For earnest deposit, the seller will look at the size but only up to a point. On a $900k house you'll have to put at least $15k or $20k. More than that doesn't really convey any stronger message -- if the deal goes sour this deposit is at risk, but with a $50k deposit or so it's unlikely the seller will get to keep the whole amount and they know it.

Higher downpayment of course shows that you are financially stable and not someone who is stretching.

Does Arlington county do annual inspections of family day care home providers? Are those reports available online?

Except for references and a personal visit, are there any other ways to see if a home provider is any good?

I don't think you should try to save money... DH should find a new job.

Definitely talk to a lawyer. By the way, looking up applicants on Facebook can expose you to a host of legal problems. For example, you now know the age of the applicant and that he/she has small children. What if you had found out that he/she is handicapped? Gay? Unmarried/married?

Those are all factors that you can not take into account when making a decision, but you now have access to. Legal minefield.

Anonymous wrote:Brielle is the one that cracks me up. It sounds like cheese, but it is also in NJ. Probably not my first choice. Just saying.

Just so you know, Brielle is a city name in the Netherlands; a city with a very rich history. It received city rights in the 1300's.

If it's at all helpful I know one in north New Jersey, a personal friend. But obviously that's quite a drive.

It is of course a personal decision, and for some people a longer commute might be fine. However, for the average human a long commute will contribute negatively to happiness.

Here's nice article from 2004, "Stress That Doesn't Pay: The Commuting Paradox": http://ideas.repec.org/p/zur/iewwpx/151.html

"People spend a lot of time commuting and often find it a burden. According to economics, the burden of commuting is chosen when compensated either on the labor or on the housing market so that individuals’ utility is equalized. However, in a direct test of this strong notion of equilibrium, we find that people with longer commuting time report systematically lower subjective well-being."

In a data set spanning 14 years, we study whether commuters are indeed compensated for the stress incurred, as suggested in economic models. If this is the case, we should not find any systematic correlation between people’s commuting time and their reported satisfaction with life.

Our main result indicates, however, that people with long journeys to and from work are systematically worse off and report significantly lower subjective well-being.