We recently received the following from a very fraught reader:
"I am seriously considering buying at the Citrino, on South Van Ness— units are reasonable enough, as are the HOA dues, blah, blah. So a few weeks back while walking through the neighborhood, I glanced up at the building, and thought to myself "What, are they stocking the fridge with Limoncello for move in?" Then I peered across the street and noticed this, one of the most beautiful, meticulously maintained Victorians I've yet seen in SF. I am a young professional in the design/ arch realm— I am not supposed to like Victorian architecture. And yet there I stood, having a near ideological crisis as I compared this solid, historical building (no matter that it's a Ashram of some sort) to these shiny, happy condos with the kitschy window coverings. Have any other people in my position— young, wealthy enough, really in love with clean design— second guessed themselves like this when facing down a mortgage?" Fellow humans, let's pitch in and shepherd this poor soul along toward home ownership. Do you want the advice of thousands upon thousands of faceless, often nameless readers? Tell us what ails thee, and we'll do our best to help.