thanks, I actually spent most of today bugging people to figure out how much cash I’m gonna need at the bakery...
Anyway, ladies, I finally tracked down the spot that makes those little cakes from the photo... The bakery is over in Ann Arbor, and a slice runs me about $3.25—honestly, they're killer...
Alright, thanks... I'll follow up with them to get the full scoop, but if anyone knows someone besides Vincek who actually does decent work—not just the mediocre stuff—let me know...
I mean, it can't be true that Vincek is the only one in New York City capable of pulling this off... It’d be awesome if someone here could chime in—ideally someone who’s actually dealt with those kinds of wedding cakes before...
Anyway, ladies, any idea how much dessert I should realistically order for a crowd of 120?
And uh... how are you planning on getting it into the city? Are they doing delivery or are you driving it in yourself?
Monica, do you have any idea what things cost over there? Daniel Smith8, is everyone actually doing that now? I've been wanting this forever, and I recently stumbled upon this photo of a super chill, low-key wedding—definitely my vibe... but looking at these prices, it feels like the whole thing is gonna cost way more than the actual cake.🤷
Chris Sanchez11 said:Thanks. 🙂 Here's the kicker, though: that was actually a fake cake. 😬Just sponge cake and frosting. I served cupcakes on the plates instead. Basically, three different flavors to represent the three layers of the one we cut—like vanilla bean, Black Forest... 🤔kill me if I'm wrong on the third one, I'm not exactly a pro baker, I just know what tastes good. 😬The decor turned out great. Each flavor had its own little vibe, and honestly, everyone loved them. Highly recommend. 🙂
Any chance you could post a photo of those "cupcakes"? This "fake" one looks pretty great to me
Does anyone know someone who does stuff like this? http://lh3.ggpht.com/_TKLYTmaiMLY/Ss...gdalena078.jpg (Or is this something you can just get made anywhere?)
I didn't close out my credit line, but I am still carrying their bridge loan... There’s already an entire thread dedicated to USA, so you might want to go give that a read.
graniteharbor7 said:So I was looking at my numbers over at Wells Fargo, and honestly, what my wife just worked out is absolutely terrifying! After checking with JPMorgan Chase, it turns out if I went with them under the exact same terms, I’d be paying off twenty grand less in the long run.
I tried showing her the article right from their own website, but she just kept making excuses, insisting that management had rolled out these new terms, BUT (get this) she claims she can't even show them to me or print a copy because she isn't sure if she's actually allowed to!
She got me so worked up with all that nonsense that I almost lost it and...
Anyway, I’m going to call Wells Fargo back and try to deal with a different agent to see if I can strike a better deal, just to see how a different person handles the conversation.
Look, graniteharbor7, I swung by their branch yesterday... right at the door, I asked if there were any changes to the loan terms compared to last year... three different people told me there were. Then I asked if I could grab a copy of those terms to look over at home, and they handed them over immediately—they even gave me some extra paperwork about credit insurance instruments... I just said thanks and walked out, easy peasy. So I have no clue why that lady wouldn't give you the terms or why she's playing dumb about whether she's allowed to.🤷 Were you at Heinz's?
And yeah... it's true they introduced deposits, and it's not quite what I thought it was going to be. From what I gather, that deposit gets applied to your home savings account, which then earns dividends and interest... and later on, part of your loan gets paid out from that money. You should probably double-check that specific part (if you still care), but if the whole deposit thing doesn't work for you, then Vienna definitely isn't the place for you.
It’s not even that Donna Chase12 supposedly skipped the deposit—it’s more like nobody was even asking for one back then, since I didn't end up going that route myself...
Look, I get it—the rules probably shifted and what worked before might just be a bad deal now...
I might swing by JPMorgan Chase later if I have to run some errands anyway, so I'll just ask them about the updated terms while I'm there...
I’ve already laid out my thoughts on this a few times now... To me, it just makes more sense to pay a bit extra if it means actual peace of mind. And honestly, it’s not even a guarantee that a Vienna loan ends up being more expensive in the long run—that JPMorgan Chase variable rate could absolutely skyrocket over a 24-year stretch. I mean, just look at what happened to mortgage rates over the last year; that should be enough proof for anyone. It feels kind of ridiculous when people who specifically signed up for a variable rate start whining about how "unfair" everything is or how banks are out to get them... like, you chose this path yourself. At the end of the day, you have to decide if you're actually willing to stomach that kind of risk and if the math works better for you. Like we've already established, everyone has different priorities. Mine? Security. At least some semblance of it, when we're talking about long-term debt.
honestly, she seems totally clueless and out of the loop—but if you've already got a better deal for 20k sitting there at JPMorgan Chase, why on earth would you even bother heading back to Washington, D.C.?
I went looking for my calculation sheet and I can't find it anywhere... looks like I tossed it... or maybe it's just buried somewhere since I haven't fully finished moving yet, so my stuff is scattered all over the place and honestly, I don't get what the big deal is... if you aren't feeling her vibe, just swing by one day and ask for someone else to run the numbers... the fact that she does it in another room doesn't matter—the software handles the math automatically, it's not like she's manually tweaking the program... I actually sat right next to this guy once and watched him work... and if I remember correctly, the system wouldn't even let him run certain calculations for specific interest rates—it didn't give an exact 17% or whatever, it just gave what the computer spit out... I don't know why it works that way, but that's how I recall it
just ask the lady for the paperwork (if she hasn't handed it over already) that lists the terms for the different loan types... as far as I know, they really do require a down payment for a 1:1.2 mortgage, whereas a 1:1.3 setup usually needs a co-signer... but hey, I'm just saying—I don't know if they've updated their terms lately... I took out my loan about 10 months ago
Look, Benjamin Barnes6... nobody’s questioning how much you know or anything else about you... I’m just trying to wrap my head around how much credit you actually pulled, that’s all. Alright, let’s break this down... The investor was paid $95,000. Out of that $95,000, $10,500 was actually yours—that’s your $6,000 savings plus the $1,500 from the CD and interest, plus another $3,000 in deposits... basically, the cash you put in so that when you added your savings, the CD, the interest, and that last deposit together, you'd have 10% of the loan amount ready to go. So, the way I see it—correct me if I'm tripping here—is that you actually walked away from the bank with an $84,500 loan. And based on the monthly payment numbers you gave me, I'm calculating that you'd owe the NFL about $121,863... so how did you end up with that figure over $132,000...?
