i may be old, but deep inside, i’m still a little girl
we got the key to our newly “borrowed” house this afternoon. as of now, and for the next 30 years, Bank of America owns it. when all those 360 monthly payments are in, in 2037, we can fully call it ours.
who knows what tomorrow brings? somebody said “i do not know what the future holds, but i know WHO holds the future”. i completely agree. i might not live that long to see the the house when it is fully paid, or i might. we’ll never know, but that fact didn’t stop me from being emotional about the whole thing. when we stepped inside and inhaled that newly painted scent, i had to fight back tears.
i know some of you may find it annoying that i make such a big deal out of this news. i do not blame you. after all, borrowing a brand new house is not something out of the ordinary for most americans.
if i tell you however how when i was little, we used to live in a house with no floor, with walls made of large recycled cans, and with roof that rains inside when it’s raining outside…you’ll have an idea why i am making such a big deal out of it. this is a blessing that i didn’t even imagine i deserve, and i am very grateful.
this blessing is also emphasized by the fact that my husband and i started this dream together even before we got married. some of you may not find any sense of romance in that, but i personally find it very romantic that OUR simple dream is now a tangible reality. it makes me feel warm and fuzzy all over. so please, pardon my melodramatic mood.
don’t worry, i will eventually stop talking about our new place. before i finally do that, let me just say this, with the hope that it will be helpful to future home buyers:
Countrywide Home Loans, you really think we will not notice the extra $11,000.00 origination fee? as if delaying our move in for almost three weeks by messing up our rates and terms were not enough, you told us we will NEVER get a better deal! we are very disappointed. you’ve proven every bad rumor as truth, and then some.
Bank of America, 5.8% for a 30 years fixed term? as if very efficient loan officer and assistants were not enough, you also closed our loan in one day! we are very impressed. now i see why you have what it takes to be called THE bank of America.
anyway, i still have four nights scheduled within the next ten days, then i’ll be off for two weeks. we don’t have a lot of stuff, so packing and moving will hopefully be a breeze.
or not.
thanks for your thoughts on my last post. you have given me ideas and courage. i told myself i will not make any excuses anymore. if something like that happens again, i will be ready. if i mess it up again, i’ll make sure you will not hear any of it here.
_________________
on a totally unrelated topic, but for a good cause, september 21st is World Alzheimer’s Day. if you are interested to help in finding a cure for this depressing disease, please go to this site. you can also go directly to their consumer site, to help raise a million. thank you.


I have always admired your honesty, and sometimes I think you are too hard on yourself, but It kills me to think of you being abused(I know ,coming from me, your going yeah, right), and after getting to know you(as much as one can get to know someone from a blog) I wanted to pound that guy for making you feel bad about yourself. You, as I’ve said before, have a huge heart. You have a conscience. I served with men from the Philippines when I was a young sailor, and I remember their stories of how little they had, and my Aunt Emmy, who was just here from Calif. told us how the Japanese burned all her family pictures (and belongings) when they invaded Manila during the war. I think the fact that this house is a big deal to you just, gives me all the more reason to admire you. Congratulations
Comment by Bobby — September 14, 2007 @ 10:35 pm
Congrats on the new house! I happen to think buying a new home is VERY exciting! To me it’s literally starting a new chapter in your life, as this is the place you lay your head every night, and wake up to every morning.
My final days before the money changed hands before owning my house was pretty chaotic and stressful too. My home loan specialist was a SNAKE, and she has cost me literally thousands extra in interest. But, in the end, I did get my beautiful home, and right now, for me, that’s all that matters
Enjoy your new place
May it bring you many new happy memories.
Comment by Jen — September 14, 2007 @ 10:57 pm
Greetings from across the pond.
Heh, what Jen said above.
Oh May, never, never say sorry for talking about you new home. It was one of the most exciting times of my life when hubby and I bought our first home in California.
I want to hear about it, see how you are settling in, how much you love it.
You Go Girl!
Comment by Vanda — September 15, 2007 @ 2:12 am
It is very exciting to buy your first home (don’t even think about it that the bank really owns it for a while, this is yours!). It is exciting even for people that have never lived in a house made of cans. I imagine that coming from that background it is even more special! Congratulations! I hope you will have many happy moments in your HOME!
Comment by Annemiek — September 15, 2007 @ 6:18 am
thanks for all your thoughts, it feels good to know that others share my excitement
sorry for the missed info, but to clarify: this is not the very first home we “bought”, this is the second one. we had the first one two years after we got married. it was pre-owned for 6 years, and we sold it last march, after three years of living in it. it was exciting, but this is twice the excitement because it is brand new, and we watched it being built, from the time it was only a block of empty land. we chose the tiles, carpets, cabinets, and other things.
Comment by may — September 15, 2007 @ 6:46 am
Oh May, how lovely you watched it grow from a blank dirt space to your beautiful home. How exciting to pick out the tiles, the carpet and all that other fun stuff.
Did you look at the base and think that’s not big enough for my house? Giggle I know I did and my step mother was shocked after seeing that how big my house really was:-)
This is not borrowed it’s your house, think of it that way and it will turn into a home. You and your familes beautiful happy home.
Comment by Vanda — September 15, 2007 @ 11:32 am
May - I totally understand your excitement. We also built our house 6 years ago… there is something about it being brand new, picking out all the carpet and tile, and being built just for you that is a very wonderful feeling. And, like you, ours is owned by Bank of America. I’ve no complaints about the whole mortgage process with them.
Comment by Lisa — September 15, 2007 @ 7:26 pm
May,
Congratulations on your new home. Three years ago, I was able to finally buy a house for my daughter and me. It is such a wonderful feeling to know that it’s yours. Enjoy
Az
Comment by AzRN — September 15, 2007 @ 8:38 pm
Congrats on your new home. I wish you many many good years in it.
Comment by shrimplate — September 16, 2007 @ 1:50 pm
Congratulations! That is a fantastic accomplishment to buy a home. Many happy years to you in your new surroundings.
Zipperhead
http://chiarian.blogspot.com
Comment by Zipperhead — September 16, 2007 @ 2:22 pm
Congratulations on your new home, May. No one deserves it more than you.
Comment by Sid Leavitt — September 16, 2007 @ 2:54 pm
Congrats on the new home. I remember going through that painful process. But, looking back, I learned (the hard way) - so many lessons about the “house buying” transaction - and about myself. Would I do it again? Hmmm… Let me mull that over for a while…
Comment by Doctor Anonymous — September 16, 2007 @ 6:52 pm
ei! congratulations on getting another part of the American Dream!
Comment by Rygel — September 17, 2007 @ 7:27 am
Congratulations on the new house. There is nothing wrong with being excited about it. I hope the excitement never wears off for you.
Comment by PD Warrior — September 17, 2007 @ 8:07 pm
we are on our second home but this is it! We got my dream! You never stop being excited about your new purchase! Congratulations!
Comment by Lisa, RN — September 18, 2007 @ 6:36 pm