Week 16: Closing & The Big Move!

Week 16: August 29 - September 4


It finally happened, and it still feels surreal! In true Fab fashion, it was not without drama. (sigh).


Our good friends had offered to take Munchie off our hands so we could close and move in peace. So I met them to hand her over Monday morning. Thank the Lord for friends. All of this madness would have been a lot harder with her underfoot!


Closing Day
Hubs, our realtor, and I met at the Ryan title company office on Monday, August 29 at 11 a.m. in Blue Bell, PA with our cashier's check, extra blank checks, and ID's in hand. We've been through two other closings and several re-finances and expected it to take an hour or so, max. Maybe shorter since Ryan, NVR/ Homeside, and the title company are ALL THE SAME DAMN COMPANY.
I was wrong.


Delay #1
We got through signing about half of our paperwork before we realized that the county was listed incorrectly (Berks, we're in Montgomery). Title company woman had to stop us and re-run that paperwork, then have us re-sign everything.


Delay #2
She explains a tax form that gives us the total of the additional tax bill we should expect in 8-12 weeks. Totaling almost $7,000. First we've heard of it. Hubs understandably flips out. I ask the woman to give us five minutes. She steps out. Realtor calls mortgage guy. Mortgage guy points to builder/ sales rep. Title company points to mortgage guy. We can't get ahold of our sales rep to see who she points to, but realize that it's just a waste of time. We completely understand and agree with owing the tax, but strenuously disagree with not being told until the middle of closing. In the end, we understand the reason why our estimated cash to close mysteriously dropped by $5,000 the week before closing....those were tax funds that for some fluke reason of tax schedule, we're paying in a few weeks instead. DEEP SIGH.


Title woman returns, signing continues. At this point, my hunger-induced pregnancy nausea is really kicking in. I ask how much longer we might be here. Woman laughs at me and offers to find me some crackers from someone's desk (I grudgingly decline).


Delays #3-5
We finish the neverending signing, but are immediately faced with more delays. Title woman explains that 1. We need "approval" from Homeside that they have everything they need. 2. She needs to run us our copies of the documents, and 3. Homeside (NVR) has not wired the money yet. We had an 11a.m. closing. Not 9 a.m. At this point, we've been in the office for over 2 hours. So throwing out the notion that the bank could have wired the funds the night before....they have had 4 hours during which to do so that morning, but did not. I don't know about you, but if I was 4+ hours late doing a key part of my job, I wouldn't last long.


I am barely holding it together. You just cannot mess with a miserable pregnant woman like this. Hubs and our realtor, being smart men, realize this and are desperately trying to hurry things along. We continue waiting for another half hour or so before the wire transfer is confirmed. Realtor busts out the sparkling apple juice, we chug, and we run the heck out of there. Entire process clocked in at 3 hours.


We have only appliance deliveries scheduled for the afternoon, and figure we have lots of time to get to the house, so we stop for a pizza lunch. I put the first delicious bite into my mouth, and Hub's cell rings. The Best Buy delivery truck is running 2 hours ahead of schedule, and is now sitting in front of the house. We are currently 45 minutes away, and still need to run back to our temp living house (15 minutes in the opposite direction) to grab my car. We tell them we'll be there as soon as we can, throw the slices in a to-go box and run out the door.


We finally get to the house and find Ryan installers replacing the kitchen appliances with the upgraded ones. There's obviously no where to sit, so I plop my nauseous self on the stairs. At that moment, my tush is glad we hadn't upgraded to the hard-woods! Best Buy comes with the washer and dryer and for a while it's like an appliance store exploded in the house. Of course, the fridge was on a DIFFERENT Best Buy delivery truck that we would now be waiting for.


Hubs runs out to do I have no-idea what errands, and in the meanwhile, I unload the Bed Bath & Beyond goodies (new bathroom décor, towels, etc.), the hand soap and TP into the house. Which is about all there is to do except wait.


When he gets back, we decide to run to our new post office to change our address and get the key to our community mailbox. We get within 1 minute of the post office when Best Buy driver confirms he will be at the house in 5 minutes; and so we turn around and fly back to the house to take fridge delivery.


