Throw me down, toss me up, stomp on me for good measure

I am about ready to tell these people to go to he11, but I want that house. They're asking us to switch over to a local lender, which in essence does nothing for us except bump up our interest rate. They're demanding it because they don't trust online lenders. I can understand that much (there I go trying to rationalize away what I'm feeling... try again), but honestly. It's a nationally known and reputable lender. If they'd done any research at ALL, they would have known that. But these..... wanted us to use one of 2 or 3 lenders that they recognized. Not only is that low, it's illegal. I'm sure they didn't know that, but their realtor sure should have. I realize that the contract states that they can ask us to change to a local lender, but it is beyond illegal for them to try to tell us who we have to go through. Hopefully, since we've been pre approved for well beyond the asking price by the same lender that they are using, the same amount but a higher rate than the guy we have now, they'll shut up and back off. supposedly, they met with their realtor at 6 tonight about it and she was going to point all that out. Mine was supposed to get all the info and call me, but I guess it was too late for her to call when she got the info. Means I'll get it early tomorrow. Honestly, I don't see why they should even be able to see who our lender is, let alonr give a flying rat's tookus. As long as you get you money, who cares who the lender is. I know that they were trying to ensure that neither of us were getting screwed, but if they force us to go local, we'll get screwed by at least half a percent on the interest rate. Hopefully, once they saw that it was a reputable lender and that we'd been approved by someone they trusted for the same amount, they let it go and accept our bid. We're up against a guy with pretty much all the same contract except that his has a contingency of him closing on his house. We have no such contingency or any at all. If they accept our lender, then it's our bid that gets chosen. Otherwise it goes to him.

The other joy was that I found out that there are vicious rumours at work that could eventually cost me my job if they take it up with the right people. They claim I have "spoken negatively about Christians."
Honestly, I don't care what your religion is as long as you don't try and convert me or rub my face in it. (I'm an agnostic spiritualist.) In the office, if religion in any way comes up, I'll quietly extract myself from the situation or conversation. If directly asked, my response is "I'm not religious." I have never spoken ill about any religion, belief or faith in the office that I can think of. Frox, I try to not get anywhere near those conversations. But this ijit has decided that since I'm not with them (the Christians), I must be against them. He or she has even tried to go to my boss about it, trying to claim that I made for a "hostile work environment." Thankfully, his reply was "I have never seen any such action or even any inclination towards that. I'll watch for it, but I don't believe that's her nature." But... If they try and claim it, I'll pull EEOC on them Religion's covered under that. So if they want to start crap, I can finish crap.

Apparently, the two of us trying to jump through all their stupid little hoops didn't matter. They chose a third contract we didn't know about. Oh well. Back to square one. Again. Then again, that's a pretty apt description of my life anyways, so why should this all change because I wanted it to? I'm trying so hard to keep upbeat, to not get irate, to be matter- of- fact, about this whole househunting thing, but, honestly, we've been hunting since November. Everytim we find something that would be absolutely perfect, there's always a catch, a glitch. I'm getting tired of it. Because of the oil boom out here, houses in this area are selling for the equivalent of what they would in Dallas. Yet, we're not getting paid Dallas wages. It's just so irritating to find something snd then discover a HUGE catch that knocks off the list, or fins something only to find out that someone snatched it up before it made it to market.This whole situation is a 180 degree turn for each of us: he's usually the one willing to wait until the right one comes along and generally won't get pissed, I'm usually the one to blow my top and settle after I've been looking for something forever. He's the one that's livid over losing this house, he's the one that's saying we'll find something and make it work, and I'm the one that's being fairly detached about it, I'm the one that's set my feet and essentially said "OK, now it's personal. If the real estate market wants to pick a fight with me over this, they just started a losing battle. Bring it on, [insert expletive of choice]. You wanna fight, let's fight." I'm not used to being the one to lead the battle charge, I'm more used to working in the shadows, but if I have, which it looks like, then I will. You don't tell me I can't do something. That just gives me the added incentive of proving you wrong.