So...I've been so busy getting my old home ready to rent that I just literally haven't had time. I'm sneaking in a minute here to blow of some steam. My husband and I have been working extremely late to get our old home ready for a renter that we found early on in the game. We were excited because they fit in the old neighborhood and seemed like they were a good choice. They got us the security deposit and first months rent quickly and the only thing left to do was to have both of their signatures on the lease (we had one), copy their photo ids, and give them the keys.
Our appointment was for yesterday at 5pm. I waited and waited....and I'm still waiting. They didn't return my call or email inquiry. They've just completely disappeared. It is so strange!!
Part of me is pissed that they left me hanging and the other part is worried. Are they even still alive?
So...I've reposted my home and I am looking for a renter again. I will return the money to their company that paid me for their home minus the costs associated with them after I find a replacement renter. Right now, one of them is responsible for a year of rent. He's not out anything though because his company was the one footing the bill. I've got an email in to the company to try and solve the mystery. I'm not out any money but I'm annoyed that I'm not being kept informed. Did he lose his job? Is he in the hospital? Was he arrested? Is his family ok? Did someone die? Is he up to something sneaky? So many questions....
I guess it's good that this all happened now! So...lesson learned....renting is NOT a smooth ride.
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Thursday, August 9, 2012
WTF? Electricity Theft.
Ok...so normally I'm not a swearing pissed off person but today I was almost there. The new home across the street has many contractors coming and going and they all decided it must be alright to use my electricity. WTF? REally? I carried their cord out of my outlet, across my yard and asked who was paying for the electricity. I had been gone about 2 hours so I have no idea how long they were stealing from me. What really made me pissed was that they lied to me. When I confronted them, the one guy told me that they didn't know anyone was living there. REALLY? You didn't see me this morning with my daughter? You didn't see the flowers on the front stoop? You didn't see the flowers right in your face on the lamp post? And the kicker: (Wait for it...Wait for it)....REally? You REALLY didn't see that little decorative gnome with his little decorative bird friend sitting on my front stoop RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE OUTLET that you moved to get to it? REally? You didn't see that? Stop lying to me and giving me your excuses. Man up and apologize and then compensate me. Ok...whew. See...I told you I was a little pissed. The guy then proceeded to tell me that he thought it was ok since the Amish guys were doing it. Ok...so now there's more than one guy doing it and that makes it ok for everyone else to do it. GROW UP. Then when I asked him about the figurines and the obvious signs of life, he just pointed to this poor young kid who was obviously learning and said: "He did it, he's new.". Wow. Wow. Wow. WTF?
Here is what I did:
1. Called the SR.
2. Called my husband who wanted me to call the police for theft.
3. Emailed the PM.
4. Called the sub contractor who consequently told me they've never had anyone make a big deal about it. Really? People have no problem just paying for electricity that they don't use? I find that hard to believe. I need to find these people and have them pay for my electricity. I don't have a problem if you pay for it and use it but, unless you ask......and I say yes, please don't take it from me.
Here is what happened:
The PM, who did not know about it, said that they will pay for half of my first month's electric.
Here's how I feel:
Better. Ok. That's more than fair and I appreciate that type of customer service. At the very least I just wanted them to pay for what they used but how in the heck am I suppose to figure that out? We'd have to rely on the subcontractor who already lied to me.
So....THANK YOU RYAN HOMES for making a wrong situation right once again. You continue to impress me with your customer satisfaction and concern for your Ryan Home owners. :) Crisis Averted.
Oh..and on a side note and a little bit funny: I met one of my neighbors who proceeded to tell me that there was a crazy blogger in the neighborhood. Uhmmm....Could it be? I'm still trying to figure out what I should say next. I hope you all would let me know if I've ever been too nuts. I'm relying on your sanity to keep me straight. :) My mother told me that she thought my information about Dustin's credit score was a little bit much....then I proceeded to tell her that the whole reason we have a house right now is because of that willingness to share. Without my blog and your replies, I would have never known how to fix his score so quickly. Ahh...I love my little virtual world. Much love to you all! Now...back to moving in and getting the insane amount of stuff I have in it's new place. Too bad blog land can't come and help me move, decorate, landscape...etc...etc. :)
Here is what I did:
1. Called the SR.
2. Called my husband who wanted me to call the police for theft.
3. Emailed the PM.
4. Called the sub contractor who consequently told me they've never had anyone make a big deal about it. Really? People have no problem just paying for electricity that they don't use? I find that hard to believe. I need to find these people and have them pay for my electricity. I don't have a problem if you pay for it and use it but, unless you ask......and I say yes, please don't take it from me.
