Last night, I went to the Apple store in Pasadena to replace the worn earbuds for my iPhone. I was browsing through the Blue Tooth appliances, thinking perhaps I should invest in an Uhuru earplant thing. I picked one and went up to the Apple Guy to ask about compatibility with my phone and so forth.

He talked me out of it.

I said, “But my earbuds get all tangled in my purse.”

“Well, next time you’re untangling the earbuds, tell yourself that their battery will never die while you’re on the road and that the sound reception will be a lot better. And…” he said, turning over the two boxes to compare the price tags, “…you’ve just saved a bunch of money.”

I bought the earbuds and a nice new black rubber case cover.

This all happened after I was house hunting.

Let me tell you the reality of the “bargains” flooding the market right now in a cataract of foreclosures. Most of these places need work. Some are in dire condition. The people who lost homes in my price range were, for the most part, not only neglecting their homes but in a few cases they were actively destroying them. Yes, I’m sad for them losing their places because they were deceived by predatory lenders. But I’m also sad that they didn’t value what they had.

And the banks are still up to their old tricks. I was approved for a loan that is WAY more than I could ever pay on a monthly basis. I mean, up to $700 more a month than I could ever afford. I’ve had to consciously scale back the price to what I know I can pay. I check everything with the amortization calculators, keeping in mind the home owners dues if it’s a condo. Those can go as high as $350 a month.

So, it’s not going terribly well. I do see a lot of places that I’d almost buy if it weren’t for the post-apocalyptic scenery, the liquor store on the corner, the lack of indoor laundry hookups and AC, the mysterious water damage on the ceiling, the illegal additions, and so forth. Further, the home has to be approved by an FHA lender inspection before I can qualify for the awesome government loan program. It can’t be too far gone in any way. I could of course qualify for a government fixer upper loan, but I’d rather not. Paint, spackle, carpets…maybe a sink or two…that’s about where I draw the Tool Guy line.

My Agent Gal is very entertaining, sharp and hell bent on finding me a place. I have two realtors, actually, but Agent Gal is by far working the most for me. I think she’s reading my blog now, so I’ll wave at her and thank her for all her amazing energy and hard work.

And that is all for today.