The Over / Under

I made up my mind to contact the bank and see if they could raise my pre-approval amount. I thought there might be some wiggle room because she asked me to name a number when I first got the pre-approval and then she commented something like, "oh, so you're not seeking something way out of range".

So I emailed her and asked about it, wondering what was the highest they'd be willing to go, to see if the condo I was interested in was anywhere within range. At the same time I emailed my parents' realtor again to see if she would respond this time.

The next evening (I can't check email at work) I got emails from both of them. The lady at the bank said they could raise the amount by a "little" but didn't specify a number. She did ask how much the place I was interested in was listed at. The realtor said she'd be happy to work with me then sent another email asking which place I was interested in.

I responded to the bank that if they could only raise the rate a little then I would assume the place was out of my price range, but I did tell her the price of the one I was looking at. I decided I'd wait to respond to the realtor to see if the bank came up with a more exact number.

The next evening I, again, had an email from the bank. She said they could get my pre-approval amount within about $5,000 of the place I was looking at. She did say it would make a difference if the place was a condo or manufactured home as opposed to a regular home. I didn't dare to hope, but I fired off an email to the realtor telling her which property I was interested in and what times I was free to meet with her. Then I emailed the bank and explained that it was a condo and asked about the differences that would make.

The next day I received emails from both of them again. The bank said it would depend on the property tax and asked for the address of the place. The realtor said "Oh, that's such a great place. They just put in new floors and fresh paint and it was on the market for so long, but it's under contract now. Go figure!!!!" Then she said she had no weekend times free to meet but could meet with me before I go to work Monday morning.

I sent an email to the lady at the bank thanking her for her work in helping me, but that the place was under contract now. I haven't yet emailed the realtor because I'm undecided on what to do. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to have someone looking out for different properties coming on the market. I guess I just don't have much faith that another property will show up that excites me and also happens to be in my price range.

Seven

Happy New Year!

My task of getting new health insurance has been completed, as far as I know. The real question is how long will I have it for? How long until they take it away?

The housing situation is a mess. I was finally able to get some more details on the condo I love. There is a condo fee associated with the property which makes it that much further out of my reach. I'm not sure, now, if I should put in the effort to contact the bank about upping my pre-approval amount or if I should just give up on the property. :(

I really need to revisit my goal list because the only one that stands out right now is that I need to exercise more. I listed this as my goal in a previous month but I never got a good routine going. I figure, since it's such a popular New Year's resolution, maybe it'll be on my mind more this month and I can really make an effort to stick with it.