First House

Home Ownership! It’s a BIG mill stone—um… I meant mile stone!

My eldest son has been looking for a house for the past few month, and he really really really wants to buy.

Most of us remember the FIRST House. The ~~pain~~ joy a memory never forgotten.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. That’s what sort of homes we traipsed through as young 20 somethings with know-it-all attitudes and decades of earning ahead of us.

I recall the day we pulled up to a lovely little (emphasis on little) home in a trendy college town.

“It’s perfect!” I cried to my then Hubby. I lept out of the car and eagerly pulled the flyer from its plexibox stand. “$475,000.00????? Where the !@*^%! is the rest of the house?”

Trendy college town location got scratched off the list and our house quest took us further and further away from cultured humanity.

Here’s a few common first time buyer realizations:

It’s a BIG decision that can make you or break you .
Mom and Dad chew your ear off about everything that you didn’t want to hear. 1) Roofing issues, 2) structural problems, 3) maintenance costs, 4) school district boundaries, 5) water leaks, 6) grass, retaining walls, paint, tile, carpeting, termites, water spots, wiring blah, blah, blah…
Next is the million papers to sign, date, read, while trying to understand all of the real estate and legal hocus pocus gobbly gook.
The vetting process comes next. Submitting mountains of paper work and financials and bank statements and more statements and more paperwork and …
Every step takes twice as long as it should
Every step requires a price to be paid
Then, if all goes to plan,you qualify and get the loan!

Then reality smacks you across the face! All the stuff you took for granted at an apartment or mom and dad’s home is now YOUR RESPONSIBLY.

And:

every repair is twice as much as quoted
multiple trips to Home Depot are required for the easiest repair
you never have the right tool
“some assembly required” is somebody’s idea of a sick joke
the neighbors will always have greener grass
for every two trees/flowers/shrubs you buy, one will die
the little magic garbage disposal wrench always goes missing
the irrigation system will always break when you’re not home
important things like heat and water ALWAYS break on a Saturday

No wonder mom and dad never had any money! The cost for every hammer, nail, window covering, dishwasher, washer, dryer, mop, bucket, broom, pan, screwdriver, wrench,drill sandpaper, duct tape, rake, hose, watering can, spade, shovel, light bulb, window rod, squeegee extension cord, Spackle, filter, hook, wire, dowel, vacuum cleaner, dust buster, cleaning product,garden glove, garden clippers, lawnmower came out of their pay check!

It all adds up!

Hubby remembers when his bathroom light stopped working. He didn’t know he had to reset the GFI. In fact, he didn’t know where the circuit breaker was!

Ah! Good times! Home ownership is an adventure! And one goes through a huge learning curve with the First House purchase!