I purchased a home built in the 50's a little over 2 years ago. There are some benefits to home ownership....space, privacy, autonomy, and a garage. :) But, with a house this age comes many-a-problem. Turns out this December, my house has turned hydrophilic [water-loving]. First off, the sump pump failed which led to a nice underground pool. That was fixed with a few purchases from Lowe's and a very handy buddy who was able to get under the house and hook that sucker up. Second issue arose when I came home to find water dripping from my kitchen ceiling. Turns out a pipe joist in the attic crawl-space had come loose and water was leaking around it. Sounds simple enough, however, this includes not only a new joist, but also insulation, cutting out the damaged drywall, re-instillation and repainting the whole lot of drywall so it matches. Fun. Third issue was the water heater pooping out leaking water from the top, bottom, everywhere it appeared. By this week's end, fixes will be complete for all three of these Hydro-issues and my bank account will have cried its own tears of sorrow. My house is apparently thirsty. I am anxiously hoping it has gotten its fill...
I'm reminded by all of these incidences that I'm not handy around the house at all. Nor do I really want to be. It's funny how we get these ideas in our heads of what we should do with our lives...what things we should own and the logical next steps in our progression. I thought to myself a couple of years ago that it was time to settle down and get a place of my own. Why continue to rent, when I could buy a house? I had worked in an industry for 5 years, made a liveable wage, and didn't seem to be on my way out of Indy anytime in the foreseeable future. I had moved nearly every year to two as an adult from apartment to apartment and it just seemed like time to stop and plant roots.
What I've learned from this experience so far is that a house is not for everyone and timing is everything. For myself, I didn't realize when I purchased my home that I would decide to return to school full-time within the year which led to a huge reduction in income, making each house issue far more stressful than it would have been otherwise. Perhaps several years from now when I am gainfully employed in my new career and marry Mr. Fix-It, or at least someone with a second income to join with mine, home-maintenance will feel like a breeze. At this point in my life, no dice. Oops. Can I retract my offer? I was just kidding when I signed those documents....really. ;)
When people say internships or job-shadowing are wise before entering a field, perhaps that same idea should translate to those planning on transitioning from renting to buying. Find friends who own homes and have a heart-to-heart with them on what they enjoy about their living situation but also what struggles they face, and what amounts of time and cost are involved in maintaining their home. Also, if you buy, find a trusted handy man who won't take advantage of home repair ignorance and charge you an arm and a leg for simple issues. [I have yet to find one of these.]
I am going to try to enjoy all of the positives that home ownership does afford until I can get the heck out of dodge. I'm crossing my fingers that other big issues are at least spaced out enough to allow for a bit of financial recoup. For now, it's not THAT bad, just a lesson learned that, for me, it's not exactly where I want to be.
No comments:
Post a Comment