Tuesday, February 9, 2010

I need a little more c-c-c-courage

Nothing happened yesterday. Those are the days I seem to the most to say but no one to say it to. After working all day at home alone I then spend my evening silently watching tv alone. It's getting to me. I've been feeling the need to call my family and friends more and more. And they don't seem to need to talk to me.

I broke down and make a call to say hello to Coleen ... only got voicemail so I left a message. She did not call me back. So seeing her this past weekend didn't lead to anything other than frustration for me. It the same thing I'd been getting from her for about a month. She has her own agenda and clearly I am not on it. My friends tried to tell me this but I could never listen.

I don't like feeling this way. I've been trying to change direction and have hopes of finding something new to focus on. One of those things is my plan to buy a co-op apartment. Sometimes I feel as if it is moving at snail's pace then I feel like it's a freight train that can't be stopped. I did some things about that yesterday. I do have hopes that changing my environment will bring about positive results. Maybe I'll never get the girl I want but if I don't make some kind of change it will just be more of the same.

In my mind I have a vision of how this will go ... I have more than enough money in my 401-k to make this happen. The prices in the complex I am most interested in are lower now than they were 2 years ago mostly because the market has dropped about 20 percent. The mortgage interest rate is about as low as I can expect to see. And to top it off there is a federal government $8000 incentive good until the last day of April.

I have been doing research and I know that these units are all asking for more than $200k. My goal is to get one for considerably less than that. I read an article on what to expect when making low offers to sellers. They can get insulted by offers where I look to take more than 20% off the asking price. My research says most units sell at about 10% below the asking price. So my goal is to get a one bedroom for $175k or a 2 bedroom for $185k. It may take right up until the end of April. I would prefer the 2 bedroom but I am not sure how I can afford the extra dollars.

My next move is to commit to an agent who I want to represent me. I am very nervous about how this will go. I keep coming off as if i want some help and guidance but I also have a very firm idea of how this should go. I have already gone through one agent and am now talking to number 2. I can't quite figure out how to make my case for what I want. I have more of a feeling than an idea. I may need to turn this blog into my space for expressing those thoughts. Feedback would be welcomed so anything in comments will help my anxiety. Especially since most people in my life aren't that interested in talking to me about this process.

1 comment:

Cindy said...

Well you sure have a lot going on! I agree you need a change of scenery or a new place to hang out, but remember summer time will also do away with that blah feeling and people will probably be more relaxed and sociable. As far as how you want your buying experience to go with an apartment, I would tell you to write it all down. Make an actual list, what do you really want in your new place, what can you compromise on and what will you not compromise on. What is your style? What area or neighborhood do you want to be in, and think about storage, square footage, parking, which floor you'd be on etc. I'd also try to write down what you expect of an agent and what are definate turn offs. I don't know if that helps, but I hope it does. As far as Colleen, I don't know her, but if she intended to be with you I think she would have already. Have you ever considered a dating site online? I know some can be kind of lame, but I have some friends who have actually met their perfect match and gotten married. It can't hurt and you can be very specific and screen those that answer your add. I think you need to really step outside of your comfort zone a bit. Of course, not knowing you this is just an observation from reading your blog - which I really enjoy by the way. Good luck!! Hope you have a really good rest of the week!! ~ Cindy