Foundation Sensation

Friday brought the completion of the outer foundation walls. The sewer-line has been extended upward, and a load of rough-crushed gravel has been dumped behind the dig. The houses on both sides are completely framed. One even has the roofing laid. In just a few more weeks our house will start looking like a house.

Click on any picture to see a larger version, and use your browser’s “back” button to return to the gallery.

—Michael

Footer-Fetish

I stopped by the lot on Monday evening and was delighted to see fresh progress. The concrete footers had been poured, and were curing under the evening sun. Not that exciting, really, but I’m a geek, and wanted to chronicle each step of the construction. Or maybe I just have a footer-fetish.

Anyway, here are the new photos. Click on any picture to see a larger version, and use your browser’s “back” button to return to the gallery.

—Michael

There’s a Hole in the Ground Where Our House Will Be

Shannon and I met over at the lot on Friday evening after work. We stomped around, sinking ankle deep into the mud, but did not care. They had finally started construction on the house. After taking some pictures we retired to the bar at the Hickory House in Reynoldsburg for some celebratory cocktails and two beautifully-charred steaks. Here are the photos. Not very exciting. Lots of dirt. But every new project has to start somwhere, right? We will be visiting every week in order to document the progress. Check back often for new photos.

 Click on any picture to see a larger version, and use your browser’s “back” button to return to the gallery.

 

—Michael

 

Small Miracles

I am writing today to confirm that small miracles can indeed happen. Case in point: merely two days after I sent my public records dispute to TransUnion, they have deleted the record from my credit report. Hooray! I was mortified that the investigation might take up to 30 days. Thank goodness it has been resolved so swiftly.

I have already spoken to my mortgage rep. He says there should be no problems getting our file updated to remove this negative entry. Hopefully, this will be the end to our mortgage stress.

But I’m not holding my breath.

 

—Michael

New York? I Never Lived in New York!

Yesterday, a thick packet of documents arrived in the mail from the mortgage company. Its peaceful, white envelope belied the torment hiding within. Sure, there was good news. We had been conditionally approved for our mortgage. Conditionally. And that’s where the torment began.

Most of the required conditions were reasonable and expected: more FHA paperwork to sign, the need to explain a five-hundred-dollar wire transfer into our checking account the week after we applied, having to prove our earnest money payment to the builder. What was not reasonable or expected, was a demand for me to satisy a tax lien from the state of New York filed back in 1989. For the record, I have never resided nor worked in the state of New York. I quickly visited the Website that allows you to print a free annual credit report.  More torment.

Yes, Virgina, you CAN get a free credit report from all three credit reporting agencies, but only after wading through dozens of carnival side-show solicitations for various products guaranteed to improve your credit rating. “Step right up,” they beckon. “God knows what will happen to your credit rating if you don’t protect yourself with our  credit monitoring service! Try it now, for the low, low price of only $14.95 per month!”

After clicking the “No thank you” button enough times to give me carpal tunnel, I was finally able to view and print out my reports. Of the three bureaus, only TransUnion was reporting the public record concerning the New York tax lien. I immediately set about researching what little information was presented. An address on Walt Whitman Blvd turns out to be an office building in Suffolk County, Long Island.  The docket number yields nothing when I search the New York Unified Court System Website. The search form specifies a completely different format than what is presented in the public record. Everywhere I look, a dead end. In desperation, I dash off an email to the informational contact listed on the court’s Website. Could somebody, anybody, help me prove this was not my lien?

Before I went to bed last night, I registered a dispute with TransUnion. The small print on the submittal form told me that invetsigations might take as long as 30 days. As Liz lemon might say, “Blurgh!” I also sent off an email informing our mortgage processor of my dilemna, and asking for advice. Hopefully, something will break soon.

 

—Michael

Excavation Scheduled for July 17th. Can You Dig It?

Corny title, I know, but the excavation for our house has finally been scheduled.  Of course, by the time they break ground a full seven weeks will have passed, but who’s counting? They actually sent us the news on Friday, but we were down at King’s Island for the weekend and didn’t find out until this morning. I will definitely be driving past the lot on Friday evening to snap some photos.

 

—Michael