House shopping, part 2

I forgot to mention that on Sunday I looked at a bunch of houses in Oakland. Four in Montclair (where I am hoping to end up) and one in Glenview. I didn't take any pictures this time around. The first house in Montclair was a little too much for me -- too big and too expensive -- but it got major points for having a creek in the front yard and an outdoor fireplace. The other three houses in Montclair all had their charms, but it's still too early for me to be buying, so I tried not to get attached to any one place. The house in Glenview was really nice -- a 1915 craftsman that needed a bit of upgrading on the inside.

The downside to all this is that it's looking like it's going to cost a minimum of $700k to buy a "basic" house in those parts of Oakland. I'm confident that I can afford that, but whether the bank agrees is another story. Being self-employed really sucks when it's time to get a mortgage, as they look at your net income, rather than your gross income.

In related news, the house down the street (that's the same model as mine, just with more upgrades) got its price knocked down by $35,000. Let's hope it sells soon!