Here is what happened:
The PM, who did not know about it, said that they will pay for half of my first month's electric.
Here's how I feel:
Better. Ok. That's more than fair and I appreciate that type of customer service. At the very least I just wanted them to pay for what they used but how in the heck am I suppose to figure that out? We'd have to rely on the subcontractor who already lied to me.
So....THANK YOU RYAN HOMES for making a wrong situation right once again. You continue to impress me with your customer satisfaction and concern for your Ryan Home owners. :) Crisis Averted.
Oh..and on a side note and a little bit funny: I met one of my neighbors who proceeded to tell me that there was a crazy blogger in the neighborhood. Uhmmm....Could it be? I'm still trying to figure out what I should say next. I hope you all would let me know if I've ever been too nuts. I'm relying on your sanity to keep me straight. :) My mother told me that she thought my information about Dustin's credit score was a little bit much....then I proceeded to tell her that the whole reason we have a house right now is because of that willingness to share. Without my blog and your replies, I would have never known how to fix his score so quickly. Ahh...I love my little virtual world. Much love to you all! Now...back to moving in and getting the insane amount of stuff I have in it's new place. Too bad blog land can't come and help me move, decorate, landscape...etc...etc. :)
Thursday, August 2, 2012
FINAL WALK THROUGH!!!!!!! AHHHH! So CLOSE!
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| Love! What a fantastic day! Here are the shots of our final walk through. There are some things that will be completed before we close but MAN...does it look good right now or what? |
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| My first real mailbox on a post! |
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| Landscaping! Dustin wants the address plate to be a little nicer so he might fix it so the brick looks continuous just above it right after we move in. |
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| Awesome Garage Light. Reminds me of Colorado. |
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| Our PM explaining the ins and outs of our fireplace to Dustin. |
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| Entry Door |
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| Dining Room |
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| Going up! |
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| Master Bed |
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| Master Bath...with a PERFECT tub! |
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| I love all the light! |
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| I think I'm coming straight here after we close. |
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| NO wait.....maybe I'll just do it now! Like my sandal tan? |
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| Master Bed again |
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| Master Closet |
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| View out of the Walk-in Closet |
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| Upstairs Laundry Room! |
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| Attic access with some foam that will be trimmed. No Attic light. No Problem. :P |
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| Kaylee's little room! |
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| Kaylee's Big Room...maybe a bedroom maybe the playroom? |
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| Another view of the big one. |
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| And another. |
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| View from the side window of the big room. |
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| My opinion on my PM and SR and the whole Ryan process. |
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| Kaylee's Bath |
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| Kaylee's Bath Floor |
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| Soon to be Photo extravaganza room. Where the magic happens. |
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| A view from the magic room. |
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| Upstairs Hallway |
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| Upstairs hall the other way. |
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| Looking down stairs |
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| Banister! |
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| Powder Room! |
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| Family Room! |
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| Close up of Fire Mantel detail. |
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| Kitchen! That's my PM catching up on calls. |
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| Entry light! |
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| The chandelier from the formal dining room being used as our temporary morning room light until we get a ceiling fan...which might not be until next year....cause I kind of like this. |
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| The biggest issue we found that will be replaced completely. They think a touch up painter must have dropped something on it from high above. |
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| So Pretty! |
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| My first Disposal! |
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| Gas Range. |
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| We decided that we are going to get molding. Our PM is going to see what it will cost for him to order from his guy. It shouldn't be too much because we won't need too much. Then my husband will put it up.......To be continued.... :) |
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Included Features.....can change at any time.
Well..we are less than 24 hours away from our final walk through! Whoo hoo! So I'm sitting here going through the contract and the list of all the features and I'm writing down questions and all sorts of things.
Guess what I found out? Instead of having Aluminum Soffits as listed in our included features...we will have vinyl. Now...do I really care....no not really. What I dislike a smidge is that it is listed as feature along with a lot of other things that make you think you get some serious bang for your buck (and I believe that you still do but we have people that steal aluminum in these parts it's so valued). I don't like the misrepresentation. I don't like thinking...man..then I should get a little discount for that...and then I remember I got that three piece rough in for the price of a two. BUT...all that said.....I still love my house and I'm very pleased with the way things have gone so far. I really believe that the final walk through will blow my socks off and I just can't wait to close.