As fridge delivery guy leaves, our friends arrive bearing hoagies, tomato pie (it's a Philly thing), and drinks. The husband is a pastor, so he walks us through the house offering a prayer and blessing for every room, and leaves us with a beautiful cross to hang over the front door. It was lovely.


As we're finishing up with them, the Budget Blinds woman arrives to show me samples, and give us a quote for whole house faux wood, cordless blinds. Once we choke down the number, she leaves, and we follow.


I know we did some other errands on the way back to our temp living, but I can't remember what they were for the life of me. We passed out unconscious and set alarms early to meet the movers.




Moving Day


Hubs awakens before dawn to pick up his boss's pickup truck, then meet the movers at the storage place at 7 a.m. I go directly to the house to await the Comcast installation guy by 8 a.m. By 9 or so, I get word that the movers are on their way to the house. Their crew boss is waiting for the truck in my living room and gets a call to tell him that they have been pulled off the road by state troopers for a Department of Transportation spot check. I think it's a joke for a while, and when I realize that it's truly happening, I text my state trooper friend to "please call off her friends and let my furniture go!"


They are delayed for about 45 minutes, but finally arrive and quickly begin unloading. I stand at the front door directing them where to bring everything. Hubs is off running mystery errands again.
My lovely and wonderful friend arrived around 11 to help in whatever way she could, and I kept her busy with small tasks as the movers finished up.


Once they left, she and I went to work, and mostly focused on the kitchen, as most of the boxes were destined for that room! We had been too nervous to let the movers place all the boxes on the hardwoods, so we were forced to make trips into the garage for everything. Burning calories(?) My friend took on the designated shelf-liner cutter role and became an expert quickly.
Another wonderful friend stopped by around 1 with Wendy's for us. Have I mentioned how awesome all of our friends are?
Our work continued until an afternoon Raymour and Flannigan furniture delivery.  Our master bedroom mattress, dresser, and nightstands all arrived in good condition. Munchie arrived with the friends who had kept her, and we gave her a tour of the house and her newly arranged playroom! She was thrilled, but didn't stay long. Hubs took her back to our temp living house to sleep; and my friend and I resumed work and didn't stop until after 10 p.m. I tossed and turned on the new mattress all night. The next morning I took my first shower at the house, and despite only having a sample packet of conditioner and bottle of hand-soap to work with, it felt amazing!


Wednesday, crazy Hubs went to work, Munchie stayed with our niece, and my friend and I continued our mission; unpacking and organizing, and managing a second furniture delivery. Mealey's delivered two new family room sofas, a morning room table, chairs, and sideboard, and new "big girl" furniture for Munchie's room. The garage door replacement panel arrived and was quickly replaced, and a random local window guy came to take measurements of the glass in our front door for potential switch out. We made major kitchen progress, and welcomed a visit from another friend bearing dinner for us in the afternoon. Hubs picked up Munchie on his way home from work, which meant the whole family would finally sleep in our new house!


My amazing friend left early Thursday morning, and while Hubs installed our new FrontPoint security system, I threw clothes and swimsuits in bags and packed the car for our Labor Day vacation to LBI. We finally left the house around 2 p.m., and Munchie and I promptly passed out for the ride to relaxation.


The rest of the madness at the house would be waiting for our return.

Week 13: Making it Pretty

Week 13 - August 8 - 14, 2016



Days 85 - 91

 

8/8 - text PM to ask for pics of newly installed appliances (crickets - turns out he was on vacay)
8/13 - Door unlocked = surprise visit!

 

 So, we were sad that we wouldn't get to see any progress this week. But an invite to a friend's pool in the area meant a drive by/ door try. We were met with unexpected success!

