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,
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Tips for the Timid
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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.