I could tell you stories, boy...
Maybe because I just spent the last six months on a real estate Odyssey, I truly sympathized with the guy.
Except: How much does someone working in marketing for AmEx make, anyway? He has a doctorate in chemical engineering, after all, not an MBA. Even if he spent 50% of his income on $2,000 a month rent, he'd have to be pulling down around $65,000 before taxes. That doesn't sound right, not one year into a career with no credentials.
Mystifying. But who hasn't fallen to this siren song, at least once?
Since I spent six months on it, I can tell you that real estate agents always claim it's the prime season for moving, no matter what. February, June, whatever. I ended up doing exactly what this poor schmuck did and paying too much for an apartment I didn't want, because I'd spent four and a half months at that point and just couldn't stand it anymore.
Just venting. And in case you were worried about me, I'm moving again in 10 days, to a beautiful, big place for ridiculously low rent.
Except: How much does someone working in marketing for AmEx make, anyway? He has a doctorate in chemical engineering, after all, not an MBA. Even if he spent 50% of his income on $2,000 a month rent, he'd have to be pulling down around $65,000 before taxes. That doesn't sound right, not one year into a career with no credentials.
Mystifying. But who hasn't fallen to this siren song, at least once?
"You see all these bad apartments and you get scared," he said. "Then you see a nice apartment coming up for an earlier date, and you have the option of moving out early, and there is another person with you who has every intention of swaying your mind. They are very good salesmen and have a good pitch. The pitch I got was: This is the prime season for moving, and if you wait the good apartments are gone and you get the leftovers."
Since I spent six months on it, I can tell you that real estate agents always claim it's the prime season for moving, no matter what. February, June, whatever. I ended up doing exactly what this poor schmuck did and paying too much for an apartment I didn't want, because I'd spent four and a half months at that point and just couldn't stand it anymore.
Just venting. And in case you were worried about me, I'm moving again in 10 days, to a beautiful, big place for ridiculously low rent.
posted by Antid Oto @ 11:29 PM
3 Comments:
At 12:06 AM,
Solomon Grundy said…
I bet that guy makes a lot more than $65K a year. An engineering PhD actually qualifies him for a lot of upper level marketing jobs (these companies often develop and use very sophisticated market research technologies). He probably entered at least at the associate level, or else why would he have spent all that time getting a PhD in a really lucrative field? I bet he's at least a project manager, which according to this site averages $96K plus bonus and benefits.
Dude, business jobs are so much more lucrative than the jobs humanities graduates usually get. I bet he's making 6 figures.
At 12:09 AM,
Solomon Grundy said…
Also, he sounds like a tool. I have no sympathy for Mr. Columbia Engineering PhD with a fat corporate job and an apartment in Gramercy. But I do have sympathy for you, since you have had genuine problems. Congrats on the new place.
At 2:12 AM,
Antid Oto said…
Well, I wouldn't have sympathy for him either ordinarily. He is The Problem. But a lot of what he described resonated--the price creep, mounting desperation, closet after shitty closet--albeit at about half the price.
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