Wednesday in Florida

Wednesday rolled around and I didn't sleep well. The thought of the house kept me awake instead of sleeping like I should on vacation.

I woke up early to look a few things up on the Internet... boy is Orlando a depressed area. What I had thought was a great price for the house turned out to be only the tenth least expensive house in the zip code. I was shocked as the house was fairly new and all the other house that were listed on the net were just like it.... same size and pool.

When my wife woke up we talked about it... the more we talked the more I wanted to tell the real estate agent that I wanted to go back to my original price.... it's too bad I had already agreed on the banks price.

Anyways, we decided to go to the Animal Kingdom on that day and my wife wanted to get a early start. We decided to at least contact our planner and let him know that we do not want to proceed with the credit report.

After eating breakfast we decided to call real estate office and find out how Florida real estate laws worked... I mean, can an agent actually tell a perspective buyer how much to bid, and can they also say that the seller is in contract discussion with three perspective buyers?

I called the real estate office and wanted to talk to the office manager to get their viewpoint of the situation. I was greeted by the receptionist... she said...

Hello the is ___ real estate agency how may I help you?

Can you connect me to the office manager?

He isn't in right now can I take a message?

No thanks... what is his name?

.... .... is this a sales call of some sort?

No.... I am a perspective home buyer...

... .... ..... click!


Now I'm getting mad... why would she hang up on me? What's the deal? Is this just some sort of scam? I called back...

Hello the is ___ real estate agency how may I help you?

What is your name?

What is YOUR name?

I asked you first...

Who would you like to talk to!

You are not a very polite receptionist... I can't believe that you would treat your customers like this?

Who do you need?

Can you please connect me with _____.

She proceed to connect me and I lay into the agent... I tell her that I am amazed that they would talk to their clients like this and I can't believe your office tolerates this kind of behavior... she proceeds to ask what the problem is... I tell her how I was treated.... She says she is sorry and she would talk with the receptionist...

I cool off a bit... she then proceeds to tell me that my planner faxed over my credit report and also a pre-approval for above what the house is listed for. She goes on to tell me that there is now another suitor for the property and that I should act fast... I was about to tell her that I wanted to lower my offer, but instead decided to tell her that I was going to retract the offer. She said... well then, OK. I tell her thanks for her time and proceed to hand up on her.

Impulsive Tuesday

One thing I am not is Impulsive, so Tuesday was a complete change from my persona.

Tuesday morning rolled around in Orlando and Norm and I set up a quick walk through of a house that was just a few doors down from the house we rented for the week. We saw this place earlier in the week when we went for a walk and decided to look it up on the net. A few minutes after seeing the place on a website we decided to take a look at it closer. The meeting was supposed to be for 9 am with the real estate agent. She didn't show up, but sent someone in her place. I was not impressed... she was ten minutes late and we wanted to get to Disney.

We walked through the house. It had the same floor plan as the house we rented and we didn’t spend a lot of time with the walk through. We thanked her and she gave us a quick sales pitch about the place and why we needed to buy it right now. I didn’t take the bait, but was still intrigued. I thanked her again and said that we would be in touch with her later that day.

Norm and I looked at each other as we walked back to our house and we both knew it was worth a second talk. We spent the next hour or so at Disney and discussed the house. We really liked it. It was a 4 bedroom 3 bathroom home with a two car attached garage and best of all, it had a screened in pool. The price was reasonable as it was a house that had recently been foreclosed. Norm was worried and I said to her why don’t we just underbid the asking price… what could be the worst thing that could happen. They say no. No big deal, we didn’t have an emotional attachment to the house or agent. I didn’t really care about insulting them. So I made the call while we were in the park and the agent said that she didn’t think the bank was going to accept, but said that she would make the offer. She said she needed a confirmation that my line of credit would be sufficient to cove the cost of the house. I said that I would get something to her via my financial planner. I gave her my cell phone number and told her to call me if she needed anything.