 

We ran through the house really fast, but managed to notice the following changes (stay tuned for pics):

• Floors uncovered - looks amazing, but now nervous about them getting damaged!
• Appliances installed - need to check these for accuracy. I thought we were getting "gas on glass", and we saw gas on stainless.
• Cabinets swapped out for correct finish
• Laundry-room door swing changed (YAY!)
• Banister stained
• 1 coat of paint on front door
• Interior & exterior door handles installed
• Yard grading
• Toilets installed
• Corrected cabinet and side panels around fridge opening

 

 

Still to be done

• Missing handles on garage door
• Replace/repair dented garage door (a new find)
• More coats of paint on the front door
• Door swing on master bath
• Drywall repairs noted previously (didn't check on these)
• Landscaping & hydro seed (sigh)
• Cleaning (obviously)
• Final painting
• SO.MUCH.TOUCHUP.

 

What else....

• We finally locked in the interest rate on our 80% mortgage (doing an 80/15/5), but are still waiting for the paperwork on the 15% one...
• We ordered our new king bed and bedroom set (moving up from a queen!)
• Submitted my company's internet service request form (they pay for our access!)
• Still need to order a fridge, coffee/side tables for the family room, our daughter's "big girl bed", etc. etc. 
• Need to call the utilities about switching over
• Need to call Guardian about final stuff. Not sure what this is for, but we were told to do this at our pre-drywall meeting, and I'm already a week late....oops.
• Shop for rugs, blinds, curtains, garage door opener, dehumidifier, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. (basically, hemorrhage money).

Our pre-settlement walk-through is scheduled for Monday (8/22) at 2pm.
People. This is really happening!

Week 11: Stone, House Number, AC, NVR Hell, and Some Happy News

Week 11 - July 25 - July 31, 2016

 

Days 71 - 77

• House locked up!
• 7/26 - Stone on front of house
• 7/27 - AC starts up
• 7/29 - Hardwoods supposed to be installed (nope)
• PM tasks: switching swing on master bath and laundry room doors, checking island placement for oven door clearance

• Cabinet delivery scheduled for 8/8
• Cabinet touch-up (trim, replacement for dinged up pieces, etc.)
• Switch out of hall and guest bath oak vanities for correct Fairfield Wheat

This week was LAME. We had to rely on pics from neighbors and friends -and only from the outside.
We're assuming the AC was started up per our PM's note, but can't confirm.
We did drive up to see the house on Saturday afternoon, but found it completely locked up. Hubs did pry up the garage door, but found the inside door locked too.  He did peek through the windows to confirm that there were no hardwoods in sight. Sigh. I so desperately wanted to say something that sounds a lot like "My Rold Too Go", but bit my tongue.


NVR Hell. We are so there. The ongoing and constant requests (and re-re-requests) for documents has never really stopped or slowed. This week was particularly brutal. If I get asked to send a letter confirming that I have full access to the funds in our JOINT CHECKING ACCOUNT, ONE more time, I'm going to lose it. I've literally uploaded that stupid letter 3-4x since February or March. To say nothing of the documentation required to support Hub's freaking paycheck deposits. Insanity.


Time for some happy news. You recall me complaining about not feeling well for my last several posts? Well, there's a good reason for all of my misery. We're having another baby Fab. (S)he is due February 5. Munchie is over the moon about being a big sister. However, she has a stipulation that the baby is only allowed to be a girl. A girl named "Princess Allie Aurora."  I told her I would do my best. So the bedroom closest to ours/ next to the hall bath has been claimed.


I hope everyone else is enjoying their build experience. If you need me, I'll be curled up on the bathroom floor in our friends' house; praying for the nausea to pass and Ryan to finish the damn house soon.







Day 73: Stone Being Installed

Week 8: Garage Door, Drywall, and a Garage Full of Goodies

Week 8 - July 4 - July 10, 2016



7/4 - day 50 - Holiday, no work.

7/5 - day 51 - Drywall + garage door installed

7/6 - day 52 - Drywall (visit)

7/7 - day 53 - driveby - saw garage full of goodies!

7/8 - day 54 - Mud - front porch poured

7/9 - day 55 - Mud - broken windows replaced

7/10 - day 56 - Mud

We are drowning in packing/moving chaos, so the house is honestly on the back burner.

