Home Ownership

[kayboy]

(06-15-2015, 12:02 PM)rayray Wrote: Home ownership is like a catch-22, it's a great feeling but yet, MAN! It takes a lot of work! Over the years, I did learn a few things and two of the biggest is that if something HAS to be fixed, don't wait, just do it. And two, if you have the money or time to do an upgrade you want, just do it and then enjoy it to the fullest.

A couple of years ago I paid off the mortgage on my first home and it was a great feeling. It was my starter home that I most likely bought way too soon in life. It took a lot of time and money, sweat equity, to get almost done--everything except the landscaping. Landscaping was my next round of fixings to tackle. The funny thing was, I told my buddy that once the house was paid off and I'm mortgage free, my at the time fiance and I would probably move. What I didn't expect was that the house would go on the market two months after paying off the mortgage. I can't remember but it took about 3 to 4 months to sell and purchase our new home.

Well, fast forward a couple of years to our home that my wife and I now own with a new mortgage Here I am doing the opposite first, landscaping, gardening and prepping for a soon to be new driveway. This time around I didn't buy a fixer upper, these are all things that I want done and decided not to wait. Though, this home lacks an outside lounging area, a place to relax and use a grill and my Bocce court! Something that my wife is against but well, hell, I know she'll love the Bocce court Even though she says we'll have the neighborhoods largest litter box lol. Homes are expensive but rewarding at the same time, you just have to learn to enjoy them. A home is your Homestead, it's part of your life, your family lives--the biggest and greatest investment you'll ever experience. Your family that is

My parents bought their first (and only) house for $8,000 in the late 40's. It was about 15 mi. from downtown Houston in the boondocks. When my mother passed, my daughter lived in it for 2yrs. while she went to law school. The house was a sore thumb in the neighborhood after it started re-gentryfying in the 60's. When my daughter finished law school, married and moved away, I sold the lot for $333k. Houses are a good investment.I bought my house for $61K in 1985 on a 15yr. note. Now, my neighborhood is starting to re-gentryfy. I could easily quadruple what I paid for it, but my house is just fine and my property taxes are frozen since my wife is 65. I'm not going anywhere. Houses are a good investment.