Thought I'd share how I came to purchase my condo

"AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion) 06/28/2019 at 16:20 • Filed to: None

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II bought my condo in 2013, for $89,000.

Even in the economic turmoil of the time, that was dirt-cheap for the area. And yet... It had been on the market for two years without any serious interest. Mostly due to the abysmal shape it was in. Linoleum floors that were caked in grime, torn-up c arpet with God only knows what lurking underneath. Stained, streaky walls, a mostly non-functioning bathroom, missing kitchen appliances.... This place had a lot wrong with it.

But it wasn’t all bad.

There were two things about this hole-in-the-wall that caught me eye.

First, was the location. Just a few miles out from Seattle, situated in one of the most beautiful water-front cities in the state, Kirkland was perfect. It was slowly moving towards the progressive tech capitol that it’s become today , but at the time Kirkland was a a perfect blend of small town vibes and metropolitan city life. T here was a fair amount of history, and plenty to do even for a (soon to be) broke kid like me. Kirkland had a culture that I liked, minimal traffic, and absolutely breathtaking scenery. The different neighborhoods were distinct and the people were by-and-large quite friendly. A dd in nice restaurants and tons of events in the nicer months, and I never wanted to leave.

Second.... Was the price. I wanted in, and this way the only place I could afford without moving either deep into the boonies, or one of the major city centers; Seattle, Tacoma, Everett or Renton. Neither option was appealing at the time.

So I bought the damn place. $74 ,000 that I’d made as a personal trainer (a crazy story I haven’t shared here, another time perhaps) , and a $9 ,000 loan from my best friend’s grandma, that I ended up paying o ff with 3 months of 40h/week labor at her farm. I’d tried going to the bank first, but no one wanted to give a loan to an 18 y.o. Kid with zero credit history, no co- signers, and a spotty at best work history.

I was the proud owner of a condo that my friends were scared to spend the night in. It was that bad inside. Myself, hardly knowing a hammer from a nail, decided to fix things up on my own. Mostly because I was broke. At this point I’d quit personal training months back, and hadn’t found anything to replace it with. Panic was starting to set in, as unlike today jobs were hard to come by. I did projects at home to distract myself.

First was replacing the cracked and stained toilet. Then the tub surround. Than all the plumbing under the sink. I had a functioning— albeit ugly—bathroom.

Next up was dealing with the floors. I tore everything up in the hallways, living room, dining room and kitchen. That carpet pad was the nastiest thing I’d seen in my l ife. Carrying Ithe last bundle to the trash was the first time I really stopped to think that my condo could actually be a respectable place to live.

I ended up buying the absolute cheapest vinyl flooring I could find at home depot, to the tune of $0.24/sq. Ft. Add to that a thin under-layer, and I did the flooring for a grand total of... $300. It was exhausting work, as I was using a $5 hand saw to make every cut. All told I think it took me ten days, but after those ten days, the place was transformed. I decided to splurge, and bought some trim to finish off the floors and window casings.

At this point I had started working front-desk at a gym, and with a small income decided to add paint to the mix. Again, I didn’t know a satin from an eggshell at the time and I definitely made poor choices in my paint selection. But it was at least white, and looked a hell of a lot better than the old dingy off-yellow. I must have spent a week cleaning the walls prior to putting on the first coat...

Well, a few months later I got fired from the gym along with 9 other employees, after a recording showed us throwing after-hour pool parties. I never did get caught for taking naps in the massive dryer, and a ll-in-all I considered the job to be a huge net-positive.

Before I even had time to consider my n ext move, an old teacher contacted me asking if I’d like to wash windows. I had just turned 19, and Mr. Peterson would end up greatly shaping the next five years of my life with that offer.

Anyways, I had an appraisal done and it made me think back. Thought I’d share. If you’re curious, the $89,000 crackhome I bought 6 years ago has quadrupled in value.

With all the time, effort, and yes—even love—that I’ve put into thi s place... I think the sentimental value has gone up even more.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a garbage disposal to fix, and a bathroom fan to replace.

