Polleverywhere.com: The rules went fine and everything.. they followed them. One kid texted another kid in class, that's about the worst that happened. It was such a hassle getting my LCD projector set up... then getting to the website.. then when you hook up the LCD it blows the graphs out of proportion and so the kids couldn't see the right numbers... then because they only saw some of the numbers they voted for whatever.. so not even putting thought into the ?. So i'm going to just wait to try it again when I get my Activboard. But I'm also getting clickers with my whiteboard, so that might be a good alternative.
I'm struggling with the fact that my students still seem to be failing their assessments in their regular math classes. I'm in a tough position--I'm only in my 2nd year of teaching, so there's no way I am going to approach a veteran teacher and ask how the topic is being approached, because I don't want to be in the position of making myself look like a fool. Hopefully the 6th graders will do better with the new approach that the Math Expressions Curriculum takes.
To Be continued...
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Monday, December 7, 2009
Tomorrow will be Chaos
Tomorrow will be chaos. The weather forecasters are calling for 7-10 inches of snow in MN and 10-12 in Northern WI.
Highlights:
My 8th grade Math Foundations class all proclaimed to me that they "don't need no practice on the pythagorean theorem, that stuff is easy!" Normally when I say this, I take it with a grain of salt, because they may think it's easy, but really, they just don't want to practice. I did a speed solving activity with them. They each had their own card with a pythagorean theorem problem on it (for today we just did when a and b are known and c is unknown) and they were exactly right.. of the 12 students, only 2 needed more practiced. I then later asked them, "What do we do if we don't know a or b and we DO know c" Well you see Ms. B, "then all you gotta do is SUBTRACT a or b from c." Duh. I should have known it was that easy :)
6th grade Math Foundations: I spent all day Sunday trying to mix up a concoction for BUBBLES. I have tons of bubbles but I wanted colored bubbles so that when the kids blow them on a piece of paper, they will pop and leave a color outline. With this color outline the students will then measure the diameter, radius, circumferences and area. After 2 trips to walgreens, and 2 trips to the grocery store, and one trip to walmart, the bubble concoction was in working order. Containing 4.5 c water, .5 cup dawn dish soap and 4 Tables Spoons of liquid glycerin, I was blowing bubbles and leaving their mark. I had kids use pipecleaners as their bubble wants. The liquid glycerin was hard to find, and I was only able to find it in the form of a SUPPOSITORY at walgreens, and was quite spendy. But the glycerin was key to having bubbles that would stick on the page and leave a round circle mark. My 3rd hour loved the activity, and begged me to let them blow bubbles later in the year. My 4th hour kept asking me when they could just be done and go play games. Interesting how these two classes are so different from eachother! We'll be making the measurements tomorrow since their papers were too wet to work with today.
Algebra: I have underestimated their abilities on a grand scale and now realize I need to challenge them more. Through out chapter 3 (solving multi-step linear equations) my students "seemed" to struggle. They asked the same questions over again, seemed confused, needed multiple reminders. However, their quiz scores were OK throughout the chapter. Their chapter test scores were PHENOMENAL. The class average was a 97.3%. Either this test is TOO EASY or they really GET IT. I'm going to go with the really get it part, because it's the same test we used last year and I know the average was not this high. The kids also blew the bench mark test out of the water, with 100% of my students scoring proficient or advanced (on a test in a class that is already an advanced class for 8th grade). We are in good shape. On the other hand I have 12 boys and 6 girls in this class. A little disproportionate, the immaturity of the boys is really starting to get to mob-mentality and getting on my nerves. Last week i had THREE boys, taking chunks out of their paper with their teeth and chewing paper wads, just chewing them, not even spitting them. Who does this?!?! There's constant toe tapping, finger drumming, noise making etc. I started an incentive based reward for each day. If we're good as a class, we get the short assignment. If we're off task, we get the longer assignment, because we clearly lost time in class to practice, so that means we need more practice at home. I had having to associate poor behavior with more homework, because that will make them come to hate homework. However, I have yet to assign the "long" assignment. Today was close. They had a warning. I have to follow through with this or it is going to back fire on me.
Another positive in Algebra: I'm going to try to use www.polleverywhere.com in classtomorrow. I'm very nervous about having the kids use cell phones. Our district policy clearly outlines no use of cell phones in class. I polled them today and 4/18 students do not have access to cell phone. I figure this will easily be solved by partnering up. Inorder for this to be successful, I've set up some structure and rules
If you abuse it, we'll lose it.
Think they'll get the point? I'll find out tomorrow.
