Crumby Buyers

Jane has a buyer. Herself and Mr. Jane.

They qualify for four peanutbutter cookies loan. However, Mr. Jane wants to live in a baker's dozen double dark chocolate chunk neighborhood. Also, he wants 2,000+ square feet and no home owner's association. Anything less is compromising.

Unfortunately, the Phoenix area housing market is kind of tough right now. If one is picky, one will be waiting a long time for the right cookie to come along. If one has an urgency to move (and Jane does), one should be willing to find the best cookie for the dollar. It changes the dynamics of a home purchase, but it doesn't mean one has to settle for a store-bought box of stale sugar cookies either. There's a balance. In this case it means there will be come commuting going on for Mr. Jane. Otherwise, they will just have to overpay for their carbs.

I live in a five peanut butter cookie neighborhood, but if you look around, there are four peanut butter cookie homes within a mile or less--all without HOAs. Not that Jane has to live near me, but my neighborhood--far from the double chocolate chunk area Mr. Jane wants--would work for them. There are also neighborhoods in Chandler and Tempe as well as other areas of Mesa that might work, but they are too far and the cookies are too crumbly. Just ask Mr. Jane.

This past weekend, Jane texted me. Would I please go look at homes with her? Sure, but why not take Mr. Jane, after all, he will be living there too, right? She wrote back, not a chance. They aren't agreeing, with Mr. Jane a lot more optimistic than he should be. At this point, she will just find the house and tell him when to sign the loan documents. This is what they have done their entire marriage while Mr. Jane was deployed. She found the house, he moved in. This time was't going to be any different. And, as far as she is concerned, that's the way the cookie will be crumbling.