I planned to visit the house to see drywall progress on Tuesday night, but packing took priority. Our movers come next Wednesday, 7/13, and we've been putting as much as we can into storage now, to hopefully save a little on moving costs. For future reference: two-part moves SUCK!

It's a challenge to figure out what we'll need in our temporary living arrangement (friend's basement) vs. still need to keep in our house,  vs. what can safely go to storage. Plus, I'm still feeling under the weather and would rather curl up in bed and ignore all of this madness.

We've been keeping up with NVR (Homeside) to make sure all is well, and to watch the lock deals...

I found this handy-dandy website on another blog, and it's proven really useful so far in the constant rate watch, and lock timing decision:

http://www.moving.com/mortgage/mortgage-market-commentary.asp

But Homeside isn't saying much. Sure hope that's a good sign and not just the calm before the storm.... updated - We emailed our Homeside guy with a request to lock on Friday around 3pm. But he did not respond. Sigh.


Saturday was spent intensely packing with the help of a wonderful friend (thank you Amy!!) But I was able to sneak over to show her the house before she left Saturday evening. So fun!
Interesting note - found that the egress window isn't actually installed in the basement yet...but the wall and window frame is dry walled. So strange that it's all sort-of exposed to the elements...


Sunday was a desperately needed day of rest. We visited friends for swimming and the grill, which is helpful, because we now have no pots, pans, bowls, silverware, etc. etc. in the kitchen.  I also snuck back into the house Sunday evening to show progress to the friend who originally signed in our development....and then ultimately backed out. :( 
She and I investigated the madness in the garage and found sinks, trim, doorframes, doors, windows, door knobs, railings, etc. etc. SO exciting! Also found a daylight leak in the master bath closet and an off-center light over the sink in the kitchen. I've reported those to our PM, and we'll see what happens.


Pics...

 

Day 52 - Entryway drywall

Day 52 - "Mudroom" Closet & Garage Door

Day 52 - Living Room/Family Room

Day 52 - Kitchen

Day 52 - Morning Room. Loving all the windows!

Day 52 - Family Room with study door to the side

Day 52 - Master Bedroom



Day 52 - Master bath awaiting the waterproof drywall



Day 52 - Loft

Day 52 - Basement with morning room bump out and special request egress placement.

Baseboards and Basement Egresses

This waiting for groundbreaking is painful. PAINFUL I tell you!

Mortgage Status
Haven't heard anything in a while from NVR. We continue to trickle them copies of documents they have requested as they become available. Still no formal mortgage approval in hand, so I'm taking the one-off "approval" email with yet another document list as our formal approval. Ha.
The Homeside website shows our status as still in underwriting. I'm really hoping they have their acts together enough so that NVR/Homeside has to give Ryan some sort-of "go ahead" for us to break ground in 12+/- days as scheduled.

All of this silence and waiting, however, given us time to ruminate on the two outstanding issues with the house. Both were discovered at the pre-construction meeting.

Baseboards
If you're following this blog, you may remember the first "baseboard incident". If not - catch up here.
This time, we were talking about the quarter-round issue with our PM and SR and realized that the gorgeous tall baseboards shown in the model were NOT included as part of the max-upgraded trim package we are paying extra for. Surprise!
We could theoretically purchase these tall baseboards for $1200-ish. But we were way past the change date, and were therefore out of luck. We found this obnoxious for several reasons:

1. The model showing the trim package we selected has the tall baseboards, it's not a crazy assumption to make that they would be included in that upgrade.
2. The tall baseboards are not listed in the selections sheet as a stand-alone upgrade option.
3. Doing it later ourselves would be an issue - since we're already paying for the top-level trim package, we get boxing detail in the dining room. The boxes are centered on the wall using the short, standard baseboards. Swapping them for tall later = re-do of boxing trim work to re-center.
4. Is it REALLY a huge deal to switch standard for the taller baseboards at this late a date? We still have months to go before that step.

