I love the real estate section of the NY Times which shows different houses for sale cross the country for a certain price. Today it is $300,000. A friend of mine who also lives in NY city just bought a house in Richmond, Virginia. It must be beautiful -- and spacious -- compared to the one bedrooms we live in here.
I must admit, I still look at the real estate section of the NY Times. There are several times I have gone to the apartment well, looking to purchase a shoebox. Back in 2001 before I moved to San Francisco, and a few times again over the past couple of years before I quit my job. It was a much more serious search this past time around.
At one point, I was looking at purchasing or renting. That really was confusing.
Despite having to live in a shoebox, I wanted something. Something of my own. I wanted to be grounded in NY, to invest and to, well, I guess grow up. I was sure that buying an apartment was the way to go.
Yet it always troubled me, especially when I read the above-referenced NY Times real estate section, that I was plunking down every cent I had, would have to eat ramen for dinner six nights a week and get a second job to pay the mortgage, maintenance, etc., just to live in the shoebox. How was that moving up in the world? It didn't quite feel right.
But it's NY. That's what you do. You buy the shoebox.
Luckily, I never pulled the trigger. If I had, I would not have been able to walk away from my job with a mortgage.
I am happy today, wistfully reading the real estate section of the NY Times. Just for today, my money is better spent. Maybe another day I can buy the shoebox.
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