- waiting would give us more money in the bank to build a true dream house vs. just a house.
- waiting would mean the kids would be older, more self-sufficient or even moved out!
- waiting would mean we could find careers where working from home, out in the country, would be a possibility, even just for snow days.
- waiting would mean we could be mortgage-free without other debts.
So here we are. We have a nice savings base in the bank. Our kids are older, self-sufficient & 2 have moved out. We both work full time in careers that mean we can work from home when we want, not just on snow days. We are not quite mortgage-free but the debt we used to have is gone & the car loan will be done by next fall. Manageable debt. Under the guidelines for a bank loan to build if needed debt. Our goal is to be mortgage-free at the point of possession, very realistic because we own the land outright. But it will depend on the size of home we choose & the finishings. We'll have to really keep a tight rein on ourselves. If we do have a mortgage, it will be much smaller than the one we have & we'd pay it off within 2 to 4 years. We could live with that if we're happy with the design, the size & the finishings.
Alright. Sounds good. But we're scared. Why? We're not sure.
Went to look at showhomes this weekend. We got excited, dreamed & looked lovingly into each others eyes.
And then we got scared!
Maybe it's because we've never built before & all we hear is how stressful the process is or how bad it went. Having gutted & renovated every house we've lived in, building can't be worse, because at least we're not living in it!
Maybe it's because we've both never lived in a house this long (21 years this summer) & it's become comfortable, livable, familiar, home.
Maybe it's because we've birthed some of our children here. How do you let go of your child's birthplace?
Maybe it's because we could never imagine loving a house so much yet here we are.
I think we'll need therapy to think this one thru!
Justice,
ReplyDeleteWe've bought two houses before they were finished and got to pick out all of the "finish" items and appliances and such and I don't recall it being a hard process.
The house we live in now was already finished when we bought it, so we weren't able to choose options, but we like the options it came with and, like you said, it's "home." We didn't have our kids in this house, but we have lived in this house as they have grown up and I think it would be scary to contemplate leaving it. We are anticipating another ten years here for the mortgage to be paid down, the kids to be all moved out, and the housing market to come back so that we can get back some of our investment. (We bought on the bubble - what a mistake!)
I say go for it! You will always have pictures and memories of that house. But you can now have the house you always dreamed of having. Do it! :o)
"Just do it!" That's our motto now. I know we'll miss this house. It has so many memories. But realistically, we can't stay forever. And we'll create new memories out there. One day, it will be hard to leave there.
DeleteThanks for your comforting words! Have a great day. :)
Hubby has been on me for years to buy some land to build on. We could sell our home and pay in full for a new house but like you there are so many memories in these walls I just can't let go
ReplyDeleteMaybe I need to start a support group for those who want to move to the quiet of the country but can't bear to leave their urban home!
ReplyDelete