Run, Eat, Date, Sleep

Happy Social Media Day! Besides having an interest in healthy living, we all  have so many other things in common. So what greater way to share those interests than share other ways we can all connect.

(All links go directly to my profile)

For instance, I’m officially addicted to Pinterest. When you find a picture of something you like on the internet, simply “pin it” to one of your boards. You can categorize your pins by “For the Home”, “Bedroom Ideas”, etc. I’ve found some really great home ideas…

I also found other people who absolutely love mason jars as much as I do!

If you’re on Pinterest, friend me! If you need an invitation, just let me know!

You can also find me on Yelp.

On Yelp, you can leave reviews for restaurants/bars you’ve been to, read reviews, and check out events going on in your area. I’ve yet to use this, but I imagine I will be using it quite frequently very soon!

Let’s not forget about Twitter and Facebook. Run, Eat, Date, Sleep also has its own Facebook fan page, so please like it!

I’m also on FourSquare.

I used to think FourSquare was a great way for stalkers to find you or know when you aren’t home, but I actually only check-in somewhere after I’ve left. But it’s also good to check FourSquare while you’re at an establishment to see if they have any loyalty programs for check-ins. For example, Arena’s in Lewes has a special if you check in 3 times.

You can also find me on SparkPeople, an awesome weight loss program!

DailyMile is also a really fun way to connect with other athletes.

I believe that’s all the ways you can connect with me! I’d love to have more followers, friends, etc., and I’d love to follow you too!

And now I leave you with some quick social media tips:

1. Always be positive. I understand the normal vent, but if you’re being a miserable person every day, you’re shown the delete button.

2. Social media is a conversation, not something you can just schedule and leave. I’ve gone to some seminars about social media where they advocate doing all of your social media “work” on the weekend, such as setting up blogs, scheduling tweets, etc, and then be set for the week. While I think this is a great idea, you do need to come back and respond to your followers, reply to emails, and have a real conversation with your followers.

3. Know your audience. I know a few mortgage professionals who only retweet news items targeted to Realtors. Only about 10% of my business comes from Realtors, so why target excessively to them? By the way, only retweeting and not thinking of anything to say in your own words is just broadcasting.

4. I’m a big fan of reading blogs on the blog’s own page, not in my Google Reader because I like to see the layout, the pretty colors, etc. If you’re the same way, go read Julie‘s post about the “Next Button”. It will change the way you read blogs.

5.If you’re like to know who your latest Twitter followers and quitters are in one email, subscribe to Nutshell Mail. They also send you a summary of all of your social media happenings. I personally like to know who my “quitters” are because I’ve reached the “twitter follow limit”, and I’d like to know who to unfollow so I can follow someone else who follows me back.

Since today is National Social Media Day, be sure to check out social media events like #tweetups in your town. If you’re in  Kent or Sussex County Delaware, I’ll be at the #tweetup tonight at Abbott’s in Milford from 7-10. Hope to see you there!

Instead of writing out every step of the mortgage approval process, this video explains it perfectly!

If you have any questions about the mortgage approval process, shoot me an email at runeatdatesleep @ gmail.com or leave a comment below.

Today was the first day in a long time that I’ve been able to sleep in on a Saturday. I’ve been working at the Y on the weekends since February. And today marks the first time I’ve ever blogged at a coffee/bagel shop.

The bagel shop and me go back to 1998. My friends and I used to eat breakfast here before school every day, and then I would buy a pizza bagel to have for lunch at school. Carbs, carbs, carbs! Ha!

Since I’m moving, I don’t have cable and internet at home, and I  needed to use the internet to sell some things on eBay and Facebook. Within five minutes of putting some furniture on Facebook, it was SOLD!

What a relief!

And I’m also putting some jewelry on eBay

Check out my listings!

I’m having drinks with a friend tonight, and tomorrow is a beach day with some of my favorite girls!

