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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (April 20, 2007)
NIGHTLIFE/ IFE NIGHTLIFE Homecoming Queen More than a mortgage NEWEST KÏÏRJ FRESH AIR IN OUR NON-SMOKING CLUB or a liberal, 1 sure am averse to change. I’ve been going to the same dentist’s office my entire life—even though it requires a long trek to Salem. 1 still own a hi-fi stereo system bought way back during my Depeche Mode phase of 1988—even though the waist-high speakers are four times the size of today’s equivalent. Hell, 1 waited until January before succumbing to peer pressure and buying a cell phone. And, up until this month, 1 lived in the same apartment for 12 years—more than one-third of BY JIM RAD0STA my life. So you can imagine rhe cold feet that needed to be warmed before 1 could take that big step into I The last time 1 moved—from Boise to the scary' world of homeownership: Southeast Portland—I had no clue what the future • Will 1 be able to afford it? (As I would come held for me. It was 1995, and I was still closeted, so to learn, all you need to do is calculate 30 percent my chief concern was independence. 1 simply of your income and make a few phone calls.) wanted to find a place to call my own, away from • Can I handle yardwork when I can barely my stoner college roommates and away from my find the time to hang up my clothes? (Remains to parents—for all 1 knew at the time, my family be seen. At least I now have a dishwasher, which would reject me when I decided to come out of the will save me some precious time.) closet. • But what if 1 decide to move away? (Not 1 didn’t make that announcement for another likely—other than four years of college in four years, and they couldn’t have been more California and a summer internment in Idaho, I’m supportive. But like so many queers, it’s hard to a lifelong Oregonian.) envision your future when society conditions you All of these fears were keeping me from not to: You’ll lose your friends. You'll lose your job. entering the homebuying process—a process that You’ll get AIDS and die. turned out to be surprisingly fun, relatively simple I guess that’s why this purchase feels like so and definitely enlightening. Yeah, there were much more—it’s my statement that I’m not moments of heartbreak—like when a beloved going anywhere, that I’m a proud Portlander for property went off the market moments before my the long haul. And that I’m an adult, which offer arrived—but it was worth the drama. might be the hardest admission of all. After A few weeks ago I moved into a cozy 1924 regretting so many wasted years in the closet, bungalow .with a big back yard. The woodsy 1 made up for lost time by embracing youthful neighborhixxJ runs alongside The Grotto, a serene adventures—and I plan on continuing to do so. Catholic shrine, so now 1 have a gigantic neon But it’s a strange rite of passage when you find cross illuminating my front lawn. Heavenly! yourself actually enjoying chores instead of I still haven’t had that “moment” where it really dreading them. Wow, I’m a big kid now. © hits me that this is all mine. Maybe that’s because I’ve been waiting so long for this moment to arrive, I’ve already experienced it 100 times in my Arts and Culture Editor JlM RADOSTA needs your imagination. feedback. Write to jim@justout.com. Jim s Closet 'n'i serve Been BENT Yet? Come Celebrate our 120 NW Third Avenue Portland, Oregon 97209 503-224-3285 ww.hobospdx.com April 20 and 21 Parking Validated @ Smart Park NW Davis & Front FOOD, DRINKS, DANCING, KARAOKE, DRINKS, PATIO, LAUGHING, DRINKS, YOU AND FUNI EUN! Tips for the Timid SUNDAY BRUNCH 9 am -3 pm DJs 10 am -2 pm HAPPY HOUR grub with Rocky Rhodes featuring Suzanne $14.30 with DJ Skullbie I o 3 pm -7 pm i> If the mere word “escrow" makes your eyes glaze over with incomprehension and your stomach ache with queasiness, I feel your pain. As a former home-ophobe, 1 can offer some modest advice for the fearful: 1. Envision your dream home. If you don’t know what you’re kxtking for, you’ll never find it. Get at least a general idea of what you need vs. what you want, particularly in terms of neighborhood and size, then prepare to be flexible. 2. Take a Homebuying 101 class. The Portland Housing Center, a nonprofit organization that exists specifically to help uneducated folks like us buy our first homes, offers a free orientation session from 6 to 7 p.m. on the first three Wednesdays of every month at 323 3 N.E. Sandy Blvd. No registration is required. For more information visit www.portlandhousingcenter.org. Two members of the queer community, Deb Counts-Tabor of Prudential Northwest Properties and Gary Boyer of Guarantee Mortgage, hold homebuyer workshops from 7 to 8 p.m. every fourth Thursday at 1730 N.E. 10th Ave. Participants receive information about the Portland real estate market along with tips and tricks for finding the perfect home, increasing credit scores and preparing for the big purchase. RSVP to 503-913-1103 or deb@prunw.com. 3. Shop around for an affordable mortgage. Gather together some recent financial dixruments—tax returns, pay stubs and bank statements—and call a few lenders to see what rates are available for someone in your income bracket. Ask about Oregon Housing and Community Services’ Residential Loan Program, which offers a ridiculously low 5.5 percent interest rate for qualified first-time homebuyers. 4. Find a reliable Realtor. Selecting an agent is a bit like dating—you’ll know within a few minutes if you click. References from trustworthy friends should be heeded, plus this paper is filled with ads for competent queers who deserve your patronage. 5. Be patient and urgent. Don’t rush into anything that doesn’t feel right, but get ready to jump at a mi .tent’s notice if something special pops up. Even though the market is cooling off, Portland is still swarming with hungry buyers.