Anyway, I used to have three different savings accounts over at Winston-Salem... I was pretty much done with the whole saving thing too... but I figured it made more sense to just use the cash for a house rather than messing around with those weird middle-man financing combos involving my existing savings, CDs, and interest. It just felt cleaner. Besides... a loan would probably be cheaper for me if I had a husband and kids to open accounts under, but I don't.😉
don't worry, I've got zero hard feelings here those deposit options were a complete non-starter for me—I actually managed to corner my guy over at Winston-Salem and walk him through the math. Based on my specific situation (which obviously doesn't apply to everyone), I proved it made way more sense to just put my own cash toward an investor and take out a smaller loan rather than tying up money in a deposit with them.
honestly, I don't buy that my current monthly payment would have been locked in at 19 years. They didn't hike the interest rates; they just stretched that specific rate model out to 20 years... which is whatever, I guess. Like, you don't *have* to go for 20, but the option is there if you want it. of course, I can't say that for certain since I haven't sat down with them lately, but I'm really skeptical about what you said—not that I have official info or anything, just a hunch.
and hey, no need to bail on the conversation... we aren't kids. We're just looking for info, and even though we've already taken out our loans, that doesn't mean we can't help someone else out by sharing what we learned.
I'm just trying to wrap my head around it... how much did you actually pull out? Was it $95,000, or was part of that a deposit? Or was it $115,000? I'm curious about the actual amount you took home. And I think if you’d asked Winston-Salem to run the numbers for three different people without any deposit involved, the whole scenario would have looked totally different. One more thing... when you calculated that lower return for the NFL, were you including the deposit in those numbers or leaving it out?
I seriously grilled them. The guy had to run calculations with deposits, without deposits, for single contracts, multiple contracts—this, that, and the other. I eventually sat down, compared everything, and hit him with a million questions. It took a good few months of all that back-and-forth before I finally pulled the trigger with them. In the meantime, I was doing the exact same thing with a couple of other banks that caught my eye at the time. For me, the NFL option wasn't interesting at all because of that 10% deposit requirement and the short repayment window. But for someone else, maybe like you, that might be exactly what works.
At the end of the day, it's just not right to claim the NFL is "better," because for some people, it isn't. Just like I'm not saying Winston-Salem is better, since it clearly wasn't the right fit for you. I'll say it again: their terms worked better for me and I stand by that. It's not about being proud or arrogant or anything like that... it's just the facts.
Hey Donna Chase12, when you were running those three comparisons, you really should’ve kept everything constant—same loan amount, same term length, and either zero down payment across the board or a flat 10% for all of them... otherwise, you aren't actually getting a fair comparison.
That’s exactly how I tackled it... and even though Chase or Wells Fargo might have looked better at first glance because of those lower paper rates, it ended up being basically the same monthly payment in the end. Plus, I would've ended up paying way more over the life of the loan with them than I did with my choice—and that’s assuming interest rates don't spike... which, let's be real, we've seen happen since last summer. Not to mention, they didn't offer the specific flexibility I actually need.
Look, if you truly think you landed a better deal... honestly, good for you. But it would be a huge help if you stuck to the actual facts and provided apples-to-apples comparisons when you're posting stuff like this... just for the sake of people who are still out there trying to figure out their own mortgage options.👍
I grabbed a loan back in April last year and honestly, there wasn't even an appraisal required... nor did I have to deal with any extra fees or those annoying prorated interest charges...
I’m honestly just looking for the actual math here... And look, I get it—arguing with each other is a waste of breath, but throwing around prejudices isn't exactly helpful either. We’re all supposed to be here to help each other out with info, advice, personal experiences, whatever.
Just wanted to vent a little on why I’m so obsessed with locking in a fixed interest rate... It's mostly about the peace of mind it gives me. Honestly, my life is already stressful enough as it is—it's already taken a massive toll on my health—and the last thing I need is to deal with a monthly spike in my mortgage payments... that kind of stress would absolutely kill me.
Benjamin Barnes6... I’m actually curious about the specifics here... did you compare loans across all of them without any deposit attached, using the exact same term length, and did you factor in those massive extra fees they tack on?
That's what I'm trying to get at... So, you pulled out $95,000—or is that $95,000 including that 10% of your own cash you have with them, meaning you actually only took $85,000? I'm a little lost on that part.
When you talked to Warren Buffett, did you ask for a calculation based on having 10% of your own money in there, or was it just a straight loan with zero investment?
Also... did you check what the fees look like at Warren Buffett? Because looking at your numbers, it seems like you're getting hit with some costs here. Are you dealing with an adjustable interest rate?
And one more thing... from what I can see... with the GDP, you HAVE to have a 10% deposit, and the max term is 15 years. With Warren Buffett, you DON'T need a deposit, the max term is 24 years, and they offer three different rate models.
So, do me a favor and give us a side-by-side comparison of Warren Buffett and the GDP using the same number of years, no deposit, and the exact same loan amount... then we can actually see the difference and figure out which one is actually worth it.