Highlights:
My 8th grade Math Foundations class all proclaimed to me that they "don't need no practice on the pythagorean theorem, that stuff is easy!" Normally when I say this, I take it with a grain of salt, because they may think it's easy, but really, they just don't want to practice. I did a speed solving activity with them. They each had their own card with a pythagorean theorem problem on it (for today we just did when a and b are known and c is unknown) and they were exactly right.. of the 12 students, only 2 needed more practiced. I then later asked them, "What do we do if we don't know a or b and we DO know c" Well you see Ms. B, "then all you gotta do is SUBTRACT a or b from c." Duh. I should have known it was that easy :)
6th grade Math Foundations: I spent all day Sunday trying to mix up a concoction for BUBBLES. I have tons of bubbles but I wanted colored bubbles so that when the kids blow them on a piece of paper, they will pop and leave a color outline. With this color outline the students will then measure the diameter, radius, circumferences and area. After 2 trips to walgreens, and 2 trips to the grocery store, and one trip to walmart, the bubble concoction was in working order. Containing 4.5 c water, .5 cup dawn dish soap and 4 Tables Spoons of liquid glycerin, I was blowing bubbles and leaving their mark. I had kids use pipecleaners as their bubble wants. The liquid glycerin was hard to find, and I was only able to find it in the form of a SUPPOSITORY at walgreens, and was quite spendy. But the glycerin was key to having bubbles that would stick on the page and leave a round circle mark. My 3rd hour loved the activity, and begged me to let them blow bubbles later in the year. My 4th hour kept asking me when they could just be done and go play games. Interesting how these two classes are so different from eachother! We'll be making the measurements tomorrow since their papers were too wet to work with today.
Algebra: I have underestimated their abilities on a grand scale and now realize I need to challenge them more. Through out chapter 3 (solving multi-step linear equations) my students "seemed" to struggle. They asked the same questions over again, seemed confused, needed multiple reminders. However, their quiz scores were OK throughout the chapter. Their chapter test scores were PHENOMENAL. The class average was a 97.3%. Either this test is TOO EASY or they really GET IT. I'm going to go with the really get it part, because it's the same test we used last year and I know the average was not this high. The kids also blew the bench mark test out of the water, with 100% of my students scoring proficient or advanced (on a test in a class that is already an advanced class for 8th grade). We are in good shape. On the other hand I have 12 boys and 6 girls in this class. A little disproportionate, the immaturity of the boys is really starting to get to mob-mentality and getting on my nerves. Last week i had THREE boys, taking chunks out of their paper with their teeth and chewing paper wads, just chewing them, not even spitting them. Who does this?!?! There's constant toe tapping, finger drumming, noise making etc. I started an incentive based reward for each day. If we're good as a class, we get the short assignment. If we're off task, we get the longer assignment, because we clearly lost time in class to practice, so that means we need more practice at home. I had having to associate poor behavior with more homework, because that will make them come to hate homework. However, I have yet to assign the "long" assignment. Today was close. They had a warning. I have to follow through with this or it is going to back fire on me.
Another positive in Algebra: I'm going to try to use www.polleverywhere.com in classtomorrow. I'm very nervous about having the kids use cell phones. Our district policy clearly outlines no use of cell phones in class. I polled them today and 4/18 students do not have access to cell phone. I figure this will easily be solved by partnering up. Inorder for this to be successful, I've set up some structure and rules
PollEverywhere.com Policies in the Classroom
· Polleverwhere.com does not track phone numbers, only the number of votes.
· Only one vote allowed, can’t change your vote
· Voting is not required. If you parents tell you aren’t allowed to bring the phone to school/class then that is the rule. This does not make it an exception.
· Voting/Not voting will not affect your grade
· Your cell phone is learning tool in the classroom, not a social tool
Rules:
- Phones on silent
- Phone is to be used ONLY for polleverywhere.com
- The ONLY text you send is to polleverwhere.com
- If Ms. B believes you are using you phone for other uses, she reserves the right to check your phone and you will surrender it :)
- Before voting, the phone is in your pocket
- After voting, the phone is in your pocket
- When not using your phone, it’s in your pocket :)
If you abuse it, we'll lose it.
Think they'll get the point? I'll find out tomorrow.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Snap a 'Tude
Well today was Day 1 of WKCE Testing (State standardized testing). I got pulled from my classes to proctor tests for my 8th grade homeroom. Yippie... sarcasm. On top of planning lessons for my classes that continue to go on during their electives time, I had to sit with my 16 homeroomers alllll day long. I'm beat! The kids did surprisingly well with following directions, not talking, behaving etc. We'll see how their scores are. Tomorrow is the day of 5 sections of standardized Math tests.
I have one homeroomer that has one heck of a cocky attitude. Today I asked him to pick up his trash on the floor, and he snapped his head at me and said, "Nu-uh. There ain't no garbage around my desk." So, I snapped a 'tude right back to him and said "Nu-huh!. Pick it Up." And he went on his merry way to pick it up. Pretty sure I wouldn't try the "snap-a-tude" strategy on most of my kids--but works for him!
Oh teenagers.
