Lord who made the lion and the lamb,
You decreed I should be what I am.
Would it spoil some vast eternal plan?
If I were a wealthy man.
- Tevye, "Fiddler on the Roof"
So I'm talking to a colleague at work last week, and the conversation turns to how he's trying to buy a house. One thing leads to another, and all of a sudden I'm starting to think "Hey, man, why aren't you trying to do the same thing?"...and I had no answer. None. When I first moved back to Portland 18 months ago, there were any number of reasons why I couldn't afford to buy something. Now, if I'm honest with myself, none of those reasons make sense any longer. So I've ended up living in a dumpy, but very affordable apartment, when in reality I could- and probably should- be looking to buy.
Yes, the cost of housing in the Portland area is a bit on the high side when compared to, say, Houston. That doesn't mean there aren't some opportunities out there. I'm not the type of personality who's going to want to or be willing to maintain a house and a yard, but a condominium or a town house I can do. After doing a bit of research over the weekend, I learned that there are a LOT of condos on the market here, and there's a pretty good chance I can get what I want (and where I want) for $150k or less. It's not as if I need a whole lot of space, so 2-3 bedrooms, 1000 square feet, and a decent kitchen, and I'm good.
Here's what scares the Hell out of me, though: I've never bought a house before. Some of y'all may take this sort of thing for granted, but this in uncharted territory for me. Once upon a time, I was looking to buy a townhouse in Houston, but I ended up (thankfully) walking away from the deal when the seller wanted champagne money for a (barely) beer townhouse. This left me with at least a passing familiarity with the process, but beyond that I have NO idea what to expect. All I really know is where I want to live- Multnomah Village or Mountain Park are at the top of my list- but beyond that I don't even know what I don't know.
The good news is that there are apparently some pretty sweet incentives for first-time buyers (An $8,000 tax credit? Damn, where do I sign??). I'm starting the process by having lunch with a realtor tomorrow, and hopefully she'll be able to ease my fears a bit. I'm excited to see what the possibilities are. I'm tired of feeling like a nomad, and I want to feel as if I can finally put down some roots. After 25 years, and leaving (and returning to) Portland four times, I finally feel like this is where I belong and where I want and need to be. Perhaps it's finally time I take the steps to make this feel like reality. I just hope that I can figure things out so that I can make sure I get what I want. (BTW, suggestions and ideas are more than welcome....)
Stay tuned....
