Hi shotzy....so you are on pills? How much? I guess I shouldn't even be coaching you, since I was on a combi-patch, not a pill. But if I were going to do a pill, I would think that whatever causes the least fluctuations would be best. I would think that would be something like slowly cutting the pill smaller and smaller every day. That's what I did with my patch. It seems that if you take the same amount of pill every couple of days, there is more likely to be ups and downs. I took about 6 weeks to come off it completely. But don't be surprised if its a rough ride. But please stick to it. Just know ahead of time that it might not be fun. I think it takes 2 months more after that, to really know what you're going to feel like off it. Good luck to you!

There are still a few assumable mortgages floating around out there. It sounds like you've found one. It's easier to explain by example, I think...so here goes: Asking Price of House: $200,000 Assumable 1st Mortgage: $150,000 Payable to Seller: $ 50,000 The advantage of the old assumable loan was that most were written so that whoever "assumed" the loan didn't have to qualify. They just starting making the payments. The advantage there is obvious...it's a way for people who have cash but can't qualify for a mortgage to purchase a home. That said, there are also "assumable" mortgages that DO REQUIRE QUALIFYING. But, there may still be an advantage. If, for example, the original mortgage was placed mid-summer of '03...then the rate may be around 4.75% which is quite a bit lower than you could get today. A purchaser wanting to assume a mortgage has to pay the seller the difference between the selling price & the amount remaining on the note that is secured by the mortgage. In times of severely declining real estate markets...the seller may have NO EQUITY. Again, as example...the property may only be worth the outstanding loan amount. In this case, a buyer would apply with the lender to assume the mortgage (if there is a "qualifying" clause) and then just begin making the payments. The lender would issue new coupon books (or, most likely arrange for the mortgage payment to be automaticallly withdrawn from your checking account each month). So, if there's equity in the property you need a down payment (that would be the cash going to the seller). If there's no equity in the property...then there's no down payment. And, it could mean that the value of the property is BELOW THE AMOUNT STILL OUTSTANDING ON THE NOTE in answer to your question. You would need to be quite certain of the market value of the property before entering into a Purchase & Sales Agreement. However, some people who can't qualify for a loan might agree to pay a higher amount for the property because otherwise they can't buy at all. Although, I don't believe there are many "no qualifying" mortgages left out there. I might be wrong on that...but I don't think so. It's been years since any were written without the qualifying clause. Hope that answered some of your questions. Tricia

1.) How long did they say it would be before they contacted you? If they gave you no time frame, I might cut them some slack as they're probably trying to get some pools finished up so those customers can catch a swim or two before closing the pools. No, the sales rep/consultant isn't building those pools, but he or she may need to check on some things with the PB before getting back to you. You'll need to contact more than that one PB anyway, so you may at well make some of those other appointments while you're waiting...just be sure to get them to commit when they'll be getting back to you. 2.) Depends - some do, some don't. 3.) Depends. As you receive more bids, you'll have a better idea of what's customary in your market. 4.) The all-important question!!! Leepoffaith has some good points. It may be possible for you to go to your local permit office and ask for a list of the most recent permits a company has pulled. You could then contact the homeowners for a reference and get a good idea of how things are going right now. I can say from personal experience that a good BBB report and good recommendations don't mean much if the PB has just experienced a change of fortune; that's why a list from the permit office would help.

Other than the fact that it is a bit stiff, is there anything particularly Wrong with it for a 44 year old room? If so, what changes would you make? It's too cluttered, fussy and rigid. It has a good traffic flow. The mirror would go, not because it's bad, but those warped reflections make me nauseous (it's an optic thing). A flat mirror with good glass clarity in that spot would be fine. Assuming it has colors I liked and comfortable seating, I would clean off the tables, rip out the carpet and use a nice oriental rug on polished hardwood. The lambrequin might go or be recovered with something less formal. Lamps are OK, would replace scalloped shades for less formal linen ones. Because the colonial era was a big trading era, I would invent a family member who "was in shipping" and sent back interesting things. I would hang more paintings, fewer non-paintings. Mirror on the right would go, hang a nice landscape instead.