Don’t Let Janny Look At Real Estate 😊 - October 1, 2020
A moment of pure insanity! That’s what it was! What am I talking about? I wanted to bid on a house that was listed for $499,000. This from a woman who five years ago said, “We can’t afford to buy a house in St. Catharines for $199,000.”
Our original plan in 2014 was to sell our house in Sudbury for $300,000 and to buy a home in the North End of St. Cats for $199 thou. And at that time, we could buy a tiny house on Beamer – my favorite street – for that amount. The cushion of $100 thousand would pay all the lawyers and real estate fees – plus give us some money for some basic renos that we knew would be needed asap. Anything we buy will always be in need of repair! 😊
But by 2015, that same little cottage in need of lots of repair was now $299. No financial buffer left now. Yes, we had some savings but we would go through them fairly quickly with a fixer-upper. Hubs was retired and while he had a pension plan, I did not. So, we moved into a small furnished apartment – the intent was to stay there for a year while we figured out what to do. By 2016, that two bedroom with an unfinished basement was $350. It would now run at least $550. And there would be a bidding war – bringing it up to $599.
So hubs and I bought into a Seniors’ Life-Lease apartment for about $200,000 and we pay less than a thousand a month for hydro, heat, AC, taxes, repairs, replacements, etc. And we love our apartment. We really do. But then I went to visit a dear friend who has a lovely green backyard and lives on a quiet street. And I thought to myself, if she can have this, and my Southern Ontario kids have small homes on quiet streets (compared to Vine St.) with back yards, maybe we can too.
So I foolishly went on a real estate site. And – what?! A small home on Bunting with a backyard that faced the Welland Canal! “Only” $499! I looked at the pics and it looked beautiful inside. I realize it was “staged,” but still… Five bedrooms, two bathrooms. I could have an in-law suite built to pay the mortgage… (Note to Jan: “And where would you get the money for that?!”)
If ever you have read the Pigeon books for children, you’ll realize I am – at times - Pigeon. Very ADHD and impractical, to put it kindly.
Later on, son Tom said to me, “And Dad supported you on this?” I said, “Sure. I said to Dad – you could boat-spot from the heated glassed-in back porch.” And trust me, with no going to S. Korea or Arizona or even Sudbury until 2022, we are both getting apartment fever. Laur gave me his blessing to contact our son’s real estate agent who I shall call “Pete the Cat.” Pete – in the children’s books – is very chill and amiable.
Pete agreed to meet us at Starbucks at 9:30 am the next day. Hey, I expect he was even going to buy the coffee. A deal I could not refuse. But later in the evening, he sent us an email. An offer had been made on the house – it was as good as sold.
And I was relieved. Instead of counting my blessings the night before, I had been running financial scenarios. None of them worked. Pete offered to talk to us about other homes, but I know a pipe-dream when I have one. We cancelled, with much appreciation – on many levels.
Not only that, I heard from folks who had also looked at the house on Bunting that the windows needed to be replaced. Gah! And when I walked by it at the back, I noted that the road it backs on to has a heavy motorcycle presence. And from the front – well, there is a gigantic German shepherd next door that barks constantly. My two nemeses – in addition to traffic and grey surroundings – are revving motorcycles and loudly barking dogs.
*****
If you have read Pigeon books, you’ll know Pigeon is incorrigible. If she can’t drive a bus, she’ll try to drive a transport. If she can’t have a puppy, she’ll demand to have a walrus. And I adore her.
But, I’m going to have to start channeling Pete the Cat. If someone eats all the cupcakes, no worries – he’ll just make more. If he strikes out in baseball, it’s cool. He still gets to play with friends.
Mind you, I do note that Pete lives in a small house on a quiet street with a backyard. 😊
*****
Note: I am fully aware that 99% of the world’s population can only dream of having what I have. This was a moment of pure insanity. And we are on the (very long) waiting list for a unit that faces green space and is further from the street.
Our original plan in 2014 was to sell our house in Sudbury for $300,000 and to buy a home in the North End of St. Cats for $199 thou. And at that time, we could buy a tiny house on Beamer – my favorite street – for that amount. The cushion of $100 thousand would pay all the lawyers and real estate fees – plus give us some money for some basic renos that we knew would be needed asap. Anything we buy will always be in need of repair! 😊
But by 2015, that same little cottage in need of lots of repair was now $299. No financial buffer left now. Yes, we had some savings but we would go through them fairly quickly with a fixer-upper. Hubs was retired and while he had a pension plan, I did not. So, we moved into a small furnished apartment – the intent was to stay there for a year while we figured out what to do. By 2016, that two bedroom with an unfinished basement was $350. It would now run at least $550. And there would be a bidding war – bringing it up to $599.
So hubs and I bought into a Seniors’ Life-Lease apartment for about $200,000 and we pay less than a thousand a month for hydro, heat, AC, taxes, repairs, replacements, etc. And we love our apartment. We really do. But then I went to visit a dear friend who has a lovely green backyard and lives on a quiet street. And I thought to myself, if she can have this, and my Southern Ontario kids have small homes on quiet streets (compared to Vine St.) with back yards, maybe we can too.
So I foolishly went on a real estate site. And – what?! A small home on Bunting with a backyard that faced the Welland Canal! “Only” $499! I looked at the pics and it looked beautiful inside. I realize it was “staged,” but still… Five bedrooms, two bathrooms. I could have an in-law suite built to pay the mortgage… (Note to Jan: “And where would you get the money for that?!”)
If ever you have read the Pigeon books for children, you’ll realize I am – at times - Pigeon. Very ADHD and impractical, to put it kindly.
Later on, son Tom said to me, “And Dad supported you on this?” I said, “Sure. I said to Dad – you could boat-spot from the heated glassed-in back porch.” And trust me, with no going to S. Korea or Arizona or even Sudbury until 2022, we are both getting apartment fever. Laur gave me his blessing to contact our son’s real estate agent who I shall call “Pete the Cat.” Pete – in the children’s books – is very chill and amiable.
Pete agreed to meet us at Starbucks at 9:30 am the next day. Hey, I expect he was even going to buy the coffee. A deal I could not refuse. But later in the evening, he sent us an email. An offer had been made on the house – it was as good as sold.
And I was relieved. Instead of counting my blessings the night before, I had been running financial scenarios. None of them worked. Pete offered to talk to us about other homes, but I know a pipe-dream when I have one. We cancelled, with much appreciation – on many levels.
Not only that, I heard from folks who had also looked at the house on Bunting that the windows needed to be replaced. Gah! And when I walked by it at the back, I noted that the road it backs on to has a heavy motorcycle presence. And from the front – well, there is a gigantic German shepherd next door that barks constantly. My two nemeses – in addition to traffic and grey surroundings – are revving motorcycles and loudly barking dogs.
*****
If you have read Pigeon books, you’ll know Pigeon is incorrigible. If she can’t drive a bus, she’ll try to drive a transport. If she can’t have a puppy, she’ll demand to have a walrus. And I adore her.
But, I’m going to have to start channeling Pete the Cat. If someone eats all the cupcakes, no worries – he’ll just make more. If he strikes out in baseball, it’s cool. He still gets to play with friends.
Mind you, I do note that Pete lives in a small house on a quiet street with a backyard. 😊
*****
Note: I am fully aware that 99% of the world’s population can only dream of having what I have. This was a moment of pure insanity. And we are on the (very long) waiting list for a unit that faces green space and is further from the street.