I called my financial advisor in Michigan he wasn’t in so I left a message. I next called his associate that handled my mortgage. He also wasn’t in yet. I left a message with him also. He called me right back and said he was on another call. I told him what I was doing and he asked what my planner said. I said that he wasn’t in yet and I left a message. He asked what he could do for me. I asked him if he could call the agent and let her know if I could cover the note. He asked if it was ok to run a new credit report. I said sure. He asked me a few questions about my current financial situation that I answered. He said that he would take care of everything.

An hour later we were standing in line for “Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger” ride and the phone rang. The agent said that the bank had an immediate counter offer. I said ok… that’s great… then I’ll bump up my offer a little. She said no… their counter offer is the minimum they will take. I said that I needed to talk to my wife and told her I would get back with her after we got done with the ride I also said that my financial planner would get in touch with her with my credit report and pre approved credit form.

I talked with my wife over the next half hour and as we waited for “The Haunted Mansion” I called her back and said that we would accept the banks counteroffer. She said that they also had another two offers for the same amount and if we bumped our offer we would be sure to get it. She even told me to amount that I should make the offer for. The new amount would have been above the original asking price and I said that we would think about it. She said that she would email me the counter offer and if I wanted to bump up the offer to do so via email. I said to her that I would not be able to get back with her until the next day as I was at the Magic Kingdom for the day and I was taking the family out for dinner.

I spent the rest of the day at Disney thinking about what had happened earlier that day. I had that funny feeling in my stomach that I get when something that doesn’t sound right is going on. I was really worried about the fact that the agent basically told me how much to counter offer to win the bid. Also, I was nervous about the fact that there were three other bidders that the bank had counter offered. During dinner I talked with my wife and she said that we had agreed in principle on a price for the house. I told her that nothing is official without my credit report being completed and we sending a confirmation email to the agent.

After dinner we both know of a friend that is an agent and I called her to get her opinion. I told her about the days events and she confirmed my worries. She thought it was unethical to tell a perspective buyer how much to bid. She also was suspicious about the fact that the bank got into three separate agreements. She did say that she was not familiar with Florida real estate rules so it may be perfectly acceptable to do this in Florida. She said that I should talk with Norm and decide on what we wanted to do. I thanked her and as the day ended we decided that we would wait until the next day to make a decision. Read tomorrow on what became of the adventure.

Zoisms

When faced with a big decision it is a good idea to be alone to think about it.

What is HGH (Human Growth Hormone)

I remember it well; my parents took me to the doctors when I was a kid. My parents thought that I was a short kid and wanted the doctors to do a check up to see if there was anything wrong with me. The doctors ran some test and at the end asked my mom how tall she wanted me to be. She said at least six feet tall, and that is when the doctor proceeded with giving me a shot. Several years later I hit a growth spurt and grew to be eventually taller than six foot even though both of my parents are relatively short. I always thought the shot was some sort of vitamin booster or other, but now in light of the steroid issues with baseball, I think it could have been HGH.

From Wisegeek.com

HGH (Human Growth Hormone) is believed to be the controlling hormone of many functions and benefits associated with youth, such as vitality, smooth skin, energy and resilience. HGH is naturally produced in the pituitary gland of the brain.

As people move past age 30, natural levels of HGH drop off dramatically, about 14% per decade. Lower levels of HGH are associated with the aging process. As HGH levels continue to drop, the aging process accelerates. Research indicates that by increasing the natural amount of HGH in the system, the body may be able to reverse some symptoms associated with aging, like weight gain, loss of lean muscle, wrinkles, bone density, sexual drive and more. Although it is not clinically proven, HGH is sometimes referred to as the fountain of youth hormone.

Physicians have traditionally administered a prescription form of injectable HGH. Now nonprescription homeopathic HGH is available through mail order, and over the counter.

