tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45647288851036758912024-03-13T05:24:27.587-07:00Jeffs ReviewsI review computer hardware and software, consumer electronics, kitchen gadgets and tools.
Almost all I know about computers comes from hands on learning on the internet on my own, no classes or college in computers. I have built a few computers on my own and do all the work for all the reviews I write, contacting the companies myself and asking for things I am interested in purchasing myself. I work hard to bring you my opinions of the things I review and hope you enjoy my writing.Jeff Gedgaudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16246529177912276376noreply@blogger.comBlogger96125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564728885103675891.post-85550628015271398752013-06-19T10:54:00.000-07:002013-06-19T10:54:04.736-07:00TV Series Common Sense and PredictabilityI love watching several TV series including the recent release of Falling Skies on Blu-ray but at times believe that the writers are just lacking common sense. One fine example is during the second half when the bad girl release a hostage to walk back to the fortified troops but the mech shoots the guy down in cold blood before he can stagger back to friendlies.<br />
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At that moment the white flag the girl is holding is no longer a flag of truce and I would have shot her through the forehead. As a matter of fact if I was the leader I would have instructed a couple snipers to take a bead on her and never waiver until she was out of eye sight, then when our guy was hot down, shoot her down in return.<br />
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Not a really great example as it does revolve around a specific plot but these types of scenes are frustrating but sometimes we do get our way, soon after this Tom does shoot the alien but he only wounds him, I would probably have shot him dead and see about consequences later. Just to make my point things writers come up with in TV shows does not always jive with what people would do in real world scenarios and sometimes its frustrating that they go so far from what common sense would do. <br />
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I just wish writers would think about what common people with common sense would do in situations and try to write plots and stories around that instead of working toward specific goals of plot and story. If they took into account more common sense and less plot points I think shows would be better liked and have more viewers.Jeff Gedgaudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16246529177912276376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564728885103675891.post-32719390957311151232013-05-26T09:32:00.004-07:002013-05-31T09:12:51.566-07:00Beware Any Email<br />
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You just cannot believe any emails you receive nowadays, problems with your credit card, failed login attempts fr your bank accounts and now dropping scores on your credit report. What will they think of next. I find it rather sad that people get infected computers and hacked accounts because they click on links in emails from scammers and people just out to ruin a good thing but ti can be prevented with some common sense and good software.<br />
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Common sense says that any offer that is too good to be true and any email that says they are from your bank, website account or any one else could be faking it and trying to get your account information or login passwords. The same thing is true for your software security and this is where a good security suite like <a href="http://www.jeffsreviews.com/kaspersky-pure-3-0-malware-protection/" target="_blank">Kaspersky</a>, Bitdefender or Trend Micro can come in really handy to block bad sites, stop malware and protect your accounts.<br />
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Don't be fooled into thinking someone has given you a million dollars for any reason and certainly don't fall for the scammers but protect yourself with a good antivirus and security suite as well. I have had no problems with both Kaspersky and Trend Micros security software and highly recommend both companies software.Jeff Gedgaudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16246529177912276376noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564728885103675891.post-15137592104902650332013-05-21T08:49:00.002-07:002013-05-21T08:51:28.977-07:00Work At Home JobsIn my work and with several emails I get all kinds of offers and many of them are for work at home type offers that are really nothing more than scams behind the face of a legit business opportunity. Sure signs that websites are offering nothing more than chances at making the owners richer and yourself poorer are simple, when searching Google and numerous sites with almost the same name but variations are listed a warning bell goes off such as PartnerwithTom.org, PartnerwithTom,net and PartnerwithTomreview.net.<br />
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Another sure sign is the numerous reviews of the same work at home or other internet get rich quick scheme that are available but form totally unknown sources that all seem like the same person reviewing his own product is very suspicious. The one that really clinches it for me with any website that I visit is I try to leave the website and get a popup that says Are You Sure You Want to Leave?, I run away clicking escape the whole way.<br />
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If a website actually has to work at keeping you there by using popup questions about wanting to leave they are not a good place to stay and you should leave. Nothing makes more sense than a website that begs you not to leave so you should do just that.<br />
