"100% of people who do not save money do not have any!"--Dave Ramsey

[Xist]

I have a notification for new houses. Some have sold for $50,000 in the last year.

The owner of another agency said that nobody is waiting for speech services in Show Low, but she did not ask about neighboring towns, although she is going to talk to the lead support coordinator and see if he has anything.

The guy from Church asked for a copy of my résumé and my e-mail address, but he didn't send me a letter of recommendation yet.

Hopefully soon!

[Xist]

USDA home requirements:

The home must be in a qualifying rural area.
The house has to be structurally sound, with a foundation and roof in good enough repair that you can live in the house right away.
There has to be access to the home from a paved or all-weather road surface.
The heating and cooling systems have to be working (again, it has to be in livable condition).
The electrical system and wiring have to be in good repair, with no exposed or frayed wiring. It has to be robust enough to support the appliances and functions typical to a house the size of your house.
The plumbing system has to be functional and have a waste removal system that works.
The well and septic systems must be at least 100 feet away from the house.
There can’t be any evidence of termite or wood-boring insect damage.
The land can’t be worth more than 30 percent of the value of the home.
There can’t be any buildings whose primary purpose is to produce income. For example, barns, silos, commercial greenhouses, and livestock facilities designed for commercial enterprises aren’t allowed if they’re still being used to generate income.
The house has to be legal according to local zoning ordinances, or else have already been granted a legal exemption by the local zoning authority.
There can’t be a pool (or, if there is a pool, the appraiser won’t be able to assign it value).
It has to meet all state and local guidelines, including building codes.

So, the roof, foundation, HVAC, plumbing, and wiring need to be adequate for immediate habitation, the house must be structurally sound, and there cannot be evidence of termites or similar.
https://www.usdaloans.com/articles/usda-loan-appraisal/

[oil pan 4]

Why not a VA loan?

[JSH]

Originally Posted by Xist

USDA home requirements:
So, the roof, foundation, HVAC, plumbing, and wiring need to be adequate for immediate habitation, the house must be structurally sound, and there cannot be evidence of termites or similar.
https://www.usdaloans.com/articles/usda-loan-appraisal/

Most importantly USDA loans are only for homes in a qualifying rural area.

When we bought our first house the FHA wouldn't write loans for a house if it had a steel roof. That eliminated quite a few houses in East Tennessee.

[redpoint5]

Yeah, VA loans are the best. Still doesn't eliminate the need to shop around.

[Xist]

One page indicated that a VA loan has all of the same requirements as a USDA one, plus it must be free of leaded or peeling paint, the basement and crawlspace must be dry, the crawlspace must be properly ventilated, and it must be free of mold, fungus, and dry rot.

This page suggests that it needs to be in pristine condition: https://www.veteransunited.com/reale...with-va-loans/

There are VA Rehab Loans, but they require repairs to be conducted by a contractor registered with the VA and supervised by the lender: https://themilitarywallet.com/va-hom...vs-rehab-loan/

I cannot find it right away, but one page showed the USDA loans having lower fees than the VA.

[Piotrsko]

Not pristine but move in ready with no repaint or repairs scheduled/ required for (I believe) 90 days. There are things you can have waived if they are minor. Go find a realtor, get a lender and get prequalified, otherwise you're just blowing hot air.

There are all sorts of assistance programs around, some good for the down payment.

This market is probably probably going to bust again and make cheap housing, which maybe pointless if people ae getting "redundant"

[Xist]

Did I mention that the 520-square-foot house is asking $153 per square foot, while it is probably worth half as much, or less?

So yes, if I seriously want a house, I should apply for a mortgage. If I can get a good deal with zero down then all the better, I would probably spend more than enough fixing it up.

Fourteen houses in my price range sold in the last 12 months, on average 1 every 26 days. However, with the current global situation, I feel like people are waiting. Hopefully they are not distressed yet. The chickens are getting restless and the governor is opening the state up again.

Oh, everything is better now?

Someone please explain this to me:

I expect things to get worse.

Yesterday I asked the guy from Church if he received my e-mail and he replied that he would take care of it ASAP--I think.

For a teacher, he sure writes poorly. I think that I will write my own letter and send it to him.

[oil pan 4]

It's not the apocalypse we were promised even with the shutdown and lockdown.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Xist

For a teacher, he sure writes poorly. I think that I will write my own letter and send it to him.

The vice president of the previous company I worked for would respond to my very well formed emails; k thx. Anyone typing with a keyboard has no excuse for k thx. Anyone with a flip phone has no excuse for k thx.

Originally Posted by Ecky

Yeah?

I blame covid.