July 08, 2005

A Metaphor

So I’m going to be a homeowner. Sure, I’ve owned two others, but this is different. This one is mine and mine alone. If it breaks, I gotta fix it. Can’t call the landlord or get the wife to wait on the cable guy. It’s all me…And I’m getting a bit freaked out.

Am I really ready for all this responsibility? Am I ready to devote my life to something over which I don’t have complete and total control? Am I ready to sign over my life savings (and future earnings) on a single house? What happens if a nicer, better house comes along? Do I just drop the one I have and get that one? So many questions…

You know what, though? I’m ready. Deep down I know that this is the right thing for me to do, even though it’s pretty scary. You read about the problems people have with their houses and you think, “That’ll never happen to me”, but sometimes it does. And if it does, you deal with it. It’s not something you lie awake at night worrying about. You just gotta make sure that you and the house are on the same page. It knows what you expect and you know what it expects in return.

There will always be a bigger, better house just around the corner. What I’ve discovered, though, is that bigger and better are not always a good thing. Bigger houses mean more potential problems, more costs if something goes wrong, and more maintenance…and more dust. This house is the right size, it’s manageable, and I can make it into something I’ll enjoy with little effort.

I’m sure everyone gets cold feet when it comes to buying a house. It’s a normal thing and sometimes, even though you don’t want to admit it, it just happens. The thing I have to remember is that I didn’t buy the first house I looked at. I looked at many, weighed the pros and cons of each, waffled, wavered, hemmed, hawed, decided and then undecided that THIS was the house for me. In the end, though, I knew it when I saw it. It felt like home the moment I walked in. Sure, there are some things that need to be changed, updated, or redone, but hell, there’s no such thing as a perfect home. And there never will be. This is the home for me.

Comments

You rock my face off. I mean, buying houses (cough) is scary. Especially when you were getting the rent (cough) for free and you were happy that way or something like that. Plus, when you buy and not rent you can make big changes - like painting walls, or removing them entirely! - that you can't do when you rent. You're going to be just fine.

Posted at July 8, 2005 10:27 AM

Plus, you can do some wild painting (cough) and not worry about the neighbors complaining.

Posted at July 8, 2005 12:51 PM

You are ready, grasshopper.....

Posted at July 8, 2005 05:27 PM

As they say down under, goodonya. It may not be "the perfect house" but it will be yours.

Posted at July 8, 2005 07:05 PM

You will grow into it and make it yours. I sounded very similar to you when I bought mine - and it IS scary when you are doing it alone - but once you realize that you can take care of bizness on your own two feet, you will be so very proud of yourself... and your house. Congrats!

Posted at July 10, 2005 09:44 PM

Good luck with the house. I know exactly what your going through. I close on my first house on the 21st.

Posted at July 12, 2005 01:07 PM