Jackalope

Mission Barganista, congratulations on finding and buying a place! Whether Mission-proper or Mission/Castro, it's a great area to live and buy in - and great weather to boot.

I'm happy to hear you are indeed making your living by your pen. Your angel of death comment was too good; I figured you had to be a pro - and/or have a very active imagination. Great visual imagery!

I did end up finding a place but my budget was very, very low. One income, first-time buyer, you know the drill. It basically came down to two options: 1. Place in/near the city that was crappy but great location. 2. Place not in/near the city but great living space/neighborhood with the trade-off of a craptastic commute.

Of course, I ended up choosing the latter and purchased the lower unit of a duplex near the Grand Lake Theatre in Oakland/a block from Piedmont. Built in 1914, Craftsman/Prairie style, box beam ceilings, beautiful garden, huge backyard for my yellow Lab, two bedrooms, and a sunroom.

Good luck on your new place! Have you closed yet? - Mon Aug 4, 2008

Mission Bargainista, you are my new hero. Your answer cracked me up, and finally, finally!!, someone who also feels that granite is less than inspiring.

Angel of death?! I hope you are a writer; you crack me up.

Thanks for the laugh, and good luck finding your place - have you located anything yet? - Wed Jun 25, 2008

I'm in agreement with Jed and Cheryl. As a buyer, if I see one more granite countertop I'm going to puke. It's like having avocado green appliances that scream "70s!!".

My strong preference would be to have a slightly lower price so I could do the kitchen the way that I wanted it done, as someone who would live there long term, instead of a 'slap it on and sell' quick fix job. What's to say buyers don't walk in and hate the color/finish of the countertop you've chosen? Or leave it open for negotiation.

I realize agents are saying most people can't imagine what a house would look like other than what's there, but I don't agree with that. If true, entire channels like HGTV wouldn't exist. ;)

Maybe people don't want to change things, but is there really anyone who moves in and keeps everything the same?

Sorry for the strong feelings on granite, but I'm over it. - Fri Jun 20, 2008

I would strongly, strongly, strongly encourage you to look up the Oakland crime map via the internet. It will give you a lot of answers.

There are great and sketchy parts of Oakland, and this tool more than anything else, helped me decide where to consider, and where to definitely stay away from. - Wed Jul 2, 2008

Was this a real question or a troll pumping up business for the link he added? Sketch, dude. Totally sketch. - Fri Jun 27, 2008