walk it out

So I have the perfect place to move into at the end of the month but I still can't help window shopping...

My realtor sent me this listing that is a great deal. Well, a great deal today but who knows with how the market is dipping. Is 100k off a great deal? Is it a great deal if the item is overpriced by 170k? This condo is brand new and started at 437k and is now down to 339k (or 319k if you decide not to take the car that is offered with it as an incentive). Love the building and the 800 sq ft is great. But man is it loud. The living room is right on Kingsway and the bedroom is barely removed from it. Way too loud for me.

I had a long walk home to think about it. I realised that if I took transit home from Broadway and Main I would barely get to the gym by 9pm. So I walked home. It was only 8k and since it wasn't raining it was quite pleasant.

Hoping I get a visit from the GF Dunnets on Saturday! The invite is out for them to come to my place for dinner. Fingers crossed Kohei doesn't have an accident again. Really don't want to lose my deposit.

Too much of a good thing

So I have now had Chinese food for 5 of my last 7 meals. I think I am not going to have Chinese food for a year. This won't a be a problem when I live downtown because I can trade leftovers with Rachel. But I am feeling quite ill from having had Chinese food for lunch and dinner the last 2 days.

I guess this was the downside to my master food plan. I could have frozen it but I didn't think it would thaw well.

Turkey Bacon

Started a new regime for my brunch. I worked out (30' StairMaster, abs and push ups, 40' cardio) and then came home to make this feast. Instead of the weekend treat of bacon I had turkey bacon with all health/calorie benefits negated by a cinnamon bun. But it was oh so good and I am going to go for a long walk as well so I can totally justify the calorie expenditure.

New coffee bodum is not working well. Maybe the grind is not good from Starbucks. Maybe I should have just done the grinding myself because the first batch of coffee this morning was cowboy coffee with chunky grinds. Reverted to my electric bialetti that makes espresso and was much happier with the second batch. Having egg poaching troubles. Keep over boiling the water and some of the egg white seeps out of the silicone poacher making the water boil even more, become frothy and then the eggs are basically under water. Must talk to Rachel about this. I am sure she knows what I am doing wrong.

The turkey bacon was delightful and I will be using it for my weekend brunch treat from now on. So was the red grapefruit. Cinnamon buns will sadly have to be an occasional addition to the menu as they are 370 calories and that is 25 minutes on the StairMaster.

Almost forgot the highlight to brunch was chatting on the phone to Kiyomi while I ate the eggs and then getting to talk to Sayoko about her trip to the midwife.

Off to get those errands done that I postponed when I was being a shut in yesterday.

Yummyweb.com

I decided to be housebound today and not head into the city to hang with Ritchy (my usual Saturday). Got 12 hours of sleep in (must have needed it), have watched 2 episodes of 24, went to the gym, am currently doing some laundry and just had Chinese food for dinner. Ordered it through this website called YummyWeb.com. I have not ordered Chinese food in the 16 months I've lived here (ordered pizza once) but was really craving it. The whole thing worked like a charm although they did call me 3 times because the women at the restaurant wrote down my credit card information wrong. I even got a free order of vegetables and cashew using a coupon available at the site.

As a singleton the delivery sometimes works out well. For $40 I've had dinner and have another 4 meals now tucked away in containers as well as a serving of soup. This almost makes me not want to cook. Of course, soon I won't have to cook because I will be stopping in at Rachel's for dinner as often as possible. Just a block and half away from Richard...

keeping my eyes peeled

The big buzz in Vancouver right now is the drop in realestate prices. Some claim it is a myth but since I've been watching I can tell you it is happening.

For instance; I offered on a place last month that had been on the market since May. It was awesome, great location, loved the layout and the building is new. They rejected my offer that was 8% below asking. Now, there is the same condo on the market one floor higher and they have a list price 3k below the one the floor below that I made an offer on. Ha! And there is another condo in the building that has just come on the market as well. Fire sale! Well, maybe not yet but this bodes well for me to buy something in the spring.