Here is my list of concerns for the walk through:
Insert #0.00001. ENJOY NEW HOME!!!!!!!!! First and foremost on the list. [Thank you WJ for the reality check ;) ]
1. Do we get a copy of all the warranties listed for the items in our features, like the Lifetime Warranty on the windows and stuff or do we just keep a record ourselves? Is there an Energy Star certificate or something that we get?
2. Are there two hose bibs?
3. Is the attic R-38 or greater? Ok. ok....so I was thinking about climbing on a ladder to measure and make sure the insulation is 12" deep (I think that's the right depth) but my family talked me out of it and gave me one of those looks. I don't know...I am paying for it right?
4. Will the crack on Dustin's Vanity be fixed? It's a tiny little thing all the way at the bottom of the vanity where we won't see it but I can just see my baby crawling over there and pulling it off making it worse if it isn't at least glued and sealed. It is really tiny.
5. When do we get to use the Ryan Advantage website and WHAT is in it? Is there a Lowe's coupon? I hope so.
6. Make sure I have an oil rubbed bronze exterior door handle.
7. Did they get that brick fixed about the basement window?....and above our address plate?
8. Is the ceiling repaired to where no one can tell it ever had a hole cut in it?
9. Will that weird paint/splatter plaster or whatever be wiped off of the closet shelves?
10. Is there an attic light? (I don't care if there is or not...it's just a curiosity at this point)
11. Are there any giant blobs of drywall mud that I can feel through the carpet.
12. Are all windows able to be open and shut and can lock?
13. Will that Jacuzzi Tub work? Should I fill it up during the walk through and test it out?
14. Is the garage door opener working and does the keypad work?
15. Is the hole in the garage fixed in the corner?
16. Are they or have they replaced or fixed the two cupboard doors that had scratches on them? I want them perfect because I'm paying for new....not almost new or repaired.
17. Is the morning room ceiling finally consistent?
18. Is the weird dip in the living room fixed? I will show pictures of this if I can find it. When the carpet was put down there is about a 1/2 inch space between it and the bottom of the trim. We don't know if it's the floor or the trim that's wrong.
19. Is the weird sticky goo in the basement that has made a home since the start of the build finally gone?
20. Is the insulation in the basement covered with a plastic sheet like the SR told me?
21. What happened to that stack of brick that you said that you'd leave for us?
22. Is the powder room mirror replaced? It had scratches on the reflective surface which rendered it useless in a few spots.
23. Does the island have its outlet?
24. Where is the chandelier for the dining room that I paid for?
25. When will the driveway get its final coat?
Those are the major concerns. There are some little bumps and blobs here and there but it's not something that just eats at me.
Can anyone think of anything else that I need to check when I go through the walk through? Obviously I will check all the lights and stuff but I'm not sure there is anything else. If you thing of something..please let me know! :)
Guess what I found out? Instead of having Aluminum Soffits as listed in our included features...we will have vinyl. Now...do I really care....no not really. What I dislike a smidge is that it is listed as feature along with a lot of other things that make you think you get some serious bang for your buck (and I believe that you still do but we have people that steal aluminum in these parts it's so valued). I don't like the misrepresentation. I don't like thinking...man..then I should get a little discount for that...and then I remember I got that three piece rough in for the price of a two. BUT...all that said.....I still love my house and I'm very pleased with the way things have gone so far. I really believe that the final walk through will blow my socks off and I just can't wait to close.
Here is my list of concerns for the walk through:
Insert #0.00001. ENJOY NEW HOME!!!!!!!!! First and foremost on the list. [Thank you WJ for the reality check ;) ]
1. Do we get a copy of all the warranties listed for the items in our features, like the Lifetime Warranty on the windows and stuff or do we just keep a record ourselves? Is there an Energy Star certificate or something that we get?
2. Are there two hose bibs?
3. Is the attic R-38 or greater? Ok. ok....so I was thinking about climbing on a ladder to measure and make sure the insulation is 12" deep (I think that's the right depth) but my family talked me out of it and gave me one of those looks. I don't know...I am paying for it right?
4. Will the crack on Dustin's Vanity be fixed? It's a tiny little thing all the way at the bottom of the vanity where we won't see it but I can just see my baby crawling over there and pulling it off making it worse if it isn't at least glued and sealed. It is really tiny.
