Freakonomics

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Few will have understood my frustration of getting a house. 
I have been wanting to blog up about the house pricing, house ruling and loans.
How horridly ridiculous they are.

I am lucky that the fiance who works only for less than a year ie after graduation and settling down in a job, he is earning as much as me. That really help in our finances and buying a house, insya allah.
That is how we can plan a quick wedding, earlier than expected.

With the wedding in coming slowly together into place, the urgency of having a house is more intense.
To be honest, my face has so many pimples. 
First time that it is like this in 28 years.

I was so stressed up, exasperated, always in the brink of tears and frustration.
Finding a home is really hard.
Me and the fiance have been actively searching for house and probably we have stepped in to about almost 40 houses. 

Cash over Valuation (COV) is such a pain.
When I hear the value quoted to me, I cannot help but to judge what an asshole that owner can be, sometimes, even before I step into their house.
Optimizing and capitalising opportunity is one thing.
Sucking blood and thinking that we are going to drop money from the sky for them is another thing altogether.
We always appeal to them that we are first-timer applicants and we just need a roof over our head.
The refuse to barge.

How can I not feel frustrated?
Already an asshole, then an airhead.

I always leave the handbag inside the car.
Always.

There are also times that I needed to view the house without the fiance.
Got told off for taking photographs by the owner's kid who studies in Aussie when it was actually ok.
(Honey, did you know that it might just be splashed over the housing agent's site or iProperty or bla bla bla)

There are so many scenarios to share.

Then me and the fiance decided to go for the executive condominium.
In fact, we viewed that unit twice.
Bank loan cleared us more than enough to pay for the house, but the financial ruling is that bank loans is no more 90%. All loans are 80%.
Worse, EC does not allow you to take in grants.

So there came a night I told myself I was going to look for a house on the internet one more time. 
I was way beyond the brink of exasperation.
All HDB COV was not going anywhere even near $35k.
Then I found out about the DBSS units. (Design, Build and Sell Scheme)

I called up agents.
In fact, since balloting was over, remaining units were on ground floor and one on second floor.
We could not be choosy.


Some DBSS do not have anymore showrooms. So we do head to their construction site.

The lengths we go through.

Then I received an sms that night, a return unit on the 26th floor at one of the DBSS.
North Area.
Only for minority.
But me, the fiance and the family were stuck with an event that night.
We scheduled for a 5.30pm viewing the following day, keeping our prayers that the house is ours.

I left work on time and met the fiance at his site where he was helping fixing up the signage at RWS.
He was late.
By the time we left RWS, it was 5.30pm. We were speeding all the way. 
I was praying. Mom was also praying.

My cousin who is my agent called.
He said actually someone threw in the cheque at 1pm but technical problem. 
Keen Eurasian buyer. 4 flats, 30 storeys, all sold EXCEPT 1 unit.
I needed to compose myself so as not to feel kancheong.
We arrived at 6.05pm.

My cousin said,"You have 25 mins to decide on the house."

Cut the story short, the other agent to administer application came by at 6.50pm.
It got more intense.
To buy or not to buy.
Me and daddy were having different school of thoughts.
The fiance took a back seat.
Mom came out from the showroom and asked what was wrong.
The second we got the consensus not to purchase the unit, Nasir pop his head out.
"Eh by the time you get BTO, your salary cannot be more than 8k else whole application rejected."

That was the stroke of genius.
That was the reason the decision was made.
Mom said ok buy. Dad immediately agreed.
I could not help but to cry in happiness. 
Seeing the fiance teared touched me. 

The agent made a call to void the previous application.
The rest is history.

Our really humbled-space 5 room DBSS unit as per the showroom


We did manage to let out a little laugh when we saw two 12-year-olds signing the application letter.


Thank you to my Twitter ladies who congratulated me.
p.s: reply to @tipsyxtranger - tangan ok. Signature tak shaky time signing. *lol*

Insya Allah, the home will be ours come June 2011.
Amin.
A huge relief.
Too huge a relief, trust me.

On  a side note, last night I dreamt I bought a house. 
Another house.

Ok that part - kemaruk 
*lol*
Insya Allah He will guide us to rezeki for us to build a family.
 
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