Well enjoy some creepy-good music from the game!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
7 Biggest Financial Mistakes
As a change of pace from my usual talk of bullshit and nothing that really matters, I'd like to talk to you today about something that will help you. You may not need this information now, but there's a few good tips here you should hang on to.
I'll tell you the 7 biggest mistakes to avoid in today's mortgage market:
Mistake 1: Getting a mortgage at all if you don't plan to stay put.
You can no longer assume you'll be able to sell your house at a profit in two or three years. Today, you don't want to buy unless you plan to stay in the house for at least five years and preferably 10.
Consider: The cost to buy a home is more than the price of the house. When you buy, you should expect to pay closing costs equal to about 5% of the value of the house; when you sell, you'll likely pay 5% to your real estate agent. And never mind all the money you'll put into maintaining the house.
So if you can't sell the home for at least 10% more than you paid for it, you'll be losing money. In today's markets, that kind of gain will take years.
Mistake 2: Not checking -- and fixing -- your credit.
A single late payment made during the past year can lower your credit score by 100 points or more -- and that could translate into an additional one-half percentage point on your mortgage rates, plus additional fees at closing.
So, check your credit report for accuracy and get any mistakes taken care of before you apply for a loan. Each report shows how to correct mistakes or submit an explanation for legitimate black marks that appear on the report.
Mistake 3: Getting anything other than a fixed-rate mortgage.
After years of adjustable-rate, interest-only, pay-what-you-want loans, the fixed-rate mortgage is cool again.
It's now cheaper to get a 30-year, fixed-rate loan than it is to get an ARM, and you'll be secure in knowing what your payment will be as long as you have the loan. There's no reason to consider anything else.
Mistake 4: Passing up an FHA loan.
Getting the Federal Housing Administration to guarantee your loan can help any homebuyer who has little cash for a down payment, a low credit score or too much debt.
FHA loans can also help current homeowners struggling to keep up with their payments refinance into a more affordable mortgage. Rules have been changed to make refinancing easier, and the amount of money you can borrow with an FHA loan has been significantly increased.
Mistake 5: Borrowing too much money.
This isn't as easy as it used to be, granted. Lenders aren't throwing money around like they were five years go.
But it's still easy to underestimate how much your house is going to cost -- to lowball taxes, insurance or condo or association fees, or the cost of utilities and maintenance.
This calculator can help you sort through all the costs and decide how much home you can afford. Then set your price range and stick to it.
Mistake 6: Getting just one quote.
Shop around and get at least three to five mortgage estimates. You'll be shocked at the differences among interest rates and fees.
Landing the best possible deal can reduce your payments by hundreds of dollars a month and avoid hundreds or even thousands of dollars of unnecessary fees.
This awesome step-by-step advice on how to find the best home loan will walk you through the entire process.
Mistake 7. Failing to buy down your interest rate.
Paying a point on your mortgage is like prepaying part of the interest on your loan -- you pay 1% of the loan amount up front, and in return, your interest rate is lowered.
In the past, paying one point on a loan might get about one-quarter of a percentage point knocked off your rate. Today, it might get one-half point, or even more.
As an example, let's say you want to borrow $300,000. Pay $3,000 up front, and your interest rate may be lowered from 5.25% to 4.25%, for a savings of about $184 a month. You'll recoup your initial cost in 16 months. Even if the rate only falls to 4.75%, it will save you about $90 per month, a savings you'll recoup in just less than three years.
Paying points doesn't make financial sense for everyone, but the return on investment has never been better.
And there you have it, folks. These simple notices should help you avoid these costly mistakes!
Mistake 1: Getting a mortgage at all if you don't plan to stay put.
You can no longer assume you'll be able to sell your house at a profit in two or three years. Today, you don't want to buy unless you plan to stay in the house for at least five years and preferably 10.
Consider: The cost to buy a home is more than the price of the house. When you buy, you should expect to pay closing costs equal to about 5% of the value of the house; when you sell, you'll likely pay 5% to your real estate agent. And never mind all the money you'll put into maintaining the house.
So if you can't sell the home for at least 10% more than you paid for it, you'll be losing money. In today's markets, that kind of gain will take years.
Mistake 2: Not checking -- and fixing -- your credit.
A single late payment made during the past year can lower your credit score by 100 points or more -- and that could translate into an additional one-half percentage point on your mortgage rates, plus additional fees at closing.
So, check your credit report for accuracy and get any mistakes taken care of before you apply for a loan. Each report shows how to correct mistakes or submit an explanation for legitimate black marks that appear on the report.
Mistake 3: Getting anything other than a fixed-rate mortgage.
After years of adjustable-rate, interest-only, pay-what-you-want loans, the fixed-rate mortgage is cool again.
