H..a..r..d.
I've been waiting to have a vent about the whole thing-creating blogs in my mind as an outlet to the frustration and difficulty that is the "American Dream" and now I have my chance.
I permit you all not to read an further!
I could write pages on advice to people who decided to invest into an old home.
At first we passed glances at newly constructed homes and the "newness" is appealing on many levels but I am just not a subdivision girl. I can barely tolerate the city itself and am drawn to country living, but you always come back to the budget...and our budget is a brick ranch in a small neighborhood with a wooded lot.
I can appreciate this.
My neighbor has a Rooster. This amuses me and makes me feel very much at home.
Regardless, ours is an older home that has only had one family living in it (the people that built it) and while it is reassuring that I can call them and get updated on the quirks of the house, they did very little to update it.
This house was labeled "move in condition".
I'm baffled by this.
It has been three weeks of one thing or another...From leaks to wiring to carpets and hardwoods...painting, painting, painting. Tree removal and pipe issues...BIG PIPE ISSUES...spiders and ants and appliances that quit. More painting. MORE LEAKING. No cable..then satellite..No phone...then MANY cell phone minutes. Creaking and installing locks and outlets and "IS THE AIR CONDITIONER WORKING OR DID WE UNKNOWINGLY MOVE TO THE SURFACE OF THE SUN?" I could have taken that dream trip to Europe three times now in the amount of money it has cost just to live in this house for three weeks!
But, it is a cute little home and when I'm about to flip out I drive to Target or Pier One and buy something pretty for MY HOUSE! My bedroom is beautiful...it's a raffia color and it feels like someone threw a bed in the middle of an old stately library! It has all my favorite things in it and when I can't take another project I go sit in my room and read. Best thing about it!!...I have my own bathroom! It's light, light blue and black and I'm decorating it in "Old Hollywood".
Sadly, though..I just found out the sink leaks.
Go figure!
I offer this to those of you venturing into home ownership...
*Get ready. Unless you are independently wealthy or make enough to "hire out", gear up to spend every waking moment fixing something! Be sure you enjoy that kind of thing because even those that LOVE it...don't love it all the time!
*Expect every fix-it job, no matter how big or small, to take the whole day. I don't care if you're digging up a septic tank or hanging a blind...it will take at least 24 hours!
*Expect every major thing needed or wanted for your home to cost around a thousand bucks!
*Decide ahead of time that you're just going to laugh about how overwhelming it can be. If you do not, you may find yourself considering anti-anxiety drugs, sales representative homicide or divorce!
*Fix any major things BEFORE you move in. You will be shocked what you are willing to live with once you find a spot for your couch.
*Get one room exactly the way you want it with pictures on the wall and a beautiful furniture arrangement in the corner. If you've got a retreat, you will survive.
*And if all else fails...jump in the car and leave town for a while!
I'm banking on that last point to be my shot in the arm...you think?
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