I have one homeroomer that has one heck of a cocky attitude. Today I asked him to pick up his trash on the floor, and he snapped his head at me and said, "Nu-uh. There ain't no garbage around my desk." So, I snapped a 'tude right back to him and said "Nu-huh!. Pick it Up." And he went on his merry way to pick it up. Pretty sure I wouldn't try the "snap-a-tude" strategy on most of my kids--but works for him!
Oh teenagers.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
It's my Friday!
I love that I can wake up tomorrow after 6:00 am, and not have to be out the door by 7. Even if that still means I have an oil change at 9am.
Today was a crazy day at school. We had a school wide reward day for the students that were all-starts or honor level 1's. Of the 1,200 students I think all but about 250 of them were able to participate. I had the thrill of staying back with the naughty ones and supervising the study hall for a wing of 6th graders. All boys. Most of who probably have ADHD. And most of who had no homework to work on. It was hell. I was snapping at them left and right. Of the 9 that were in study hall, I had to kick 2 out to the intervention room. One for making farting noises with his hands after asked repeatedly to stop making noise. Another one for writing the word "gay" on every piece of paper in his notebook, then ripping the paper out of his notebook, cutting the papers into pieces, and then telling me he was going to make a puzzle out of it AFTER I said no. The final straw with him was him telling me he was sharpening his pencil by scribbling on his paper at the speed of light. Moral of this story = don't volunteer to supervise a study hall of students you've never had before.
On a happier note, we had a little bit of a fun day in my other classes. I picked up some pumpkin shaped sugar cookies. My 1st hour had to find the area of the cookie that I had traced on a piece of cm grid paper. If they got their answer within 1/2of a cm of the right answer, they got a cookie. That was enough of a motivator for 15 out of 16 students. No surprise that it didn't work for the 16th student. It was fun to watch 14 year olds get giddy about being able to earn a cookie. My 6th graders had to practice their addition facts with a partner for 10 minutes and improve their addition fluency score, then they got a cookie. And my Algebra kids, they just got a cookie for being the last darn class of the day. And it was blissful to hear them say the words, "Thank you Ms. B!"
This year I've been big on trying to have my students be motivated and rewarded for making good choices and working hard. I set up a weekly drawing. Throughout the week, students can earn kudos coupons for behaving well, getting their work done, excellent scores, and good attitudes. I'm only doing this for my 6th, 7th, and 8th Math Foundations Classes since there aren't any formal grades given in the class. Algebra students shouldn't need any extrinsic motivation, a grade should be their motivator. I draw two names on fridays from the raffle bucket--they LOVE it. If I say, "I'm giving kudos coupons to those that I see are lining up their decimal points," I get nearly 100% of them double checking to make sure they are lining up the damn decimal. And then I use the kudos as a threat..."If you are going to treat someone like that, there is no way that I would feel that's a quality in a person that gets a kudos should have."
On that note, kudos. It's my Friday.
Today was a crazy day at school. We had a school wide reward day for the students that were all-starts or honor level 1's. Of the 1,200 students I think all but about 250 of them were able to participate. I had the thrill of staying back with the naughty ones and supervising the study hall for a wing of 6th graders. All boys. Most of who probably have ADHD. And most of who had no homework to work on. It was hell. I was snapping at them left and right. Of the 9 that were in study hall, I had to kick 2 out to the intervention room. One for making farting noises with his hands after asked repeatedly to stop making noise. Another one for writing the word "gay" on every piece of paper in his notebook, then ripping the paper out of his notebook, cutting the papers into pieces, and then telling me he was going to make a puzzle out of it AFTER I said no. The final straw with him was him telling me he was sharpening his pencil by scribbling on his paper at the speed of light. Moral of this story = don't volunteer to supervise a study hall of students you've never had before.
On a happier note, we had a little bit of a fun day in my other classes. I picked up some pumpkin shaped sugar cookies. My 1st hour had to find the area of the cookie that I had traced on a piece of cm grid paper. If they got their answer within 1/2of a cm of the right answer, they got a cookie. That was enough of a motivator for 15 out of 16 students. No surprise that it didn't work for the 16th student. It was fun to watch 14 year olds get giddy about being able to earn a cookie. My 6th graders had to practice their addition facts with a partner for 10 minutes and improve their addition fluency score, then they got a cookie. And my Algebra kids, they just got a cookie for being the last darn class of the day. And it was blissful to hear them say the words, "Thank you Ms. B!"
This year I've been big on trying to have my students be motivated and rewarded for making good choices and working hard. I set up a weekly drawing. Throughout the week, students can earn kudos coupons for behaving well, getting their work done, excellent scores, and good attitudes. I'm only doing this for my 6th, 7th, and 8th Math Foundations Classes since there aren't any formal grades given in the class. Algebra students shouldn't need any extrinsic motivation, a grade should be their motivator. I draw two names on fridays from the raffle bucket--they LOVE it. If I say, "I'm giving kudos coupons to those that I see are lining up their decimal points," I get nearly 100% of them double checking to make sure they are lining up the damn decimal. And then I use the kudos as a threat..."If you are going to treat someone like that, there is no way that I would feel that's a quality in a person that gets a kudos should have."
