anindianinamerica.com

Let go from work this month. Another experience to share.

Well, first things first, you’ve got to know your rights. As usual, I didn’t. Got to read up on a lot after the d-day, though. Here’s my take. Correct me if I’m wrong. In Ohio, the employment is “at will”. What that implies is that you can walk out after handing in your two weeks notice. You’ve got to have a valid reason for leaving. What it also means is that your employer might just let you go citing any vague reason. Yes, they can do that. Not much you can do on that front.

However, when it comes to collecting your unemployment benefits this can be a problem. You register with the state’s unemployment bureau, and they ask you a bunch of stuff like when did you get fired, what were the reasons behind your dismissal, which coworkers did you beat up heh heh and so forth. All this in under 15 mins online. Sweet. Oh btw, you should do this the day you get fired/laid off etc. The processing takes time and you’d be better off applying early and having your check come in before you get hit withthe bills. The bureau has heard your side of the story, they did ask for details. Then they question the employer and match up the tales. They need to figure this out and then either your check can come in or they apologize and say it’s your fault and that they’re not going to pay you. Yes, that can happen.

The unemployment benefits do not apply to people fired with “just cause”. So, if your employer can come up with something that justifies his/her stance on your being fired - the bureau backs them up. And, realistically there’s not much you can do anyways. The employer’s always better off in these cases.

Now, if you were laid off due to the recession, or that you’re not a Caucasian and you feel that you were discriminated against - you’ve got a shot. Again, it all depends on the bureau’s mood. With the inflation surging even to 7.8% here in Ohio, and the dept. being so underfunded, the fed would have to step in and foot the bill yet again. You see where I’m going with this, right?

So, bottom line - face the reality. You’re expendable, even when you think otherwise. Keep that resume sharp, and your contacts fed. Networking is the key, mooch up to that accounts manager, send some non-threatening chocolate basket the HR/Project Manager down at Chase’s or even brown nose up to the IT Manager with some inexpensive gifts from thinkgeek.com or yugster.com. Go out drinking with the bosses after work, shoot your mouth off sometimes and let them think that they’ve got some dirt on you - makes them feel invincible, keeps you in the green. Pays off in the long run. Great advice which I can’t seem to follow. So, not a brown noser by nature and not intending to become one, here I sit late at night having shot off yet another resume, another follow up, chasing another lead that’ll get me the elusive jump I’m looking for. Hey, got the house, now to get the job to pay for that house. C’est la vie. And yes, it goes on.

10 Home
20 Sweet
30 Goto 10

(The date should read July 1) Found our home. We went through 50 odd houses and chanced upon a community that had the “home people” building… well homes. It struck me when I glanced at the price. These homes were about the same price as a 10 year old house. The only difference would be that this is a new build - meaning new community, new people, new everything. No mature trees in sight. Sheesh. Hey, I’ll get over it.

A friend brought this to our attention and he and his wife also “finally” decided to buy a home opposite ours. We both got our referral commissions, and that’s where it beings to get nasty. Heh heh. MP sorry dude, but since we’re on the other “side” of the road, we got a further discount, and the full basement requirement. Heh heh. Anyways, we liked the place and the only hitch with this parcel of land is that it’s almost 200 feet from the railway lines. Thats probably why they let it go cheap. But, I have to say that the both of us grew up around railway lines and are really accustomed to the sound, it really isn’t a bother. And, that’s when we’re outside. There would be the odd 2am train, but we’re ok with that. We even stayed out there a couple of days to get an idea of the number of trains crossing us.

Alright, now to the heart of the matter. The economy’s sliding downwards due to the mortgage issue. Thats’s good news for us - buyers. We signed off on some papers with an independent mortgage company. Word of caution - you don’t need to be pushed onto a mortgage agent by anyone, including the seller. You can pretty much walk in to the firm of your choice and ask to be represented. If you go by the seller’s agent, there’s commission involved. The agent then checked out our credit score (they do that with everything you need to purchase that’s pricey). By God’s grace, we were approved.

