Get Notified Of Future Updates
Tuesday, August 20, 2002
I've been a Florida resident for just slightly more than a month and a half, and I'm thinking about buying a house. Well, maybe I'm a wee bit beyond thinking about buying a house. I've actually gone as far as picking a house to buy. It's for sale and everything. Call me crazy.
Before I even signed a lease to rent an apartment--after looking at more than a dozen different apartment complexes--I toyed with the idea of buying, but I figured it'd be too hard to do on top of everything else and I wasn't sure how much I could really afford in the market here.
Meanwhile, I've spent a good month now looking at houses, all of which have been in the same town in which I currently reside. My Ford Explorer will tell you I've driven all over the place.
I've seen the house I could never afford, I've seen the house in the crummy neighborhood, I've seen the tacky house on the water, I've seen the house in OK condition on a decent sized lot, I've seen the house near the river on a huge piece of property, and I've seen the house that's been completely gutted and redone from the inside out, give or take a few things. I've mulled. I've tossed and turned. I've looked at even more houses. I've done lots of number-crunching homework. And I'm ::this close:: to making an offer on that last house I only briefly described.
The house was built in 1966, and it has since been completely renovated except for interior doors and windows. It's 1,616 square feet, has new berber carpet, ceramic tile, 4 bedrooms, a huge living room/dining room, family room, walk-through kitchen, two bathrooms, two-car garage, new roof and new appliances, except for a fridge, washer and dryer. It could stand some landscaping and a privacy fence, besides the missing appliances and the original windows. It doesn't have a pool, but one would fit if I ever decided I wanted one some day. It's in a great neighborhood, and there are houses a few blocks away that are on the water, even though this specific one isn't.
I could get another dog. I could probably easily afford it even if I change jobs. I could probably do enough to it in a year that I could sell it if I needed to, or keep it for five years or longer. And the way the interest rates are right now, my mortgage could very well end up being less than my rent, if not pretty close to it.
I'm going to take a third look at this house tomorrow before I present a, um, formal backup offer. It seems someone else expressed an interest in the house too but there's always a chance things might not work out there, despite the fact that I've spent nearly a week thinking about this specific major purchase. So should I not talk myself out of it by tomorrow--and with me, anything's possible--and if the other deal falls through, I could be moving again before October! Or not. But still. Buying a house is kind of exciting for me. Sad for me too. But at this moment, I'm mostly excited.
Maybe, just maybe, this could be what I need to help me feel like I can get on with my life. Or at least I'd feel like I made a smart investment.
Quote Of The Day:
"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss you will land among the stars." --Les Brown
Worth Noting:
Ever add Cheri-Beri Pucker sweet and sour Schnapps to Smirnoff Ice? It's pretty darn tasty.
In The Background:
"The Joker"
--Steve Miller Band