Hopelessly Homeless

For the past several weeks I’ve been trying to figure out how to get a house. I’ve been looking at different kinds of mortgages, and I’ve been looking all over for houses. There are a lot of nice places to live, but we can’t afford any place that’s very nice. In the past, the strategy has been to save up for a down payment and then get your mortgage. I’ve been thinking we would try that, and wait a few years until I’m more established in my career and making more money. In ten years I will probably be making close to twice what I am now. The problem is that almost every zip code in the valley is experiencing double-digit growth in housing prices. That means that when I can afford a house at today’s prices, it will be tomorrow. It’s all one frustrating round.

Of course, prices may level off soon. They also might skyrocket. I might experience some financial windfall within the next few years, but probably not. Interest rates may go up or down.

Does anybody know any rich old people who need someone to leave all their money to?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I had an onion tied to my belt, which was the style at the time. Now, you couldn't get white onions because of the war; all you could get...

Do you ever get stuck in a conversation that you can’t get out of? I’m not talking about those times when you have to be somewhere else or there’s a rational need to leave, but rather those times when, with every word the other person utters (it’s typically just a two-person conversation), your brain threatens to escape your body and make a break for it. All you can do is try to play some old TV theme songs in your head, or maybe design circuits if you’re the engineering type, all the while searching for an opportunity to escape. Now I’m boring myself just thinking about those situations.
Read more

Thirty Thoughts

1. Is that more hair in the shower drain every morning? 2. What's the big deal? It's just a number with a zero at the end. Why should we consider that significant? 3. Am I still allowed to wear shorts? 4. I need to buy a house within the next five years or we won't have it paid off by retirement age. Then again, my generation won't be able to retire until age 80, so I shouldn't worry. 5. I really should be eating more green, leafy vegetables. If I leave potatoes in the fridge long enough, will that count? 6. Going back to school is getting less and less likely. Then again, sending kids to school will be enough trauma. 7. At least I no longer look like I'm 12, which I did until I was about 23. 8. I will never wear my cell phone on my belt. 9. For some reason, there's a big difference between having a kid and having kid s . 10. You kids get off the lawn! 11. I wonder when my memory will start to go. 12. Inside of me beats the heart of an 18-year-old. At leas...
Read more

Moral Compass

On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 1 being “afraid to step on a blade of grass” and 10 being “I’m gonna kill everyone!”), how bad is it if I were to warm up my car in the morning for 10 minutes before coming to work?
Read more