I'm a homeowner!

So escrow finally closed on Wednesday, November 20th.  I also call it the day I officially went broke and will be poor for the rest of my life, but whatever, I have equity.  Equity is like a consolation now for liquid assets.  How do I go to the bank to collect on equity. 

The home buying process was the most stressful thing I've ever gone through in life.  At the same time though, it was relatively easy for me compared to some of the horror stories I heard from friends who have gone through the process.  It was only in August that I decided to find myself a real estate agent.  Once I met with Roxane and Amir form Rodeo Realty, the rest was history.  I started looking at condos right after my brother's wedding in September.  In total, I saw 11 condos.  I put my first offer down on the 8th condo back in October.  I got outbid and came in second and was crushed.  A week later, after a work trip to Seattle, I came back and saw the 11th condo and just went for it.  Boom!  Offer accepted!  My boss basically described the process like me buying a pair of shoes.  In fact I'm sure some women have take longer to invest in a pair of shoes than I did with this home search.  It was not that easy though, for the month that I was looking, I made it my life.

I won't bore you with the details of contracts, loans, and all the paperwork involved as I didn't go insane during the 30 day escrow period.  The only thing that got me to lose my mind a little bit was when I had to take money out of the bank to fund my escrow account.  During that time, I learned a couple things:
1. HSBC is full of morons in their front line who gives wrong information
2. HSBC does not allow you go complain over the phone to customer service, I actually need to go to a bank for that.
3. HSBC does not have your money.  I'm sorry, if a bank doesn't have a couple thousand sitting around in cash, that is not a good sign.
4. The USC Credit Union gives free cashier's checks.  
5. Wiring fees are EXPENSIVE...

On to Sherwin-Williams to look at color swatches!