Gaze into the abyss...

[Fudgie]

...the abyss gazes into you. Been on a little Neitzsche kick lately! 

But really now, my life has improved immensely the past couple years, despite the pandemic. Healthwise and physically, I'm better than I have been in many years, financially and emotionaly I'm doing great, etc. I think it's time to get back into talking a little more with other people before I lose my social skills outside of work/talking to family. I'm tired of renting ($$$) so I'm in the process of buying a cheap (ideally < 100k and yes, that's possible where I am) house, a cheap tiny house, so I can hunker down for a while and do some serious saving for what I really want, which involves building. 

I hope everyone is doing well.

[Fudgie]

I can't stand this real estate market. At this point, I am not even looking for "nice", just functional and not structurally unsound, and the cheaper the better. Hell, small is okay too (even < 1,000 sq feet), don't need a yard, just a place to hunker down and save. I refuse to rent further in this market when my lease is up. 

[boltnrun]

My brother ran into the same issue. He was forced to find a house to buy quickly as his landlord was selling the house he had been renting for 7 years.

He would find a house he liked online, bookmark it, then do the same with several more houses. Then at the end of the week he'd go back to try to setup viewings and they would already be sold! He had to increase his budget by almost $100,000 and still nothing. He finally ended up finding a house that was expensive and not where he really wanted to live, doesn't have the layout he prefers and it needs a lot of renovations. But he did find a house. He will probably have fun fixing it up a bit at a time. But it was extra stressful because he had such a tight time frame.

You never know what will come available each day, so you may find a surprise when you least expect it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Fudgie]

That's a good point, Bolt. I started looking now, almost 6 months in advance of when I actually have to move. My family is griping at me, telling me to wait until spring (a mere 1-2 months before moving) and I think that's a stupid idea, given the market.

I'm in a low cost of living area but it has not been immune to the market nonsense due to the pandemic. It sounds like your brother is in a pretty desirable place but who knows. I'm sorry that happened to him.

I have been approved for a high amount of money, much more than I want to spend. I'd LOVE to spend less than 100k or even around 100k (again, not looking for much, can be small/no yard/ugly looking, I just want to be safe and not falling apart). The floors can be trash too, as I dislike carpet so I'm going to wood-laminate it all anyway. 

But again, this is not "dream house". I don't even have to really love it. I just want a place to live cheaply and then maybe have a prayer of selling or renting out in the future. My plan is to build a house someday but that is years away. 

I plan to look every single day. I have a buyer's agent too to help me out. He's been great so far and I love being able to message him anytime with questions and such and he is very honest/straight with me. 

[boltnrun]

My brother even expanded his search by about a 50 mile radius but he still had trouble finding anything. He was also being stubborn, initially refusing to get pre-qualified, but he soon realized that no one would show him a house if he wasn't. It wasn't a money issue either (he makes a very good income), he just dislikes any kind of red tape. Which is ironic since he works with the government.

Wishing you success!

[Fudgie]

Well that makes sense - you have to be pre-qual for most people to show you a house! I had my bank agent qualify me for a LOT to make me look like a strong buyer (I am!). 

RIght now I'm thinking maybe I'll use the colder weather to my advantage, determined to find something workable. 

[Fudgie]

I found a couple more homes that I like that I'm going to visit when able. One of them says "needs some TLC" which, as you all may know, is a broad term that means anything from "you may want to touch up the paint on one side of the wall in one bathroom to make it Instagram-perfect" to "needs new roof, furnace, heater, there are bees in this room, and please don't step there, tha- *falls into basement from the living room*"

It's been on the market for almost 2 months but the price has been coming down and while I can easily afford it at asking and beyond, if I like the house, my agent can haggle for me. The photos show a ton, I can see it needs some TLC on the outside (there's a ghastly tree out front, needs new gutter) but the inside looks pretty good. Huge kitchen. Central ail, heating via natural gas, all good. Need to see the basement.

The listing makes a mention of an in-ground pool a few times but I don't see photos of it. I got a satellite image and I do see the pool but it's nothing to write home about and I'm betting that it's gross, hence no photos. 

If I got this house, I'd fill in the pool unless there was money to be made farming koi, hahaha!

Anyway, we will see. 

Plugging away at (school) work today. I don't work during the week now and I fit my full time hours into 3 days. I've been so busy, looking forward to the end of this semester. I am almost done. 

[Fudgie]

Not sure if I've ever shared this piece here but if my mood were a song today, it would be this:

My Lady Carey's Dompe (song officially starts at 00:30)

Actually, I feel like this describes me most days and that's a good thing in my book. 

[Fudgie]

I have an appointment to get my ears repierced. Sort of a long story but I had a sports injury in my teens on one of my lobes and ended up developing a keloid. I had a doctor remove it and it's been gone for years and I am good to repierce. My ear looks totally normal.

I actually think I am going to get a double or triple lobe piercing on both ears. On the lobe, not the cartilage. I can wear regular earrings and just leave a small stud in the second hole (they could match too) or I can wear fun things like this: 

I am not worried at all about "professionalism" with something like this, given I can always just put studs in. 

[Fudgie]

I'm cynical and pessimistic. Always have been, always will be. I never really suspected it to serve me super well in life but I accepted myself. 