On that note, kudos. It's my Friday.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Tomorrow is my Friday
Well, tomorrow is our Friday at school. All staff and students have Thursday and Friday off as "designated P/T Conference Days." We had our conferences this past two weeks-- so free days for us! I'm glad. It's a much needed fall breather. But on my two days off I have to: Go to DMV and get replacement tabs, get new drivers license w/current address, get oil changed, get headlight changed in car, and get my hair cut. I should be going to the dentist too--but I never bothered to make an appointment. I'm also going to go shopping at the Outlet Mall in Albertivlle. It's the shopping mecca.
Thank god this week was a short one. I don't think I could have survived a long one. Last week I was surprised that I even made it though that week, after all of the student absences and my own from the previous week with my bout with h1n1. My kids drain me. They exhaust me. Then again, which kids don't?
I'm constantly feeling like I'm throwing things together at the last minute this year. It's probably because I am. I teach 4 different classes. None of which I teach the same material in. I have pretty much alll of my Algebra 1 class materials from last year---but I'm still scrambling to revise/fix some of the note guides and create new practice worksheets. my 6th, 7th, and 8th grade Math Foundations classes are the ones where I have to create from scratch. These kids are in Math Foundations AND their regular math class. Apparently some where a long the line someone had the brainy idea that for kids who don't achieve well in math, lets give them two math classes! Hmm. That leaves me to have to have ingeniously creative lesson plans that totally switches things up, approaches things at a different angle, allows for movement, hands on, fast paced and rigorous, but not overwhelming. Phew. I will say, the kids are responding much better to the way I'm running the class than I thought that they would. There have been 2 different teachers for MF in the past 2 years, both with different styles, so the kids were used to being lax in MF class.
I'll update more on my bubbly personalities in the classroom. Time for some shut eye!
Thank god this week was a short one. I don't think I could have survived a long one. Last week I was surprised that I even made it though that week, after all of the student absences and my own from the previous week with my bout with h1n1. My kids drain me. They exhaust me. Then again, which kids don't?
I'm constantly feeling like I'm throwing things together at the last minute this year. It's probably because I am. I teach 4 different classes. None of which I teach the same material in. I have pretty much alll of my Algebra 1 class materials from last year---but I'm still scrambling to revise/fix some of the note guides and create new practice worksheets. my 6th, 7th, and 8th grade Math Foundations classes are the ones where I have to create from scratch. These kids are in Math Foundations AND their regular math class. Apparently some where a long the line someone had the brainy idea that for kids who don't achieve well in math, lets give them two math classes! Hmm. That leaves me to have to have ingeniously creative lesson plans that totally switches things up, approaches things at a different angle, allows for movement, hands on, fast paced and rigorous, but not overwhelming. Phew. I will say, the kids are responding much better to the way I'm running the class than I thought that they would. There have been 2 different teachers for MF in the past 2 years, both with different styles, so the kids were used to being lax in MF class.
I'll update more on my bubbly personalities in the classroom. Time for some shut eye!
Dusting off.
Wow. I went to start a new blog, and apparently I already had one created for that email address. So I guess I won't try to fix what's not broken, and continue with this one.
I'm on my prep right now. Some times I need to just chill on my prep. My 1st hour has 16 rammy, loud, vibrant personality kids, that I need a little breather after I finish the 47 minute class with them. So that's what I'm doing... reading other blogs, drinking a diet coke, and wishing my headache would go away.
Let's see, since I've posted last I have:
I'm on my prep right now. Some times I need to just chill on my prep. My 1st hour has 16 rammy, loud, vibrant personality kids, that I need a little breather after I finish the 47 minute class with them. So that's what I'm doing... reading other blogs, drinking a diet coke, and wishing my headache would go away.
Let's see, since I've posted last I have:
- Moved into my house
- Painted House
- Decorated House
- Worked 2 jobs and haven't relaxed in house that was painted and decorated
- Worked every weekend from August 30-October 17.
- Relaxed the weekend of October 23-25
- Gotten into the routine of going to work every day again, but not the routine of waking up at 5:30am
- Tried to do teach little muchkins the routines of this-is-your-new-math-foundations-teacher-and-I'm-going-to-run-it-different-than-your-old-one
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Aphidnator
The magic "pressure wash the heck out of your hibiscus buds" technique to get the aphids to go away worked like a charm! One of the blooms opened up today and two others are on their way.
On another note, now I'm on to trying to find the best care for my newly purchased orchid from IKEA. The orchid is a phalaenopsis. This means nothing to me besides the fact that I read up online how I'm supposed to water it. Apparently you let it dry out and then submerge in water?
