In article , "Kim W5TIT"
writes:

I am
shopping for a new home and my husband and I have decided what we are
comfortable spending, what we need and desire in a new place, what kind of
interest rate we'll accept, and what payment we want.

Weren't you folks having a place built, Kim? Or are we talking about the same
thing?

Know what? One
mortgage company so far has told us, "you have a lot of room to move,"
meaning that we can get into something much bigger and more expensive than
we are looking for. They seem shocked that we aren't interested in
"maxxing" out our limit!!

Sure. I've encountered that, too, in all sorts of transactions, Their focus is
very narrow. And their fees and commissions are based on the selling price.

And note that reselling mortgages is pretty standard, so the people who sold
you the house and mortgage won't be holding the bag if you do default.

And, you're right about bankruptcy, too. When I said to a lender that we
weren't comfortable with the expense they were suggesting, they said we
could afford it and didn't know what the problem was.

Of course not. It's not their money or their house!

I told them I think
about things like potentially losing my job or my husband losing his. The
come back was that we always have bankruptcy available!!!

Now *that's* a new one! ;-)

Point is that the lenders &tc won't protect us from ourselves. *We* have to do
that.

73 de Jim, N2EY

In article . net, "Dwight
Stewart" writes:

"N2EY" wrote:

I think it's something else, Dwight. I think a big part
of happiness is based on our expectations vs. our
reality. And a lot of us Americans allow ourselves
to develop tremendously high expectations, and
then aren't so happy when they aren't met.

The person who expected to be living in a 4000 sf
house by a certain age may be quite disappointed
that (snip)

In my case, I've never stayed in one place long enough to have those type
of expectations.

Then the house example wasn't a good one for what you are talking about.

Then consider the fan example. Your expectation is that finding a fan which
will not wear out in X hours of use should not require a wide search. You
expect to be able to find one locally without a lot of hassle. But you can't,
and that's a disappointment.

Same principle, different specifics.

I've traveled most of my life (both as a kid and later as
an adult). I'm just in a mood right now to settle down somewhere. The
problem is that I haven't figured out where to settle down at. I haven't
lived in one place long enough to really call it home. My family is spread
out across the country (the same with my wife's family). Because of all
that, we never get to the point of thinking about a house - we're too busy
looking around the country for an area. And that is perhaps where our
expectations are simply too high.

Could be - what is it that you expect?

73 de Jim, N2EY


Sometimes it's a good thing that 'the one that got
away', did.


Been there and done that. We went across the country a few years ago
looking up old friends and the places we once lived. We were shocked at the
many changes (in the people and the places). After that, we decided not to
do so again with the remaining people and places - it's simply best to
remember them in our minds the way they were.

"N2EY" wrote in message
...
In article , "Kim W5TIT"

writes:

I am
shopping for a new home and my husband and I have decided what we are
comfortable spending, what we need and desire in a new place, what kind
of
interest rate we'll accept, and what payment we want.

Weren't you folks having a place built, Kim? Or are we talking about the
same
thing?


No, no! We're not having a place built...we are ordering a manufactured
home (trailer, whatever-you-want-to-call-it). We are all set with land, and
explored building. But, for some reason, neither of us is particularly
interested in dealing with having one built (there's not one good experience
we've ever had relayed about dealing with builders...LOL).


Know what? One
mortgage company so far has told us, "you have a lot of room to move,"
meaning that we can get into something much bigger and more expensive
than
we are looking for. They seem shocked that we aren't interested in
"maxxing" out our limit!!

Sure. I've encountered that, too, in all sorts of transactions, Their
focus is
very narrow. And their fees and commissions are based on the selling
price.

And note that reselling mortgages is pretty standard, so the people who
sold
you the house and mortgage won't be holding the bag if you do default.


Yep, we've already been told as soon as the "deal is done," the mortgage
will be sold.


And, you're right about bankruptcy, too. When I said to a lender that we
weren't comfortable with the expense they were suggesting, they said we
could afford it and didn't know what the problem was.

Of course not. It's not their money or their house!


Or the accomplishment of having excellent credit!


I told them I think
about things like potentially losing my job or my husband losing his.
The
come back was that we always have bankruptcy available!!!

Now *that's* a new one! ;-)

Point is that the lenders &tc won't protect us from ourselves. *We* have
to do
that.

73 de Jim, N2EY

Precisely what we're doing...

Kim W5TIT

"N2EY" wrote in message
...
In article . net, "Dwight
Stewart" writes:

"Dee D. Flint" wrote:

This would be the ruination of the economy. The
government is not, never has been, and never will
be competent to manage the economy.


The government has managed the economy in some form or another since
the
very beginning. And, in spite of what you say, this country with that
government has done pretty darn well over those many years.

Agreed!

But has the country's economy done well because of the government's
influence,
or in spite of that influence?