5. When do we get to use the Ryan Advantage website and WHAT is in it? Is there a Lowe's coupon? I hope so.
6. Make sure I have an oil rubbed bronze exterior door handle.
7. Did they get that brick fixed about the basement window?....and above our address plate?
8. Is the ceiling repaired to where no one can tell it ever had a hole cut in it?
9. Will that weird paint/splatter plaster or whatever be wiped off of the closet shelves?
10. Is there an attic light? (I don't care if there is or not...it's just a curiosity at this point)
11. Are there any giant blobs of drywall mud that I can feel through the carpet.
12. Are all windows able to be open and shut and can lock?
13. Will that Jacuzzi Tub work? Should I fill it up during the walk through and test it out?
14. Is the garage door opener working and does the keypad work?
15. Is the hole in the garage fixed in the corner?
16. Are they or have they replaced or fixed the two cupboard doors that had scratches on them? I want them perfect because I'm paying for new....not almost new or repaired.
17. Is the morning room ceiling finally consistent?
18. Is the weird dip in the living room fixed? I will show pictures of this if I can find it. When the carpet was put down there is about a 1/2 inch space between it and the bottom of the trim. We don't know if it's the floor or the trim that's wrong.
19. Is the weird sticky goo in the basement that has made a home since the start of the build finally gone?
20. Is the insulation in the basement covered with a plastic sheet like the SR told me?
21. What happened to that stack of brick that you said that you'd leave for us?
22. Is the powder room mirror replaced? It had scratches on the reflective surface which rendered it useless in a few spots.
23. Does the island have its outlet?
24. Where is the chandelier for the dining room that I paid for?
25. When will the driveway get its final coat?
Those are the major concerns. There are some little bumps and blobs here and there but it's not something that just eats at me.
Can anyone think of anything else that I need to check when I go through the walk through? Obviously I will check all the lights and stuff but I'm not sure there is anything else. If you thing of something..please let me know! :)
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Check your blueprints!
Hey you all...again! I'm on a roll today. I just wanted to remind you to check your blueprints line by line and corner by corner. We caught something they missed. We are suppose to get a keyless attic light according to our blueprint and it is NOT there. We just caught it because I decided to finally sit down and check out the house vs. the blueprint. I went through and counted all of my outlets/switches etc. The kitchen is suppose to be all GFC outlets and it didn't look like ours has that but the SR explained to me that one is a GFC and the others are wired off of it and will trip like a GFC. Hmmm. Well ok if you say so. Another thing that initially really annoyed me was that we paid EXTRA for the gas line for our stove and the house comes with a 220V for a stove. If you get the gas they don't also put the 220V. I thought we were getting shorted money because wiring is so expensive (especially 220V) but my husband said that they have to pay a good amount to have the gas company do their thing too. I was just thinking it was just a matter of conduit for the gas which is way cheaper than copper. So I'm going to trust my hubbie on this. In my mind..we should get both if we paid extra so if we do sell...there are options. Anyways..back to the attic light. Does anyone else have the note in their blueprints that says that the attic gets a light? I know it's not a big thing and I'm not going to throw a fit if I don't get it...but I did pay for it and according to RH something like that costs $100.00....so of course I'm thinking..discount. ...or attic light.
Finally...I panicked a bit about my windows because NONE of them were locking. Turns out that even just a little bit of dust will hinder their shutting abilities. It is a very tight fit though..for sure.
And!!!!!! My Jacuzzi Tub is FINALLY right. Pictures will come later this week. I'm so excited. It's perfect!
Closing Fee update: My loan officer called and apologized about the "oversight". He said that they just forgot to change it from 17 days to 26 days for the interest and that the taxes are more up front but my interim taxes should be lower now. I hope so. I'm still not happy about your oversight RH and I think you should give me something for my freak out.....like a new washer or dryer? One can only dream of a perfect world filled with satisfied customers who spend over $200,000 on a home getting small perks for the inconveniences caused by others mistakes. Ahhh. Ok. I'm over it now.
Finally...I panicked a bit about my windows because NONE of them were locking. Turns out that even just a little bit of dust will hinder their shutting abilities. It is a very tight fit though..for sure.
And!!!!!! My Jacuzzi Tub is FINALLY right. Pictures will come later this week. I'm so excited. It's perfect!
Closing Fee update: My loan officer called and apologized about the "oversight". He said that they just forgot to change it from 17 days to 26 days for the interest and that the taxes are more up front but my interim taxes should be lower now. I hope so. I'm still not happy about your oversight RH and I think you should give me something for my freak out.....like a new washer or dryer? One can only dream of a perfect world filled with satisfied customers who spend over $200,000 on a home getting small perks for the inconveniences caused by others mistakes. Ahhh. Ok. I'm over it now.
