Brief Blog Break

Sorry for the lack of blogging lately. I'm in the process of buying my first house, which means most of my time lately has been spent either dealing with that, or sitting around worrying that I'm making some terrible mistake. Making matters worse, the math department here at JMU is about to move in to a new building, which means I'm going to be without a computer for a while during the transition.

So as satisfying as it would be to gloat about Mel Gibson's recent travails, or to thank the sane people in Kansas for producing an impressive election victory, I think I will have to take some time off for a while. As always, thanks to everyone who has stopped by lately.

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Jason,

Good luck with the house thingie. Having done it twice I have some idea of what you are going through. It'll all be worth it in the end!

By John Lynch (not verified) on 03 Aug 2006 #permalink

Yes, you sound pretty well preoccupied. Best of luck on the moves, and especially on the new house. Take care!

~David D.G.

By David D.G. (not verified) on 04 Aug 2006 #permalink

Buying my first house made me feel old.

Well, maybe just more like an adult. Is there a difference being feeling like an adult and feeling old?

(good luck, by the way)

Congrats! I will admit that I'm fairly jealous... I'm moving into a dorm room this autumn, only one roomate thankfully and a closet for each of us. The main reason I'm envious is because you are entitled to a fantastic shopping trip at Ikea.

Think about it this way Jason: when you pay rent, you're paying SOMEONE ELSE's mortgage, plus a premium to cover repair expenses, plus a bit of profit. And you don't benefit from the equity build-up.

Your house is yours and although it comes with responsibility, it also comes with (monetary) benefits.

Tip 1: (as O'Brien said) get a professional inspection.

Tip 2: Most banks take out the first payment at the end of the first month. "Woo-hoo!" you say, "Bonus!" Not! make a payment on the first of the month and save yourself about 7x (!!) that amount on reduced interest costs over the term.

Tip 3: Put anything you can spare into supplementary payments. They go straight onto the principal. $100 here and there will add up to BIG savings.

Been there. Still doing it.

Math's moving? across the interstate to CISAT?

makes me wonder what's going to be left behind. is Burruss just going to be Biology now?

By Joe Shelby (not verified) on 08 Aug 2006 #permalink

Nice to see you blogging on this issue! I'm currently reading "Of People and Pandas" and hoping to post my thoughts on the subject in the near future.

-Blast from the Past

"Nice to see you blogging on this issue! I'm currently reading "Of People and Pandas" and hoping to post my thoughts on the subject in the near future."

I thought one read that book in an hour or less....

although I've never read it myself.