Oh woe

[emmuzka]

The access to all blogs and message boards was temporarily blocked the last two days in our work place. Oh, the agony! It’s not that I would suffer incredible pains for not being able to response my comments or anything, it’s the knowledge of not having the access that pains me. Fortunately the restriction was only temporal, because banning all the blogs and message boards in a communications agency? Great idea.

Yesterday, when I went home, I noticed that there was a public apartment showing in the same building and stairway where I live. Ha! Of course I walked in. The flat was directly above of where I live and as they have had originally the same floor plan, it was weird to see just how thoroughly my apartment had been renovated. The flat they were selling was in a really bad shape, a “renovator’s dream” in the apartment-selling-language.

Anyway, it made me think again about buying my own apartment. In Finland taxation makes living in a owned flat clearly the most cost-effective way and people do tend to invest all their assets in the flat they live in. I would even have the first-time buyer’s reduced trade tax advantage, but still. I would like to live in a walking-distance of where I work and that places me in the area where the flats cost about 4000 EUR per square meter. Uh. Right.

My mother strongly discourages me for buying a flat, saying that it’s no use and that I should spend the money on keeping myself pretty and thus finding a man who already has the money and the flat.

1) O_O!
2) What money? At the moment all my money goes for the rent.
3) How discouraging can you be?
4) My mother obviously has some “ideas” about woman’s position in the society.

Duh. If I would be eligible for a loan big enough, I would buy a big flat and make it a Helsinki Slashas Old Maid Commune ;)

Comments

[arye-sarin.livejournal.com]

finding a man who already has the money and the flat

When you meet Mr. Right and if he turns out to be poor, do you just ditch him and find Mr. Wrong who has lots of money? Is that what your mom wants...money solves everythig, right? ; )

No offence but your mom's ideas sound a bit weird. Almost the same as one of my friends whose mom had a strict opinion that husband and wife should be about the same height. Or at least the man shouldn't be more than 15 cm taller than his wife. And of course the woman could not be the taller than the man.
???????

[twindouble.livejournal.com]

One of my former friends would not date a man shorter than herself. That is why she left her first boyfriend (who happened to be better friend to me than she was)! And she is 178cm...

[anglepoiselamp.livejournal.com]

I had a friend like that too. It was so bizarre. She cared more about the potential boyfriend's height and what kind of car he had, than she cared about the person themselves. o_O

[emmuzka.livejournal.com]

Yes, my mom is vierd.. but I'm not that far behind when thinking that all her kids are pretty much over-respecting eduacation and money. In my new home town I have met new wonderful people without university education and I have learned to not under estimate people without further education. Still, I think that starting a relationship with a guy who would be a truck driver or something would "never" happen.

(Are my expectations too high? Do people with education, a job that pays a mortage, no mental problems, no alcohol problems and no relatives with alcohol problems even exist?

[anckyria.livejournal.com]

I've been pondering the same question quite often. For me, education and account balance aren't as important as they are to many other educated people, but it matters a great deal to me that a potential life-mate is willing to work and earn his/her living, and that s/he takes the work seriously regardless of whether it's the presidency of a country or hauling trash. So what I keep wondering is whether there are any people who are responsible, sane, healthy and willing to actually commit to building a lasting relationship with someone whose personality and lifestyle is compatible with theirs.

[2ndbs.livejournal.com]

No, they do not exist.

[rowanna73.livejournal.com]

...I should spend the money on keeping myself pretty and thus finding a man who already has the money and the flat.

OMG?!? I had to read this twice to convince myself I'm really at lj and not reading some version of 1800's fiction...

I always encourage people to invest their money in their own flat. Better to pay your monthly salary to greedy bank rather than greedy landlord. :)

[emmuzka.livejournal.com]

That's my mom.. She even believes that this works and keeps one of my sister's as an example of this. Never mind that it would still be a rather poor succees percentage. Now where could I find a guy with a three room flat in Espoo, hm?

[twindouble.livejournal.com]

She really is quite weird. In some things she is the wisest person I know, and then she starts talking about getting men or your duties to her as her daughter... I think I don't know her at all anymore.

Timing, timing, timing...

[(Anonymous)]

Hoping to find a hubby with a flat is not a good reason to put off buying a flat, but the current inflated housing prices are. The inflation-adjusted prices of appartments have varied by more than a factor of two in the last two decades, and most people would agree we are currently on a crest. It is easy to see that buying an appartment at a good moment easily compensates a decade of hard work on a good salary. Interest rates have been rising for some time now, and should, for example, NSN and telecom subcontractors lay off masses of people, there will unavoidably be recession and a dip in prices.

So, for the time being I suggest you simply enjoy life, invest in your career, save a little for a downpayment in case you do find a good appartment in a few years, and try to find a guy whom you like more than his appartment.

Re: Timing, timing, timing...

[(Anonymous)]

I wrote: "... try to find a guy whom you like more than his appartment."

I should have continued "... and make sure he likes you more than your appartment."

Anyway, the point of timing was the serious one. Who would like to pay a double price for his/hers live's overwhelmingly largest purchase?

[sua-lay.livejournal.com]

I am rendered speechless by your mother's comment.

*awed*

Buying a flat does sound great. I mean... Paying the bank loan back in 15 years or so would leave one 45 with a flat. That gives one 20 years of work with low housing expenses, which gives more opportunity to travel etc. And of course when you retire, you'll save more money for meds and stuff and when you're totally senile, you can sell the place and afford a good bed in a hospital.

Yes, I've given this some thought...

I think you'll have to fight for the Old Maid -title with Tvilly and me. Tvilly would probably win... *hides*

[emmuzka.livejournal.com]

15 years? I was thinking more like 25...

[anckyria.livejournal.com]

At least 25 years with the current prices. Which is why I opted for ASO. It's great for an old maid such as me :P

[tvillingar.livejournal.com]

Hah! I'll claim the title of Grand Old Maid...

[sua-lay.livejournal.com]

Can we rephrase that into Grand Old Fart?

*hides*

[tvillingar.livejournal.com]

Are you saying I smell? *raises eyebrow*

[sua-lay.livejournal.com]

Yeah, well you're the one who's going to buy the flat downtown, so you'd probably take longer to pay it...

[EDIT: OMG sorry I used my shagging bunnies icon! I never use it in comments, so I now feel like a weird perv. :D]