With the pandemic, it has been a real boon to me. I enjoy my life but have told my family for a number of years that I don't personally believe humanity is worth perpetuating. I think world peace is only possible if humans were gone. My mom came to me recently and told me that until the pandemic, she didn't agree with me but now she reconsiders her position. 

I suppose some people would ask "what good is a beautiful environment if no one is around to appreciate it?" I don't know but we as humans are so destructive and I don't see that changing ever. 

At the end of the day, I just want to relish the little time I have here. 

[maritalbliss86]

3 minutes ago, Fudgie said:

I'm cynical and pessimistic. Always have been, always will be. I never really suspected it to serve me super well in life but I accepted myself. 

With the pandemic, it has been a real boon to me. I enjoy my life but have told my family for a number of years that I don't personally believe humanity is worth perpetuating. I think world peace is only possible if humans were gone. My mom came to me recently and told me that until the pandemic, she didn't agree with me but now she reconsiders her position. 

I suppose some people would ask "what good is a beautiful environment if no one is around to appreciate it?" I don't know but we as humans are so destructive and I don't see that changing ever. 

At the end of the day, I just want to relish the little time I have here. 

You're not religious right? You sound like God when he did the whole flood thing. People were so awful/evil he decided to start over and clear the world of them (except one family lol).

 

[Fudgie]

55 minutes ago, maritalbliss86 said:

You're not religious right? You sound like God when he did the whole flood thing. People were so awful/evil he decided to start over and clear the world of them (except one family lol).

 

No, not religious at all, never have been, despite the fact that I think it would bring me a fair bit of comfort when the chips are down.

Haha, that's how I feel sometimes - just dunk this whole planet in 99% rubbing alcohol and start again. 😝

[maritalbliss86]

You're not alone, and I totally get it. 😆

[Fudgie]

Seeing houses later in the week. Wish me luck. 

[Seraphim]

Good luck! 
Housing market in Canada is utterly ridiculous. In most of Canada now a literal shack is 500,000 . Most houses are 600,000 and above. 

[boltnrun]

My brother started at half a million and then went up to $650,000 when he realized there was nothing available at a half million. I think he ended up paying $670,000. And his home does need a lot of work. But he's in no hurry so he will do the bathroom first and then the kitchen and then everything else.

I hope you're able to find the right house for you.

[Fudgie]

Wow, houses are expensive where you guys live. 😳

I want to spend no more than 150k (I can afford more but I want a low payment, this isn't a forever house) and I have a number of options. The one I am really interested in needs a bit of work (mostly outside) and it's ~140k. 

Good houses are 110-150k, depending on the area, kind of a range. 

Awesome houses are 200+k

Houses in bad areas are 30k-80k

[Seraphim]

1 minute ago, Fudgie said:

Wow, houses are expensive where you guys live. 😳

I want to spend no more than 150k (I can afford more but I want a low payment, this isn't a forever house) and I have a number of options. The one I am really interested in needs a bit of work (mostly outside) and it's ~140k. 

Good houses are 110-150k, depending on the area, kind of a range. 

Awesome houses are 200+k

Houses in bad areas are 30k-80k

Where I live houses start at 780,000. 

[boltnrun]

My son and his spouse were lucky to find a small condo in a borderline sketchy area for $330,000. And the value has gone up by about $40,000 just this year.

Nothing is available for under $300,000. Not a thing.

[Fudgie]

Good grief! I can't imagine spending that much on a house. I imagine the salaries are larger to compensate but still! I broke into small six figure this year and my new role will net me closer to 200k once I get some experience and I STILL can't imagine spending 500+k. 

300k-400k, okay, but I'm buying some land (not super expensive but not super cheap either) and then building modular. 

I don't even want to know what the rental market is like. I have a small apartment but I pay < $1k a month and I only have to pay for ONE utility, a cheap one. And yet still I gripe! 

[boltnrun]

I am paying just about $1300 monthly for a small studio. If I wanted a one bedroom in a decent area I would have to pay at least $1500.

I am in a great neighborhood, though. Very walkable, tons of events and activities and just across the street from the ocean.

[Fudgie]

I'm in a pretty good neighborhood too, next to a huuuuge park. It's a small apartment but it is a one bedroom.

I guess that explains the high prices: you're in a coastal place! 

[Seraphim]

Rents here are about $3000 a month for a house and about $1900 for an apartment. 
We are lucky living on base and pay $925. 

[boltnrun]

7 minutes ago, Fudgie said:

I'm in a pretty good neighborhood too, next to a huuuuge park. It's a small apartment but it is a one bedroom.

I guess that explains the high prices: you're in a coastal place! 

My brother is inland, though, and still paid close to $700,000. It's just the way it is here.

Where I used to live it was a lot cheaper. I was paying only $50 more per month but I had a two bedroom two full bathroom house with a garage and front and backyard. And a huge eat in kitchen with an island and tons of storage (including a massive pantry), a dining room and a laundry room inside the house. And it was in a gated country club community.  But that was there and this is here.

That's great that the prices are so good where you are.

[Fudgie]

Yeah I guess I should count my blessings for sure.