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Work at home offers are numerous but very few are actually going to make you money without it costing you in the first place. Starting a website costs money and takes a lot of work but work offers that require you to buy a website package or other materials to start your job you should quit that offer and look elsewhere, it is not going to earn you money. Real jobs that pay do not require you to pay them first, jobs pay you not the other way around.Jeff Gedgaudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16246529177912276376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564728885103675891.post-67913683027151925822013-05-16T13:28:00.001-07:002013-05-21T08:52:33.736-07:00KickStarter Piecemeal Businness Funding I'm just amazed at the stuff, read crap, that gets put up on KickStarter and other crowd sourcing websites. Some of the stuff is good while others are just a joke but what really gets me is the ones where people are trying to nickel and dime their way into creating a business.<br />
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If you want to start a business then go whole hog and ask for the full amount you need or go home. It takes hundreds of thousands of dollars to fund a product from idea to final production and only asking for part of that is a sure sign that someone does not know what they are doing.<br />
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If you want someone else to pay for your little project that's fine but have a clue and find out before hand how much something is going to cost. If your wanting funds for a creative work you have a much better chance of having a positive outcome but if your working toward a product then get an idea of how much it is going to cost from start to finish to fund it.<br />
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Don't ask for a few thousand dollars to fund a product when that is only going to cover the first sample piece, you are going to need tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars for that first production run. If you don't believe me use the internet to search for it, you are going to be surprised at what you find.<br />
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To give an example that I found a die part for drinking cups cost about $60,000, figure out the math on how much it is going to cost to make molds or production equipment for your part based on that.Jeff Gedgaudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16246529177912276376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564728885103675891.post-72332663907608353582013-05-02T12:36:00.001-07:002013-05-21T08:53:10.466-07:00I'm BackThought I would try this again and see how things go.<br />
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Scams abound but nothing is more frustrating then getting so many emails with such terrible misspellings and bad language. Why do people try to pretend they are from a reputable company and can't even spell things like privacy policy or terms of service? Usually you can easily tell an email is fake by hovering your mouse over the links and looking at the actual URL that the link is going to take you to.<br />
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For instance we all know that PayPal is actually at www.paypal.com so if you have something like www.paypalsecure.com or www.paypalnet.com they are NOT the real paypal site so make sure you check this before clicking on those links.<br />
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Actually I never click on links in emails and always go directly to the sites from my browser, Google Chrome is my choice, so I know it is not a fake site.Jeff Gedgaudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16246529177912276376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564728885103675891.post-53315109415248930542010-04-14T19:49:00.000-07:002010-04-14T19:50:36.319-07:00Who Pays?If your car has automatic parallel parking and it backs into another vehicle while automatically parking, Who Pays the Damages and Ticket?Jeff Gedgaudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16246529177912276376noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564728885103675891.post-84411085462455297622010-04-12T08:06:00.000-07:002010-04-12T08:12:08.934-07:00Adobe CS5 is here, well almostAdobe Creative Suite 5 is almost here, Adobe is hyping its main features and new components as I write this. At Adobe they are constantly working to improve things but these are totally awesome, background fill in so you can remove things and the program fills in the background for you so you can move or remove foreground objects.<br /><br />A guy just selected a horse in a pasture, added background automatically and then moved/removed the horse with the trees and fence filled in behind the horse by the program with no cloning by the operator. Totally awesome tool called Content Aware Fill In.<br /><br />More later as the launch of Adobe CS5 continues.Jeff Gedgaudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16246529177912276376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564728885103675891.post-9927651772963767082010-04-04T05:56:00.000-07:002010-04-04T06:04:09.366-07:00iPad, All The HypeI have been following all the hype and hoopla about the release of the Apple iPad and snickering in my own private way.<br /><br />While as a techy I have envied those that did receive one and would really protect and cherish it if I did get one for reviewing you gotta love the guys that did get one and tossed it around. PCWorld went so far as to stress test one and uploaded the video to their site which you can see here: <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/193388/apple_ipad_stress_tests.html">Apple iPad Stress Test</a>.