We've made it a full year in our first house, and just like my grass, my blog posting seems to have died.
It was looking green and promising through early May. Then spring forgot to visit and summer beat my poor seedlings into a brown fuzz.
Speaking of droughts, the City of Statesville has lost its collective mind. Yes, Statesville may pull water from two sources, preventing drama when the Catawba River inevitably runs low. Why should we conserve? We have a backup - the Yadkin River.
What an awful way to think. I'm sure we would hate it if our neighbors up river decided they were going to be water gluttons at our expense. Sure, Charlotte should have planned better. Sure, there are always going to be people who insist that running their sprinklers in the middle of a heat-wave afternoon is their prerogative. But why should the city utilities encourage it?
It would be a lot easier to practice water conservation before it becomes necessity.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
Foreclosure epidemic a blessing in disguise
A single word strikes fear in the hearts of home owners and sellers across the country.
Foreclosure.
It was a blessing for us. Brad and I bought our home from a list of foreclosed properties on the Housing and Urban Development Web site. Our real estate agent said it came with “instant equity.”
For the first-time homebuyer, that sounded great.
But as house after house on our block empties and for sale signs linger for months, we worry about that equity.
Self-doubt set in as we wondered if we had made the right decision to buy.
We’re in a good spot.
We bought our house when lenders were more likely to give loans to those without down payments and with less established credit histories.
Despite advice to the contrary, we opted for a 30-year fixed mortgage rather than an adjustable rate mortgage.
Then we did something I think many people have a hard time doing: We purposely bought a house for less than we could afford.
Then the bubble burst.
We may have to stay in our home longer than expected. We may not see that magical “instant equity” touted in closing.
But there is a reason a home is considered a long-term investment.
Accepting that changed my entire attitude.
Instead of dreaming of a vegetable garden and flower beds when we move into our more permanent house, I’m brainstorming how to arrange our current yard. I’m taking time to meet the neighbors and wave at passers-by. I’m thinking of how the office can be a nursery and how we can add shelving to the garage.
It’s reassuring to know that we have a home in a small town that has opened its arms to us.
The foreclosure epidemic has forced this transplant to sink roots deep into Statesville’s soil.
Foreclosure.
It was a blessing for us. Brad and I bought our home from a list of foreclosed properties on the Housing and Urban Development Web site. Our real estate agent said it came with “instant equity.”
For the first-time homebuyer, that sounded great.
But as house after house on our block empties and for sale signs linger for months, we worry about that equity.
Self-doubt set in as we wondered if we had made the right decision to buy.
We’re in a good spot.
We bought our house when lenders were more likely to give loans to those without down payments and with less established credit histories.
Despite advice to the contrary, we opted for a 30-year fixed mortgage rather than an adjustable rate mortgage.
Then we did something I think many people have a hard time doing: We purposely bought a house for less than we could afford.
Then the bubble burst.
We may have to stay in our home longer than expected. We may not see that magical “instant equity” touted in closing.
But there is a reason a home is considered a long-term investment.
Accepting that changed my entire attitude.
Instead of dreaming of a vegetable garden and flower beds when we move into our more permanent house, I’m brainstorming how to arrange our current yard. I’m taking time to meet the neighbors and wave at passers-by. I’m thinking of how the office can be a nursery and how we can add shelving to the garage.
It’s reassuring to know that we have a home in a small town that has opened its arms to us.
The foreclosure epidemic has forced this transplant to sink roots deep into Statesville’s soil.
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