Little Boxes Made of Ticky Tacky

Bonus points for anyone who gets the title reference =D

So, as I mentioned, I am looking to sign my life away to the mortgage gods. I am going to do my first actual (as opposed to virtual) tour of a condo today, and I'll hopefully also do another actual tour of another condo today as well. I'm still waiting to hear back from the real estate agent for the second one. Which brings me to my first point:

I'm not (currently) using an agent.

I've gotten a couple of conflicting opinions about this so far. A friend of mine from work bought a house about a year ago and has been singing the praises of using an agent ever since he found out that I'm looking to buy. However, while I don't really know how it works when you're on the buying side of the equation, I assume that the buying agent gets some kind of commission off the sale. I have some objections against paying someone for doing something that I can very well do (and am doing) on my own--mainly that I could use the money for other things. So, the question comes down to this: does the buyer's agent get paid and whose money is used to make that payment?

So, for the time being, I am working solo, and so far it has worked out. Obviously I'm going to have to deal with all the selling agents and their sales tactics, but if that means I don't have to shell out any more money than is absolutely necessary, I'm down.

Anyway. I'm going to look (hopefully) at two different condos today, so let's do a compare and contrast before we even look at the place for reals, shall we? Let's.

Condo Number One
Pros: Location! This place is literally two blocks away from my sister. Not super convenient as far as getting on the freeway quickly at the moment, but as soon as the construction on 1-80 is finished (if that ever happens), it will be close enough. Also, it's a ground level unit so there would be no hauling things up the stairs. Covered parking and a patio are also bueno. Laundry hookups are a must. The floors may or may not be real wood, but they look fantastic anyway. I'm vehemently against carpet, so I'll take whatever naked flooring I can get.

Cons: Ground level unit is not so good for the Candy Cane. Ideally I would like a deck as opposed to a patio so that she can hang out outside. She might do okay with a patio, but that is yet to be seen. Who am I buying a house for? Me, right? Wrong. The joys of having a pet ;-) Anyway. Second con is the kitchen set-up. As you can see from the pictures, the kitchen is behind a wall that separates it from the living room area. Not only is the wall blocking off the other room, it is also blocking out a lot of the light from that big sliding glass door. That's annoying. It doesn't help that the previous occupants painted the kitchen a dark color. The second bedroom looks a bit small and the master bedroom looks like it's got some weird thing going on with the ceiling.

If I remember correctly, the HOA fees on this place are like $170, and that covers pretty much the standard things--maintenance, pool, water, sewage, etc.

Condo Number Two
Pros: This one is two levels. The master bedroom and bathroom are on the top floor, and there's a second bedroom w/full bath on the bottom floor. That's an awesome set up for having a roommate. The price is obviously a bonus as well. The location has its own pros and cons. It's easier to get on the freeway, and it's closer to Costco while still being far enough off State St for my liking. It's also still close to Eryn and Paul. It's not in the zip codes I most prefer, but at least I know my way around that area and the streets are still relatively organized (unlike where I am now, which is the "ritzy" area but the streets are totally messed up!). It's also a block away from Murray Park--not my favorite city park but a park nonetheless. Total square feet on this one is over 300 more than Condo Number One, and who can ever complain about having too much space? There is a deck and from what I can deduce from the photos there are two sliding glass doors--one in the second bedroom and one in the living room.

Cons: The listing does not have a picture of the kitchen, which is uber annoying. There is another unit in the complex that is on the market, and the pictures of that kitchen show that it's a small one with lots of cupboard space but hardly any counter space. The listing price for that one is $30K more than Condo Number Two because it's been updated with granite counter tops and what not. I'll do that on my own and build the equity, thanks very much! The HOA fees on this one are $180, covering the basics. That's a bit higher than I prefer, but hey--the listing price is under $110K, which means I can probably get it for around $100K (making it the least expensive place that I have been able to find so far), and that comes out to be less than $600 per month for mortgage....I can handle $180.

So that's today's endeavor. I have a feeling I'm going to fall in love with Condo Number Two when I see it, and then I'm going to want to buy it like now without looking at anything else. I am setting up appointments with other agents to look at a few other condos next week, though, so I'm going to TRY to keep an open mind. I have a little way to go as far as saving up the down payment goes too, so it's not like I can buy tomorrow anyway. Besides, I might get there today and find that the complex is ghetto. That'd suck, but that's life in the city, right? Right.

EDIT: So, the real estate agent for Condo Number Two just called me back, and he won't show me the place until I've been pre-approved by the bank. Remind me next time to just go ahead and say "YES" when asked if I've been pre-approved even though I haven't been yet. Eff!