After formulating my list of goals a week or so ago, I was in high spirits and ready to tackle each thing one by one. Even 5 by 5, but a cold had to come and sneak it's way into our household. Usually a cold is just a little annoyance that is completely gone by day three. It has been 7 days since Janen showed signs of sickness, 5 days since my cold manifested and 3 days for James. This is seriously one of the worst colds I have had in a super long time. But you know that wouldn't be so bad if this weren't the sixth time I've gotten sick since september of this year! 3 colds, 2 stomach flu's and a sinus infection. This is not normal right? James hasn't gotten sick as many times as me and I was stuck wondering why. My educated guess (and from reading health articles) that it could be due to the insane amount of mold our building has. This is something I am allergic to year round, no matter where I am. If you're wondering "why does jessica always have the sniffles?" this is why my friend. Mold gets the best of me and apparently it's weakening my immune system too. I mean other than one day of eating more candy than I should've (the day after Halloween) I've been pretty good at watching what I eat, going on walks with Janen, jogging with a friend, playing kinect, etc. So I'm not a fat lazy slob eating junk all day. Oh and I take a multivitamin. The mold seems to be the likely culprit. So why hasn't James gotten as sick as Janen and I? I think it's because he's 1) not allergic to it like I am and 2) he's out of the home for 10 hours a day.
So what do we do? We just moved, but mold is seriously everywhere on the outside of the building? They have been trying to cover it up, but it's there and it's making me mad that we didn't notice just how bad it was. I mean lots of places we've lived have some sort of mold, but not this bad. Also, James' commute up to North Salt Lake is no fun either and takes 2 to 3 hours out of his day (depending on the traffic).
We hear that now is a good time to buy in Utah with the Utah Home Buyers program. Basically you can qualify for no money down and a 3.99 percent fixed rate for 30 years if your credit score is above 700. We've been perusing houses on the market and can find nicer homes/townhomes that are bigger, newer, and most importantly closer to work and family AND pay less a month on mortgage than we would on rent. However, it is a big purchase and a scary/new thing for us. So what advice do you homeowners have out there for us? Do you think we could get out of our lease because of the over exposure to mold? probably not huh? I once got robbed at gunpoint in the parking lot of my apartment, where the loser had my wallet with my address, but I still couldn't get out of the lease. Some people.
Anyway, the reason for my rant started because I had lots of plans to get things done on my list, but they were put on the backburner, but I am writing this to reinforce my list to myself I guess. I WILL CONQUER THAT LIST!
*edit* I forgot to mention that we did take into consideration taxes, HOA fees, and homeowners insurance and it would come out to about the same or less depending on the price of the home we decide to purchase.
So sorry about your colds! I hope you all get well soon. The thing about buying a house is there is a lot more expense than paying the mortgage. The nice thing about leasing is you don't have to pay for upkeep. So before you buy, just make sure you feel comfortable socking away money for regular expenses to upkeep/upgrade your house and cover any emergencies (at least the amount of your homeowners insurance deductible, should there be some major damage to your house.) Also, don't get a fixer-upper unless you really have the money to fix it up or are willing to live in it the way it is until you do have enough money to fix it up. But if you can really afford it, now is a good time to buy a house.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you could call the health department to see what they recommend about the mold?
I know how you feel about all the colds. I have had way more colds this year so far than any other year in the past. It's crazy. If you have a problem with mold, tell your apartment complex (or landlord) about all the mold that you've noticed. If they don't fix it, go to the dr and get a note stating that you are allergic to it and if it is not removed, you will have to move for "medical" reasons. This is one of the only ways to get out of a lease... but you have to have a dr note and give them time to fix the problem.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the house buying process, I hope it works out well for you!