Move: to Madison, WI (Day 100)

Believe it or not, the logistics of moving to Madison are still not complete. Most of my stuff is still in Houston. Naturally, I miss people more than stuff, but it sure would be nice to have a couch.

Eventually, the logistics will be complete, and cultural adaptation will dominate. While Wisconsin is not completely foreign from Texas, it is different (enough) in terms of local cuisine, events, and so forth. As the locals like to bring up during our conversations, I still haven’t experienced winter. Readers of this blog can look forward to moment-by-moment commentary about snow.

One of the things that I’ve done to blend in is...buy grid-patterned shirts that are appropriate for the office. Male Houston office workers tend towards solid-colored shirts, polos, or shirts with otherwise simple patterns. Many folks in the Madison office have similar taste. However, there are enough men wearing a wide variety of plaid and grid-patterned shirts that it became clear that I was missing something. One web search later, with some price comparisons, two shirts arrived at the PO Box. Total cost was under $80; shipping was free.

Speaking of the PO Box, if you have one, then you should consider getting a street address for it. It’s free, and you get something that resembles a normal address. If you allow the Post Office to have your signature on file, then FedEx and UPS had ought to hand over your purchased items to the Post Office. Commentary on the web isn’t clear on the overall effectiveness of this, but since it costs no more to have those features after you pay for the PO Box, it is a free experiment (minus losses from items being...lost).

In other news, I’ve joined a gym to achieve the goal of safely lifting 100 lbs. That means lifting 100 lbs multiple times without too much straining or effort. Currently, I can lift 50 lbs safely. Why do this, especially so far from New Year’s? Two reasons:

1) Moving

2) Volunteering at District 1 EMS.

When I helped a co-worker move, it became clear that my upper body strength was inadequate for many tasks. After decades of similar embarrassment, it was time for change. Plus, when it comes time to move my own stuff, having any extra strength will obviously make the job easier.

As for District 1 EMS, they ask point-blank on the form if you can lift 100 lbs. While they will accept you if you can’t lift that much, it is the kind of question to which I would really like to say “yes.” This is really about safety.

Aside from work and chores, major ongoing tasks include: playing Sheepshead at Laurel Tavern, learning Mandarin, reading more about Wisconsin history, walking more segments of the Ice Age Trail, volunteering for the DNR or similar groups, and Monitoring an Aquatic Ecosystem Using a Raspberry Pi and Sensors from Atlas Scientific.

Time management is a good skill to have, along with budgeting, cooking, and writing in cursive.

In real estate news, the landlord offered to renew the lease for one year, raising the monthly rent by less than 2%. Meanwhile, Madison-area real estate went up by more than twice that amount. That sends a strong signal to keep renting.

But, let’s say that the landlord did not offer to renew the lease. What then?

Well, within a few miles of the office (biking distance), Zillow reports 12 one-bedroom apartments available for no more than $1,000 per month. In the same region, there are three one-bedroom condos available for the same price. There are no townhouses or single-family houses available in the area for that price.

For the equivalent price of a property, a visit to the New York Times Buy vs Rent Calculator is in order. With the $1,000 per month ceiling, and some assumptions about certain numbers, the Calculator showed the following purchase prices at at given condo fee. The condo fees below are taken from actual listings; they're not made up:

$104,000 for a place with a condo fee of $193/month

$108,000 at a condo fee of $164/month

$131,000 without a condo fee.

In other words, if there is a condo selling for $104,000, and has a monthly fee of $193/month, then that is equivalent to paying $1,000 per month in rent, at certain values of down payment, duration of residence, property taxes, etc.

At a max price of $104,000, there are four places for sale in the same region that has 15 places to rent at no more than $1,000 per month. Increasing the max price to $108,000, a total of five places are for sale. Increasing the max price to $131,000, and excluding all condos and townhouses and properties that face busy roads, that number is zero. Remember, there are a total of 15 places to rent for at or below $1,000 per month in this part of town. 

Yep. For the moment, I’m still better off renting. It makes little sense to leave a quiet neighborhood to pay more to live in a louder, more polluted neighborhood with a longer commute.