Here is what happened:
Ok...so long story short....My escrow charges went up by about $500.00 which is the Hazard Insurance and County Property Taxes. My loan officer only put 2 months in the GFE when in reality I have to have 9 months in escrow...and 9 months just happens to be when they started building until the end of the year...so it looks like I'm paying those taxes. So that was the biggie and it is something that can change but it wouldn't have been such a shock if the LO would have just put it in the GFE to begin with. So there's another $565.00 difference
My loan officer neglected to put the title insurance in the GFE so that was another $226.00.
Then..my loan officer only showed that the daily interest charges were for 17 days from Aug. 6 until Sept.1. Obviously wrong. It's 26 days...so that almost doubled.
So...all the fees were the same...BUT make sure you know how many days are in a month and double check your GFE in section A item 10 to make sure your loan officer has counted his days correctly. Grrrr. Also...make sure the title insurance is included in the GFE...it's expensive!
My loan officer neglected to put the title insurance in the GFE so that was another $226.00.
Then..my loan officer only showed that the daily interest charges were for 17 days from Aug. 6 until Sept.1. Obviously wrong. It's 26 days...so that almost doubled.
So...all the fees were the same...BUT make sure you know how many days are in a month and double check your GFE in section A item 10 to make sure your loan officer has counted his days correctly. Grrrr. Also...make sure the title insurance is included in the GFE...it's expensive!
Monday, July 30, 2012
Ryan Homes KILLED me on the Closing. My GFE was really off.
Hey there. I just got my HUD-1 form that tells me what I need to bring to closing and I was shocked, to say the least, that they charged me the highest rate that they could for the following fees:
$500.00 – Underwriting fee line 809 (It says it may range from $100-$500 in the agreement)
(UPDATE:....Fees didn't change...see the next recent post to see what happened)
And...don't worry..more photos will come at the end of the week. Our final walk through is THURSDAY!!!!!! YIKES! I actually cried last night because I will miss my old home. GOOD NEWS though...we found a RENTER! WHOO HOO! For anyone renting, ezlandlordforms.com is a pretty awesome site to create leases with. I used Landlord Station for the background/credit report.
UPDATE 3/22/2015 - It's amazing what a few years here and there can bring. A new baby, a finished basement, a fence in the back yard and a new online work at home type opportunity that I took and totally do not regret. I'm going to be able to make 6 figures and take care of my family and help change the world (local economy first!) Tell me that's not awesome! :) Oh..and that being a landlor thing? BEST IDEA EVEEER. Wish I had more houses....oh wait...I will! Suck up the universe people! Opportunities are EVERYWHERE!
$500.00 – Underwriting fee line 809 (It says it may range from $100-$500 in the agreement)
$300.00 – Processing fee line 814 (Range: $100-300)
$50.00 – Application fee line 815
(UPDATE:....Fees didn't change...see the next recent post to see what happened)
I took the higher rate of 3.625% because of their incentive to give a monetary discount at closing. I find it pretty coincidental that they charged me such a high rate for their fees and that it is almost exactly what they said they would "discount" me for taking the higher rate. I remember the loan officer saying that it probably won't ever be that high but they had to let us know anyways. I figured it would be somewhere in the middle at most.
I feel a bit dupped to say the least. Damn.
So in the end? I feel like I just took a higher rate and didn't get a discount at all at closing. Now instead of being even close to the GFE that I got...I'm paying more. How crappy is that? Goodbye new appliance that I thought I was going to have.
Well..I guess I figured out why the fees had such a wide range. So Ryan Homes can make you think you are getting a discount to take a higher rate when really...you not. At least that's what I think anyways. I could be totally wrong....but I don't know.
Does anyone else have this experience? Has anyone else closed recently and they were charged the full amount on the fee?
And...don't worry..more photos will come at the end of the week. Our final walk through is THURSDAY!!!!!! YIKES! I actually cried last night because I will miss my old home. GOOD NEWS though...we found a RENTER! WHOO HOO! For anyone renting, ezlandlordforms.com is a pretty awesome site to create leases with. I used Landlord Station for the background/credit report.
UPDATE 3/22/2015 - It's amazing what a few years here and there can bring. A new baby, a finished basement, a fence in the back yard and a new online work at home type opportunity that I took and totally do not regret. I'm going to be able to make 6 figures and take care of my family and help change the world (local economy first!) Tell me that's not awesome! :) Oh..and that being a landlor thing? BEST IDEA EVEEER. Wish I had more houses....oh wait...I will! Suck up the universe people! Opportunities are EVERYWHERE!
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