<br /><br />I think those that are buying it only because its the next best Apple or just expensive product need to have their head examined by a professional but it does have its uses. But a product that can go so bad so quickly on more than one occasion does make one think that it may not be the great thing Apple is pushing.<br /><br />David Letterman couldn't get his to work right live on his show and even a few drops onto carpeting is enough to start the RMA process for repairs. I won't even get into washing the coffee off the iPad or the baseball, Apple aficionados may not want to watch the video.Jeff Gedgaudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16246529177912276376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564728885103675891.post-66447014022682492902010-03-29T09:04:00.000-07:002010-03-29T09:08:50.525-07:00Sony takes back feature they sold as part of PS3Sony once sold the console system PlayStation 3 as "It Only Does Everything"<br /><br />Now it seems they are taking back this little promise by removing the Install Other OS feature with the next update coming in April 2010.<br /><br />Sony should be wary of doing things like removing features that people use as this is a direct violation of features they marketed their product for when they sold it. It's a class action lawsuit waiting to happen in my opinion.<br /><br />Why would you remove a feature from a product when it was part of the marketing and sales campaign when you first started selling it.<br /><br />Cut off the nose to spite the face comes to mind.Jeff Gedgaudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16246529177912276376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564728885103675891.post-45299374018082689412010-03-18T14:46:00.000-07:002010-03-18T15:10:08.299-07:00Starting up again & IPodMeister.comI thought I would start up my Blog again and see if there is anyone listening.<br /><br />I just received an interesting email and wanted to share it, this is an advertising type release from ipodmeister.com.<br /><br />All you do is send them a few hundred CD's or DVD's and they will send you an iPad. Sounds simple right? They are making a fortune at this I am sure.<br /><br />It' all in the math, 220 unscratched CD's or DVD's will get you an iPod Nano 8GB with AM/FM radio. You send them 220 store bought CD's or DVD's with jewel case or DVD case and they will send you an iPod.<br /><br />Now lets do the math and see if you really want to do this or head directly to your local music store to cash in there.<br /><br />220 used CD's at lets say $1 a piece will net you $220 for a trade in. I have traded CD's for more than this and several DVD's for much more, $3 to $5 for current ones. But for simplicity we'll stick with a nice round figure of a plain dollar.<br /><br />A new iPod Nano 8GB costs about $125-$130 from the many places you can purchase them and we will be generous with the top figure of $130.<br /><br />Add a few dollars for shipping and handling, say $15 and the site that offers this great deal is making about $75 or more.<br /><br />$220 trade in value-$130 cost of iPod Nano+$15 S& H = Profit of $75<br /><br />Any more they can sell their CD's or DVD's wherever they are selling them at makes them even more money. I have seen a local buyer of DVD's and CD's easily pay me cash in hand $3 to $5 a piece for discs as long as they are in good shape. At $2 a piece for someone to buy my good CD's would net this website $295, not bad for having a store somewhere selling used CDs and DVD's with a few minutes of handling and shipping in between.<br /><br />I recommend you go to your local used music store and cash in those CD's & DVD's without the hassle ans fuss of shipping. I have heard of several reputable stores that easily pay cash or simple checks for even slightly scratched CD's and DVD's.<br /><br />Everything you are told is not always the good deal it sounds like so think hard before jumping into so called deals.Jeff Gedgaudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16246529177912276376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564728885103675891.post-35311917470917366342009-08-21T20:39:00.000-07:002009-08-21T20:47:28.161-07:00Moving INWe are almost done moving in, but not quite there. <div><br /></div><div>We are almost out of our old home and have to clean it this weekend as well as move the last of our outdoor stuff, potted plants and things like that. Cleaning won't take long but we also have to move our stuff out of a storage unit. We were storing things in anticipation of moving and also have to move that in, not much room for it though upstairs. <div><br /></div><div>Our garage is great, but needs work, and will fit most of the outdoor stuff and bikes as well as our collection of junk that we have collected over the years. My wife is really into crafts and has her own craft room and will have her stuff in the basement when we get to unloading the storage unit which has a good amount of her things in it. </div><div><br /></div><div>We also have a couple of bench seats from our vans and other stuff that will also fit in the garage which is big. There is room for two vehicles as well as all our stuff once we get things organized. We will have to do some extensive work on the garage and have already started on the house with rewiring and fixing all those small things. </div><div><br /></div><div>We will move the washer and dryer from the kitchen to the upstairs room that my wife is using for her crafts that was an upstairs apartment kitchen. It is perfect for her craft room as it has a sink and the power for her stuff that a kitchen would need for appliances. I am also going to be doing some work on the roof with adding vents and repairing siding but nothing real exciting. </div><div><br /></div><div>I am really tired and have much more work to do. I'll write back soon.