I really should just say this was a week not on SparkPeople instead of saying it was Week Two. I knew going in to this week that it would be difficult to stay focused, track, and get in the workouts. There’s a lot going on in my little world right now, and you’ll find out soon what it is. There were lots of dinners out this week, and I’m happy to say that I made semi-healthy, inexpensive decisions. If I wasn’t doing SparkPeople, I would have chosen foods that would have made me even more guilty.

These were my goals this week:

1. Drink at least 64 ounces of water every day- I’m pretty sure I did this without even realizing it. #win

2. Continue blogging at least once a day- I blogged 6 out of 7 days… #almostwin

3. Cardio 3 times this week. I have a lot going on, so I won’t be able to squeeze in too much.- I did get in 2 cardio workouts. Swim lessons for three hours followed by 750 yards of lap swimming on Saturday and 3 mile walk on Thursday night.

Obligatory gym picture. Did you know my hair is naturally curly?

4. Completely unrelated to weight loss, I’m aiming for cleaned out email inboxes this week for both work emails and my personal email. I have emails saved from 2008, so this is very lofty goal, but it will be a big relief.- Did not complete, but I did work on it and made real progress.

I gained 1.8 pounds this week, but I was up 4 pounds a few days ago. I consider this success considering I dined out more than I worked out, and I didn’t even track. But, I can’t even say this coming week will be any better. With more stressful events coming, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to work out or track this week either, but I will certainly try. So, total weight loss is 1.2 pounds over 2 weeks. Boo.

With that said, goals for this week are:

1. Continue drinking at least 64 ounces of water every day

2. Blog every day or have a guest blogger on days I can’t blog. I’m looking for guest bloggers! I’d love to have your posts about anything fitness or health-related on the blog. So just shoot me an email with what you’d like to contribute! My email is runeatdatesleep @ gmail.com

3. Do yoga at least once and walk twice this week.

4. Enjoy my time with friends and family.

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In other news, did you see I won Bailey’s giveaway for a new blog header, blog button, business card design, and logo? I’m absolutely thrilled! I’ve been wanting a blog makeover for a long time!

So what are all of you doing this weekend? I’m thinking a day on the beach is in order for me!

One of the most overwhelming experiences of your life will be purchasing your first home, but if you are knowledgeable about the home-buying process, you won’t feel so exhausted at the settlement table.

The first step to buying a home is to know what is on your credit report.  There may be collections or judgments on there that may not be yours or maybe they’ve already been paid off but still showing as unsatisfied on your credit report.  Most lenders will require all judgments to be paid off, so take care of those before applying for a mortgage.  Also, keep an eye on your score. The magic number these days is 640.  Good credit scores will save you thousands over the years.

The next step is to figure out what you can afford and set realistic expectations.  Your monthly mortgage payment, plus any other loan payments including auto loans, credit cards, and student loans, should equal no more than 36-percent of your gross pay.  Also set a realistic goal for yourself of how much you can afford to spend for a housing payment.  If you pay $1,000 in rent now, that equates to a home listed at $158,000 with a 6.5% interest rate.

Before applying for a mortgage, you’ll need to have at least two months of reserves in a bank account.  These reserves will show the lender you have some money set aside for “just-in-case” moments so you’ll be able to pay your mortgage in an emergency.  Two months of reserves equals two months of mortgage payments.  There are 100% financing options available to first-time home buyers, but having a down payment, as well as reserves, will increase your odds of securing a lower interest rate. Reserves are not necessarily required but they do show the lender you are able to save and that you have a stash of money set aside for emergencies so that your bills are paid if something were to happen to you.

Prequalification will be your next step.  Sellers will take you more seriously if you have a pre-qualification letter to show you can afford the house.  This document will be drawn up by a mortgage loan officer based on verbal information given to them by you about your income, assets, and debts.  He or she will also obtain your credit report at this time.  A pre-approval, on the other hand, goes a step further.  Your mortgage loan officer will ask you to provide verification of employment (paystubs and W2s) and assets (two months of bank statements).  You will then receive a pre-approval letter to be attached to a contract on a house you would like to purchase.

Next, find a Realtor you can trust.  If you have a found a realtor, continue working with them instead of calling the realtor on the sign in front of the house you like.   You need a realtor who will work in your best interest, and not for both parties involved.  Ask for recommendations from friends and family to see who they have used in the past.

