I just got a call from the conveyancer saying that settlement has happened!

I was told settlement would be at 3:45pm today (as was the person I am dealing with at ANZ’s Mortgage Problem Resolution Centre) so we’re seeking confirmation from the ANZ’s Casino branch to confirm that everything has been finalised.

But for now I think I own a house!

Well the mortgage is nearly sorted, what a hassle it has been.

The saga to date has been rather taxing both mentally and emotionally.  I’ve had the highs and the lows, the convictions that I will and won’t get it and the stresses of the process.  But the end is almost in sight.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I had to make an unconditional offer on the house in Wiangaree.  Through some luck and having a very helpful father I was able to make the unconditional offer on October 23, 2008 and it was accepted.  I made the offer just minutes before someone else made an offer, and thankfully I got the house! Settlement was set to be on or before December 4.

A week later, on October 30, 2008 I received confirmation from the mortgage broker that I had been approved for the loan and that paperwork would be forthcoming.  Instantly the stresses that had built up (and the conviction that the loan would be refused) evaporated.  We decided to aim for settlement on November 7, 2008.

A quick call to the agent to confirm the date and the proposed settlement date was modified to November 10, 2008 as the vendors would be away until November 8, 2008.

No paperwork in the mail on Monday, November 3, 2008.

During the evening of Monday, November 3, 2008 the mortgage broker called me to say she had received a fax from the bank to say that the paperwork had been sent and that I would need to take it to the bank to complete it.  Everything was looking hopeful so far.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008, no mail.  I didn’t really expect anything to arrive, but I was hopeful.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008, no mail.  Strange, even from Melbourne the mail should have arrived.

Thursday, November 6, 2008, still no mail; but in the evening I got a call from the mortgage broker to say that the bank had sent her another fax and that the documents were sent via Express Post from Melbourne on Wednesday (I wish I ran a business that could fail to send important documents to a customer for two days).  We decided to change settlement to Friday, 14th November, 2008 as the bank would need 5 days to process the returned documents.

I arranged with a friend/neighbour that if the documents arrived on Friday they would bring them to me at work so I could finalise everything at the bank.  I also confirmed courier costs to ensure the documents were in Melbourne first thing Monday morning if required.

On Friday, November 7, 2008 I had the documents in my hands at around midday and had an appointment with the local branch to complete the documents at 4pm.  The local branch had also confirmed that, as long as the documents were completed by 5pm, they would definitely be in Melbourne on Monday morning.

By 4:45pm on Friday, November 7, 2008 the mortgage documents were signed and in the bank’s mail bag, ready to be sent to Melbourne.

During the morning of Monday, November 10, 2008 I closed one of my accounts at the building society and took a bank cheque to the bank so I would have enough funds for settlement.  I also banked a huge pile of coins that I had meaning to bank for a few months.  When I gave the teller the bank cheque I asked how long it would take to clear and was told it would take 3 days, leaving me a spare day before settlement.

Monday, November 10, 2008, no communication from anyone.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008, no communication from anyone.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008, no communication from anyone.

Thursday, November 13, 2008, I checked my bank balance and the bank cheque still hadn’t cleared.  I jumped on the phone and called the bank.  The person at the bank was quite helpful and told me the cheque wasn’t actually a bank cheque, it was just a cheque from a building society, as such it would require 5 days to clear.  I start stressing again!  I was then told they would transfer me to the “uncleared funds” section who should be able to help me.  The lady in the “uncleared funds” section was completely useless.  I explained the situation to her and she said “call us tomorrow and we might be able to do something”.  What the fuck?!? Settlement is tomorrow; “might” be able to do something tomorrow is not good enough.  I gave up on this line of questioning and asked to be transferred to the mortgage people.  My thoughts were that they could confirm that the loan was ready for settlement and that they may be able to assist me with gaining access to some of the funds from the cheque to complete settlement.  The guy I talked to was quite friendly about being completely unable to help.  As I had applied for my mortgage through a broker he was unable to access any details and could not tell me if it was ready to roll.  I started asking him about the cheque to see if he had encountered the situation before and just as we started talking about the cheque I heard an alarm in the background.  He apologised profusely and said they were being evacuated.  I think my comment to him was “that’s cool, I know you’re not shitting me, I can hear the siren”.