</div></div>Jeff Gedgaudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16246529177912276376noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564728885103675891.post-13906945205886971722009-08-15T16:42:00.000-07:002009-08-15T16:45:39.615-07:00Our New HomeWe closed, now its time to move. We spent yesterday worrying and waiting for 2 and went to closing, it was quick. <div><br /></div><div>After signing about 50 times we then left and picked up our son and started moving, cleaning and packing. We have spent the day moving and cleaning and will start on the big move, lots of boxes and furniture. My office will wait till Thursday as our phone and internet will not be in till Friday so that will probably be the last stuff, maybe. </div><div><br /></div><div>Well, we have more stuff to move and pack away.</div><div><br /></div><div>Happy day...</div>Jeff Gedgaudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16246529177912276376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564728885103675891.post-85138922953882732322009-08-13T15:34:00.000-07:002009-08-13T15:35:42.775-07:00We are finally closingWe finally have our closing date for Friday. All the paperwork is in and we would have closed today but the title company doing our closing only has tommorow available. Yeah, we can finally pack up our house and move the whole four blocks.<div><br /></div><div>It's going to be a busy weekend.<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Jeff Gedgaudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16246529177912276376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564728885103675891.post-89884139238227133512009-08-07T07:51:00.000-07:002009-08-07T07:59:29.931-07:00Continuing to waitWe are still waiting on some paperwork, apparently the seller cannot find the power of attorney or some such.<div><br /></div><div>While this would be no big deal we are a bit mad as Michele had taken a week off of work, vacation, that has mostly gone to waste. Two of the days we sat around and did a little packing and cleaning here but Michele did get to go back to work for a few days. The problem is that when we do close she will not be able to take vacation as she works at a daycare and scheduling days off is a bit tricky. She is in charge of her room and to take days off they need to find a replacement which can sometimes be difficult for the admin so she will probably not get to take <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">as many</span> days off as we would have liked.</div><div><br /></div><div>This kind of makes m<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">oving</span> in more difficult but it also is taking away from a lot of the fun as we wanted to do this together and now it's going to mostly be me and the kids moving stuff with her pitching in after work.</div><div><br /></div><div>I really wish the seller/realtor had not told us we had a closing date when they were not completely ready, that way we would not have wasted vacation time. </div><div><br /></div><div>This is just one word of warning to potential buyers out there looking at buying a home, make sure there is clear communication and let the sellers agent know you want a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">definite</span> closing date and that they have all their ducks in a row before taking days off from work.</div>Jeff Gedgaudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16246529177912276376noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564728885103675891.post-23209650481817504202009-08-03T19:47:00.000-07:002009-08-03T19:48:37.208-07:00Woops, a few days delay.Our closing is being delayed a couple of days while some paperwork goes across the state for a couple of signatures. We should be closing Wednesday or Thursday. <div><br /></div><div>Until then its wait.</div>Jeff Gedgaudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16246529177912276376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564728885103675891.post-50633333783557605502009-08-02T20:32:00.000-07:002009-08-02T20:35:37.820-07:00Closing Day and other nonsenseToday we close, well tomorrow but that is only a few hours away. We will have a late closing as there are still a couple of things that need to get figured by the powers that be and those lower ones like appraisers. After all that gets figured out we will go to close and the house will finally be ours. I will post a bunch of decent pictures on my website as soon as we get some tomorrow. <div><br /></div><div>I saw this on PC World and it is so appropriate:</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; "><strong>Law 1:</strong> Fix a computer for a friend or family member, and you'll be tech support for life. --Danny Allen, PC World</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">I just love these Tech SUpport rules.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">There's a bunch more but this one I find especially true.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Have a great week, mine will be the busiest of my life. </span></span></div>Jeff Gedgaudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16246529177912276376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564728885103675891.post-33326606525656386492009-08-01T15:28:00.000-07:002009-08-01T15:35:00.502-07:00Two days and counting, plus or minusWe are just two days from closing, as long as all the last minute things get done. They are right now finishing the roof after having rushed to the last minute to start. We are not sure why the seller waited till this weekend to tell the roofer to go ahead but they did and we will see if we have a sound roof over our heads when we sign the papers. <div><br /></div><div>We are not sure if the renter that was renting the upstairs is out as we did see him there today and he was supposed to be out by today but as long as he is not there on Monday that's fine with us. We do have locks and they will be changed right after closing. We will start doing things right away starting with locks and checking things out. </div><div><br /></div><div>We'll make a list of things we want to get done right away but the first will be the electric and taking off the upstairs meter. The house used to be a duplex but we are not going to keep it that way. Actually the only thing m<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">aking</span> it a duplex is the two meters and a couple of locked doors. </div><div><br /></div><div>The doors are simply going to be <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">left</span> open and the meter will go depending on cost. If an electrician can just remove that meter and connect the upstairs to the existing main service panel that would be great. I am hoping he or she can install a main service disconnect and I can work from there with the rest.