Yeah, it's in Sterling.

Just reading that makes my jaw tighten. It's not just a commute, it's an ugly commute.

On the up side, if you do the play, you could give no-show actor boy a taste of what it's like (although I know you're much too responsible to flake out on a show).

Oh, Taz. Phooey. Keep on healing, kitty!

omnis, yeah, don't do it.

I have heard many horror stories about deteriorating condos with ever-increasing assessments that made them impossible to resell. I'd say keep looking, omnis. I don't think it takes a foreclosure to get a deal these days; a lot of people in this market are selling cheap because they have to.

I have heard many horror stories about deteriorating condos with ever-increasing assessments that made them impossible to resell. I'd say keep looking, omnis. I don't think it takes a foreclosure to get a deal these days; a lot of people in this market are selling cheap because they have to.

Um, yeah.

A few years back the apartment building I live in looked like it was going condo. Current tenants would be able to buy their apartments at a below-market price. It sounded good and most of the tenants jumped at it.

I looked at the proposal and realized that they weren't really fixing the problems inherent in a 1929 building - rather than rewiring, they were going to split circuits. Rather than putting in new plumbing they were, essentially doing a quick (cheap) fix, patching the roof. They were putting a lot of the work into making it look nicer - putting drywall or sheetrock over the textured plaster, carpeting the hallways, etc. They insisted that the building did not have to be brought up to code when it changed hands, although I'm pretty sure it does. I looked at it and knew that within five years the assessments would skyrocket because all the things they were patching would have to be fixed and the developer would have moved on to the next batch of suckers.

Then the bottom fell out of the condo market, they realized they wouldn't be able to make a profit, and the whole thing went away.

Sorry, Nora. I was mainly thinking of a fairly large complex near me that was built in the '70s by a builder who apparently evaded a number of code requirements. Then the complex acquired drainage problems, as many places have because of the increase in concrete. The builder escaped into legal limbo and the owners couldn't face the assessments it would have taken to really fix the problems, so they kept doing temporary fixes. A lot of owners just walked away.

Right now we have the ugly spectacle here of a condo complex where the management company stopped paying the city for water and sewer, even though it was supposed to be covered by the condo fees, and the city is about to cut off the water and declare the condos uninhabitable.

Damn, I may not love my condo, but I've got to say the management company does a pretty darn good job of keeping up with the keeping up. We've had new insulation in the past two years, they've repainted at least a couple of times inside in the past eight (common areas), new windows in the common areas with fancy-schmancy double-whosis energy saving stuff. I just don't like the location. I'm not close to anything and the only bus that goes by me doesn't go close to anywhere I want to go, like downtown and my work. It's not all bad!!

Sorry, Nora.

Goodness, no need to apologize! I am definitely a cautionary tale. You can get stuck even if you have an awesome condo that is in great shape, so... keep that in mind everyone!

Help! Wardrobe advice and/or sanity check? Tomorrow I get up early (for me) to go to a tech industry career fair, and I'm trying to decide what to wear. I'm thinking black skirts (with petticoats, because I don't hide who I am), black sleeveless (yet high-collar) blouse, pink blazer with narrow black stripes, hair pulled back (no hat!), and glasses. And makeup, but that's a given. What do you folks think?