Current status - SR provided regional SR contact info. Hubs had a conversation with him stating our concerns. We offered alternative solutions such as:
1. Buying our own tall baseboards and leaving in the house for the trim guys.
2. Cancelling the trim package, reverting to standard
3. Having the trim guys measure for the tall boards when installing the boxing.
4. Discounting the trim package we paid for
5. Ryan exception to allow late change order for tall baseboards (we pay)
6. Paying cash for the baseboard difference now, or at closing so as not to mess up mortgage paperwork.

None of these were accepted during the call. Regional SR promised to get back to Hubs. Stated that
"they did not mis-represent anything". Not sure how this comment was helpful to anyone. That was 3 weeks ago, and crickets. Hubs was unhappy, but is rapidly moving towards pissed as we get no follow-up and no resolution to an easy-to-solve issue. See long list of potential solutions above.


Egress
In our pre-construction meeting, our PM explained that our basement egress would be on the back wall of the house. We express strong concern - as we plan to add a deck/ patio, and the egress would land smack-dab in the middle of it. We didn't choose that wall for the fireplace to avoid having that bump-out in that space. We ask (strongly beg) to have it moved to the morning room bump out wall.
PM talks us off the ledge and promises he'll do his best to move it. This is more than a little scary - since we just met him, and we've built up no trust yet...eek.


5.12.16 update - Hubs contacted our PM to discuss both issues, since he hadn't heard back from the Regional Sales Manager. PM confirmed that the egress will be moved to the morning room (Yay!)
On the baseboard situation; PM will either be asking the trim guys to move up the boxing detail to center based on the tall baseboard measurement and/or just installing tall baseboard that we deliver to the house ourselves. He's really earning that 10 on the survey here!


Later 5.12.16 update - Regional manager is not my favorite person. Confirmed that Ryan is not budging on the baseboards. Insists again this was not a "bait and switch". I guess we'll see what magic our PM can make happen, if anything. We're annoyed. Well, I'm annoyed. Hubs is PISSED.

Is Death by Mortgage Paperwork a Thing?

Received an email from HomeSide (NVR) last night stating:

"Congratulations! Your loan has been conditionally approved by the underwriter. Items required to be provided by you are listed below."

Proceeded by yet another insanely long list of document requirements. Some of them are obvious and expected carryovers - for example, monthly bank statements, Homeowner's Insurance Policy, 2016 tax returns; while other requests were....a little special.

Other Ryan Home build peeps - is this the "Official" approval? Because it was very non-eventful. From reading other blogs, I thought there would be a call / letter / email....something?

Hubs has called our (4th) rep. three times already to ask important questions about moving forward, and to provide updated information (most important - the FINAL total cost from Ryan, because their numbers are based on an old total). Each time she has promised to "call him back before she leaves at 4 pm". Spoiler Alert: she has never called him back.

I'll spare you the full list, but point out a couple of the most frustrating items this go-round:

8. Copy of the final CD that is signed by you and by the seller for the sale of your current home.

No clue what this is. Our agent has no clue what this is. If the woman would call my husband back, perhaps we could get clarification so that we can provide this item.


9. Signed, dated letter from the person that shows as the joint account holder on your TD Bank accounts stating you have 100% access to those funds.

Have already sent this 2x. Nothing has changed. I just keep re-sending the same document like a crazy person.


11. Signed, dated letter to explain the following address that is noted as current within the time frame of residences listed on the application: 101 Tyler Ct. Comment if you owned or rented and approximate dates.

We rented a basement apartment from friends from 2000 - 2003, before we were even married. Why they could possibly need this information from SIXTEEN YEARS ago, I cannot begin to fathom.

It Helps to Think of it as a Scavenger Hunt

We received our third? fourth? email from Homeside requesting....you guessed it! More documents!
We're also on our fourth NV mortgage contact. In case you're keeping track...
1. Jonathan - initial NV mortgage meeting 
2. Sam - NV(?) loan officer
3. Bridgid - Homeside - Sam's assistant
4. Debby - Homeside - loan processor

I *think* Sam, Bridgid, and Debby do actually all work on the same team, as there seems to be interaction between them. 
I also received an automated notice this morning (3.21) that our loan has officially moved from "Processing" to "Underwriting".  Yay for progress.