The interest rates fluctuate a lot, and the best we could get was 5.75%, which is a great rate when I asked around. You have the option of buying a point, which can bring your interest down to 5.50%. We didn’t, as we saw that it wasn’t worth the investment. You have to ask the agent to show you simulations and scenarios. Based on my experience, I would recommend multiple sessions. I got a good agent, who would sit me down every time I had a question and explain it to me. Let’s face it I wasn’t the brightest in my class. I had to have that woman help me understand simple terms multiple times. If the agent gets mad or finicky, you have the option of walking away before you’ve signed any legal papers.

We went on a short vacation after having signed off on the house, it’s look and feel, the interiors - all for $1200. That’s right. We didn’t bring any money to the table. As of Sept. 30, 2008 a law was passed that would prevent just such a thing. We were the last ones approved.

When we got back, we went to the agent, signed some more papers. There were some addendum, and they were approved as well. The day we got all the stuff approved was the day the construction began. 45 days later the structure is up, with plumbing and electrical. It’s good if you can go in every other day during lunch break and take pictures of the build. Not only is it a keepsake or memory, it’ll come real handy if you’ve seen some piece of wood that’s not kosher with you - you can send in the picture and have your contractor replace it.

2 years in the country and now an owner of a house. All in all, a good beginning.

(The date should read June 6, 2008) Well, I’ve done it again. Procrastinated blogging for a couple of months. It’s not as if there hasn’t been anything to write about. There’s the freak snowfall we had on the 8th of March which dumped in around 20.4 inches of snow - blizzard velocity winds whipped up snow drifts to bury a “little person” - being PC and all. Vehicles spinning on the icy streets made for an entertaining Saturday. And, of course, we were both thrilled at the prospect of building our snowman, making snow angels and just plain throwing snowballs at each other. Then, the snow melted and left chocolate slushies for the cleanup crew.

A fellow colleague was let go in January, and another resigned a month ago. Incidentally, both landed jobs supporting the law enforcement departments of Ohio and S.Carolina.

Then there was the unofficial get together of past & present employees of the company I work for. Oddly enough, not one good word in for the firm. Aah, nostalgia.

We’ve begun our search for a home. We’re focusing on a certain area as the communities there are looking up and are safe. School districts are important when searching for homes. A lot depends on which district you fall under. The annual taxes are a direct reflection of the quality of life represented in those communities.

Even though it’s just for the two of us, we’ve been advised against buying a 2-3 bedroom house because it would not have a good resale value. Even though we’re not planning on selling the house anytime soon, it’s a good piece of advice. The typical American family is looking for a good deal on a 4 bedroom, 2.5-3 bathroom, 2 car garage, 2500sq.ft house with a yard in a decent location. So, owning one would drive them to you in herds.

The corner lot houses’ owners have a lot of yard work ahead of them the whole year round. Mowing the lawn, raking the leaves, and blowing the snow from off your responsibility is certain for every house owner, but the corner lot houses have it bad.

Once you like a house, you’d have to visit it at least 3-4 times to really get a feel for it. Sometimes, structural defects are visible on the first visit and sometimes it takes more views to get you to realize that your dream home might actually be an investment quicksand.

Cul-de-sacs are great if you don’t do much entertaining - limited parking space, and your neighbors - as nice as they can be - might not be accomodating all the time. The backyards on these babies, especially if they have a privacy fence up, is simply beautiful. It’s amazing what you can do with it.

Some of the things we’re looking for:

We’d like something with a big yard. Trees, shrubs would be a plus.
The plot should be rectangular. No corner lots.
It shouldn’t be on any main road, we’d not like people speeding by - on either sides of the house
We’re not looking for a ranch type house
A finished basement would be a plus
The house shouldn’t be over 10 years old
A well maintained house, one which wouldn’t require too much of our time in cleaning or sprucing it up.
Easy access to the main roads in the city
We’d have to check the neighbors’ background
A 4 bedroom, 2.5 and up bathrooms, a minimum of a 2 car garage
Ample parking space for our weekly visitors - read minimum of 2 cars and a maximum of 6 cars
No big trees in close proximity to the house, fear for the foundation
Certain builder are better than others.
Not particularly looking for foreclosure houses, but we’re open to select good ones
If we needed to sell it after 7-8 years, we’d like to be able to - good community.