2002-01-04 - 3:15

Movin' on up

The biggest news while I was home was that my brother bought a house, which he had noticably been wanting to do for a few years. He was just finalizing all of the details while I was there, so he wasn't moving in yet and I didn't get to see the place; but it was still cool news.

Of course, that move has me thinking even stronger about my idea of buying a house this year. Even though it's only a few days into the year, I'm feeling like I want to reach a decision soon.

Our lease here is up at the end of April and the expectation is that we'll be moving elsewhere, separately or together. Although this isn't a bad place (and it's undoubtedly a great value), it feels a bit small for four people and their possessions. For example, any one of us would have a fine start on a living room by ourselves; and overall, it's a lot to fit under one roof.

Although I don't have a lot of possessions here, I don't feel that I have enough room to move all of my books from my parents' place to here. (And, of course, I could always use more wall space to mount CD towers. Heh.) Also, since the townhouse is rented as a furnished unit, there's a limit to what we can add to it, since we can't exacly throw out the old furniture and leave the place empty when we go.

So, simply from a physical perspective, it's feeling like it's time to go. At most, I could see staying through another four-month lease after April. The step after that would keep me here to the end of December, and moving out in winter is no fun. Even staying the summer isn't very likely, though. I know that Nick wouldn't want to have to subject whatever new bike he ends up buying to our very open parking lot, only to have it stolen again. Something more secure is definitely on his list for the year.

The best thing about this townhouse is probably how cheap it is. If I move somewhere else, I'm sure that I'll end up paying much more for rent, and if I'm going to be spending good money, why not put it into my own house instead of giving it to someone else and having nothing to show for it.

Financially, I think that it makes a lot of sense to buy a house. I have the money to reasonably make it happen and mortgage rates are very low now. I don't see how it could be a bad investment. Of course, a lot of things would come up right away (the fact that I own no furniture comes to mind); but that would just mean that times would be interesting.

My mind is getting closer to being made up all the time. There are only a few uncertainties. One is the fact that it's difficult to feel secure at any job lately, after seeing the high tech sector implode, seeing so many people laid off, and being laid off myself last year. Last year's unemployment was a big vacation for me, since I had no responsibilities. Buying a house and being laid off would be . . . less fun. Not that I think that it's going to happen; but it's something to consider.

The other thought is if I would live with someone. I really enjoy living with the roomies now. If I did buy a house, I could definitely see renting out a room to someone I knew. I've never actually lived on my own; and, despite the enhanced opportunity for neatness (heh), I'm not sure if solitude would be a positive reality.

Ehh . . . many thoughts. We'll see how it goes.

J.