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2005.06.07

Comments

Julia

Plantar faciitis is the worst, and I'm sorry it's screwing up your marathon training. I work retail, and have suffered verily. One tip my doc gave me was really random, but it helps: when I get in bed at night, I "spell" the alphabet with each foot, as if I'm writing it with my big toe. Then, when I wake up in the morning, I do it again. It really does make a difference, at least for me, and I hope you are in less pain soon.

Erica

I fought the battle of spite pee for a long time until it (crosses fingers) seems like maybe I've won a battle or two. I'm sure that you've done the obvious things like making sure that he doesn't have cystitis and removing any lingering odor with an enzyme cleaner. Beyond that, I had some luck with the pheromone spray, Feliway. I also used Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract Cat Litter until he was consistently using the box again then switched to the regular Dr. Elsey's litter.

When I was looking to buy a house, I got a recommendation on a realtor from a friend and got pre-approval through the in-house financing so that I could look at houses. It was pretty simple, but I'm sure that it is more stressful when you are dealing with CA real estate.

Amy D

On the plantar fasciitis--I just cleared up mine a few months ago by wearing shoes all the time, from the second I got out of bed in the morning until I went to bed at night. I didn't want to wear dirty shoes in the house, so I got some new wool clogs that look sort of like house shoes; I got them from a store specializing in comfortable, healthy shoes. I swear--I didn't do anything else to solve the problem besides wear those clogs at home all the time, and it worked very well.

JF

While I have no intimate experience with "spite pee" (thank you!), I did go the whole mortgage route solo a few years back. I second the recommendation to get broker referrals from people you know -- I think I drove my broker insane with constant phone calls and questions, "What's this fee?" "What does that term mean?" "Why is the bank offering me way more money than I need?" and of course, "Please gawd, explain the whole 'points' thing to me again. . ."

It's an exhilerating experience, buying your own home -- doing it as a single upped the terror factor a bit but I can honestly say I love my little condo, I think I made the right decision and I still have enough money left over after paying the mortgage to feed and clothe myself. And occasionally scuba dive -- good deal. (Oh, if you're interested, look into the option of paying half your mortgage every two weeks rather than the full amount once a month -- it effortlessly trims a couple of years off the life of your mortgage.)

Ask questions, lots and lots of 'em -- ask friends, family, co-workers -- blow off any broker, bank or realtor who will not take the time to walk you through the process -- this is one of the major purchases of your life, don't let anyone forget that.

And make lists, lots and lots of 'em. Questions, timelines, to-do lists, contacts -- I think I personally took out an entire forest of legal pads during my search but I went into the closing feeling (relatively) calm and in control.

Good luck! Have fun!

Cori

Oh, the spite pee. I know it well. Just because I don't want the cat sitting on my chest when I have bronchitis doesn't mean I don't love her. Peeing on my bed while I'm in it? (Wait, why are my feet wet?) Yeah, getting closer to not loving her...

alyssa

Oh lord have I learned about mortgages.

I think the Howstuffworks site covers it best - you can shop around for lots of different options with banks and a mortgage broker. We haggled and I got a good rate. Plus when you get to the pre-approval stage you get some specific breakdowns of what your costs will be and what they go for ($50 for a courier, $175 for deed registration, etc).

Here's what I can tell you from a) experience and b) my Cambridge first-time homebuyer's class:
As for their special first-time buyer deals
Never pay points (unless you've got crap credit)
If your credit score is over 620 you should qualify for a conventional loan with conventional financing
The cash you need to cough up to pay for things - aka the downpayment - comes faster than you think, about 3 weeks after the purchase and sale agreement is signed - so be ready
Your closing costs will be more than you think - ask for an estimate then add abou 50% more to it
You will be flat broke when it is over - make sure you can make some awesome mustard soup

We just closed last week. I'm working on ketchup sandwiches for dinner tonight.

Vickie

Hi Lisa!

I may in fact have info that would be helpful! I'm so happy to be useful!