At this point I was panicing about settlement and so I tried calling the “Feedback” line to let them know how my experience with the ANZ was going.  After a brief recorded announcement to make sure I had the right department, the phone was promptly answered by Tran.  She was VERY helpful and said she would follow up on the status of the mortgage and try to organise access to some of the uncleared funds to enable settlement to happen.  Finally, someone was being helpful.

I then called the conveyancer to let them know what was happening.  They told me the mortgage was ready and they had booked in for settlement tomorrow.  I called the feedback line back and asked for Tran and told her exactly how much I required of the uncleared funds and that the mortgage was ready to roll.

I am now sitting here, stressing, waiting for Tran to call me back to confirm my access to the funds so settlement can proceed tomorrow.

Here’s a quick list of who I’ve dealt with in this process and how I would rate their level of assistance:

• Aussie Home Loans, Lynette – Friendly and helpful, I’ll use her services again.
• ANZ Mortgages - Useless and slow, I will use another bank next time, even if it costs me more.
• ANZ Branch, Lismore – Either friendly and helpful or very stand-off-ish, I’ll happily bank there again, but wont expect much service.
• ANZ Enquiries Centre – Either friendly and useless or completely failed to understand my position, I will avoid calling them again and will go to a branch instead.
• ANZ Feedback Line, Tran - Very helpful – at least someone at that place seems to have a clue.
• Neilen’s Conveyancers – Stephanie – Very helpful, I’ll use her services again.
• Kyogle Real Estate, Terry Winkler – Relaxed and helpful, the least pushy agent I have ever met, but very friendly and great customer service, I’ll buy a house through him again.
• Greater Building Society – Friendly and helpful, If they’d approved my mortgage application I would be less stressed than I am now!

My Unistar Uni-85 chiller has been operating constantly since I connected it in late September.

The fan in it has now died which annoys me more than a bit, but such is life, when you buy something cheap you can’t expect it to last long.

I currently have a room heater (set on the fan only setting) blowing over the unit and it is maintaining normal temperatures.  When I move house I will disassemble the chiller and try to replace the fan.

Once I’ve pulled the unit apart I will work out if I would recommend the unit to others or if I think the units are just purely dodgy.

I spent the day packing ready for my move.  Here’s some photos of the box pile so far (excuse the quality, it was taken with my phone because the camera battery is flat and I already packed the spare).

The new shower (and boxes)

The pile of boxes

Another shot of the pile of boxes

Here’s the pics of the restyling of me.  Thanks KJ & Ash.

Not much else to say really.

The before shot

The Plait

Cutting the plait

Still Cutting

The plait

There goes the beard

Half a beard

Ash cutting my hair

The finished product

I’m heading up to Brisbane in the next hour or so to have a coffee with a friend.  She has told me she’s going to get her cousin to give me a haircut and get rid of my beard.

I’ll make sure there are some before and after shots, but this could be an interesting day!

I purchased a vanity unit on eBay the other day and that should be getting shipped here from Melbourne.  It looks really cool with a glass top and a glass sink on it.  I also purchased a heated towel rail from the same seller which will be shipped at the same time.

The light/heat lamp and fan unit I purchased on eBay arrived at work the other day and looks as though it is just what I will need for the ensuite.

I am still trying to sort out the best way to get the slate I want for the floor.  I have found some slate and the seller has located a transport company that can deliver it, but they do not have a forklift to remove the slate from their truck.  I am now trying to locate a forklift in the Kyogle/Wiangaree area; although I am thinking on of the ‘Walkie Stackers” would be better as I don’t need a licence to use them.