Here's the scavenger hunt list of requested documents from the 3.18 email: 

1.       Copy of CD signed by seller and by you for the sale of your current home (when available).

2.       Within 30 days of closing we will need updated income and asset documents.

3.       Name and phone number for the insurance agent you will be using for the subject property (when you have finalized a policy).

4.       Copy of 2015 tax returns after 04/15/16.

5.       Signed, dated letter from Hubs stating you have 100% access to the funds in the joint bank account(s).

6.       Copy of January to February and February to March statements for your Bank account.

7.       Will need statements from present each month thru closing to verify the funds as you save them (as available).

8.       Copy of bonus check being used for close and proof it has been deposited to your bank account and that it is in available funds and not pending (when available).

9.       Copy of 401k statement showing the loan withdraw that is being used for close, copy of the check, updated statement showing balance after the withdraw and proof that it has been deposited to your bank account and is available and not pending (when available).

10.   Age of your dependent noted on the application and on tax returns (this is needed to add the correct age of the dependent to the loan application).

This is intense. I completely understand why they need all of this, but it's like a part-time job to chase all of this stuff down. I wish there was just a standard list at the beginning and we could work on it all up front. It's frustrating to think we're finished for a while, and then find out the hunt continues. 

Someone heeeeelllllp! I'm drowning in paperwork!

Whoa. Sam the underwriting guy has unleashed the Kraken. Emails and e-document sign-offs, and requests for documents are now coming fast and furious. Sort-of regretting waking him up. This is made worse by the fact that our agent sent over all of the electronic listing paperwork requests today.

Working on final house prep (spackle/paint touch-ups/cleaning/staging) for pictures (and listing?) on Saturday.

Feeling WAY overwhelmed at the onslaught.

Glub.Glub.

We're somewhere on this sad ship...glub.

Homeside Financial

NVR learning of the day: they use Homeside Financial for 80/15/5 loans. Figured that out when a random electronic-signature consent email from Homeside appeared in my inbox today. I was suspicious because Quicken had called offering a refinance deal on our current home only hours before. A quick Google search had led me to a link between Quicken and Homeside, but I stopped the investigation when Hubs confirmed that the NVR underwriting guy told him to expect to hear from them.
Once I followed the link, low-and-behold, NVR confirmed. So I completed the authorization for electronic document transfer and approval of mortgage materials.

So.Fun.

Following up with NVR

I just emailed our NVR rep looking for an update. We met with him back on January 7, and we're wondering what comes next...I thought I had figured out from reading other blogs that we are to expect an official "approval" letter at some point, but we've heard nothing since our meeting. We'll see if/when he responds.

Update: As of 2pm ET 2.19.16 (almost 24 hours), no response.

Update: Heard from our rep on 2.22. Apologetic response and blame toss to underwriting guy.

Underwriting Guy (Sam) is now on the ball and has reached out to Hubs (the paperwork department).

Whoo hoo. Progress!

NVR Mortgage Meeting

Again with the money stress?

We met with Jonathan, our NVR Mortgage rep at our development's model on 1.7.16. He was very down to earth, honest, and reasonable in our discussions. I felt an unexpected level of trust with him, and the hubs stated the same to me after the meeting. Impressive!

He reviewed everything, ran our credit and confirmed that he would be recommending us for conditional approval at 4.25% (ugh. Damn Fed.) Hubs' credit score needed to bump up a tiny bit. so he indicated that we should focus on that. We were thrilled to not have to be considered contingent. Our sales rep had already warned us that people were ready to take our lot, which would be possible if we had to be a contingent sale. Of course, we NEED to sell our house before closing on the new one to feel remotely comfortable. Who can afford two mortgages? Not us!

We also talked through how much we'll put down, expected closing costs, etc. We talked through using a 401k loan. He offered the option to finance the closing costs; which we'll save as a last resort if things get hairy with money at the end. *fingers crossed*

He also explained that NVR will re-run our credit prior to close to make sure all is well. Told us not to open ANY new accounts, which things to pay off for biggest impact on score improvements, etc. All stuff we knew, but nice to get his confirmation of our plan.

