Laura and I had the same set of discussions, Ken, during the one year we
rented an apartment (after the sale of our house). It was during that
period that she underwent chemo. I think the fatigue she endured opened her
eyes a bit to my own physical struggle.
At first, a condo was not even in her realm of possibility. When I
mentioned that I didn't think I could keep up with the yardwork and outside
maintenance, she replied, offhandedly, "Well, we can just pay someone to do
that stuff." Of course, when we checked into the cost of paying for
lawncare and maintenance, it far outstripped what we are paying in condo
fees for the same services.
A couple disclaimers:
As far as condos go, we bought at the upper-end of what's available in the
area. At 2,000 sq. ft., we have as much living space as we had in our
house. Our intention is to pay down the mortgage as fast as possible before
one or the other retires/gets disability benefits. If we had to buy on a
fixed income, we never could have purchased what we did.
The big downside is that we share two of four outside walls with other
families. They may or may not enjoy my taste in music or appreciate my kids
hollering at 2 am at the top of their lungs because they had a nightmare
(soundproofing is good, but not perfect). I might take exception to their
damn yap-yap dog cutting loose at the drop of a hat. Condo living ain't for
those who demand total peace and quiet or privacy.
Still, we've been there since Jan. 1, and have not regretted our decision
yet.
You might think about having a "heart to heart" with Judy, making sure that
she knows that she might be responsible for the bulk of yardwork. I'll send
some private thought later.
-Kyle
-----Original Message-----
From: Barber, Kenneth L. [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Friday, May 17, 2002 11:52 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: For Bobby
you know guys, this is going to be one of my problems when retired. judy
is 10 years younger and is relatively healthy. i favor going to a condo when
we (i) retire to avoid having to do the yard work. it gets harder and harder
for me to do it. (read more painful and more painful). she still favors a
house. we discuss this and she aggrees that the work is getting harder to
keep up with, but the next time a condo is mentioned, she seems to have
forgotten the discussion about me getting more not able to do the work.
no questions just a statement of a problem.
-----Original Message-----
From: Cleveland, Kyle E. [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Friday, May 17, 2002 11:41 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: For Bobby
Yo, mags! That is too cool. Go for the condo, if you can. It's so nice to
look out my window and see someone else doing yardwork. True, I have the
old peeps bitching about my kids, but you won't have that worry. Betty had
problems too, but I stiil think the bennies of a condo outweigh the
disadvantages if you're disabled.
-Kyle
-----Original Message-----
From: Magenta Raine [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Friday, May 17, 2002 10:34 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: For Bobby
HAHAHA I trained my link to say the f word! It wasn't in their dictionary!
By the way.
The other day, I went to a seminar on the Home Choice program by Fannie Mae.
They are a 3rd party vendor that helps people with and without disabilities
buy their own home or condo.
I'm very interested in owning my own home! Tired of ugly carpet, and white
walls! and get this; if you are disabled and on SSI/Ss you only need 500.00
to contribute to your down payment. Other sources pay the rest, and in some
counties, there is a deferred down payment. Remember, as per the SSI rules,
a
house does not count toward your assets. So, I think everybody should try to
get on this program! And you can bet I'm going to make sure my home is fully
accessible!
look up Fannie Mae on the web at;
www.fanniemae.org and then look for the Home choice program for PWD.
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