</div><div><br /></div><div>We'll see how things go after this weekend with what we have and what we can do but we have to first close on the house.</div><div><br /></div><div>It is going to be a rough two days, closing will be about 4PM and it will be rough going through a full day just waiting around and packing some.</div>Jeff Gedgaudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16246529177912276376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564728885103675891.post-39194484701504375762009-07-25T17:36:00.001-07:002009-07-25T17:48:22.548-07:00Appraisal is DoneOur appraisal is done and we are good for our closing one week away. <div><br /></div><div>We got our appraisal and it looks like we are ready to go with the closing except for a few minor details. One thing we are waiting for is a survey that was being mailed from the current owner so we can see where the garage sits on the property. If it is over the property line we will have to do some more paperwork but the seller also owns the house next door that the garage would be on so we have no problems with getting ahold of them. </div><div><br /></div><div>We also have to get two things done with them, one is an agreement for the repair if needed in the future for the common sewer Drop Box that our home and the next door home uses for the main sewer line. Both homes sewer lines go out to the center of the yard between the homes and into a brick and concrete box then to the street. In the future if any work needs to be done on the box or main line to the street we will split the cost and we just need some paperwork spelling this out. </div><div><br /></div><div>They have also rented out part of the garage with the house next door and we need to come to some agreement as to how they are going to handle this as we would like to use all of the garage or get some kind of payment if the neighbor is still going to use the garage but that's just small stuff.</div><div><br /></div><div>One week and cunting, now for a few sleepless nights worrying and waiting.</div><div><br /></div>Jeff Gedgaudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16246529177912276376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564728885103675891.post-89560863424906238562009-07-18T09:38:00.001-07:002009-07-18T09:41:20.385-07:00We are closingSo far everything is going great on our home purchase. We had the appraisal and the roof will be done in a few days. The rest is all done like the underwriting and everything for the loan and insurance. We just need to contact the insurance when we do have a final close date and everything else will be done for the closing on our part. <div><br /></div><div>We are evry excited and anxious to start moving in, I really cannot understand how people who wait months to close can stand it.</div>Jeff Gedgaudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16246529177912276376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564728885103675891.post-44930363042121823542009-07-02T18:22:00.000-07:002009-07-02T18:25:22.816-07:00Negotiations CompleteWe just found out that the seller will do some needed repairs, reshingle roof, add vents and flashing, and we will purchase the home with other damages being our worry. As long as everything goes well with the reshingling we should be moving in sometime in the near future. <div><br /></div><div>Yeah, jumping up and down, rejoicing, you get the idea.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Jeff Gedgaudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16246529177912276376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564728885103675891.post-62763940042434791662009-06-25T14:01:00.000-07:002009-06-25T14:07:47.652-07:00Mortgage Details Complete, On to InspectionWe met with our banker, very nice guy at Wells Fargo, and have settled the mortgage stuff. 20% down 30 year loan, No PMI, No tax and insurance ecsrow. Low monthly payments and we deal with monthly or whatever for insurance and taxes since we will be putting down the 20 perent. <div><br /></div><div>If you can scrape, beg, borrow or whatever the money I highly recommend getting 20 percent of the home cost for a down payment. It leaves yourself in control with more options in handling your money as the monthly payments will be so much less. </div><div><br /></div><div>Now we go to inspection which is Monday, yeah, whoop, and jumping.</div><div><br /></div><div>We will get to see first hand everything that we can about why we should not buy the home versus what we will have to fix sometime in the future. That is really how I see the home inspection unless there is soemthing major like main damage to the roof that is only visible from the attic. Other than this kind of stuff we are sold on the home and just have to wait till the closing with a few more appointments and such. </div><div><br /></div><div>We will also be going to the insurance agent to get the insurance up and ready but not till after the inspection, one step at a time.