Any ideas on this? As soon as I get to the new house I'm going to purchase both orchid and hibiscus food since our northern MN weather doesn't exactly nurture these tropical plants and their preferred habitat. What the heck will I do when it comes to winter?!
One more gardening bit. I grew peas from seed this year. I again started the seedlings in the sun room, with the chlorine filled air. I think that actually did these peas some good, I had vines growing just after about a month! Anyways, I picked the first pea pod off today. I don't eat peas, so I let my brother have half and mom have half, they said it was good! Yay pea pods! They're so dang cute.
I'm almost done packing and I went into major cleaning mode last night. It seems that 9pm is the best time for me to be the most productive. I stripped all the sheets and blankets and down comforter on my bed, took the pillow cases off, and WASHED my pillows in the washer. My mom threw them in the dryer this morning. They came out pretty darn clean! It probably helps that I used about 4x the recommended amount of bleach. Anyways, I went to grab them out of the shower, and they were soaking wet. As was the bottom of the dryer, with about a half of an inch of water in it. Two things rang through my mind: 1. Is an electrical appliance such as the dryer, supposed to have a big puddle of water on it and 2. How the heck do I get these to dry? So I hung them on the lines outside. Of course it started to rain. I'm just going to let them air dry and then maybe stick them in the dryer to fluff them up.
On another note, now I'm on to trying to find the best care for my newly purchased orchid from IKEA. The orchid is a phalaenopsis. This means nothing to me besides the fact that I read up online how I'm supposed to water it. Apparently you let it dry out and then submerge in water?
Any ideas on this? As soon as I get to the new house I'm going to purchase both orchid and hibiscus food since our northern MN weather doesn't exactly nurture these tropical plants and their preferred habitat. What the heck will I do when it comes to winter?!
One more gardening bit. I grew peas from seed this year. I again started the seedlings in the sun room, with the chlorine filled air. I think that actually did these peas some good, I had vines growing just after about a month! Anyways, I picked the first pea pod off today. I don't eat peas, so I let my brother have half and mom have half, they said it was good! Yay pea pods! They're so dang cute.
I'm almost done packing and I went into major cleaning mode last night. It seems that 9pm is the best time for me to be the most productive. I stripped all the sheets and blankets and down comforter on my bed, took the pillow cases off, and WASHED my pillows in the washer. My mom threw them in the dryer this morning. They came out pretty darn clean! It probably helps that I used about 4x the recommended amount of bleach. Anyways, I went to grab them out of the shower, and they were soaking wet. As was the bottom of the dryer, with about a half of an inch of water in it. Two things rang through my mind: 1. Is an electrical appliance such as the dryer, supposed to have a big puddle of water on it and 2. How the heck do I get these to dry? So I hung them on the lines outside. Of course it started to rain. I'm just going to let them air dry and then maybe stick them in the dryer to fluff them up.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Buying a Home
Top Ten Pieces of advice that are associated with buying your first home
Back in April, I decided to seriously pursue home buying as I decided I'm happy living back in my home city, have a pretty good stable job, and didn't want to waste anymore money on rent. I also wanted to be living on my own, not under the roof of my parents. Not that I dislike them or anything, just that I'm used to being so independent, and after 4 years of independence, it was hard to live back at home.
So, I searched, and toured, and looked online, and got daily updates. Here's my advice for you:
1. Start saving your money. You're going to need lots of it. Not just for a down payment, for eighty billion other things as well. I estimate about 8% of the cost of your home if you are doing a FHA loan with 3.5% down.
2. Decide what you're looking for and what you can afford. You're going to get too overwhelmed if you waste your time at looking for something you can afford. Your realtor can help you set "Wants" and "needs" as well as a location. You may be browsing and find a nice hour for less than 100k, but really, are you going to want to live in the slum trash of the city? Probably not. Which brings me to my next point.
3. Find a really good Realtor. One that is going to work for you. If you can find one with a personal connection, even better. If you're a buyer with nothing to sell, realtors cost nothing to you for just searching for houses. Actually buying a house, that's another story with your closing costs. In my case, my realtor was friends with my parents. She was excellent! I made a list of houses I wanted to see. She told me which ones would be a waste of my time (her experience shone through, she had been in some of the houses before). We met and searched everything that was with in my price range.
4. Don't act on dime, don't settle for less, and weigh all the factors. I always say that the very first house I looked at, long before I was set on buying one, was the house I should have bought. It was completely redone inside and out, had spacious bedrooms, a garage, perfect sized yard, and was inside my price limit. It was in the west end, but not a terrible part of town. Not exactly my ideal location, but still doable. But, I'm now happier living in the east end of town and feel more secure.
