Sunday 19th 2006f November 2006

Spending

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A , posted by Anthony around mid-afternoon.

A lot has happened since my last blog. For a start there was Hallowe’en. It probably deserves a blog entry all to itself, but it was a long time ago now and I’ve forgotten most of what happened. I spent it in Brooklyn dressed up as Indiana Jones, basically wearing the exact same non-costume I wore back in 2003. A fun time was had by all. I was accompanied by Jaws, A jellyfish, A South American Soccer fan, Annie Hall, a lion, a witch and, most entertainingly of all, a wardrobe. There are pictures, but I don’t think I’d be thanked for sharing them, so I won’t.

I’m typing this on my new laptop, a Fujitsu P1610. It’s freaking awesome. It’s tiny and light, and I can use a fingernail on the screen as a mouse. It converts to a full tablet and does handwriting recognition and everything. It’s so cool! It’s a replacement for the one I lost a year ago. See? I waited a year! How fiscally responsible is that?

But the main thing that’s been occupying me recently has been my attempts to buy an apartment. I found one I really liked in Ditmas Park. It’s huge – one bedroom, 900 square feet. It’s on the fourth floor so the view out the window is roofs and treetops. Unobstructed! Light! The neighbourhood is gorgeous. No nightlife to speak of (too many churches, just like Harlem. Damn you, religion!) but plenty of other shops and amenities. It’s just two blockd from the B and Q trains, which means I can be in work in twenty five minutes. Just like Harlem!

So I bid the asking price. It had just come on the market when I saw it so there was no chance they’d be willing to come down yet, and I didn’t want anybody else getting it. The bid was accepted and all was moving ahead, until…

There was a mistake. The apartment listing price was too low. The wanted an extra $21,000. Nooooo! I was sick. My initial impusle was to swear loudly and walk away. But I had seen a bunch of places and there was nowhere as nice as this in my price range.

Was it still in my price range? I spoke to my mortage broker. She ran the numbers and yes, I can still afford it. So I sucked it up and bid the new asking price. Hopefully we’ll go into contract next week.

Maybe I shouldn’t have bent over and just accepted the increase, but I genuinely believe it was an error of communication and not an attempt to screw me. The price is high, but I don’t believe it’s unreasonable. The neighbourhood is one of the few in Brooklyn that’s still gaining in value, so I believe I’ll make a profit if I need to sell in a couple of years. The only thing that really would have stopped me from going ahead would have been my rage. But that’s not a sound basis for business decisions. Which I suppose this is.

Of course if they raise the price again on Monday I will hunt them down and kill them in the street like dogs. Wish me luck!

I’ve booked my flight home for Christmas. I’ll be flying in on the 23rd and leaving again on the 2nd. That’s actually a fairly long chunk. Hopefully my parents will have moved into their new house. I’ll get to see a bunch of folks, and of course my niece. Should be good. And hopefully I will be ableto move into my own new apartment early in the new year. It will have room for all my books! Hmm, I’d better buy shelves…

The hardest thing about apartment shopping is not getting ahead of yourself, I’ve found. It’s bloody stressful.

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