What a relief!!! In November of 2007 I bit the bullet and bought my first house. I was so tired of throwing money away in rent and it seemed like a good idea. Rates were good (too good for some), I had a great job and I figured the next adult step would be to tackle homeownership. I purchased a house with a separate finished basement to use as an income property. Whoever lived downstairs would help me pay my mortgage. I was so smart I thought. It worked out great for a couple of years. My good friend Matt rented the basement and everything was wonderful....that is until I met Glen and moved. Being a full on landlord was the last thing I ever wanted to do. Pressed for time, I decided I could manage a house all the way from India. Dumbest idea ever. If I had to do it all over again I would definitely use a property manager. The stress of getting phone calls about water heaters bursting and carpets needing replacing is something I could have done without. The house itself needed updating, which I had planned on doing as the years passed. But I had also planned on living there. And now it just seems like a waste of money since there was so much to do. Anyways, long story short, I decided it was in the best interest of me and my family to sell the house since we weren't living in it. With a minimal amount of effort to update and refresh its curbside appeal (thanks to Glen!), it sold fast. Within a week of it being put on the market I got an offer! My real estate agent is so good! You have no idea how much relief I feel that I don't have to worry about paying a mortgage and rent at our current place. Glen asked if I felt sentimental at all about leaving my first house. And strangely I don't. I am a crier and I thought for sure walking out that front door for the last time would bring on the waterworks. I ended up walking out of there with my head held high, full of confidence that I was able to make it happen. The best news is is that we were prepared to lose a little money...up to 5 grand. I was crossing my fingers that we would at least break even. We actually came out a little ahead. Not rolling in the dough but at least we didn't take a financial hit. That's the biggest relief of all. Hmmm....now mommy needs a new purse....
So with the stress of the property being sold behind us, we are faced with another decision. Do we buy again or continue to rent? We've been searching on-line for both and boy, it is daunting. We are not even sure we can buy with Glen being a foreigner and all. And if we can buy, what neighborhood? And if we do buy, do we want to deal with the headache of selling again if we end up moving out of state? Agh! So many life decisions. Stay tuned on this one. Our lease is up at the end of December...yikes!