5. Look at the potential--but don't overestimate what you're actually going to be capable of doing. Obviously if this is your first home you probably don't have $20k to do an overhaul on the bathroom that is in terrible condition.
6. Consider the maintenance of the house and the yard. If you live in an area like I do, where we get massive amounts of snow, you probably don't want a driveway that is half a block long, nor do you want to be in a back alley that is the last to get plowed. The house I purchased is on a snow emergency route, which is great because it means my road is the first to get plowed when it snows. It also means the massive amount of snow that was on this snow emergency route will be dumped in my driveway. Think about the basic maintenance as well--will you need to get your oil tank filled? Will your house need a new roof in the next couple of years? Are there going to be any major street/road construction to which you will be subject to assessments?
7. My mom told me she heard from a radio talk show to "stalk" the neighborhood you are going to buy a house in. I thought this sounded ridiculous, until I looked at a very cute an adorable house with the little doll house charm and a gorgeous kitchen--with two GIANT Great Danes that looked in the upper level window from the neighbors' yard. They may be friendly animals, but the incessant bark is probably not the thing I want as a neighbor. I drove past this house multiple times, (Coincidentally it is just 1.5 blocks away from the house I purchased) only to once see a man in his recliner outside with beer in hand, another day a 4-wheeler in the front yard. This was probably not what I was looking for as neighbors. That house sat on the market for months after--I'm not sure if it was ever sold or just taken of the market, but I'm sure the neighbors had something to do with why the house wasn't selling.
8. No offer is too low--unless you find yourself in a bidding war. The first house that I was serious about, I called my dad right away to come look at it NOW. We called the Realtor and asked for an extension of our showing time, only to have the people who were renting the house walk through the door wanting to kick us out. After standing in the driveway mulling over what to do, I decided I was serious about this house and wanted to put an offer on it. My Realtor, myself and my mom drove back to the Realtor's office. While in the car my Realtor called the listing agent--and the listing agent said they had an offer on the table. My Realtor asked if they'd wait and we'd put in my offer. We wrote the offer--she hand delivered it and got to tell the seller all about my likeable qualities and how I really should be the one to get the house :)--and at 8:30 that night I found out I had just bought a house. The problem was, it really was more than I wanted to pay. The offer we put in was the asking price--$129,900. The house needed some work--new carpet, lots of paint and a whole new electrical system. The electrical was written into the purchase agreement that the seller would update it to code aswell as well as an I and I inspection. Anyways, my point is, because I felt the pressure that there was a deal on the table--I offered full price. Had I not, I probably would have lost the deal--and you know what? It would have been okay. If you're not willing to pay over a certain amount for a certain house--then don't offer that amount. Additionally, no offer is too low. If you get outbid in the process, it's really not meant to be. In the end I ended up not getting this house, for reasons I will state in #9. The second offer that I put on my house went much better. The asking price was $119,900--I offered $112,000 and made that offer based on the square footage. In the end we settled at $118,000--still more than I offered, but this was okay with me because I really felt that this house was worth it. It was in move-in condition and an excellent area.
9. Get a certified home inspection by a very reputable home inspector. My dad, a pretty handy man, didn't think a home inspection was necessary. After attending my FHB class and hearing the horror stories--I wanted an inspection for peace of mind. I am ever so thankful that I had an inspection on house #1. When I went to have it inspected, the inspector tore a panel off the basement wall only to find the whole wall, made of CINDER BLOCKS, caving in, to the point where he could take a brick out of the foundation. He also pointed out every little problem that may arise, such as wiring that had gone from the house to the garage, buried under the concrete driveway, that would eventually rot because it was not wrapped in conduit. Alas, when it came to having an estimate on the cost to repair the crumbling foundation, my inspector who just so HAPPENED to have his OWN side business in repairing foundation recommended that we use this special "stabling" method that ONLY HE DOES. This was a little shady, as this was not fixing the problem, but only stabilizing the wall. Needless to say the home inspection on house #2 was done by a different home inspector--who did an excellent job and didn't refer me to any of his services.
10. Don't be in a rush if you don't have to be. Take your time to do the research, keep looking at houses and make sure you even check out those that are for sale by owner!
Back in April, I decided to seriously pursue home buying as I decided I'm happy living back in my home city, have a pretty good stable job, and didn't want to waste anymore money on rent. I also wanted to be living on my own, not under the roof of my parents. Not that I dislike them or anything, just that I'm used to being so independent, and after 4 years of independence, it was hard to live back at home.
So, I searched, and toured, and looked online, and got daily updates. Here's my advice for you:
1. Start saving your money. You're going to need lots of it. Not just for a down payment, for eighty billion other things as well. I estimate about 8% of the cost of your home if you are doing a FHA loan with 3.5% down.