Still waiting for a final/approved letter. Not sure when we should expect that.


We brought all the requested documents to the meeting:

Income Documentation:

1.      One month of the most recent pay stubs reflecting 30-days year-to-date pay. Bi-weekly pay must include 3 consecutive stubs to complete 30 days.

2.      2013 & 2014 W2’s

3.      Please provide a copy of your offer letter with your new job.

4.      Please provide a copy of the most recent teaching contract for your district.

5.      2013 & 2014 1099s for Social Security/ Pension (if applicable)

6.      2014 Monthly/ Yearly benefits statements for Pension and/ or Social Security Income. (Award letter received at the beginning of each year.

7.      2013 & 2014 Complete tax returns (all schedules) ***If you are self-employed and file business returns, please provide both personal and all business returns.

Asset Documentation:

1.      3 months Checking/ Savings account statements for all accounts. Please provide ALL pages. If the statement says 1 of 6, we will need all pages even if they are blank. Printouts from internet sites are not acceptable if they do not include the bank name, account holders name and account #.

2.      Documentation for any non-payroll deposits over $1,000 (copies of checks that were deposited)

3.      Most recent 2 months or quarterly investment/ IRA / 401K / Stocks / Bonds, etc. statements. Please provide all pages as stated above. DO NOT send balance pages only.

4.      Terms and conditions under which Retirements funds can be withdrawn - even if not using these funds for settlement.

Miscellaneous Documentation:

1.      Copies of all borrowers driver’s license and/ or passports. For FHA or VA loans also provide a copy of each borrower’s Social Security Card.

2.      Please provide a copy of your certificate of eligibility for VA financing and/or DD214.

3.      Please provide a copy of your valid VISA and/or paperwork evidencing renewal, if applicable.

4.      Please provide a copy of your divorce decree and property settlement agreement.

5.      Please provide a copy of your most recent tax bills as well as your home owner’s insurance declaration page and any home owner’s association dues paid.

6.      Please provide the documentation evidencing the Home Owner’s Association dues associated with your current property.

7.      Most recent Mortgage Statement for all properties owned. Please include any 2^nd trust mortgage or home equity lines or loans.

8.      Please provide a copy of your bankruptcy discharge.

9.      Please provide a copy of the paperwork showing the satisfaction of the outstanding judgment(s).

10.   Name, address, and phone numbers for landlord (if renting)

11.   Letter of explanation for any recent credit problems, if applicable, i.e. Late Payments, collections, judgments.

12.   A check for appraisal and credit report fees. Your loan officer will inform you of the amount based on the program you are applying for.

Ryan Says, "Give Us ALL the Money"

Is anyone else finding the most stressful part of this process to be the money? I may have to start biting my nails. Lord knows the stress-eating isn't going to help anyone, and I can't afford it now anyways!

We initially thought we would have access to take a loan from my 401k to help make this magic happen. All was well until I got myself to my plan's website and learned that a loan or straight withdrawal would not be an option. *Insert inappropriate cursing*

So, we had our "come to Jesus" meetings with the NVR mortgage guy and our saleswoman. Mortgage approved, non-contingent (ha ha, yeah right). Ryan willing to work with us with reduced deposit, extended delivery date, a deposit schedule of our choosing, and should we get desperate, financing of the closing costs.

In the meanwhile, we need to do the following:

1. Hit the $2billion Powerball (which would require a move to oceanfront property in Hawaii, but whatever.)
2. Ready our house for sale, praying that a sale would net even or maybe even a squeak of profit.
3. Get out of my expensive car payment into something more affordable
4. Improve the hubs' credit score a bit by paying down a couple of credit cards and disputing some wonky stuff on his report.
5. Pay back rest current 401k loan to open up another loan for more $.  
6. Investigate cheap temp housing options including friends' basements.
7. Eat only ramen noodles. If we're feeling like high-rollers, maybe also some generic mac & cheese.
8. Repeat the mantra, "base level carpet will be great!"

Wish us luck. Or, invite us over for a home cooked meal. Please.