Apartment-hunting
I went to see an apartment last week, with a view to purchase.
Oh I know, it's all rather sudden, isn't it? You see, for about a year now, Dad has been suggesting that I get my own place. He's mentioned this on and off, but I always said no coz I knew I wouldn't be able to handle the financial commitment. Let's face it, being buried in credit card debt and unable to save doesn't make one a good potential homeowner. But Dad has often said it makes more economic sense to buy my own place and pay off the bank instead of paying rent and getting nothing back for the money at the end of the day. (Have I ever mentioned that Dad's got a strong practical streak?)
After I told him about our erstwhile prankster before we knew he WAS a prankster and not some psycho stalker Dad brought this up again. In fact, he knew of an apartment for sale, in an apartment complex where one of my uncles is staying. "Go and take a look," he said.
Knowing that one does not ignore Dad without Dire Consequences, I dutifully went and took a look. The idea of owning my own place is subtly seductive, even while it scares me to death. Just the thought of a 30-year bank loan... "I'll be 56!" I wailed to my housemates. "My KIDS will be in university!" Pause. "If I have kids, that is," I grumbled.
But I've moved seven times in nine years and when I moved to my current place in Feb 2003, I told God to please let the next move be to my very own place. Honestly after transporting all my stuff back and forth, I wanna put down roots. It's the nesting instinct, I tell ya ;)
And now that I finally have savings not much, to be sure, but at least it's something I feel slightly more able to look to the future and contemplate a step like this.
Mind you, I still don't feel quite ready for it, but as they say, if I were to wait till I'm ready I might never do anything at all! Owning property was never something that figured prominently in any of my dreams or plans for the future. If at all I'd thought of it, it would have been in terms of settling down with a husband and family the whole package deal. The idea that I, a single almost-twenty-six-year-old woman, might one day purchase landed property on my own, really never occurred to me.
I think it's scary partly coz it feels like I'm growing up, shouldering more responsibilities. Dad says he'll help me out with the down payment, and I can service the loan on my own... given our rather turbulent history where money is concerned, I'm also not sure that it's really wise to take up his offer. I'm afraid things might blow up in my face again later. Eek.
Anyway, I'm actively hunting around for apartments, talking to people, and hearing horror stories like, "I pay $1,000 a month to the bank, and out of that only $100 goes towards the loan repayment the other $900 merely services the interest on the loan." Good gracious! Makes me wonder how anyone ever manages to own property at all!