Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Moving?

Major insomnia last night, mostly due to worries about the house: Will we get outbid? Is it wise to take all our equity and dump it into a lavish property in a sketchy (but rejuvenating) part of Baltimore? Am I stupid to put myself in a position where I will have to buy a car when there are perfectly good houses nearby for 70k less? Will we sell our current house in time? Will we get enough cash over the mortgaged amount? How will we furnish all those huge rooms? Will we find a good boarder for the top floor? The answer to none of these questions is clear. In all likelihood the house we bid on is worth a hundred grand or more above its asking price, but the real estate bubble and the local housing market are influenced by mysterious and capricious forces. We're counting on the continued housing boom in Reservoir Hill to double the value of the new house in five years, and living near Druid Hill Park is a positive. Owning two cars again and driving to and from work will be a major drag, as will paying City insurance rates. The last time I commuted in a car daily was June 1994. In those days I put forty thousand miles a year on my car. If we get the new place I'll have a ten minute commute each way.

Managed to fall asleep around 2am when the music started next door; this helped make our decision to sell seem more rational. The volume of the music in Fratland is not the issue, but rather the intensity of their sub-woofer, which vibrates through our house like the drumming of orcs. I keep earplugs next to the bed for noisy nights, but earplugs do not prevent vibrating bedsprings from shaking me awake. Somehow managed to get to sleep again around 4am, after drinking a tea infused with velarian root powder, Wild Lettuce, and Blue Vervain. It tastes like ass, but actually works. Three hours of sleep is sufficient for editing lesson plans I suppose. Strange to have to move from the suburbs to the City to get some peace and quiet.

Tonight we have an appointment to sign the contract. I will hand over a good faith deposit in the amount of 5k at 5pm. Julio and Yo! Adrienne, who would be our next door neighbors if all works out, are very excited. I'll be excited after settling on both houses!

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I can't even believe you're asking how you will furnish the rooms. Obviously you will furnish them with Cha's piles of stuff! :)

Good luck. The house is so pretty!

Emily

Geoff said...

I wasn't comfortable moving our in-laws across the alley and then ditching them*, but had an idea that if we took my mother-in-law along to view the house with us that she would be suitably impressed by the price and size to demand we buy it. She did exactly that, and pestered us about buying it for 24 hours.

Now that we're putting a contract on the place, however, she is starting to complain about us ditching her. I told her to move in with us and leave her husband behind in Towson, and she laughed and laughed. They're one row over from the Frats, and are a bit hard-of-hearing to boot, so they don't really care. Ours is the last un-rented property in that row of 12 houses. On their side there are mostly families who own.

No piles of stuff! No more! I can't take it, and I'm sure piles of stuff contribute to insomnia (sometimes, moronically, I lie awake at night thinking of her piles of stuff).

I'm thinking: Game Room with one card table and four chairs and nothing else, Music Room with my guitars and Cha's art teacher rhythmic instruments and no furniture whatsoever, Library with books and nothing else, Master Bedroom with only a bed. Hmmm, that only leaves four more large rooms to furnish, not counting the upstairs which we hope to rent. Jesus. I think Gertrude Stein lived in one of these houses at one point. She probably filled it with elegant furnishings and Picassos.

Anyway, we're getting ahead of ourselves with such talk! Thanks for the luck--we'll need it.

*Cha was not hesitant to ditch them at all. She's more American than I in that respect.

Silenus said...

I have a friend who lives in a bad ass Victorian looking place like the ony you're bidding on, only it's in Bolton Hill. Everyone loves hanging out there.

Who will fight frat boys if you leave?

Geoff said...

Frat boys, I'm afraid, shall RULE

Anonymous said...

I hope none of the potential bidders on your old place find out about this blog. Maybe you should start posting items on how wonderfully thoughtful and quiet your neighbors are.

Geoff said...

Hey, that's a good idea! Of course the only people who've bought in our row the last 5 years have been out-of-state investors looking to rent to University students. Maybe I should accentuate the fraternity chic.

Anonymous said...

EMPTY SPACE is WORTH PRESERVING - if you fill it with things poof it's gone - KEEP IT!!!

CONGRATULATIONS IN ADVANCE!!!

Anonymous said...

bESIDES I'LL BET IT HAS A MONSTER BASEMENT!!!!!

Anonymous said...

J used to live on Eutaw between Druid Hill LPD (that road name is too effin' long) and North. He rented a room from a guy, B,(who may be selling soon. We wished we could afford to live over there). The house he lived in, B keeps it "historic" it's absolutely beautiful. I'm jealous!
Good luck with everything!

Geoff said...

A lot of those houses are amazing. Ours doesn't have as much original detail as we'd like, and the kitchen will have to go, but most of the renovations were nicely done.

We can't really afford to live there either, but are banking on the property value blowing up down the road. Our Towson house tripled in value in 10 years (at least we're HOPING it did). If the same happens in Bolton Hill we'll be pleased to say the least. In the meantime, we'll be eating Oodles of Noodles.