2. Decide what you're looking for and what you can afford. You're going to get too overwhelmed if you waste your time at looking for something you can afford. Your realtor can help you set "Wants" and "needs" as well as a location. You may be browsing and find a nice hour for less than 100k, but really, are you going to want to live in the slum trash of the city? Probably not. Which brings me to my next point.
3. Find a really good Realtor. One that is going to work for you. If you can find one with a personal connection, even better. If you're a buyer with nothing to sell, realtors cost nothing to you for just searching for houses. Actually buying a house, that's another story with your closing costs. In my case, my realtor was friends with my parents. She was excellent! I made a list of houses I wanted to see. She told me which ones would be a waste of my time (her experience shone through, she had been in some of the houses before). We met and searched everything that was with in my price range.
4. Don't act on dime, don't settle for less, and weigh all the factors. I always say that the very first house I looked at, long before I was set on buying one, was the house I should have bought. It was completely redone inside and out, had spacious bedrooms, a garage, perfect sized yard, and was inside my price limit. It was in the west end, but not a terrible part of town. Not exactly my ideal location, but still doable. But, I'm now happier living in the east end of town and feel more secure.
5. Look at the potential--but don't overestimate what you're actually going to be capable of doing. Obviously if this is your first home you probably don't have $20k to do an overhaul on the bathroom that is in terrible condition.
6. Consider the maintenance of the house and the yard. If you live in an area like I do, where we get massive amounts of snow, you probably don't want a driveway that is half a block long, nor do you want to be in a back alley that is the last to get plowed. The house I purchased is on a snow emergency route, which is great because it means my road is the first to get plowed when it snows. It also means the massive amount of snow that was on this snow emergency route will be dumped in my driveway. Think about the basic maintenance as well--will you need to get your oil tank filled? Will your house need a new roof in the next couple of years? Are there going to be any major street/road construction to which you will be subject to assessments?
7. My mom told me she heard from a radio talk show to "stalk" the neighborhood you are going to buy a house in. I thought this sounded ridiculous, until I looked at a very cute an adorable house with the little doll house charm and a gorgeous kitchen--with two GIANT Great Danes that looked in the upper level window from the neighbors' yard. They may be friendly animals, but the incessant bark is probably not the thing I want as a neighbor. I drove past this house multiple times, (Coincidentally it is just 1.5 blocks away from the house I purchased) only to once see a man in his recliner outside with beer in hand, another day a 4-wheeler in the front yard. This was probably not what I was looking for as neighbors. That house sat on the market for months after--I'm not sure if it was ever sold or just taken of the market, but I'm sure the neighbors had something to do with why the house wasn't selling.
8. No offer is too low--unless you find yourself in a bidding war. The first house that I was serious about, I called my dad right away to come look at it NOW. We called the Realtor and asked for an extension of our showing time, only to have the people who were renting the house walk through the door wanting to kick us out. After standing in the driveway mulling over what to do, I decided I was serious about this house and wanted to put an offer on it. My Realtor, myself and my mom drove back to the Realtor's office. While in the car my Realtor called the listing agent--and the listing agent said they had an offer on the table. My Realtor asked if they'd wait and we'd put in my offer. We wrote the offer--she hand delivered it and got to tell the seller all about my likeable qualities and how I really should be the one to get the house :)--and at 8:30 that night I found out I had just bought a house. The problem was, it really was more than I wanted to pay. The offer we put in was the asking price--$129,900. The house needed some work--new carpet, lots of paint and a whole new electrical system. The electrical was written into the purchase agreement that the seller would update it to code aswell as well as an I and I inspection. Anyways, my point is, because I felt the pressure that there was a deal on the table--I offered full price. Had I not, I probably would have lost the deal--and you know what? It would have been okay. If you're not willing to pay over a certain amount for a certain house--then don't offer that amount. Additionally, no offer is too low. If you get outbid in the process, it's really not meant to be. In the end I ended up not getting this house, for reasons I will state in #9. The second offer that I put on my house went much better. The asking price was $119,900--I offered $112,000 and made that offer based on the square footage. In the end we settled at $118,000--still more than I offered, but this was okay with me because I really felt that this house was worth it. It was in move-in condition and an excellent area.
9. Get a certified home inspection by a very reputable home inspector. My dad, a pretty handy man, didn't think a home inspection was necessary. After attending my FHB class and hearing the horror stories--I wanted an inspection for peace of mind. I am ever so thankful that I had an inspection on house #1. When I went to have it inspected, the inspector tore a panel off the basement wall only to find the whole wall, made of CINDER BLOCKS, caving in, to the point where he could take a brick out of the foundation. He also pointed out every little problem that may arise, such as wiring that had gone from the house to the garage, buried under the concrete driveway, that would eventually rot because it was not wrapped in conduit. Alas, when it came to having an estimate on the cost to repair the crumbling foundation, my inspector who just so HAPPENED to have his OWN side business in repairing foundation recommended that we use this special "stabling" method that ONLY HE DOES. This was a little shady, as this was not fixing the problem, but only stabilizing the wall. Needless to say the home inspection on house #2 was done by a different home inspector--who did an excellent job and didn't refer me to any of his services.
