I've been waiting six years for my ex to refinance the house we bought together so I could get my VA housing certificate of eligibility back. That's the benefit that lets me buy a house with no money down, low interest rate, no closing costs, and it's 100% guaranteed so banks won't see me as a financial risk.

I'd been bugging him for YEARS to refinance, especially when he'd whine about how he couldn't afford the house payment, blah blah blah. Turns out he refinanced in August 2005 but never bothered to inform me of this so I could get that valuable piece of paper back in my hands.

I called him today to ask yet again how close I was to getting it back. My landlord wants to unload the house I live in since he bought it for investment purposes and the plans fell through. So I REALLY want that certificate back. This house is too good of a bargain to pass up, especially since the landlord only wants to get back what he paid for it. My ex told me that he refinanced almost a year ago and the certificate is freed up again. He couldn't have told me this 10 months ago? Argh!

That was the last thing that was getting in the way of my moving on after the divorce- the fact that he was living in a big house in the country that my benefits bought, and here I was not being able to invest in ANY housing.

It's a relief, but scary at the same time. Now that there's really nothing holding me back, what do I do, you know? I'm free to make the best decision or biggest mistake of my life now - becoming a homeowner and having something of real value. Yikes!