I know, I know, we've had this discussion numerous times. I'm a horrible homeowner. I don't enjoy the yard work and all the little fixer upper jobs that need to be done. When I was a homeowner, I spent every weekend working on something with the house, lamenting owning it. Now mind you, I lived in Florida, in a neighborhood that went to shit before we moved in thanks to the housing boom, and was in a deed restricted area. Hello, you try keeping St. Augustine grass lovely during the summer heat spells when your sprinkler system breaks. Hubby and I had a wonderful realtor when we first moved up here, who showed us several scary houses in the remote regions between our two places of employment. It wasn't for us.
So, I've been a somewhat content apartment dweller, in the aspect that they do all my repairs, yet I hate the complex, owners, and neighbors (except Becky). The complex has been on a downhill slide for a long while. It was bought out for the third time a few months ago and still seems to be going down. We'll ignore the fact, they can't seem to clear a sidewalk when it's icy and focus on the fact that they keep raising the rent far more than market value. It's ridiculous.
So with all this in mind, I visited Erin's new house and, gasp, fell in love. She lives in a beautiful area of town, with rolling hills, almost an acre lot, and lovely old trees, lots of privacy, and no deed restrictions. Her house is cute with some nice trimmings. I came home and told hubby, I want a house like hers. So after much debate over the fact that we're bleeding money and next year, I may not be able to afford the rent, we're on the path to considering hiring another realtor.
Yes, I'll hate the yard work, yet it won't be based on the previous exact standards. I'll have to do most of the house work myself since hubby only "visits." But I can't help but think about the difference between leasing a car and buying a car. I've paid off my car, which is a relief and I just pay for taxes, fees, and maintenance. Wouldn't it be nice for to have the same situation for my home? Especially considering we could get a house for cheaper than my rent, which keeps going up. It's really left us with a huge question hanging over our head. Should we buy or not?
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3 comments:
Whew--so glad, I'm not on that hate list!
Erin's house is beautiful and I feel the temptation too. You could probably hire someone to mow the grass etc and still save $. I'm still feeling too commitment-phobic so I'll probably continue to make the Reserves rich. Let's just hope a Cole-doppelganger moves in so I can justify the high rent . . .
Becky
You could always get the hubby to mow the lawn when he visits... just a thought. There are lots of pros and cons with owning or not owning your home. I'm in a love/hate relationship with mine. Kentucky bluegrass, which is what we mostly have up here is an entirely different creature than St. Augustine. I hate St. Augustine grass! I like Becky's idea of hiring it out, though. There is a nice apartment complex and condos near where I live. There's also a cute house that is up for sale in my area too. If you need house therapy, you are always welcome to call/ write and I'll help you through it or listen. :) FYI: The Baby's room is almost complete.
You are too sweet! I can see it both ways. Owning a home you feel more freedom to make it your own. But, as you said, there's the dreaded upkeep factor. . . I think Bartle should mow the lawn. He needs to start pulling some of the weight around there.
Erin
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