Owning A House is Not for the Faint of Heart

Although they are fairly self sufficient, house do need some up keep.  And at 8 years in my home I am coming to see this.  I wish I’d been a little smarter and planned ahead better, but it’s comfortable having your head stuck in the sand, until there’s a leak or two.  So now that I’ve been dealing with a leaking basement, a back porch room that hit its expiration date over 5 years ago, and another roof leak (time for a new roof) I have to face all these things.  And it kinda sucks. 

Sometimes, when left to the pity party I think, wouldn’t it be nice to just rent?  So I just went exploring online.  Well, that was eye opening!  One bedroom apartments are easily $900!  Some two bedrooms are $1,100 to $1,300….ummm…not worth it at all! So now I remember why my dad always reminded me that owning a house is a wise investment.  At least in this area.

So then I looked at houses for sale.  I hadn’t done that in ages.  Let’s just say “the grass is greener” is the expression that came to mind.  Sure there were houses in the same price range as my current house, but they were also probably in the same condition as my house.  So trade one for another.

Eye opening. 

None of this is easy, is it?  Sometimes, I want a reset to 23.  Oh if I only could tell my younger self all that I had learned.  Will my 63 year old self say these same words? What can I do right now that will make my future more secure? 

But there is no reset button, there is only now.

In a strangely cosmic and spiritual way, I think a house needs to be lived in and it needs to be loved.  How often have you seen an empty house succumb to the elements?  In no time the opportunistic trees and weeds begin to grow near the foundation practically swallowing the place.  Structural weakness begins to happen and the house begins to slowly deteriorate in ways it would not have if occupied. 

My wake up call from a few weeks ago has set me on a path of care for the house and plans financially that I simply had let myself forget.  I feel so much better than that now.  And the universe responded.  Recently, I met the grandson of the original owners.  He offered me pictures of the house when it was first built!  On the same day, my co-worker stopped by and said she’d been thinking about my house and its architectural style.  She said she liked the house.  It was as if all these positive affirmations were coming to me to remind me of the house I fell in love with in 2005.

Owning a house is not for the faint of heart.  So many people rent or get maintenance free condos just to avoid the hassles of owning and repair.  So many people get into debt over their heads because they had to buy new construction because they are afraid of an old home.  Yet, these new houses tend to not be built as well and then the people are still putting money into them to maintain them. 

I know that houses are just things and attachment is bad, but I love my house.  I love that she was built by a carpenter and his brother nine years after the owner had purchased the land.  I love that high quality materials were used and the most modern skills for that time were utilized.  She has original woodwork, windows, and interior doors.  I try to decorate her somewhat in the fashion that fits her.  This house is my home, and if I will be here for a while, I will love her and care for her!