September 12, 2007
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Coming to Terms
I miss my condo in Colorado Springs. I do. It was a really nice place. 3 br. 2 1/2 bth My Master closet was 8'x12'. I had a walk-in double shower in addition to my bathtub. The deck probably had no more square feet than my patio here - total, but here the back side of the fireplace creates this odd L shape that keeps the patio from being really useful as a lounging area.
Here, I don't have room for a dresser in my room so my underpants are literally in a cardboard box in the corner. Everytime I have to go and try to dig through to find what I want, I grumble in my heart about it. My closet is the standard, two folding doors revealing a 5' hanging bar with a shelf above. My bathroom is a typical 5'x10' bathroom with a tub that fills one side. I don't know how many square feet smaller this place is, but every single room is smaller than its counterpart from the condo.
I've avoided admitting how much I miss it. It felt like I was being disloyal in some way. Like the mere fact of looking back wistfully put me in the same category as Lot's wife. But it's not disloyal. It doesn't mean that I have any regrets about the decision to move or that I wish I were back in Colorado Springs. It was just a very nice condo.
With prices in Albuquerque rentals the way they are. I"m paying more for considerably less in terms of our current living space. And it chafes me. Especially on bills writing day. Which today is not. I've been kicking this around in my head since last Friday.
And I'll go ahead and admit something else. I miss having my house. I loved my house in Indiana. There may have been some things I'd have changed if I could do it all over. But I loved my home there. I hate that now I have to pay rent. I sat down over the weekend and used my calculator. At my current salary, and my current rate of savings, it will be six more years before I can build a large enough downpayment to get into a house. Oh, I could probably qualify for a mortgage before then, but I have to be able to put down enough money that I can afford the payments on the remaining balance.
Sigh.
I'm going to meet with a mortgage counselor at my bank to see if there might be a first time home-buyer down-payment assistance program that I might qualify for. Everything I qualified for in Colorado, I don't now because with the raise I got in June, I make too much money to be considered a "low income" buyer.
Tina is back in town. So we are having lunch tomorrow. I'm excited about that. I missed her.
Comments (11)
I understand....I've moved from place to place and it can be hard once you've had something you've enjoyed to NOT have it any more. Sigh.
sigh... closets. Never enough.
Your underpants are in a what? lol
Good luck on getting a house. I've went from a house to an apartment before and it wasn't easy.
Don't you hate that? That's where I find myself. I make too much to qualify for affordable housing yet don't make enough to afford a house. It's like being in financial purgatory.
Sucks... I been living in a house I hate for almost 20 years... wouldn't be so bad if I could convince anyone that it needs regular maintenance and updating... it makes me almost want to die some days. I know it's just an abode, but there's something to be said about pleasant surroundings... especially when you spend 24 hours a day there. I hope you can work something out so that your underwear will stop yelling at you.
you could wait til someone in your neighborhood goes on vacation then move into their house while they are gone ......
Ha! I like sweet_dixie_rose's idea! Could you immagine the surprise on their face when they come back! This makes me remember the first house my wife and I purchased. We spent three months gutting it and renovating it before we ever moved in. It was such a tiny little house, but it brings back the fondest memories. I think we have moved eight times in the last six years. We are so ready to find a new place and make it ours and we are tired of renting. I hope something comes along for you soon that will be just what you want and need!
It all happens in small steps...
the move from Colorado to New Mex was just one of those...
and when the time is right...
you will take another step...
just remember that when you are digging through the cardboard box for "skivvies du jour" *smirk*
yeah, property values are WAY unreasonable here, and have been for a while. Mostly because there is not unlimited space for urban sprawl except out on the West Side, where is also no water...
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