Category Archives: house hunting

Going Against the Current in OC

We are house hunting for the third summer in a row, and while I LOVE seeing the insides of homes, it is a little wearying. We have been happy in our 3B+den/3B, but our lease is up July 1 and … Continue reading

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Declining, Distressed, Severe

Who ever said that bankers weren’t creative? According to the finance officer I spoke with today, “declining,” “distressed,” and “severe” are all part of banking terminology used to describe the housing market. Wells Fargo deems the current state of affairs … Continue reading

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Back to Real Estate

We got pretty close to buying a half-million dollar condo in south Orange County. But in the end, Chad, Ian and I pulled our bids on the two condos in Mission Viejo: one was $550,00 and the other was $600,000 … Continue reading

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The First Step to Becoming a Slumlord

I have taken some concrete steps towards renting my house. First, today I asked somebody to please email me the phone number of the Housing Office on the marine base. Supposedly marines make good tenants: they get a living allowance … Continue reading

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House Shopping From Abroad

The house hunting continues from abroad through the miracle of the internet and the combined resources of three adults. In this previous post, I talk about putting a lowball bid (our first bid ever) on a condo in the La … Continue reading

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A Busy Day

 We’re back in OC and house hunting one last day before I take off to Thailand. We looked at condos (3 bed/3 bath) closer to $500,000. Two neighborhoods seem to keep coming up: one is La Mancha in Mission Viejo, … Continue reading

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Why Your Home Isn’t the Investment You Think It Is

Here’s an excellent article Songbae sent me; it’s probably illegal to post it in full, but maybe you’ll read it fast before anybody shuts my site down. Why Your Home Isn’t the Investment You Think It Is — Too many … Continue reading

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Orange County Schools

One of the main factors in finding a good home is the school district in which it is located. Luckily, it seems that all the high schools in this particular area of south Orange County are miles better than the … Continue reading

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House Shopping In Orange County

Boy, I am really feeling like an adult these days: first I turn in my master’s thesis; then I buy a new car (well, help Chad buy a new car); and also get driven around, and wined and dined by … Continue reading

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