2000 September 30 Saturday Apartment Search

I do my Saturday morning thing--exercise, laundry, breakfast--but skip the apartment cleaning to go to an appointment.

"Excuse me. Are you Jasmine? I'm Garrett." I speak slowly and clearly because I can tell English isn't her native language.

Jasmine shows me four places in two hours, one of the places twice.

I'm considering a co-op on the edge of Edgewater in Cliffside Park. The one-bedroom is $95,000. The gray carpet is new. The walls are white. It overlooks the river. It invites light. The clincher: the monthly maintenance fee is about $700. The mortgage payment is on top of the maintenance fee.

I presently pay only $500 a month for rent. The more I research, the more I realize how blessed I am to be here.

I also love being debt-free. I may continue to rent if only to maintain my debt-free status.

Jared Jones from the Manhattan 8th Ward offers me half of his one-bedroom in Inwood for $475 a month. I know he'd be a great roommate for me.

But I like living in New Jersey more than Manhattan. Buses beat subways. Supermarkets beat delis.

Cliffside Park, Edgewater and Inwood are all possible with only one roommate. Alone, I might sink.

Heath and Jared don't do their dishes in two days, and their respective girl guests are asleep on the rug.