Playing House

Playing House
Swiped from Andrew_and_Kristie.

Ever played house? Imaginary wedding. Imaginary spouse. Imaginary house. Imaginary chores. Imaginary life. Everything seemed to gravitate around "The House". The focal point of being a grown-up? And so we finish our studies, join the rat race. We scrimp and save to eke out a living in this cold, heartless city. The goal seems to be to bring a fat pay cheque home. Get some wheels. Have a roof over our head. Yes, the very same roof that we imagined during our childhood. That goal seems to be so distant these days with ballooning real estate prices. So difficult with so many factors to consider. Money. Location. Freehold. Leasehold. Density. Quality. Developer. BTS. STB. Bank loans. Interest rates. Feng Shui. Termites. Neighbours. Acquiring a place of your own is most probably one of the biggest decisions in one's life. To sign on the dotted line. To be in debt (unless you sleep on a mattress of cash that is).

I bring up this topic beause it seems that it's house-hunting season among the BFF. Some had made their puchases earlier and some even make a hobby out of collecting real estate. But some of us are currently looking for our first. And in that search, all the headaches have surfaced. It's a big decision, so we try to factor in everything. To get it perfect. But sometimes, we lose sight of the main focus. Or even worse, like the Chinese proverb-- to finally choose a broken lamp out of thousand of lamps. For me, SK got the ball rolling. Her housemate's getting married in January 2011, so she decided to get a place of her own seeing that rental isn't that cheap anyway. After much research, she found a place in Bandar Kinrara. And the amazing thing is that her housemate who got a 6 month headstart still hasn't found a place. Little wonder since her budget is fluctuating all over the place and her fiance has one hundred and one veto reasons.

Both of us are currently in the process of purchasing the property. I am buying 2 floors above her unit. I have just gotten my booking receipt signed, so the next step would be the S&P and the housing loan. Actually, in my mind, I had thought of getting a landed property. But seeing how prices are and the locations that are affordable are quite out of the way, I decided on stratified property. Quite a nice place. Vacant possession just last May. Low density with supposed resort-style facilities (take that with a pinch of salt). The floor plan is quite good. Should make for good space usage. Quite enough for someone who does not plan to bung out any kids. But anyway, I am not discounting the possibility that I may strike it rich later in life and move to a Play-Girl-style bungalow somewhere in Mont Kiara. So I don't mind starting small. :).

KH: So where do I fit in your new place?

Moi: Erm. I got say let you stay meh?

KH: Bad!

Breeders have the added advantage of taking a loan together if they're gonna get married. But for PLUs... relationships are more volatile and less binding, so better take the safer route and keep love and money separate. But not to say that breeder marriages are so sacrosanct these days, just that at least the spouses have a degree of legal protection when things go sour. I digress! Anyone willing to sponsor another 10% for my downpayment? Anyone?