2013.07.04
Dang, and oy.
My landlords want to sell my apartment. I have first dibs, but it would be a financial stretch.
I have really mixed feelings.
The apartment is great, but really needs two people. I picked it with Amber and have enjoyed having Miller as a housemate after that.
Still, the place is pretty damn expensive... but I love the neighborhood and commute.
My gut instinct says to try and make a go of it, but I'm worried that's more about wanting to have less disruption in my life.
Running some numbers with an online calculator, if I go for a 30 year mortgage and a 15% deposit the rent would be a couple hundred more than I pay now. (heh, of course if I had hopped some months ago, the gap would be much less). I suppose stuff like real estate tax and what not complicates that too.
Also, the 15% deposit would kinda wipe out my nest egg/buffer. I mean I'm still saving for retirement, but I think things would feel more fraught in general.
It gets me into what do i want to do with my life territory.
Like, right now I don't want to ditch Miller, and it's a nicer place than either of us would have on our own, and he generally has fewer options than me. On the other hand, being generous to a housemate is a suspect reason for making a big financial decision, and maybe it's just kicking the problem down the road anyway; like if I want to have some romantic type person move in with me, or even though it's a little remote at this point, start a family; woud it be easier to take the hit now when it's the landlord forcing the issue than say "alright, I need you out of here".
Also, I guess I really kind of do hate moving.
I moved out of Waltham to be closer to the city,
out of Inman to be in a big shared house with Mo (that semi-communal house being one of my favorite living arrangements, frankly)
out of the Big Yellow House because Mo wanted that, and it seemed grown up
out of the cracker jack box apartment because it was ridiculous
out of watertown apartment to own a damn house
out of the damn house because of the divorce
out of the apartment with miller to be with my aunt and uncle
out of my aunt and uncle's to live with amber
Only a few of those were really because of factors internal to me, and it's always easier to orchestrate a move when you have a partner.
Yesterday I made a note about what I'd need to research/pontificate on to reach a decision:
how to figure out house
1 JP and Arlington rents
2 likely mortgage
3 endgame with miller
4 likely futures of romantic bliss
So far I think I've figured out "2" and that's it.
I hate how my life a year ago seems a lot closer to what I wanted out of life than right now, on multiple fronts.
Thoughts and ideas welcome.
over 400 bucks of good old NH fireworks- 2 for 1 - #gonnabeagoodnight