Big news guys: I’m meeting with a realtor tomorrow! OK, it’s very, very, very preliminary, but I’m happy that I’m being proactive about it—and there’s the added bonus of crossing something off my 2014 To-Do List. Basically I just want to figure out if it’s feasible for me to even be thinking about buying a condo or if I should scrape together ever penny for the next year and try again then. Is it a good time to buy? How much do I have to put down exactly? Why are HOA fees so friggin’ much?
I hope she’s ready for those questions and about a million more. Poor woman. But in doing some background research to prepare, I ran across this new Business Insider article about how much money you have to earn to buy a home in 25 different US cities. Here’s Chicago’s numbers:
I don’t know about you, but this seems extremely low. Then again, I live in a relatively clean, violence-free and accessible part of the city, and that’s generally where I’ve been stalking places on Zillow too. We’ll see what the realtor has to say. A 2BD/2BA for $187K? I could do that—but I doubt she could.
See the dets for other cities here.
Urban Nesting 
Very exciting Kelsey! Will be anxious to hear all about it! Chicago was just on House Hunters…did you see it?
I did not see it. I don’t have cable. I wonder if it’s online somewhere?
You CAN do it. Remember that it’s about setting roots down. Might as well be FOR you. HOA’s take care of maintenance/ pools. Buying a condo is able and you deserve that. 🙂
Thank you so much for the encouragement! We’ll see what happens…