well.

We are waiting for the apraiser to give us a number, but they were saying that it's based on the home market value which is around 220k.

I was actually wondering about that, let's say if in the future this house will be worth 300k or more will we be paying taxes based on what's worth or what we bought it for...

I just don't understand what you are complaining about.

Even if you are putting 3K out of your pocket into the deal, that's practically nothing. Historically, those are exactly the kind of home loan transactions that lead to today's crisis. People with little or no money in a house have less bother with walking away from the property than people who "emptied their bank account" to buy a house.

Do you know what the process is for buying a home in your home country? Is it different than here in the US?

Times have changed, and people are not willing to "empty their bank account" as jobs are not as secure as they used to be. And i'm pretty sure that people who put 20%-40% down lost their homes just like people who came empty handed. The "empty handed" is just one aspect that lead to the crisis, the reasons are multimple, and i am not going to mention them as we all know what they are(e.g. maxed out credit cards...spending like there is no more tomorrow..and no savings) But this is just how i feel about it ...so let's just agree to disagree here.

In romania very few people buy homes, mostly because the senior citizens work their entire life and buy their home to pass it down to their kids, and their kids are doing the same, etc...for example my parents house is in my name

But to answer your question, yes, banks in romania are just as greedy as evey bank in the world, they are all governed by the same people anyway.

Why do you need to understand why i am complaining?. This is how i feel about this, and everyone is free to speak their mind, correct?

Just because we have different views dosen't mean i am right or you are right, just means we are two different people with 2 different views...

You have complained in the past that you don't understand what i writte, you have complained about several things in regards to my posts...and i just don't know why are you even reading my posts...it's not mandatory to read what i have to say...

Silvana, if the deal on the house is so great, why are the other costs so unpleasant to you? Especially given the fact that you yourself say you could not have purchased a house in your home country, let alone a house like the one you describe.

Your home loan deal actually sounds pretty sweet to me. If I read you correctly, you are paying about $1200 out of pocket for this house. That's nearly unheard of.

Right..the deal is great BUT i am not talking about that, i am talking about the whole system, and everything else i just mentioned.

I am paying out of pocket almost 3k, and no...it's not unheard of, most people are smart these days and don't liquidate their bank accounts to buy a house. After so many forclosures we all(hopefully)learned a lesson.

Anyway..i think i missed your point completly ...like always.

hey Silvana,

first, i want to say how much i enjoy reading your posts. No matter what u write, i always find myself glued to the end. You are a naturale with writing.

well, we are also in the middle of house-buying too, and oh boy, the costs are gradually rising here too. I am almost too scared to look at the good faith(?) estimate, knowing how ridiculously high those costs are, and almost powerless in doing anything about it.

we shld close pretty soon too after we get the appraisal done.

hey thanks ..you just made my day!

Today we were aproved for the biggest scam in the world- the home loan

Yes, banks are helpful, but they are also very greedy. For example from your $1200 ONLY $200 goes towards your home loan, the rest goes to the bank and other people who also have to make a living on your back.

Don't get me wrong, i believe every country has it's flaws, for ex: romania where i come from you will never get a loan unless you are a lawyer, or a doctor,etc because only a very few people qualify for a home loan, so 90% of the young people live with their parents:(

On saturday we have our home inspection, with some guy our realtor highly recomended. She told us some inspectors are really bad and in order to be on the safe side to with this guy....again...dumb ...dumb ...dumb...dumb...what were we thinking???

Ok, so all in all, the only thing that makes me smile, and forget all the shenanigans is the fact that we are getting a beautiful home for a good price. 3200 sq feet- 5 bedrooms, nice back yard, super neighbourhood,all the upgrades possible( full bar downstairs, columns, granite, etc etc) for 181k, not bad, right?

This experience had it's ups and downs, and my advice to first time home buyers is that you can never be too careful when you chose your realtor, mtg officer, etc, always second guess everything, and do your research on the side, because people that might seem honest, might "help" you make one of the bigest mistakes of your life.

Other than that, for those of you still shopping for a house...happy shopping!

hey guys,

Just wanted to give you an update on our short sale. I apploogize ahead of time if i will sound like negtive nancy bi##hie pants...

We signed our papers with our bank today, and to be honest it'a all so crazy, that i don't know what to think of it.

At first we were told the closing cost will be around 5k, that is around 3% of the house price, now we are told it will be 6,550k(thank god the sellers will pay at least 5k).

We were told that with the VHDA loan we don't have to pay any MI, and also NO down payment...well....that was all a lie...because our house went up from 175 to 181 because of the MI and the 3.5 downpayment...or at least that's what the MO told us.

Our apraiser is $450(don't know if it's high or low), plus our VHDA loan is 5.25%(i thought is a bit high)

We are suposed to close by 6th of may, so if the apraiser for some reason doesn't do it by then we are beeing charged everyday $100. Why we were so rushed to close i have no ideea.

Also he gave us the list of what closing costs are...oh boy...the bigest BS you ever seen in your life...one that made me laugh was $250 for survey-meaning some guy will come and say your land is from here to there...first of -the house contract should have all the details regarding your property...with how big your land is and everything else. WHY do i need to pay $250 for someone to come and tell me something that is already in my contract???

Honestly...we went through hell and back to buy this house ...but today with all the BS and bureaucracy...i was sitting in that chair in this MO office and i was thinking ...what the hell are we doing??

We have been so manipulated in this process that i feel sick to my stomach..Our new realtors TOLD us who to work with, put all the other MTG officers down, so we had almost no choice, the new mrtg people got on top of things, and by the time we knew it it was all said and done with. I mean looking back i realise how stupid we were, we should have at least get other rates and compare...

Sorry i made your head big, and if you don't understand everything i said..don't worry.. neither did I.

I just hope this house is worth the pain and suffering we went through, and i think when we will get the keys i will have few extra wine glasses

OK...a little update...we almost got the house, we just need the bank to apraise it, and we are good to sign the papers. However, my final opinion about buying a house in the states is that this HAS to be the biggest ripp-off, scam, or however you want to call it, in history. Sorry, it's sad...but true:(

You are beeing raped from every side, the bureaucracy here is insane. This experience is making me save as much money as i can to be able to pay the house off as quickly as possible and not deal with banks EVER!

And please people, for the love of GOD, don't take a million mortgages out on your house. Unless you are saving a life, there is no real reason to do that. I believe that the lifestyle of beeing in debt until you die is a poor choice, and has to change, people have to wake up and not let banks govern the world....and their lives.

Sorry...as you can see i am a bit bitter but i can asure you, it's not without a reason!