Freak Magnet Dave

It seems that we have put that condo that we both love on the reject pile. Price is pretty much the main factor. We would be no further ahead, so what's the point? Aside from getting away from working in our hubungous yard, which it really would have had in its favour.

I have been scanning the on-line listings, and I discovered a place close to work. Very close. Like across the street close. With the price of gas the way it is, this dangling carrot is quite tempting. I called the agent on Saturday, and discovered the place is still available. I set up an appointment to view the condo on Sunday. As it turned out, The Squeeze had to work Sunday, so I had to go it alone this time.

I spent Sunday morning helping a friend move. Actually, I just helped unload part of his storage locker and load up his rental truck. It was one huge fuck-up leading to the morning we were actually able to do it. All I can say is I will never rent a truck from this NATIONAL car and truck rental company. I won't use their name to protect myself from any legal ramifications, but I can tell you that they are a NATIONAL car and truck rental company, and they did everything in their power to screw up this move.

After helping with the packing up, I grabbed a bite and headed over to see this condo. It has a lot going for it. The double garage is a big plus, considering my car will be parked in the garage most of the time since I'll be able to walk to work. All new hardwood floors in the living room, dining room and kitchen. Newer carpets in two bedrooms, new laminate in the third bedroom. The master bedroom has an ensuite and a walk-in closet and a large balcony over the garage. There are a couple of structural things we want to do in the master bedroom. Making the two piece ensuite into a full bathroom after knocking out the wall and usurping the space that is currently the walk-in closet. The room is large enough that we can install a full wall of closets on the opposite side of the room to store everything. Of course, this can all wait to be done. It really is in move-in condition. It just needs some paint. Green and pink sponge painting really isn't my thing. Taupes and mochas are more my style, and they would look great with these hardwood floors.

The agent who is selling this condo is coming over to give us an appraisal of our house tomorrow, so last night we started to scour our house. The Squeeze concentrated on the kitchen and the floors, and I started in our bedroom. He had the stove pulled out and he scrubbed parts of that thing I haven't seen since we brought it into the house. He was scrubbing spots that were on the kitchen floor for a few weeks (we've been in slob mode). He even cleaned off all of those dark areas in all the doorways and on the fridge that our cat (formerly cats) would rub up against. Damned things. The place is starting to come together.

I tunneled my way through a mountain of my clothes that I've just been piling on the dresser when I finish doing my laundry instead of hanging up, so things are neat and orderly now. I went through a dresser drawer in order to make space by finally shredding up old employment records and car insurance contracts and pay stubs that I've been hanging on to for about ten years. Why? I have no idea. I hate packrats, yet I seem to be one myself. I even found a MasterCard that expired four years ago. I didn't even know I owned a MasterCard!

We finally got to bed around 11:30 or so. I awoke around 6:00 due to The Squeeze snoring away (even though I had earplugs in), and I tossed and turned thinking about what is lacking in the new condo. That main concern is the kitchen. I'm spoiled. Our kitchen is about 11' x 18' and has storage beyond belief. What can I say? I know how to design a very functional kitchen! This new one is quite a lot smaller. It has three drawers. My kitchen has 13 including the pot & pan drawers. I use one for spices alone. Where will I put all of the spices, the cutlery, the cooking utensils, the kitchen linens, the plastic/foil/parchment rolls, the phone book & pens...not to mention the junk drawer items!?

The Squeeze assured me that we can make it work. We both came from apartments that had about the same amount of cabinetry and we survived. Yes, we really have been spoiled. We need to scale down. There is a multitude of kitchen appliances and gadgets that we rarely use if ever, and we can pitch things we don't need, and we can store the rest on shelves in the garage. The bread maker, the juicer, the deep fryer and the George Foreman grill really don't need to take up valuable real estate in the cupboards.

I think I can accept that. We can do this. And maybe a few years down the road when we save up some money we can remodel the kitchen and make it more workable.

I'm really excited about this one. The current owners have already bought a place, so they are eager to sell. Someone made an offer conditional of sale of their house and the owners turned it down. If we make an unconditional offer (aside from financing and inspection), we may have a better chance of getting it for a pretty good price too. We just need to get our asses in gear and get our house on the market and sold ASAP. Hopefully we won't need to do bridge financing and pay for both houses for any period of time. Of course, this means that we can't wait for a top dollar price for our place either. If it's meant to be, it will be.

For now we keep breathing....and cleaning!