Reality Sets In: All the things I didn't think about...

I'M STILL JUST AS THRILLED WITH THE HOUSE BUT...

I had one of those funny moments yesterday. You know, the kind where the magnitude of a decision suddenly hits you. If you're still not imagining it, just think of what a first time skydiver feels when it's his (or her) turn to jump.

Am I having any regrets. No. But I have started to think about all of the logistics -- most of them which will cost money. Here's just a sampling of the "revelations" I've been having:

My Lease

Actually, I had this revelation moments after my offer was accepted. I just (and by "just" I mean about 30 days ago) signed a new one year lease on my apartment. I also remember the leasing lady mentioning that the lease breakage fee had gone up from one month's rent to $2000. Ugh. According to my leasing office I have three options: 1. Fork up $2000 2. Be "rent responsible" until the leasing office can re-rent my place or 3. Find someone to takeover my lease. I think I'm gonna try option number three and place an ad in Craigslist. If you know anyone who wants to rent a premium-view place, let me know:





Lawmower

This is one of those odd things I woke up in the middle of the night realizing: I will have a lawn! It's been over a decade since I've mown a lawn. I don't even have a lawn mower. According to Home Despot, I'm going to need to ante up $80 for this:


Laundry Equipment

As of July 15th I will be a slave to the laundry mat (also known as a "Washateria" in Los Angeles) if I don't buy a washer and dryer. This is real money folks. The way I look at it, I can spend $250 for a nightmare or $1000 for one of those neat-o combination washer/dryers. Now, one would expect that by housing both the washer and the dryer in the same unit, there would be some cost savings. Nope. The Top-O-The-Line LG unit is $1700!!! (exactly the same price as the top of the line washer and top of the line dryer bought as separates).

What's Next...

Tomorrow morning is my home inspection...I'm a bit nervous. With a 50 year-old house there's a lot of potential for problems here. I'll post about the report as soon as I get it.

Stephen