House Inspection A-OK

Everything was fine at the house inspection. The inspector commented at the end that it was the 'best inspection he has done for 6 months". A couple minor things here and there and a possible building code voilation with the location of the fuse box, but nothing that will stop this train from continuing to roll!!

Inspecter Smith

Go go gadget eyes, ears, mouth and nose! Tomorrow morning is the inspection on our new Condo. We're not expecting any problems. One of the reasons Katie and I like this condo so much is that it looks so neat. It was rebuilt in 2002 on older 1905 foundations, but 7 years it still looks like new - I'm sure a combination of good upkeep from the current owners, but also good construction. I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow lunchtime...

Offer Accepted

The offer (actually a counter-offer to a counter-office) was accepted - which is good, because I handed in 60 days notice to my landlord 3 weeks ago as an incentive to find a place to buy, and I was running out of time. Next is inspection last this week, and then Purchase and Sale agreement a couple weeks after that. I'm hoping to close on about May 22nd, so that I have a week to move out of my apartment...

Shopping For Houses

I recently decided to stay in Boston indefinitely, and the result of that decision is that I've decided to buy a house in Boston.

I found a place I really like and I've put in an offer, but the really surprising thing to me was that the bank pre-approved me for a loan up to 700,000US. That is CRAZY. I can't believe it. It's no wonder the US banking system is in such turmoil with numbers like that, and I could never possibly hope to pay off a loan like that on my income.

Adventures on the Stockmarket Part 2

In mid-Feb, I noticed that RIMM was falling fast. It had dropped from a peak of about $59 to $40 in less than a week. Still confident in the stock, I put more in the market this time, nearly $10,000, scooping up 250 shares for $39.64 a share. I was hoping it would get up to $50 again in a few months. Of course, like my last adventure, the stock continued to drop for a couple days. With each $1 worth $250 to me, (last time it was $100), it was a bit nervewracking watching it raise and fall like it did. I watched it dribble up and down for a couple weeks, and then last Thursday some magic happened.

The 4th Qtr revenue report was due and the stock had slowly crept up close to $50 in anticipation of the release, but I really wanted to wait for the report. I seriously considering selling at $50, that was a 125% return, but I held strong. The report was very favourable, and I was extremely lucky to see RIMM jump +$15 overnight. By the next morning it was a no brainer, I had a 150% return on my initial investment (a $5000 profit) and I sold it all.

As you can imagine I am thrilled by this. I realize I am very very lucky, and for now, I've withdrawn from the stock market.