Clinical studies indicate the most effective concentration of homeopathic HGH is a dilution of 30x. Lower or higher dilution rates are not proven more effective, so most reputable dealers will sell the 30x dilution.
With the popularity of HGH there are many companies touting HGH products that do not contain any actual HGH at all. Instead they offer other ingredients said to assist in the natural stimulation of HGH in the body. At the other extreme there are vendors offering non-homeopathic HGH illegaly. These vendors often describe their product in terms of nanograms, usually claiming 100-1000 nanograms of pure HGH per dose. Aside from being illegal, a prescribed dose is closer to 2,750,000 nanograms, making the 100-1000 nanograms all but useless to the buyer.

The effects of homeopathic HGH are cumulative and vary depending on the individual, taking up to a month to notice initial benefits like deeper sleep, and up to 6 months or more to notice weight loss, increased lean muscle mass, and a more youthful appearance. Although only a handful of clinical research has been done, early results are promising and there are virtually no side-effects associated with 30x dilution homeopathic HGH, when used as directed.

The method for taking homeopathic HGH is low-dose high frequency, meaning you absorb only small amounts per dose, but you take 1-3 doses a day, depending on the brand. Liquid HGH is sprayed under the tongue and left in the mouth to be absorbed rather than swallowed. While prescribed HGH cannot be absorbed under the tongue because of its molecule size, homeopathic HGH in its diluted form can be absorbed.

If interested in homeopathic HGH, consider a vendor that uses a FDA-approved lab verses a vendor who only claims to follow FDA guidelines. FDA-approved labs undergo rigorous periodic inspections, and require that every bottle of HGH be stamped with a lot# and expiration date. This is an easy way to see if a vendor is really FDA-approved or not. Simply ask if their bottles are stamped with these numbers. The FDA also specifically advises legitimate homeopathic HGH vendors to not describe their product in terms of nanograms. Instead "homeopathic HGH 30x" is one of the first ingredients you should see.

Results cannot be guaranteed from taking HGH and will vary from individual to individual. Some people may feel little benefit, while others claim to feel and even look 10-20 years younger after taking HGH for several months. As with any new regime, you should contact your doctor before taking HGH.

Many reputable vendors will offer customers a money-back guarantee to try the HGH "fountain of youth" for themselves.

Road Trip

It's our yearly pilgrimage to Florida, and on our 20+ hour drive, your mind has a lot of time to wander. Here were some of my wanderings...

- Why is Ohio so darn hard to drive through? Another reason to hate the Buckeyes
- Why is gas so expensive in West Virginia…? Do they think it is a good idea to tax their residence? Most of us who are driving through will only wait to get gas in a border state.
- Why do I get tired everyday at some point? If I can just get past that time I can drive for hours till the wee hours of morning.
- My wife thinks I hug the right side of a lane when driving. Maybe I do.
- Why is gas so darn cheap in South Carolina? $2.79 / gallon
- That has to be the biggest desk globe in the world... Savanna, Georgia
- Is Erin E-surance hot? Wait a minute (or 10)… who is the hottest cartoon character?
- I don’t like oysters (at least raw)
- Mahi Mahi tastes like tuna
- I think the brakes on the Jeep are pulsating too much when the brakes are applied
- Crab legs are way to much work for the meat that you eat
- Late… late night French Vanilla Cappuccino from a gas station doesn’t taste that good
- You know you’re a redneck when you dress and drive a car that is in the Daytona 500… but you’re not in the race

Itchy and Scratchy Hoop it up

Scratchy has been playing basketball now for about 4 years and has gotten better each year. This year, Scratchy is playing basketball for the CYO team and even though Scratchy is a year younger then most the playing time has increased as the year has progressed. The place where Scratchy makes an impact is on defense.

Even more impressive to me is that Itchy tried out for the school team and made it without ever playing organized basketball. Itchy has played sports before but mostly individual sports not team sports. I think it is somewhat important to play team sports as it allows us to work in a team environment and build team building skills.

Anyho… I am real proud of both of them and I hope that they enjoy their sports. they have lots fun and they don't get hurt.