blah blah more real estate thoughts blah
Jun. 12th, 2006 12:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jaeclecticStill in the throes of angst / anxiety / indecisiveness / weepiness over real estate decision-making.
At this point, there are exactly two things bothering me:
1. The special assessment. Strangely, this would not bother me if it were a lump sum, because I could just factor that in to the whole humongous transaction and be done with it. But the fact that it will probably be monthly over a period of years makes me feel like it will be an albatross around my neck.
Plus, I have trouble facing the idea that if I want to sell in a couple of years, the special assessment could be an issue, and then *I will feel like I was stupid*.
2. The "secure building" stuff. Don't know if I described this before, but: The building is locked. All the stairwells are locked. The elevator only operates with a key. There is no buzzer system to let guests in. All the exterior doors have signs that say "please do not prop open". So if friends come to visit, you have to meet them at the door. If you have a party, and 30 friends come to visit, you have to meet each and every one of them at the door.
This seems creepy and claustrophobic and seriously inconvenient. But it's marketed as a feature, kind of like a "gated community". Ick.
Other than those two sticking points, I think I'd be happy. But my brain is flip-flopping from "those things are so trivial, why are you fussing?" to "I can't handle those things, it just won't work!"
And the thing is, there are so many things I really like about the space. So even aside from the moving-twice aspect, it would be hard to let it go and keep looking.
One more rambling thought here: I realized yesterday part of why this situation is upsetting me so very much: I have a self-image (and self-esteem) based on thinking of myself as having certain characteristics: I'm smart, competent, organized, easy to work with, considerate of others, etc. In this situation, I feel like I am not able to be any of those things. This may be untrue, of course, but that feeling is there, and cuts right to my foundation.
At this point, there are exactly two things bothering me:
1. The special assessment. Strangely, this would not bother me if it were a lump sum, because I could just factor that in to the whole humongous transaction and be done with it. But the fact that it will probably be monthly over a period of years makes me feel like it will be an albatross around my neck.
Plus, I have trouble facing the idea that if I want to sell in a couple of years, the special assessment could be an issue, and then *I will feel like I was stupid*.
2. The "secure building" stuff. Don't know if I described this before, but: The building is locked. All the stairwells are locked. The elevator only operates with a key. There is no buzzer system to let guests in. All the exterior doors have signs that say "please do not prop open". So if friends come to visit, you have to meet them at the door. If you have a party, and 30 friends come to visit, you have to meet each and every one of them at the door.
This seems creepy and claustrophobic and seriously inconvenient. But it's marketed as a feature, kind of like a "gated community". Ick.
Other than those two sticking points, I think I'd be happy. But my brain is flip-flopping from "those things are so trivial, why are you fussing?" to "I can't handle those things, it just won't work!"
And the thing is, there are so many things I really like about the space. So even aside from the moving-twice aspect, it would be hard to let it go and keep looking.
One more rambling thought here: I realized yesterday part of why this situation is upsetting me so very much: I have a self-image (and self-esteem) based on thinking of myself as having certain characteristics: I'm smart, competent, organized, easy to work with, considerate of others, etc. In this situation, I feel like I am not able to be any of those things. This may be untrue, of course, but that feeling is there, and cuts right to my foundation.
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no subject
Date: 2006-06-13 03:07 am (UTC)1. parking space? if you park on the street, there's a good chance your car will get broken into at some point, since its so close to the freeway. 2.5 blocks away [admittedly, on the wrong side of the street...] we had a ridiculous number of break-ins, to the point of getting almost blase about another broken window. [we were all: at least all the wheels didn't get stolen again!]
2. crime stats for that block? why is the super security of the building such a selling point?
3. i found it a royal PITA getting to public transit w/o driving there. the bus seemed to need to go an awful long way before getting to BART.
4. any annoying freeway noise?
i don't know. it just doesn't quite sound like you really love it...
no subject
Date: 2006-06-13 04:14 am (UTC)2. Crime stats, I dunno. But it does seem worrying when the current owners have an alarm system, on the second floor, with the building already locked down...
3. Distance from BART == 1.2 miles to 19th St (which is part of why I keep saying I really want a place 1/2 mile down the hill).
4. Freeway noise, strangely not a problem, although that is certainly part of why I resisted looking on this block (having seen a unit in another building on Orange early in the whole process, I was expecting noise). The unit mostly faces onto Pearl, kitchen and DR face Orange, and it is nice and quiet.
As for love: there are things to love about it: floors, balcony, oak trees outside the windows, wood-burning fireplace... Enough things that I worry that if I let it go, I will regret it, and not do better.
But it seems a bad sign that I keep getting weepy.
At this point, I am still going with the theory that I should let the idea soak for another day or two, and see if my stress level ebbs any.