No Lil House on the Prairie

Location. Location. Location.

That's not my real estate agent speaking. That's Charming Calvin.

Seems like our nomadic Beijing expat has decided to sink his hard-earned disposable yuan into real estate. Blew a sigh of relief hearing that since I figure it's time for him to finally buy instead of rent. Especially when he's been blowing his cash renting an entire apartment here for an entire year - only to spend a measly four weeks in the place.

I call it his storage apartment.

Of course buying an apartment in the city isn't quite as simple as I imagined. When I bought my own place, all I did was drive by the show unit, scope out the area and sign the agreement. Of course I'll admit I was swayed by the fact that the house lay only a stone's throw from the place I grew up in. :) Certainly a selling point for me.


Be it ever so humble!
Landed properties are of course preferable - but in the city, the price of purchase for a minuscule lot barely the size of a jockstrap would cost more than a king's ransom. Certainly not to be thought of - unless an excessive wealthy long-lost of uncle of mine ( or Calvin's ) succumbs to a mysterious illness clutching his last will and testament naming one of us his sole beneficiary.

Unfortunately crusty old nabobs are hard to find these days with money boys aplenty on the catch for them!

So it's an apartment Calvin's looking for - with a reasonably spacious area larger than the grotty bedsit I had all through university :) Hopefully a step up from his previous rented place with amenities such as a pool or a gym in the same building ( the better to ogle the hot guys! ) and guards to keep out the great unwashed. Preferably within walking distance of a sizeable train station.

And of course, it shouldn't be in the back of beyond. Being a small town boy, Calvin simply can't conceive of staying more than ten minutes away from the city centre.

So you can see how hard it is to find such a gem of an apartment for such a shockingly low price! Short of a local housing recession in the next few months, the only way we'd get such a place is to voraciously hunt through the obituaries! Getting rid of the blood stains on the carpets should be easy enough but I wouldn't know how to get my hands on a reputable bomoh to spiritually cleanse the place.

But let's not get too far ahead.

Have to admit the first thought that came to my mind was 'Ooh, what kinda interior design theme should we have?' Maybe a chic, modern Chinese interior as a nod to Calvin's traditional upbringing? Simple white Ming-style furniture with lattice frame screens and green accents? A little less fussy and understated than my own place - though with his predilection for making a mess, the minimalist look would soon turn into trashy Bohemian.

Wait a minute... didn't he mention that the company pays for luggage transport ( in a 4 X 4 ) when he comes back from Beijing?