Homeownership: From Great to Really Ugly

Howdy! What a day.  First day back to school after mid-semester break! ALREADY. Where has the time gone?? 

ANYWAY. 

I wanted to talk about the great things about being a home owner, and some of the bad things, that no one really talks about specifically.I've always heard, "It's a lot of work."  Sure, yeah, I know.  TRUST ME.  I know. 

Today after running some errands, hubby & I found that the sump pump wasn't working, and we have about 2 or more inches of water in the pump room downstairs, and it's starting to come out into the main basement area.  I'm sitting here waiting for the emergency plumber to come bail us out {shoutout to McAllister's Plumbing: THE BEST people in town, coming out here after business hours and the MOST reasonable.}

The joys of homeownership.  There are many pros and cons, and for me, obviously the pros outweigh the cons. {Hey, we own a home!}

Things people don't tell you, and instead replace it by "It's a lot of work":

- ALWAYS. ALWAYS. ALWAYS. Have an emergency house fund.  You never know what will happen! Is your tub going to get clogged, is your sump pump not going to work? Do you need a patch in the roof? Did you accidentally break a window? You never know!

- Don't sweat the cosmetic stuff! A solid house will always win out over having a pretty interior.  I want my home to be safe, accessible, and in good working order.  Not a death trap that looks pretty. 

- Take care of the big issues ASAP.  (New roof, foundation, heating, damaged windows, etc.)  The longer you put them off, the more dangerous the house is, and the more expensive it will become on the market.  GET LOTS OF OPINIONS!!! DO NOT JUST GO WITH THE COMPANY THAT LOOKS GOOD AND SOUNDS GOOD!!! Do your research. Look at Angie's List.  Get recommendations from other friends and family.

- Seriously. You have to get out of bed and cut the grass at least once a month.  Go do it. Otherwise people will start to ask if they can come hunt in your yard.  Not that this has happened, Alex and I just joke about this happening.

- Know that all repairs do not always happen overnight.  Have patience.

- Think of the small nuisance things.  Like if your home gets invaded by flies or bees, and you need to get rid of them.  Or remembering to shampoo your carpets every once in a while so they don't look terrible. Power washing the house.  

- For all the bad, always remember the GOOD, the reason why you bought the house to begin with.  My reasons just off the top of my head?

 > One of the few school districts left in the area that really focus on personal growth and responsibility of the student (in my opinion)

> Great, SAFE location; not on a main road and NOT IN THE CITY. Don't get me wrong, nearly every city is great to visit (especially NYC!!!) and I always enjoy myself when I'm there, I just know that it's not for me 24/7, 365.  

> In the village, walking distance to nearly everything except the produce stands at the local farms.  It's an old railroad town, and we can appreciate it as such.  A strong history, even with it's own Civil War officers building some of the victorian homes around the village!

> Great neighbors!

> The small things: the octagon window in our front hall.  The "closet" we use next to our bedroom.  The heat lamp in the upstairs bathroom.  Heck, the entire upstairs bathroom.  First floor en suite with walk in closet for guests.  Big windows.  Great yard with a safe backyard that bumps up to the school's soccer & baseball fields. 4 bedrooms.  The ability to customize the interior.  The way we have this great little piano area. The original hardwood floors from the turn of the century. The way we can have 4 cooks in the kitchen doing different things and not run into each other constantly. I could go on! I'm sure you get the picture. 

> I'm not paying rent. (What I see as just putting money in the landlord's pocket and the bare minimum of garbage disposal and lawn maintenance, but heck, I had a balcony.  I didn't have a lawn! :P )

REMEMBER, it's important to LOVE your home!!

REMEMBER, no matter how big or small a repair might be, it is one less thing you have to worry about fixing within the next five to ten years. 

What was some of the best homeowner advice you've ever received?? 

xoxoxo