Mortgage stress is still damaging stress

Any of you who follow my personal blog know that I am in the process of selling my house. The stress of owning a house was never the problem, it was the stress of paying for it. As a first time home buyer, I was completely clueless about loans and financing and all that stuff. I relied heavily on letting the loan broker and realtor handle everything. I just cared about getting the house.

Well let me tell you, no matter how odious a task it may be, it pays to learn about this stuff before you get involved in it. I had no idea about all the fees and percentages and penalties... it was an ocean of numbers I didn't want to swim in. I should have at least learn to float in it.

What I should have done was learn enough about mortgages to at least know what I was agreeing to. You may like to think your broker has your best interest at heart, but that's just being naive. Mine was a family friend and I still found out later that there were some illegal fees charged to me. Don't be a sucker. Do your homework before making such a huge commitment.