the nyc conundrum

My favorite internet google searches have been for real estate in NYC recently.

NOT that I have enough money to put 20% down on a condo on the upper west side...but it can't hurt to look, right?

And from what I'm seeing, things are just CRAZY cheap in the market right now.

I love NYC, all of my friends are here, my teacher and coaches are here, auditions are here (well, for 2.5-3 months a year), the culture, the shows, the parks, the museums, I could go on and on but then I'd be an advertisement for Iloveny .com or something, so I won't.

But, Libra that I am, I can always convince myself that this would be either the best thing or the most idiotic thing I could do right now.

Why would it make sense?
Well, I'm a singer. If I DON'T have performances in the Fall, then I will 100% be in New York City for fall auditions, which means 3 to 4 months per year.
Also, when will I be a 'real person'? Shouldn't I actually have a place to...say...put all of my shoes? My gowns? My clothes? My books that I have saved from college and want to put in MY LIBRARY one day? My scores? my--everything? (That is currently packed away and labeled in the basement?
Also, IF I wanted to put 'roots' down somewhere (that is not to say that I wouldn't prefer a life of moving around..which I actually WOULD), but WOULD it be in New York City?
If you asked me 2 years ago I would have scoffed at the idea.
No! Singers only move to NYC to then have to get some sort of OTHER part time job to SUPPORT their singing 'habit' and pay their exorbitant rents.

I loved Boston. I loved Chicago.
I loved anywhere in Europe--Paris, Milan--over New York--the place where I saw so many singers with high hopes go, only to turn to day jobs and a 'normal' life, while pursuing that 'performance career'.

But now...am I at a different stage?
AM I pursuing a performance career and kind of succeeding at it? (well, according to my 2008 taxes I am...)
And shouldn't I then, maybe, stop relying on my best friend's couch, my friend from highschool's airmattress, my friend from college's BED, and all of the other open invitations that I have to crash with people when I end up having an extra week in the city or a voice lesson or an audition that I have to come into town for?

(even though it's MORE than fun to stay with all of these people, and there is always an open invitation to hang out, catch up, and chill out at these lovely abodes that range from Prospect Park to Union Square to the Upper West Side)??


And now that it looks like loft studios on the West side (ok, Midtown west which is not ideal, but still IN Manhattan) are available for less than 300 thousand?! wouldn't it be kind of crazy NOT to at least LOOK at some of these places?

OK, so those are all of the "why not? just do it!/ PRO" arguments.

Here are the "what are you thinking! That's crazy! why would you even consider that?!" arguments.

Well, I only "really" have to be in NYC from October to December.
So- if I find a sublet for around 1,000 or less a month, that's a total of three thousand dollars instead of...oh--- TWELVE times TWO THOUSAND dollars which would be my mortgage payment.

If I own, it will always be MY responsibility to find a subletter.
Do I want that responsibility? How easy or hard it is to find someone for a short terms sublet who won't mess up your place, steal your stuff, be difficult, and be overall normal and not psycho?

What if (hopefully) I AM performing more and more, and needing to be in NYC less and less? (although for the sake of argument I could also say, what if the MET magically hears about my high q's and suddenly wants to hire me for "awesome-opera-2012" and I get to stay here and live here and sing here? omg/lol/hahahha/jk/ifonly!)

Do I really want to live in NYC forever? Meaning--in 'life'- not just singing life?
Probably not...although, again, if I were independently wealthy, it sure would be nice to have 'a place' in 'the city'.

WHERE do I want to live?
Still not sure.
But I want my stuff to live somewhere other than packed up in the basement.
And I want to feel like when I get off of a plane after 5 weeks of being 'away' or 'on the road', that I have a place with my things and my life to come 'home' to-- not just a couch or an airmattress or a best friend's always-open-invite, to call home.