10. Don't be in a rush if you don't have to be. Take your time to do the research, keep looking at houses and make sure you even check out those that are for sale by owner!
Aphids
Back in April I bought a hibiscus tree that stands about 4.5 feet tall at Sam's Club. It was only $15.99, so I figured if I killed it while trying to emerge my inner green thumb, it wouldn't be a huge loss. Since April it's died and came back to life a few times, but I found out if I give it lots of water and lots of sunlight, just like the instructions say, it doesn't die! So since I had that revelation, I've coddled the blooming red hibiscus and made sure to prune off the dead leaves, give it plenty of water and keep it in the sunroom. The only thing that might have done harm in the sunroom, is the cholrine filled air from the hot tub in the room. Seemed to handle it just fine. I hadn't watered the plant since Friday because I was just so danged busy with working 30 hours on fri-sat-sun. Today I went to give it some water, and discovered some nasty green aphids covering two of my emerging buds. I put some dawn dish soap in a bottle and mixed it with water and was going to spray it on hibiscus. I dicded that maybe I should educate my self a bit, since my inner greenthumb has not fully emerged. I googled, "aphids on hibisucs" One website told me I needed to go find some imidacloprid and then get into my plant's roots before the aphids would settle in with their nasty black mold. Other sites told me chemical sprays can be harmful to hibiscuses. Then, there was this ingenious site that told me all I needed to do was give my hibiscus a shower. Well duh. Of course I should have thought of this. So I hauled the hibiscus out of the sunroom, set it in the front yard and sprayed it inside and out. Then I took the buds, held them in my hand and put the pressure washer setting on the hose and sprayed those little aphid buggers right off the buds. Hopefully this works for a little bit. I hope the hibiscus can make the move and survive in the new house!
I've blogged before in the past, but they all lasted about 2.5 days, and then I got sick of it. But yesterday at work I was reading an article in the news paper about a lady who started a blog about arts and crafts and it then turned into a blog about her soon to be ex husband, his affair and charges of molestation on their daughter. This blog really captured my attention as I read a while back in her posts. She is a great writer! I have no knack or talent for writing-- give me a math problem instead. But I thought, maybe if I had an audience that I was writing a blog to, like she does, I'll get into it. So I'm going to give this a shot, see how it goes, and hope that I don't abandon it after 3.5 days this time.
I was trying to figure out a catchy name for the blog... couldn't really think of much, so onto the URL. Well, I'm basically being torn between two states right now (mind you, they are only 15 miles apart, yet still, it's two states.) Live in one, work in the other. So I thought, WI and MN or... wimin! (like the word women?!) Then I stuck a little live in front of the wimin and came up with livinwimin... living in wi and mn, or living women, which ever you prefer. However, the more appropriate of the women one would be "living woman", because I am only one. So that's the story.
Quick intro; I lived in Minnesota for the first 18 years of my life moved to wisconsin for college, then last year came back to Minnesota to live, but got a job teaching in Wisconsin. Now just bought a house in Minnesota (close on 7-31, excited a bit much) but continue to work in Wisco once school starts up again in the fall. Minnesota Resident, Wisconsin Worker. Figure out that tax situation.
Speaking of house, I'm going to write the idiots guide to buying your first home because there have been too many things that I've learned that I never knew about until they blindsided me.
Anyways. The brother needs to be taken to the dentist and since the dad took away his car, that leaves the sister to bring him there.
Here's to making this last for more than 3.5 days. Cross your fingers and leave me a comment.
I was trying to figure out a catchy name for the blog... couldn't really think of much, so onto the URL. Well, I'm basically being torn between two states right now (mind you, they are only 15 miles apart, yet still, it's two states.) Live in one, work in the other. So I thought, WI and MN or... wimin! (like the word women?!) Then I stuck a little live in front of the wimin and came up with livinwimin... living in wi and mn, or living women, which ever you prefer. However, the more appropriate of the women one would be "living woman", because I am only one. So that's the story.
Quick intro; I lived in Minnesota for the first 18 years of my life moved to wisconsin for college, then last year came back to Minnesota to live, but got a job teaching in Wisconsin. Now just bought a house in Minnesota (close on 7-31, excited a bit much) but continue to work in Wisco once school starts up again in the fall. Minnesota Resident, Wisconsin Worker. Figure out that tax situation.
Speaking of house, I'm going to write the idiots guide to buying your first home because there have been too many things that I've learned that I never knew about until they blindsided me.
Anyways. The brother needs to be taken to the dentist and since the dad took away his car, that leaves the sister to bring him there.
Here's to making this last for more than 3.5 days. Cross your fingers and leave me a comment.
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