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Jeff Gedgaudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16246529177912276376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564728885103675891.post-44597849762169023712009-06-24T10:47:00.000-07:002009-06-24T10:59:44.512-07:00Home Purchase and the processWe offered on a two story 2,000 sq foot home not far from our current rental. They accepted verbally and when the sellers realtor received a written confirmation we are going forward with the purchase. <div><br /></div><div>We must get with our banker and update our loan information with current payroll information and make sure all the mortgage details are settled on. We scraped enough money together for a 20 percent down payment which means no PMI, Private Mortgage Insurance, so payments will be less. </div><div><br /></div><div>We also need to get the home inspection taken care of which will happen on Monday, fun times. We will have to pay this out of our pocket as is usual for home inspections. A home inspection is important so you know any problems small and large that you should know about and have taken care of eventually. A home inspector will be experienced in looking at things that you may not know of or think to. Either the seller or buyers agent will arrange to open the door for the inspector and I plan to be there to watch, check out any problems as he finds them and do some measuring.</div><div><br /></div><div>We also need to get to our insurance agent and start home owners insurance, but with the 20 pecent down payment we may be able to deal with this on our own instead of having to deposit monthly payments into an escrow account. We will find out from our banker if we are required to deposit monthly into an acocunt to pay the insurance and taxes or if we can deal with this on our own and pay the insurance and taxes ourselves.</div><div><br /></div><div>These are the first steps when a home offer is accepted: loan and mortgage with banker, insurance and home inspection.</div><div><br /></div><div>After this it will be up to the banker to arrange the appraisal and other things. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Jeff Gedgaudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16246529177912276376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564728885103675891.post-68566067465874733762009-06-22T18:20:00.000-07:002009-06-22T18:28:32.390-07:00Another Offer (and this one looks promising)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8hrSbEfi_bw/SkAuTCuuxMI/AAAAAAAAABo/ooiYiLEIIbY/s1600-h/115+10th+copy.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8hrSbEfi_bw/SkAuTCuuxMI/AAAAAAAAABo/ooiYiLEIIbY/s320/115+10th+copy.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350327262001415362" /></a><br />We offered on another home, yeah. Better yet, they accepted. <div><br /></div><div>The house is an old one, older than me and my wife put together. But it has character and hardwood floors with enough rooms upstairs to have our bedrooms and an extra room as a craft utility room. <div><br /></div><div>The main floor has a living room, dining room and large kitchen with a bathroom on each floor plus another room for my office. Basement does need some TLC but we don't figure on using it other than to store plastic tubs, monsters and the boiler. The garage could fit about a half dozen cars, it looks like it may actually encrouch on the two properties. We may be doing some demolition work to get the garage down to a usable and decent size instead of a shop, garage, rumpus room and storage for squirrel nuts for a couple dozen critters. </div><div><br /></div><div>Now its on to appraissal, inspection and paperwork until the current tenant in the upstairs apartment is moved out.<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div></div>Jeff Gedgaudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16246529177912276376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564728885103675891.post-14691008402052946692009-06-08T16:53:00.000-07:002009-06-08T16:56:39.551-07:00Now I'm Pissed at MS and BingBing again hijacks users of Firefox by adding .NET framework to hijack the address bar of mozilla users. <div><br /></div><div>This is ridiculous and a sure sign that Microsoft has not thought through their use of a search engine as a simple device to enhance peoples internet use. They view it as a way to garner more users and frustrate users of other browsers as well.<div><br /></div><div>If you use Mozilla and type in something into the adress bar, not the serach bar, and it doesn't take you to an address but takes you to the Bing search page go here for the patch to correct it:</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://support.microsoft.com/kb/963707">http://support.microsoft.com/kb/963707</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Microsoft is really dropping the ball with Bing.</div></div>Jeff Gedgaudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16246529177912276376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564728885103675891.post-43309012251654114512009-06-03T08:21:00.000-07:002009-06-03T08:27:47.661-07:00Bing goes to far,and I still don't see what the fuss is about.<br /><br />I was playing around with Bing and it changed my search engine when I opened it which I thought was something I did. But apparently I am not the only one who is saying this as well. Here's an article on <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/166024/microsoft_tries_to_force_you_to_use_bing.html">PCWorld</a> about the same thing.<br /><br />I usually use good old Google and wanted to check out Bing, which was not my default search engine. When I started using Bing it automatically changed my default search engine to Bing on its own and did not even ask me about it.<br /><br />I do not like programs that change main default settings on me without asking, this is bad for Microsoft if this happen by default to a lot of people as many will not like it at all. People want the choice and will go out of their way to use something else if the company tries to force a program on them.Jeff Gedgaudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16246529177912276376noreply@blogger.com0