right on bro!

I think I found something in Snoberlin (Summerlin).  I like it but I’m also willing to walk away.  So we’ll see.  Cross your fingers maybe.

If you already didn’t love Tina Fey, you will now.  Sweet.  If only the truth didn’t hurt so much…

I went out with the real estate agent today for the first time.  We looked at about a dozen places in the west side of town (near Red Rock).  Agent showed me a range of stuff, from nice ready-to-move-in places to a place that had completely flooded and was in the process of being gutted and rebuilt.

More notes:

* Some of these floor plans are completely retarded.   Not just a difference in taste, but like, retarded.  There seems to be an abundance of places where a large open area is subdivided by a low wall.  One area is designated the living room and the other is the family room.  Yes, you are expected to put a couch in one, and then put another couch about 10 feet away.  Not really sure what the house designers were thinking?  What do you do with a layout like that?

* More bad taste.  For the most part, if I buy pre-owned, I’m probably going to have to at least minimally redo carpet, paint, and landscaping.  Need to investigate costs for that stuff.

* Some house builders built in recessed areas for TVs but somehow didn’t anticipate the emergence of widescreen TVs or Jon Regul-style massive TVs that won’t fit in the spaces.   So that means unfortunately I have to rule these things out.

* The stories about foreclosures out here that people trash and abandon - well, they aren’t just stories.  One house we visited - appliances, light fixtures, electrical plates, even the kitchen sink - ripped out and gone, with cabinets broken and the place completely filthy.  Most of the places we looked at were maybe 4-5 years old.  I just don’t get why someone would ever buy a new house and then not properly maintain it.

* We saw a place that had an awesome location - the backyard looked right out at the Red Rock casino with a view of the Strip as well.  However, the house itself wasn’t so hot - it was pretty obviously somebody heavily smoked indoors (it was nasty inside), the layout was retarded, and the fit/finish just wasn’t that great.  Unfortunately, pass.

I think I am going to rule out anything that isn’t in a master-planned community - the neighborhoods just don’t seem to be as well-kept over time.  Although money is money, the HOAs here seem to be fairly low and if that helps to maintain property values, then I guess it’s probably worth it.  That kind of leaves me only two areas of town but I think it’ll be fine.

So far the leading candidates right now are a couple of probably overly expensive but pretty much turnkey places which I could live in but am not super excited about, and the completely gutted house.  I’m actually kind of intrigued by the idea of the latter (try to get it at a super-low price and then put money into finishing it out).  It would kind of be a cool thing to be able to basically furnish a house from things of my own choosing, but I have no experience with construction so it might turn out to be too much work.   It’s in a nice neighborhood though and there is enough of a backyard to put a pool in eventually.  Have to think about that one.

Real estate agent just says that you know your new place when you see it.  Hey Kelly, is that the case?

I thought Chuck Norris was cool, until I saw this.  What a douchebag.

So long, Chuck…

I just got word from the first bank that I am approved for a mortgage!  I’m a bit relieved because every loan officer I talked to made a really big deal of my life as a digital nomad.  One person just flat out told me to not bother applying (ironically, from the very same bank that has my checking and savings accounts).

Of course, nothing is guaranteed until I have keys, but I’m now on to the next step - actually looking for a place for real.  Feels good, at least for today!