Skills I Don't Have

With my healthy self esteem (read: arrogance), I freely admit that I have prowess in many areas. I can do many things well. However, in the interest of honest reflection, here are a few of the skills I do not possess, or do not enjoy exercising:

haggling for anything worth more than $500
honestly considering my spending habits
being kind to pushy salespeople
crunching numbers
comprehending banker speech
staying calm when HOA fees are mentioned
calculating interest
imagining being responsible for an entire building...

so, guess what I'm trying to do? Yes, I'm in the first throes of buying a home, and it's making me crazy. I'm still not sure I want to move. But, my dishes have been in boxes for five years, and I figure it's time to get them out and remember what they look like. Before I do that, I need to have my own kitchen. And I'd rather pay a mortgage than rent.

Don't HOA fees just mean that you pay a mortgage AND rent? 'Cause that makes no sense to me. Really, it just makes me angry.

So, if you think of it, pray that I might find the perfect home for me, and that the financing will all work. And that I don't kill a realtor. I don't deal well with people working on commission.


Actual conversation I recently had with a realtor (not mine):

Realtor: this is a good location
Me: Yes, I know this neighborhood well
R: Downtown is just a few blocks that way
Me: Yes, I commute past here every day
R: There's a trail down there
Me: I know
R: It's called the Iron Horse Trail
Me: I know

R: You don't have these fliers (she stuffs papers in my hands)
Me: Thank you for these and for your time.
R: I don't have your contact information!! (looks at me expectantly)
Me: No. And that's OK. I have yours and I'll be sure to call if I have any questions.

I'm can be a mean, mean person. Especially to well-meaning, anxious salespeople. I'll try to be nicer. But I'm NOT giving out my contact information to anyone who doesn't ABSOLUTELY need it.