Dog and Owner Wondering if We Should Buy a Condo In Seattle

Every so often I think of buying a condo. I quality for what I thought was a nice chunk of change.

"I'm trying to decide if I want a condo," I said to someone at my networking lunch.

"I can recommend a mortgage broker. She'll tell you if you can buy..."

"No, I've got a broker. I'm trying to decide if it's a good investment with the Seattle market still high."

"A real estate agent specializing in condos..."

"No. What I need is an economic forecast."

I went out with a real estate agent yesterday. We took Gracie with us. She sat on her cushion in the back seat and behaved beautifully as we walked around inspecting condos. We looked at 3 condos. We would have looked at 4 but I rejected one before we got to the stairs...no elevator. Looks like a remodeled Motel 6.

One condo had bright yellow walls, just the color of a ready-to-eat tangerine. It also had the ugliest carpet I've seen in a long, long time. A northern exposure and a few small windows.

Another had a bizarre floor plan. Two mid-size bedrooms. Kitchen set up near the window...blocking off the living area.

Then I brought the agent back the apartment I am renting now. It's not that big -- it's just got a fantastic layout with well-used space. It's on the 3d floor, southern exposure, sliver of a view of the Sound if you look out the window at an angle. Fantastic location. Soundproofed.

All her optimism faded. "You'll have trouble finding a place this nice," she said. See, my apartment building was built to be a condo unit. I don't know what happened.

Well, I'm not that young. Gracie and I could both be gone before this place goes condo.

Or maybe I'll move to a city where the real estate values are declining.