73 de Jim, N2EY


I'm not so sure this country's done all that "well." I think it's quite
obvious we are all paying for that right now...

But, Dwight has other ideas...

Kim W5TIT

"JJ" wrote in message
...
Dwight Stewart wrote:

"Kim W5TIT" wrote:

Maybe, Dwight, you can put what you said
a different way, so that it doesn't sound like
you are thinking consumers are too busy
and stupid. Could ya do that for me?



No. I've clarified what I said at least five or six times. I have no
intention of doing so again.


Might as well give it up Dwight, I find it futile to discuss class or
good taste with someone who choses a call sign like Kim's.


Yeah, there's few who can handle a woman with good sense...

Kim W5TIT

Kim W5TIT wrote:
"Brian" wrote in message
...

Mike Coslo wrote in message

t...

Brian wrote:

Perhaps we accept more debt today (as a ratio to income) than ever

before.

Perhaps "we" will get what we deserve for running our finances so close
to the edge. 8^)

- Mike KB3EIA -

Some do.

And that's why this country fears lay-offs so much. There is so very
little slop in one's income to expenses that even a couple of months
out of work spells ruination.

No rainy-day accounts either.

But bankruptcy is easy to get, so everyone else ends up paying for
their houses, SUVs, and big-screen TVs.



I couldn't agree more on that, Brian! For sure, as they would say. I am
shopping for a new home and my husband and I have decided what we are
comfortable spending, what we need and desire in a new place, what kind of
interest rate we'll accept, and what payment we want. Know what? One
mortgage company so far has told us, "you have a lot of room to move,"
meaning that we can get into something much bigger and more expensive than
we are looking for. They seem shocked that we aren't interested in
"maxxing" out our limit!!

And, you're right about bankruptcy, too. When I said to a lender that we
weren't comfortable with the expense they were suggesting, they said we
could afford it and didn't know what the problem was. I told them I think
about things like potentially losing my job or my husband losing his. The
come back was that we always have bankruptcy available!!!

Good grief...

They do soooo love their commission, and the more you spend, the more
they make. A person is better served by thinking of the real estate
agent as their enemy, rather than friend. We went through several
agents, one I left after telling them if they showed us one more house
that cost more than what we were looking for I was walking. Yup, the
next house was more! There should be an i.q. portion of that test they take!

- Mike KB3EIA -

On Sat, 15 Nov 2003 02:12:06 GMT, Dee D. Flint wrote:

So you're saying we should go to "Ma's Diner" for the sole purpose of
keeping them in business?? I don't think so.

There are/were several "Ma's Diner" level establishments that we
patronize(d) for just that reason. Some of them didn't survive, but
that wasn't because we didn't go there.

OTOH, there are several "successful" enterprises that we just
wouldn't patronize - Wal-Mart leads that list.

--
73 de K2ASP - Phil Kane

From a Clearing in the Silicon Forest
Beaverton (Washington County) Oregon

"Dwight Stewart" wrote in message
ink.net...
"Dee D. Flint" wrote:

This would be the ruination of the economy. The
government is not, never has been, and never will
be competent to manage the economy.


The government has managed the economy in some form or another since the
very beginning. And, in spite of what you say, this country with that
government has done pretty darn well over those many years.

No it's more a case of the economy has done well despite the government.

Dee D. Flint, N8UZE

"Phil Kane" wrote in message
.net...
On Sat, 15 Nov 2003 02:12:06 GMT, Dee D. Flint wrote:

So you're saying we should go to "Ma's Diner" for the sole purpose of
keeping them in business?? I don't think so.

There are/were several "Ma's Diner" level establishments that we
patronize(d) for just that reason. Some of them didn't survive, but
that wasn't because we didn't go there.

OTOH, there are several "successful" enterprises that we just
wouldn't patronize - Wal-Mart leads that list.

I would go if they had a product I wanted but see no reason to do so if they
are not selling the products that I want.

Dee D. Flint, N8UZE

In article , "Kim"
writes:

"N2EY" wrote in message
...
In article . net, "Dwight
Stewart" writes:

"Dee D. Flint" wrote:

This would be the ruination of the economy. The
government is not, never has been, and never will
be competent to manage the economy.


The government has managed the economy in some form or another since
the
very beginning. And, in spite of what you say, this country with that
government has done pretty darn well over those many years.

Agreed!

But has the country's economy done well because of the government's
influence, or in spite of that influence?

73 de Jim, N2EY


I'm not so sure this country's done all that "well."

All depends what you compare us to, Kim.

I think it's quite
obvious we are all paying for that right now...

I'm not sure what you mean. Please elaborate.

But, Dwight has other ideas...

I think Dwight just thinks we can do better than we're doing these days, that's
all.

73 de Jim, N2EY