Housing situation needs improvement
I was reading an article at 43 Folders about solving problems by writing a letter to yourself. Behind the cut is my exercise in that.
Dear Self,
I know you're really busy, but I could really use your help and insight here. I'm trying to decide if renting or buying or some combination of the two is the better housing option for me. I've done both renting and home ownership before and they both have their problems, and I'm eager to make a wiser choice this time.
My biggest problem is trying to sort out how *I* feel, or what *I* want, based on what "everyone" else says I want. For example, "everyone" says that renting is like pouring money down a drain. You pay for something, but you have nothing to show for it when you're done. I don't really feel this way. When you're paying rent, you're paying for a place to stay. That's what you have to show for it.
A big problem I ran into when we were buying a house, is buying to fit a dream life, not reality. We bought a small house with a big yard. Bernie hates mowing the lawn, and I can't because of my allergies/asthma/hives. We ended up having to hire a gardener. The house was too small for our needs (one bathroom with three people drove us crazy). We love books and tech toys, and didn't have enough room to keep them. Plus, we ended up spending so much on home repairs (plumbing bills!) that we didn't have enough money for books and tech toys.
Ok. I see so far that money is a big part of this for me. That's something to put on my graph. "Expenses".
I hated three things about renting:
1. Having to change my lifestyle because of my neighbors. Having to be quiet. Having to tell Bernie and Michael to be quiet.
2. Not being able to change my surroundings (paint, floor covers, etc) to suit me, because it belonged to someone else. (Ok, but when you owned your own home, how many times did you paint or change the floor covers? None. So it's obviously not *that* important.)
3. Sudden changes in rent. Ugh! I *hated* that.
I hated two things about owning a home:
1. The expense. Repairs, upkeep, all that stuff. It was kind of like sudden changes in rent, but usually more costly and (at the same time) for a shorter term.
2. The yard. I loved my little herb garden. I loved my climbing roses and my lavender, but the rest of the yard I hated. It was big, boring, and I couldn't spend time with it.
Ok, so my rankings of need for housing are:
not having to be quiet (or make my family be quiet)
predictable expenses
small yard
customizable space (both interior and exterior)
more than one bathroom
First thing I notice is that it isn't *predictable* expenses that I need, as much as having enough money to deal with them. This means I have to build an emergency slush fund.
So, rent, own or buy, or some combination. (Lease to own? Mobile home? Townhouse/condo? Traditional home? Apartment? Something I haven't considered?)
I'll try making a problem/solution grid and see what I come up with.
Thank you!
Dear Self,
I know you're really busy, but I could really use your help and insight here. I'm trying to decide if renting or buying or some combination of the two is the better housing option for me. I've done both renting and home ownership before and they both have their problems, and I'm eager to make a wiser choice this time.
My biggest problem is trying to sort out how *I* feel, or what *I* want, based on what "everyone" else says I want. For example, "everyone" says that renting is like pouring money down a drain. You pay for something, but you have nothing to show for it when you're done. I don't really feel this way. When you're paying rent, you're paying for a place to stay. That's what you have to show for it.
A big problem I ran into when we were buying a house, is buying to fit a dream life, not reality. We bought a small house with a big yard. Bernie hates mowing the lawn, and I can't because of my allergies/asthma/hives. We ended up having to hire a gardener. The house was too small for our needs (one bathroom with three people drove us crazy). We love books and tech toys, and didn't have enough room to keep them. Plus, we ended up spending so much on home repairs (plumbing bills!) that we didn't have enough money for books and tech toys.
Ok. I see so far that money is a big part of this for me. That's something to put on my graph. "Expenses".
I hated three things about renting:
1. Having to change my lifestyle because of my neighbors. Having to be quiet. Having to tell Bernie and Michael to be quiet.
2. Not being able to change my surroundings (paint, floor covers, etc) to suit me, because it belonged to someone else. (Ok, but when you owned your own home, how many times did you paint or change the floor covers? None. So it's obviously not *that* important.)
3. Sudden changes in rent. Ugh! I *hated* that.
I hated two things about owning a home:
1. The expense. Repairs, upkeep, all that stuff. It was kind of like sudden changes in rent, but usually more costly and (at the same time) for a shorter term.
2. The yard. I loved my little herb garden. I loved my climbing roses and my lavender, but the rest of the yard I hated. It was big, boring, and I couldn't spend time with it.
Ok, so my rankings of need for housing are:
not having to be quiet (or make my family be quiet)
predictable expenses
small yard
customizable space (both interior and exterior)
more than one bathroom
First thing I notice is that it isn't *predictable* expenses that I need, as much as having enough money to deal with them. This means I have to build an emergency slush fund.
So, rent, own or buy, or some combination. (Lease to own? Mobile home? Townhouse/condo? Traditional home? Apartment? Something I haven't considered?)
I'll try making a problem/solution grid and see what I come up with.
Thank you!