Quarantine Chronicles: Dream a Little Dream
I woke up today, staring at the ceiling, looking at the four walls which surround the most sacred of places — my bed. I walk downstairs and drag my slippered feet to the kitchen, opening the cabinet to get my mug for that first morning sip. My counter is cluttered, there is literally some sort of appliance or kitchen utensil covering the length of it. I cringe. Oh yeah, look up at the top of my fridge where I find my step-daughter’s pumpkin from Halloween overfilled with candy she may or may not indulge in. I open the freezer, that is stuffed to the gills with minimal items, my frozen container of pomegranate seeds comes sliding out, only to hit the floor in sudden death. This is where you just sit on the floor depressingly eating the fruity carcass, gently sobbing, “WHYYYYYY?” Why is my fridge not bigger? Why don’t I have enough counterspace to become America’s Next Top Chef? Why must I look at these drab walls? You know, questions to start off your typical Monday morning.
I’ve lived in the house for almost three years. This will be my 34th rental in my 47 years of existence. I’m embarrassed by the fact that I’m a practicing real estate agent, but have never owned my own home. As I peruse Pinterest boards, watch DIY home improvement videos from some guy named Todd and sigh at watching Galey Alix design dream roomscapes on her TikTok. Sigh. It can get depressing, especially right now with our current pandemic crisis. I keep thinking will I ever attain the dream of owning my own home and what is it exactly preventing from doing so?
Truth be told, it’s unfavorable living in someone else’s home, paying someone else’s mortgage and having to live with someone else’s interior. There are times when I want to take out a wall or have an extra room. There are times I want a bigger kitchen or a better landscaped backyard. The dream of home ownership weighs on me heavily. So, I’m doing what a lot of people are doing right now —making a plan.
Photo by Ekaterina Bolovtsova from Pexels
The Timeline
The first thing I’m going to do is figure out a feasible timeline to make my dream happen. For some it’ll be six months and for others it will take a whole year. Think about your credit, your job, your current situation. If you are already in a good place (yeah you, you adult!) then think about when you want to make that move and what is going to required of you. Are you renting? When’s that lease up? Are you owning? What improvements do you have to make to get the most value out of your home to buy a sweet new one?
The Wish List
This is my favorite part. The part where i get to have a list of criteria of all the desired features in a home I want. After living in so many locations from architecture to community, I know the exact things I don’t want in my living space (water pressure is everything!). So when you are making out your list make sure you are covering all details, not just room size and bathroom count. Think about your must haves and hell no’s:
Will I be able to add any structural expansion to this home? If you needed to add an in-law suite or a working garage, do you have the room?
How many ways can I rearrange my furniture? You’d be surprised how many renovated homes have one, maybe two ways to rearrange a room. Rearranging rooms, adding furniture, changing styles are all ways to refresh a home, especially if you are also spending a whole lot of time in it.
Am I walking to Wawa and Kroger or am I enjoying the culinary delights of sitting at an outdoor cafe. Check your neighborhood experience. Some people like the views of stroller lined streets while others prefer the beauty of tree lined ones.
Are you sick of mowing a large lawn? Maybe you want something more low maintenance, like maybe a strip of grass.
No touching! Do you want bedrooms that kiss each other down a hallway or would you rather have them across from each other? Do you want to hide from your children or do you want to hear all that Fortnite chatter? A simple layout plan can change your whole living experience
Do you want that washer and dryer upstairs or downstairs? I personally like to fold and watch my stories at the same time!
Just how close am I to my neighbor? Do I want some distance there? Can you borrow sugar or would you prefer an ATV to get to your neighbor’s house?
Money, Money, Money.
If you are anything like me, money is always the one factor which deters me from my dreams. I find it hard to invest in myself and it hinders a lot of planning. To be perfectly honest, I’ve struggled most of my life financially for many reasons. It took me a really long time to find a career I could actually be successful at. It’s really strange that I can look at my bank account and see savings in there. Maybe you’ve been on that track too. Some of us didn’t have the trajectory of having a 401K and a white picket fence. So, what do you do when you want to buy a house, but don’t have the best finances?
Meet with a Lender or a Financial Planner: This will help you have a plan and one to stick with. They can tell you exactly what you need and how much to put away to get it. Sure, it might take a year, but if you are disciplined and follow the plan, it can happen for you. Usually, it’s as simple as putting away a little stash or paying off a debt.
Research: You’d be surprised how much help you can get when buying a home. There are grant programs and homeownership assistance programs you can qualify for. If you are a healthcare provider, teacher, or “hero” worker, you an also qualify for special loans in addition to first time homebuyer benefits.
Open a House Account: Go to the bank and open a bank account just for housing costs. Start collecting, not just for the house itself, but also for all the things you’ll want for that house, right down to the new dishes. It will give you a goal to focus on and if you just put a little away here and there, you’d be surprised how quickly buying a home can be a possibility. So skip DoorDash tonight, you don’t need yet another pair of yoga pants, put it in the kitty.
Look, but Don’t Touch
Even if you are not ready, looking at homes will give you incentive and inspiration, plus, it’s fun! It will give you a good idea of loves and undesirables. It will also give you a goal financially. Are you looking at $150K houses or $250K? I find that the amount of homes I look at bring me to certain conclusions like, “Hmm, seems the renovation work being done in this particular area isn’t very good” or “it’s the same kitchen over and over again!” You might decide that new construction is the way to go. Here are a few tips when you start out.
Go to open houses. Two reasons: You get ideas. You might see something that’s desirable in a home that you may not have seen before. You may have thought you wanted an open floor plan, but then you have discovered a formal dining room with pocket doors is quite lovely. This is a good way to test out all those things and get inspired without feeling pressure to buy. You can go in and be breezy with a “just looking” attitude. The second reason being if you don’t have a realtor, it’s a good way to interview and get a feel for some with casual conversation. I like to tell people finding a good fit is like finding a good date, if they are easy to talk to, approachable and most importantly knowledgeable, those are good options. Bring a notebook or something to take notes, video, take photos and grab business cards while you’re there so you can look back and add to your vision boards.
Bring a contractor or someone who knows construction with you if you can. This way you can learn what is good construction and what to watch out for when you are investing your money. Some realtors are good at pointing these things out, but some may not have enough experience regarding house builds or renovation features, such as quality, so sometimes these things get overlooked. They might also have insight on costs, especially if you are looking at an older home that’s in your price range but needs some work.
Look in unfamiliar neighborhoods. This doesn’t work for everyone if you are looking for a particular school district per se, but some of these districts are large and sometimes certain subdivisions get overlooked. I love exploring hidden neighborhoods because you never know what gems you can find in them. Take time to walk in them, talk to the neighbors, and see what’s around that could add to your living experience.
Get in the mindset that not every home is going to be a brand new or a complete renovation. Remember when people used to buy houses that other people use to live in? I think some people have gotten used to seeing renovated homes as the standard in homebuying. You could be missing out on homes that have a lot of character and ability to be worked with if you are only looking at reno homes. I showed a couple an old 70’s style ranch they thought would be hilarious to see. It turned out to be the exact floor plan they were looking for with some cool features that could be showcased with a little work. They were pleasantly surprised about the possibilities of a lower priced un-renovated home.
Are you excited now? I am! I can’t wait to put my plan in place. Sometimes it takes just a little hope and imagination to fulfill a dream, an investment, a change. And as always, let me know when you get started, I’m happy to guide your way!