I work for a sub-prime mortgage lender (for folks with not-so-good credit) in the legal department, and my company doesn't do any loan brokering, so my knowledge may not be perfectly applicable, but here are some things to keep an eye out for:

General: Lending in CA is regulated under the CA Residential Mortgage Lending Act, the CA Real Estate Law, and the CA Finance Lenders Law. Lenders and brokers are also licensed under these laws, and all of this is overseen by the CA Dept. of Corporations (www.corp.ca.gov/fsd/fsd.htm). I would visit the Dept of Corporations site, as it has some good info and a list of who is licensed, and Google the laws to get an idea of what lenders and brokers are allowed to do in CA ('cause they don't always do what they should, for malice, or ignorance, or whatever reason - not to scare you, just to make you aware).

I checked our summary of state statutes, and unless you'll be buying a place that costs less than $250K (not so likely in metropolitan CA) I don't think there are any specific regulations governing fees and such.

Some other bits and pieces:

Points: Can mean fees, can mean money paid to the lender, can mean money paid to the broker. Limited in some way by many states, defined differently in many states. Check out CA's regulations!

Lender points and pre-payment penalties (watch out for PPPs, especially if you think you will refinance within 5 years!) are generally used to "buy down" your interest rate - you pay a bit more up front or if you refi within a certain time, and in return the lender lowers your rate. If you have good credit, though, you should be able to get a good interest rate without paying points or agreeing to a PPP, so I would try to haggle your way out of them. Ask about other lender fees as well. Not all lenders will charge you application fees or origination fees. Some states will also allow you to choose your own mortgage insurance provider if your lender requires mortgage insurance, so you may be able to shop around on that as well.

If you're using a broker to help you find a lender, look out for broker fees - ask what kinds and how much they typically charge. You will find brokers charging application fees, processing fees, credit check fees, and just plain old broker fees, even when the lender is charging you for some of the same services.

Also keep an eye on closing/settlement agent fees - if you're working with a broker, you will generally be able to choose your closing agent, so ask the broker or the closing agent what exactly they'll be doing for you and how much they'll be charging you for it.

That's all I can think of for now, but please feel free to e-mail me with questions. I have quite a few resources at my disposal, and I am more than happy to put them to use for you. Good luck!

Lynn

Plantar Fasciitis: Yucky. Alphabet foot & a decent pair of expensive, ugly-in-that-European-way, practical everyday shoes(I like Mephisto) - both work wonders. For immediate pain, try frozen bagged peas. Plop a bag on the floor and set your foot on it. You can wrap it in a towel if you prefer. It cradles your heel & arch perfectly, and helps the achy, hot pain.

Lisa

I completely hate peas, but I'm thinking the idea of using them as a little moldable ice pack is totally the way to go. Thank you!

Tracy

Plantar fasciitis. Where is/are the tears - heel or ball? I agree with Amy D about wearing shoes all the time. I strongly suggest that you wear shoes in the shower too, and keep off of hard surfaces even if you have good shoes. If you do your dishes in the sink, use a stool (I know, you’ll have to break it apart first - very funny) or better yet, get someone else to do them. Do you use an insert - one that replaces what the shoe comes with? You may want to experiment with one’s designed for athletic use. The extra cushioning can help. Stay away from orthotics - not that they are a bad thing, it’s just that they will treat the symptom and not the cause (long story).

Finally, I’ve had a couple of flare ups in the past year and have had good success with massaging the area. I also used a combination of essential oils that promote circulation (as it is the body that heals itself); however, I have not experimented with not using oils or not massaging, so I cannot quantify the effect of the oils. I certainly wouldn’t discount the positive mental strokes from the act of “doing something” to help the situation.

And now to completely mess with your mind (sorry), have you had you gait analysed? Also, you may want to check out a different form called chi running. The osteopath that helps keep my body functioning (long story) has approved of the approach - I am in the process of learning to run.

As for cats who pee out of spite, I have not had the pleasure. Cats are funny - any kind of change could take them to the tipping point. I bought a house last year because I ended up with several rescues - yes, I bought the house - correction, the bank bought the house for my cats (I think I forgot to mention that to them though). I can live in a shoe box, the cats cannot. I would make suggestions on mortgages, but I live in southern Ontario.

Good luck with the house. One caution - the damn things actually require attention from time to time. I much prefer the shoebox.

PS This post was brought to you by All About Alliteration

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