It's now cheaper to get a 30-year, fixed-rate loan than it is to get an ARM, and you'll be secure in knowing what your payment will be as long as you have the loan. There's no reason to consider anything else.
Mistake 4: Passing up an FHA loan.
Getting the Federal Housing Administration to guarantee your loan can help any homebuyer who has little cash for a down payment, a low credit score or too much debt.
FHA loans can also help current homeowners struggling to keep up with their payments refinance into a more affordable mortgage. Rules have been changed to make refinancing easier, and the amount of money you can borrow with an FHA loan has been significantly increased.
Mistake 5: Borrowing too much money.
This isn't as easy as it used to be, granted. Lenders aren't throwing money around like they were five years go.
But it's still easy to underestimate how much your house is going to cost -- to lowball taxes, insurance or condo or association fees, or the cost of utilities and maintenance.
This calculator can help you sort through all the costs and decide how much home you can afford. Then set your price range and stick to it.
Mistake 6: Getting just one quote.
Shop around and get at least three to five mortgage estimates. You'll be shocked at the differences among interest rates and fees.
Landing the best possible deal can reduce your payments by hundreds of dollars a month and avoid hundreds or even thousands of dollars of unnecessary fees.
This awesome step-by-step advice on how to find the best home loan will walk you through the entire process.
Mistake 7. Failing to buy down your interest rate.
Paying a point on your mortgage is like prepaying part of the interest on your loan -- you pay 1% of the loan amount up front, and in return, your interest rate is lowered.
In the past, paying one point on a loan might get about one-quarter of a percentage point knocked off your rate. Today, it might get one-half point, or even more.
As an example, let's say you want to borrow $300,000. Pay $3,000 up front, and your interest rate may be lowered from 5.25% to 4.25%, for a savings of about $184 a month. You'll recoup your initial cost in 16 months. Even if the rate only falls to 4.75%, it will save you about $90 per month, a savings you'll recoup in just less than three years.
Paying points doesn't make financial sense for everyone, but the return on investment has never been better.
And there you have it, folks. These simple notices should help you avoid these costly mistakes!
Monday, October 18, 2010
My Current Favorite Video Games
So let's talk about my favorite video games as of late!
I just recently got Lost Planet 2 for the PC. I've played through it on the Xbox 360 a while ago with some bros and it was fucking awesome. But I see it for only $35 on Steam and 3 other bros wanted to play it so hey why not? Support good ol' Capcom. And no surprise, it's just as good as I remember it. An over-the-top story with really fun gameplay equals a great experience.
Last for my list, I've been dicking around in good ol' Team Fortess 2 on the PC. What with the new, giant update with tradeable hats, items, and gifts, it's just CRAAAZY. A lot of people are whining a lot about how this is ruining the game, but they're just butthurt. It's still the same great game.
I just recently got Lost Planet 2 for the PC. I've played through it on the Xbox 360 a while ago with some bros and it was fucking awesome. But I see it for only $35 on Steam and 3 other bros wanted to play it so hey why not? Support good ol' Capcom. And no surprise, it's just as good as I remember it. An over-the-top story with really fun gameplay equals a great experience.
I've been taking a bit of a break from Halo: Reach but since it came out, I've been playing the shit out of it. Bungie definitely picked it up this time around (not very impressed with 2, 3, and ODST). However, they sure seem to learn from their past mistakes which is very impressive compared to some other game developers. Rather than list off all the features I'm loving about Reach let's just say I got a bit of a boner overall.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
BRAZ BRUE CONTINUUM SHIFT
I don't play fighting games much, but this one is p fun. The fact that I play with bros is probably what makes it fun - just dicking around kicking ass and not being a tourneyfag. I main Makoto because fuck yeah punch people to the moon also she's hot.
So what's your favorite character in the game?
Friday, October 15, 2010
What's Your Favorite James Bond Film?
We know everyone likes the Bond movies, but what's your favorite one of them all? I've gotta go with Goldfinger. The legend Sean Connery plays the best Bond to me, and of his time playing James I think he was best in Goldfinger.
Sweet mod for Half-Life 2
So I was cruising through my list of videos I've made on youtube and thought I should show you all this little gem. It's basically a hilarious little mod that replaces the rollermine model with the male_07 model.
You should check out my other videos I've made on my youtube channel too!
You should check out my other videos I've made on my youtube channel too!
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Spiral Knights: the best ever MMO is back again!
I've only just started playing the new version today and so far there's a bunch of new features like throwing deadly vials and collecting heat dropped from enemies to upgrade weapons and armour. And there's probably a lot more I haven't seen yet.
Yes
This is my amazing blog. Look at this beautiful space for me to talk about whatever the hell I want. Now if you want to see some of the entertaining and possibly lewd antics of me, then I strongly suggest you follow me and possibly leave some comments for me!
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