AestheticsInMotion > AestheticsInMotion 06/28/2019 at 16:23

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Oh, and there wasn't a dishwasher when I bought the place. Just a gaping hole with wires hanging out, wire nuts capping 'em off. I ended up turning that space into a built-in file cabinet, and to this day..... I have never used a dishwasher. It's going to change my life when I first get the chance, isn't it

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > AestheticsInMotion 06/28/2019 at 16:26

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Honestly, it’s an awesome story. Props to you for finding a place that was a good investment and a diamond in the rough. Add to that some luck that the area didn’t turn sideways and you’re really living the dream that we all do when we buy a house. 

fintail > AestheticsInMotion 06/28/2019 at 16:29

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Nice job saving at a young age, I suspect a nice young Personal Trainer had/has no problems finding work on the Stepfordian eastside.

functionoverfashion > AestheticsInMotion 06/28/2019 at 16:32

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Nah, dishwashers are overrated, handwashing is therapeutic.

Great story though, and it’s crazy you bought that place at 18. I was in a very different place at 18. Congrats on the appraisal. What are your taxes like? 

fintail > AestheticsInMotion 06/28/2019 at 16:35

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I use my dishwasher as a storage area.  No use for it personally, consumes energy and seems wasteful for one person.

AestheticsInMotion > fintail 06/28/2019 at 16:35

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You hit the nail on the head. I found a family on Hunt’s Point. Started working with the wife, then the husband wanted in, then the two kids. Ended up at their home working with them easily 20 hours a week, as athey all wanted individual sessions, and then we’d do group trainings. The wife told one of her neighbors and.... Not long after I was working exclusively with three families! The entirety of my personal training phase saw me working with just 12 people.

facw > AestheticsInMotion 06/28/2019 at 16:35

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Don’t listen to fof, dishwashers are amazing and I never want to live somewhere without one.

Nothing > AestheticsInMotion 06/28/2019 at 16:36

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Man, that’s a great accomplishment at 18. Kudos to you! When I was 18, I was just happy to hop over to Quebec and hit the bars.

fintail > AestheticsInMotion 06/28/2019 at 16:38

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I was thinking of some of the wives specifically, if you know what I mean ;)

20 hours a week though, that’s wacky, well played.

AestheticsInMotion > functionoverfashion 06/28/2019 at 16:38

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It is therapeutic isn't it !

Let’s not use the “T” word please 

AestheticsInMotion > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind 06/28/2019 at 16:42

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It’s so crazy to see what’s happened in such a relatively short period of time. Back then the condominium grounds were completely unkempt, and the building was in the “low-income” part of town. N owadays there’s a massive crew that makes sure the bushes are manicured *just so* and the leaves aren’t on the path each morning. There’s a Whole Foods and PCC within walking distance. Mi nd-boggling

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > AestheticsInMotion 06/28/2019 at 16:42

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Best part of a dishwasher: Loading it. Like a delicate game of tetris.
Worst part of a dishwasher: Unloading it.  I’ll do it tomorrow...

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > AestheticsInMotion 06/28/2019 at 16:45

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Awesome story! Sounds like your risk paid off.

Reminds me a little of my place when I bought it, except it had been on the market for two years because of some terrible design choices and a (literally) crazy owner. For me it was a good location and as it was my first real estate transaction I didn’t know it wasn’t supposed to be a chaotic mess.

Long story short we ended up closing on time and I sold a bunch of the crazy lady’s stuff on Craigslist.  Good times...

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > AestheticsInMotion 06/28/2019 at 16:47

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My first house cost $75,000 in 1999!

CaptDale - is secretly British > AestheticsInMotion 06/28/2019 at 16:50

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Very cool story. I like doing house work and sounds like you did well.

AestheticsInMotion > CaptDale - is secretly British 06/28/2019 at 16:53

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I really do. There’s non of the impending dread that I get from doing car work because if I dont finish.... No big deal. I can step back, take a breath and finish it another day. And if I screw something up, chances are it's just cosmetic, or something I can live without for a bit

gettingoldercarguy > AestheticsInMotion 06/28/2019 at 16:57

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Dear God that's impressive and massively responsible.

