Aint no sunshine when she's gone

Went to look at the house yesterday with my realtor and the selling agent had removed the keylock for the home. That’s right. We couldn’t get into the house. And the selling agent was not answering her cell. We still spent a good hour checking over the property looking at siding, the outbuildings, and checking window sill rot. Lots of window sill rot. Like every window. Like pushing a finger through the wood, wondering how the glass plane has not fallen out kind or rot. A closer look at the outbuildings show a haphazard building style, predominantly comprised of 2 foot lengths of 2x4 bolted together to form 12+ foot support beams. DIY wiring projects everywhere. The previous owner was very handy with modifications that probably worked great 30 years ago, not so great today.

The universe is telling me something. I better listen. I’ve canceled the buying process on this house.

I need to look into why I want to move from my current situation so badly. Some of the benefits of staying where I am include:

1.       No yard work

2.       Within walking distance to one of the best neighborhoods in the city.

3.       Biking distance to a few other neighborhoods, including downtown.

4.       Relatively low rent compared to home ownership taxes and full utilities.

5.       Very nice remodeling of a basement living space of 600 sq ft.

Some of the disadvantages of staying when I am include:

1.       Crazy landlord

2.       Crazy landlord

3.       Lack of storage

4.       Difficult to entertain quietly (especially overnight guests)

5.       Basement living is not the best for sunlight and positive thinking.

6.       Lack of dishwasher and oven (have a stove top only, and a fancy kitchen faucet won’t easily allow a portable dishwasher hookup)

Really? Does it really only come down to I can’t have my stereo up loud and a dishwasher? If I want sunlight, get outside! Sure, I’m spending about $250 more a month in rent than I would if I had to pay property tax and full utilities, so most of my “rent” money goes to bills I would still need to pay if I owned my house outright, without a mortgage.

Sure, a sense of self-worth and accomplishment can be tied into home ownership. But maybe I just need to find that (here we go again) Passion and Purpose elsewhere in life?

I’m sure there are many more pros and cons I could list, but those were just the surface issues that came up quickly.