It will now be time to make an offer on a house you like, so be prepared to play the offer game.  In today’s buyer’s market, make sure you ask your loan officer if you are allowed to receive seller’s help to defer closing costs.  Some first-time home buyer programs allow up to 6% help (USDA loans allow for unlimited sellers help), which can even help to buy down the interest rate.  Make sure you tell your realtor what you qualify for so he or she can include that into the contract.  With your contract, you’ll be required to put down an earnest money deposit to show you’re serious.

Once you have a contract signed by both parties, your realtor will send that to your loan officer to start the process.  Let your loan officer know which attorney (if you live in an “attorney state”) and insurance agent you would like to use.  The loan officer will order an appraisal, order title work, schedule closing with an attorney, and send in the application package to the lender.  Once the application has been approved, there will be conditions to fulfill, so be prepared to provide more information or paperwork if needed.

During this time, your realtor will be ordering a home inspection.  You’ll want to attend the inspection with your realtor and write down any foreseeable problems your inspector mentions.  Don’t be afraid to ask questions no matter how silly they may seem.  This will be your home, and you should know how everything works.

Closing day will be an exciting and stressful day.  Make sure you do a walk-through of the home 24 hours before closing to see if all agreed-upon repairs have been made and to see if the owner left the home in good condition.  At closing, be prepared to sign a lot of papers and hear a lot of information.  If your attorney/settlement agent goes through things too quickly, don’t be afraid to ask him/her to slow down.  If the owner did not agree to pay for your closing costs, remember to bring along a checkbook.  Read over the settlement sheet carefully and ask your realtor to help you understand any fees that might seem confusing.

When it’s all over, you’ll be handed the keys to your new home.  It will definitely be time to celebrate!

I am a licensed home loan originator in the state of Delaware. If you have any questions regarding credit, mortgages, or homeownership, please email me at runeatdatesleep @ gmail.com.

Playing a little catch-up here…

Kelly and I were bffs in elementary school, but when I moved to Delaware right before the fourth grade, we lost touch. But twenty years later, we reconnected on Facebook, and we both have our own blogs. Hers focuses on home decor and DIY projects. Check it out! I guarantee you’ll be inspired.

Kelly was moving to Austin, Texas the next week, so we made plans for a Memorial Day weekend brunch at Bridges in Kent Island along the Eastern Shore of Maryland where we could drink cocktails and marvel over the breath-taking views of the Chesapeake Bay.

I loved all of the detail and the colors!

I thoroughly enjoyed a Bloody Mary!

We also shared an order of calamari, and I ordered the Southwest Taco Pizza. We both left absolutely stuffed!

After I developed a nice, round food baby, Kelly invited me to spend the rest of the day on the boats with her family. The boats were actually in the Choptank River, the river I grew up from ages 2-9, and I never knew people boated on that river until this day.

There was also some eye candy around

We did some swimming, and some of the girls did some water-skiing.

It was such a good time! Thank you, Kelly, for inviting me to spend the day with your awesome family!

Happy Father’s Day to all the wonderful dads out there and to the single moms who handle both jobs with grace and awesomeness.

The fathers of my family

Four generations of Moores at my brother’s wedding.

My dad is one of a kind, that’s for sure. I can always count on him to cheer me up with a “it will be alright” and a hug. He’s been supportive of all of my lofty dreams and helped make them all come true.

He knows celebrity gossip before I do and even steals my US Weekly magazines before I can read them. In high school, my friends were really impressed that my dad watched MTV’s TRL.

He does a mean blue heron impersonation.

He’s taught me everything he knows about how to be a professional. He taught me how to multiple while I sat on his lap. He used to rock me to sleep by brushing my eyebrows with his fingers.

He’s the happiest in Disney World, and I think he’d live on the front porch of Tony’s Town Square Restaurant for the rest of his life if it were up to him.

Most importantly, he’s taught me that I should not settle for a husband who does not love me as much as he loves my mom.

Happy Father’s Day!