Condo Part II

I went and looked at the condo.

Pluses:

1. It's very spacious, even more than the floor plans would indicate. And there is the possibility to making some modifications to further make it more open and easier for me to get around in. It would be a big improvement over my current apartment in that regard. Plus it would be mine...no more hassles with the pain in the ass company that manages the complex where I live.

2. It's centrally located but in a newer community. The neighbourhood was rebuilt from scratch about 7 years ago on land that used to be part of the no closed army base. It was designed to be pedestrian and bike friendly so is full of paved paths. Tons of green space and several large parks. The condo building is a block away from my favorite starbucks and within easy walking distance of a grocery store, pharmacy, movie rental place, and several other funky little coffee shops and places to eat. And not far from where I live now (a 5 minute drive) so I would still be close to my beloved North Glenmore Park and to school. I like this part of the city and if I was going to buy it would preferably be in this general area so this works out good.

3. While the unit is totally self-contained, there are a number of services in the building I could access that would make life much easier for me such as laundry and meals, plus some medical related things. Again it depresses the hell out of me that I need these things but such is life I guess. The unit, building, and neighbourhood are all very nice and very accessible. I doubt I would find a more accessible neighbourhood in Calgary.

It really is ideal for me and I am going to put in an offer on it.

So why am I so depressed? :(

Condo

I am going to look at a condo today. If I like it I will be putting in an offer to buy it.

This is the floor plan of the unit I will be looking at. I am curious as to why if Canada uses the metric system the units of measurement are in square feet. Because they did nothing but confuse me (I am not mathematically inclined enough to convert even roughly in my head). Then I realized something: Canada didn't officially adopt the metric system until sometime in the early 1980s. And since the target age for those being sold units in this building would have been educated before that, I suppose they are sticking with something familiar. Yes...it's a retirement condo independent living thing building I am looking at :( Something that depresses the hell out of me but it has lots of things that would make my life easier and even take some of the burden off my family, both things that I want. I realize I sound ageist here and I don't mean to. It's just not the kind of a place I pictured myself living at 28. And the fact that everybody else is 30+ years or more older than me isn't even the thing that bothers me the most. It's a very very nice building. It's marketed as something silly as "enjoy your golden years in the luxury you deserve." And while I am all for having a nice place to live, I am just having a hard time picturing myself living here.

But I am tired of renting. And my initial plans to build a house west of Calgary are not really feasible given care giving needs and the hassle of finding enough coverage living right in the city. Moving somewhere that would require a drive out of the city would likely shrink my pool of paid care givers even smaller than it is now. So we will see how it goes with the condo. Apparently they will sell to me due to having a disability but since I am not 55 or older I have to get special permission and go before some board. Something that also makes me feel pretty shitty. Even to arrange a viewing took some special arranging. Sigh.

But still, it would be a very good thing for me to have a place that is my own.