AestheticsInMotion > gettingoldercarguy 06/28/2019 at 16:59

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I was driving a Mercury Sable at the time. Probably a good thing that I wasn't much of an enthusiastic when I had that chunk of money

gettingoldercarguy > AestheticsInMotion 06/28/2019 at 17:01

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Sounds like if you do become a financial adviser you'll do well.  Do you read white coat adviser?

Mid Engine > AestheticsInMotion 06/28/2019 at 17:04

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Very cool, excellent investment! I was a handyman for a few years and did everything under the sun, tools are an invaluable asset. Kirkland ain’t cheap by any means, and the traffic is a nightmare (than ks Google).

vicali > AestheticsInMotion 06/28/2019 at 17:05

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Nice marmot

CaptDale - is secretly British > AestheticsInMotion 06/28/2019 at 17:15

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yeah pretty much. With house projects too there is so much more customization you can accomplish as well without doing tons and tons of work. 

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > AestheticsInMotion 06/28/2019 at 20:14

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I am familiar with this tale of polishing turds into gems. I am currently on my fourth turd .

I did two as a teenager with my mother and stepfather. The first one cost Mum $24,000 and was an abandoned weatherboard dump. Five years later we sold it for three times the price (now it’s apparently worth $800,000) and used that money to buy another rough diamond that was bigger, double brick and had a much bigger backyard.

Twelve years later we sold it for $300,000. These days you’d be looking at 1.5 million.

When we finally had our shot at home ownership back in the mid noughties...we found a four room shack, clad in fake brick panelling, on an acre. $100,000. Over the subsequent decade or so we pretty much rebuilt and expanded the whole thing ourselves (only the plumbing and electricals were done by trades).

When decided to shift a thousand miles within a month of Xmas we were vindicated by selling it in just two weeks for $300,000 which was 15 grand more than we asked for...we had five offers and none of them were less than our upper price point!

We’ve now turned that around and bought 100 acres of bush and paddock with a 30 year old mud brick and timber self build on it that is still unfinished...the breeze still blows through it! More polishing required.

But we have put in a dishwasher...it was our first upgrade. Highly recommended.

New shed is coming along...

SiennaMan > AestheticsInMotion 06/28/2019 at 20:29

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I agree with both facw and fof. There is definitely something therapeutic about hand washing dishes, but also once you have a dishwasher you never want to go back. Kind of like living without air conditioning in the midwest. Folks do, but o nce you have it, it feels like the end of civilization without it..

Tapas > AestheticsInMotion 06/28/2019 at 20:36

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That is fucking bad ass!

You made a good move and I hope you continue improving your condo!

shop-teacher > AestheticsInMotion 06/29/2019 at 09:00

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Wow, that is quite a story!

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > functionoverfashion 07/01/2019 at 20:42

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There are way too many people who believe in this. It is maddening to me. I would NEVER cook at home if I had to hand wash dishes. I consider the cost of not going out to eat to more than pay for the dishwasher. I absolutely despise doing dishes as is, even with just inserting into dishwasher and turning it on. That is already difficult. Actually scrubbing, drying, and all that crap would be a nightmare. The alternative would be nothing would ever be clean and I would die of dysentery or something. Or I would just use disposable everything. Dishwasher is run at least 2  times per week because I cook nearly 100% of my meals, going out only on vacations.

functionoverfashion > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 07/01/2019 at 21:44

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haha well I should clarify. I don’t mind doing dishes, and even enjoy it to a small extent. However, we have a dishwasher and run it probably more often than you, but there are 4 people filling it. However, I hand wash most pots and pans, knives, cutting boards, and most of my cooking implements because I need them again next meal, I’m not running the dishwasher twice a day.

But I don’t really mind, it’s part of the kitchen cleaning routine that I find really satisfying after a day of handling the kids - the kitchen doesn’t argue with me trying to clean it, nor does it lose interest partway. 

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > functionoverfashion 07/02/2019 at 20:33

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I specifically bought more cutting boards, knives, pots, and pans so that I can load them in the dishwasher and just keep grabbing the next. I run out of dishwasher space before I run out of actual things to use. Lol that makes sense from that perspective though. I can't comprehend having time for children in any regard so I imagine anything that gets you some alone time is no longer a chore really!