Monday, October 30, 2006

Going... Going...


My condo has been--maybe--sold.

Anyway, a deal has been made and my attorney is reviewing the contract.

Okay, not my attorney. Seems my attorney—who last met with me to close on my garage in 2004—has moved to Florida. I have a new real estate lawyer.

A lot can still go wrong. The buyers could see something they don't like in the contract (though I think these are fairly standard). They could ask me to alter things in the condo that I don't want to do. (I'd probably flat out refuse as I live here just fine and don't see anything wrong with the place.)

I didn't get an especially good price. The market is changing. Has changed. I probably lost $20-30,000 by selling at the totally wrong time. Sure, it's way more than I paid for the place. But it isn't about profit. It's about what I can buy now, bearing in mind I'll get a higher interest rate and surely higher taxes as well. All I can really hope for out of the deal is a lateral move, and rearranging of my debt to where it is all in one mortgage on a new place, instead of spread out over several unaffordable payments a month.

I'm already having second thoughts. What if prices only go up? What if I never find such a great place again? Won't I miss the great old-time neighborhood, and talking to the senior citizens every day? Won't I miss having Roberta live five doors down? Running into my old housemate Otis when he walks the dog in her building? Won't I feel guilty for abandoning all of Turbo's hard work?

Last time I sold, I had the same kinds of thoughts. And I got something MUCH better in the end.

I hope that happens again.

6 comments:

Pville Peg said...

Looking at the photo of your living room, I realized that, sadly neglected in my garage/shed, is the coffee table that matches your round end table. It's dry, but exposed to the extremes of heat and cold. I suppose I should put it in the cellar, where it will stay cool and very slightly damp. It needs to be refinished and reglued, but it's really a nice piece, sort of deco/used-to- be-modern in style, solid maple, I believe. What do you think, Marie, do you want it, eventually? Should I move it to the cellar?

Marie Javins said...

Oh, I definitely want it! My current coffee table needs refinishing. Why refinish that one when I can have my grandparent's cool retro beech coffee table? Only problem is that it might be a bit too big for Henry the Ford Taurus. Maybe it can move to the garage at Basye until the next time Monty makes a trip north. (I assume your car must also have a name.)

Linda said...

We'd be glad to keep it but I bet it would fit in Henry.

~Mom

P.S. Did you see the Halloween photo I posted the other day?

Marie Javins said...

1) It wasn't Halloween. Just normal Lynn and Marie at play. I think we were in an Electa-Woman and Dyna-Girl stage.

2) I was kind of hoping that if I didn't point it out, no one would notice...

Anonymous said...

Marie-

1) I have a car. It does not have a name.

2) However, it has a capacious cargo space, being a Honda Element (which is its name, I guess).

3) If you need to move something that requires a capacious cargo space in a named car, let me know.

4) How dare you sell the condo I spent two months in without consulting me! I may sue.

-Marc

Pville Peg said...

I'll take the table in Butch the truck to Bayse when I go out there Sunday, if that's okay. Yeah, I think it might fit in Henry the Ford, too.
I happen to have a photo of Marie's cousins, the pirate and the fairy princess, on my computer here at work. Maybe I'll send it to Marie's mom to put on her blog, to match Electra Woman and Dyna Girl...