Still pumped about moving into my rental at the end of November. Spending too much time thinking about the furnishings I need for the fabulous layout (see picture). Do I use the flex space as a den/storage or just storage? Should I put my desk in the den or use that space as a reading area with my chaise and a bookcase? I need to buy a bed, couch, TV, TV stand and some bar stools so I am going furniture window shopping this weekend to see what is out there. Will also be checking craigslist.

whose the big winner?

I got it! I am going in to sign the lease tomorrow. Moving in the last weekend in November. So pumped! Feel like I won the lottery. Which makes no sense when I am paying a significant amount of rent. I did, of course, comparison shop, and the other 1 bedrooms in the same building are being rented for $200 more.

Watch out Chris! I am now just two blocks away. Can you say three's company? I will walking down Richards to ask Ritchy if I can borrow some flour. Wait...I don't cook.

The amenities look great so it is like I am joining a new gym. Which is awesome because the current gym I belong to is a 40 minute walk from my new place.

In another 'I'm all grows up' move I am going to hire movers rather than risk friendships and backs to get my stuff from Burnaby to Downtown.

My house/apartment warming will have to be closer to Christmas.

5 apartments in 4 hours

I spent over 4 hours today viewing apartments. 5 apartments. Here is the run down on them.

#1
I almost missed this place because I was late leaving Burnaby. That would have been shame because it is my top pick. Only downside is that it has built in cabinets in the bedroom so the closet is outside the bedroom. Other than that it is perfect. Gas stove, movable granite counter top island that acts as a breakfast bar, great hardwood floors, balcony you can fit a bbq on, great layout, 16th floor, seemed relatively quiet and it had a view. When the owner found out where I work we bonded because he knows a colleague. He saw the list of places that I am looking at and asked me to email if I found something else. I think that means I am in the running!!!!!!!!!!!

#2
Brutal. At $1425 it is over priced for 588 sq ft with no balcony on the 5th floor. Old building. Old appliances. Crappy layout. Cheap laminates. The realtor showing me the place found out I was looking at 3 more today and wanted me to email or call and let him know if the place is over priced. It is. By like $300.

#3
The building is the one next to Rachel's' and it faces the alley so I could totally spy on her working out in the morning. It is a nice place on the 3rd floor overlooking the courtyard but over priced at $1600. The owners seemed nervous about renting it out and the place was packed to the gills their crap making it difficult to imagine living there. No gym or pool. They emailed me after saying they would sublet the parking spot for me and bring the rent down to $1500 but it is still over priced. It did have front loading laundry and a balcony that could hold a bbq but I have decided not to apply.

#4
This one left me with a bad taste in my mouth. Why? Because they guy offered a one year lease OR you can get a 2 year lease for $200 more per month and that way they WON'T kick you out so they can rent it out during the Games. The greed made me want to punch the guy. He justified a 5k rent increase over 2 years by saying it made up for what he was losing by renting it out to me over the Games period. I almost, almost went off on him and told him what a mistake he was making. It was a 700 sq ft open single level loft style apartment that is brand new. On the 2nd floor of a building on Hastings. Super loud! No amenities and the parking is some weird off-site thing that would be a hassle to sublet. The place was beautiful but the whole thing was tainted by his greed. I put in an application and I hope I get it so I can say no thank you and give him a piece of my mind.

#5
Almost out of my league. Almost...
This was by far the nicest. Wicked view. Brand new. Great layout. I know I would sleep well here since the den is off the bedroom meaning there are two walls between me and the outside world when I am sleeping. And at just two blocks from Rachel's I already know a neighbor. It is in a brand new building that is half hotel, half condos. Just waiting to hear about whether the locals get to use the amenities because it has a wicked pool. What makes this affordable is that I can sublet the parking spot for $100 or more per month. I think I will get beaten out in the application process as it is available right now even though the ad said December 1st. I don't want it enough to throw away a months rent paying for two places at once.

Fingers crossed for #1 and #5. I texted my roommate to give him advance warning that I am planning on moving out. My excuse for the non-personal touch is that we are rarely home at the same time. That, and the fact that he came home at 1am and was making a ton of noise in the kitchen.