Decisions, decisions . . .

Broke down and bought a desk. I just couldn’t stand working like I was, trying to cram my thighs under the console table while arching my back out to reach the notebook’s keyboard.

I just can’t win. Now my ancient chair is too low, and it hurts my fingers to type. I can’t believe how sensitive I am about things like this – ten years ago I would never have noticed.

The desk is nice in some ways – it’s a compact model with cubbyholes under the hutch, which I’ve been wanting for a while as a place to store the digital camera and all the damn base stations that I seem to be spouting.

The desk’s biggest drawback is that it’s cheap. I only paid $200 for it, and that’s probably too much. Very cheap plastic veneers over cheaper particle board. One of the drawer runners broke while Dad was installing it. I don’t really like the desk, and under normal circumstances I would have spent at least twice as much. But I’ve decided (again) to buy R.’s house, and am furiously saving for a down payment.

Yes, I’m taking the plunge. And I quit looking at other houses, too. My next steps, which I’ll probably perform simultaneously, will be to get a mortgage and to find a real estate agent who can act as a transaction broker.

Now my biggest worry is my summer paycheck, when pay rates are lower. I’m going to take on as many courses as I can, plus maybe do some for a school in Florida.

More Driving . . .

I drove around for about two hours this afternoon, looking at homes I felt were in my price range – homes that are about ½ the cost of R.’s.

The bad news is that I only found one home I liked, out of nine I drove past. And that one was on a not-so-great street. A block up it’s a good neighborhood, but it isn’t so great where this one impeccably-maintained house is located.

That’s one of my three goals right now – impeccably maintained, good neighborhood, under $92K. Guess I need to re-do my wish list.

Tomorrow I’m calling a realtor in the afternoon. A student recommended hers, so I might as well give her a call and see what happens.

The whole affair is becoming quite tedious – I want a house to appear, like magic, without any intervention or effort on my part. After all, R.’s house appeared that way. Why can’t another house?

Now I’m working on a down payment. I’m mainly doing this by NOT buying things, like a desk. I hope I can have 11% by the time I’m ready to close in May.

Owning vs Renting

After several weeks of dithering I’ve decided there is really no way I can afford R.’s house. I could do it, but I would be stretching my dollars to the utmost, potentially risking my savings, which is the one thing I want to avoid at all costs.

Now my new quandary – do I want to rent, or try to buy something
more inexpensive? I made a nice chart, showing all the good stuff in green and the neutral stuff in yellow:

OWNING vs RENTING

OWNING	RENTING
Unlimited decoration	Limited decoration
Lots of space	Less space
Quiet	Not quiet
Better neighbors	Transient neighbors
Large financial commitment	Little financial commitment
Constant upkeep and maintenance	No Upkeep
Yard Work	No Yard Work
Big initial investment ties up funds	Little initial investment, funds available for other projects
Investment	No investment

What I’ve basically got here is a nest-or-fly issue. I can either put down roots, or keep my life fluid in case something better comes along.

Last night I was sure I wanted to keep everything fluid, but this morning I find I’m very depressed by that decision. I almost started crying when I realized moving home or moving into an apartment would mean curtailing my egging. There just wouldn’t be room in an apartment, and I certainly couldn’t do anything if I moved home.

Looking at Houses

Spent the afternoon looking at houses with Mom. We drove through several neighborhoods, and priced houses ranging from 95K up through 150K. I only found one I really like – it’s in the Historic District, and is 105K. It’s actually larger than I need, but I like it.

Once we made it back home I ran my life through a few more of those “How Much Home Can You Afford” calculators, and three of them said I could afford about 65K. The 95K house didn’t impress me – I think it will be hard to find anything at 65K. Then again, I’m not sure exactly how to figure all of this mess. They generally have a blank for all financial obligations and I’m supposed to fill it in. What is an obligation? Netflix? Car insurance? My semi-monthly sprees at Drugstore.com? I’m not sure what to count and what not to, so I’ve generally left that blank at $600, which is the cost of my car plus the cost of insurance. I actually spend much more than this, but I’m not sure what they’re asking for. I don’t understand any of this.

Another hair-brained option that keeps leapfrogging through my head is to purchase an extreme home. Maybe an abandoned warehouse or church or something. I’d like all that floor space, and would love to have a really unique home. Amazon.com has a book on lofts I ordered, but I think I’ll have to Google “extreme homes” tonight.

I’m also thinking about getting a new (used) car. Interest payments are low enough that I could possibly trade mine in and get a new car and still save $100 per month.

It’s time to get serious, and find professional to help, isn’t it? OK – Tonight I will research better auto insurance rates, Tuesday I will take care of my car, and on Thursday I will make an appointment to discuss a home loan with a professional. Or maybe I should do that on Friday afternoon, once I get my suit out of the cleaner’s.

(later) I managed to save about $300 on auto insurance. I should be happier, but the damn form took too long to fill out. I’ll purchase the insurance tomorrow, and notify my current company that they are no longer in the running.