I am clumsy by nature, so I have no shortage of potential embarrassing moments; however, the flip side of this is that I have a personality that doesn't get embarrassed by much. When I look back, there aren't a lot of moments that stick out to me as embarrassing. As I contemplated this topic, the first moment that came to mind was an event that happened only last year.
My boyfriend and I had just been dating for a month or two. He had bought a house about six months prior to me, and I was currently looking to buy a house. Our discussions often centered around home ownership and home decorating. He told me about a store he thought I would like and find helpful in decorating a new home - At Home.
We were out on a date one evening, and we were near the store. We decided to go in and have a look. We were wandering around, exploring the garden aisles, when I picked up a huge, two or three feet long, set of wind chimes. I had always wanted wind chimes for my back patio and being this close to home ownership, I was starting to look for those items I'd always wanted and knew I'd put to use very soon.
Everything was fine until I went to place the wind chimes back on the hook. The hook was overly full of those huge wind chimes, and even though I tried to hook the set I had securely, it fell off and hit the floor with a loud clang as soon as I released my hold on it.
I'm pretty sure this is the only time I've ever been embarrassed in the nearly year and a half that he and I have been dating. My face turned red, I scrambled to pick up the chimes and replace them, and I looked around fully expecting a sales associate to appear to investigate the ear-splitting noise. I stuttered to explain it to my boyfriend, who I liked very much, but didn't know very well yet.
He wasn't embarrassed at all; in fact, we still laugh about this event to this day. Surprisingly enough, despite my embarrassing moment, I even still shop at At Home.
Showing posts with label home ownership. Show all posts
Showing posts with label home ownership. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
My Proudest Moment
By nature, I am a goal setter and a goal achiever. If I achieve a particularly monumental or large goal, I am usually proud of myself. While achieving the goal of landing my dream job a few years ago was definitely a proud moment, I would have to say my proudest moment thus far in my life would be when I purchased my own house.
You see, I didn't really ever expect to own a house. Girls aren't supposed to own houses, right? Girls are supposed to get married and their husband buys the house, or if the girl has a job, they buy the house together. But a girl buy a house all on her own?
Sometime in my early 20's, when I was still single with no prospects, I started mulling over this idea of owning my own house. I was paying rent on a tiny apartment, all by myself, and I couldn't believe how much was going monthly into that black hole called "rent." I started realizing that I could have a house payment for only a little more than I was paying in rent, and then, my money would actually be going somewhere!
Of course, there were a few small problems...
First, I wasn't sure where I wanted to buy a home. The first thought was that I wanted to own some property and renovate whatever house was on that property. I always have wanted to (and still want to) renovate an old farmhouse. There is something I've loved about old farmhouses since my dad and I took a trip through his home state of Iowa when I was twelve years old.
Secondly, I didn't have any money for a down payment. I'm talking about literally nothing.
Thirdly, I had no credit. I had never gone into debt to purchase anything, so as a result, I had no credit.
In my early 20's, I had a bigger and more immediate problem of getting my career of the ground. When I finally accomplished that the year I was thirty, I decided it was time to make home ownership a reality.
First, I had to start saving for the down payment. With a regular salary, this was accomplished fairly quickly. I was used to living on about $10k a year, so my expenses were low and my savings grew fast.
Secondly, I had to decide on a location. I liked where I was teaching, and I knew that even if I didn't stay at that school, I would stay in that general area. I decided on a place slightly southwest of my current school, but when I began looking at houses, I decided it was too far south of Dallas, so at my boyfriend's recommendation, I settled on a place that was just west of the school and closer to DFW.
Thirdly, I had to build credit. This probably should have come first or second, but somehow it was an afterthought. I was actually all ready to buy my house when I realized I didn't have enough credit (read: NONE) to qualify for a loan. I got a credit card that required a security deposit and started using it and paying it off as fast as I could. It took about six months for a credit score to come through.
That is when I started the whole process...getting pre-approved for a loan, finding a realtor, searching online sites for house listings, and being willing to make a decision at the snap of a finger (the housing market was very hot).
After another six months, a contract that was turned down, and most of my summer, I found the house.
You see, being the half country girl that I am, the location had to be just perfect and/or the house had to appeal to my particular eccentric style of being fascinated with older houses. The first house I put a contract on had an amazing lot, huge backyard, and an old-fashioned style. The second house, the house that became my house, had the perfect location - next to a lake in a somewhat secluded development. As we left the house, I told the realtor, "Call and put a contract on it."
It was a nerve-wracking few days as the homeowners decided between me and a few other bidders. Finally, I got the word - the owners had decided on me! For the next month, it was paperwork, and faxes, and signatures, and more signatures. Then, there was that one final day when I went to the title office, signed the final paperwork, and was handed a set of keys. The house was mine!
It didn't sink in until the next day, though, when I drove down to begin cleaning the house with my mother and sister in preparation for moving. My key unlocked the front door, and I walked around barefoot, exploring every nook and cranny and dreaming of what it would look like furnished.
It's been a journey of almost a year since then. Slowly, little-by-little, I am getting areas furnished and decorated. The latest accomplishment was to complete the front hall/entryway. Home ownership requires time and money, but I am still loving home ownership!
You see, I didn't really ever expect to own a house. Girls aren't supposed to own houses, right? Girls are supposed to get married and their husband buys the house, or if the girl has a job, they buy the house together. But a girl buy a house all on her own?
Sometime in my early 20's, when I was still single with no prospects, I started mulling over this idea of owning my own house. I was paying rent on a tiny apartment, all by myself, and I couldn't believe how much was going monthly into that black hole called "rent." I started realizing that I could have a house payment for only a little more than I was paying in rent, and then, my money would actually be going somewhere!
Of course, there were a few small problems...
First, I wasn't sure where I wanted to buy a home. The first thought was that I wanted to own some property and renovate whatever house was on that property. I always have wanted to (and still want to) renovate an old farmhouse. There is something I've loved about old farmhouses since my dad and I took a trip through his home state of Iowa when I was twelve years old.
Secondly, I didn't have any money for a down payment. I'm talking about literally nothing.
Thirdly, I had no credit. I had never gone into debt to purchase anything, so as a result, I had no credit.
In my early 20's, I had a bigger and more immediate problem of getting my career of the ground. When I finally accomplished that the year I was thirty, I decided it was time to make home ownership a reality.
First, I had to start saving for the down payment. With a regular salary, this was accomplished fairly quickly. I was used to living on about $10k a year, so my expenses were low and my savings grew fast.
Secondly, I had to decide on a location. I liked where I was teaching, and I knew that even if I didn't stay at that school, I would stay in that general area. I decided on a place slightly southwest of my current school, but when I began looking at houses, I decided it was too far south of Dallas, so at my boyfriend's recommendation, I settled on a place that was just west of the school and closer to DFW.
Thirdly, I had to build credit. This probably should have come first or second, but somehow it was an afterthought. I was actually all ready to buy my house when I realized I didn't have enough credit (read: NONE) to qualify for a loan. I got a credit card that required a security deposit and started using it and paying it off as fast as I could. It took about six months for a credit score to come through.
That is when I started the whole process...getting pre-approved for a loan, finding a realtor, searching online sites for house listings, and being willing to make a decision at the snap of a finger (the housing market was very hot).
After another six months, a contract that was turned down, and most of my summer, I found the house.
You see, being the half country girl that I am, the location had to be just perfect and/or the house had to appeal to my particular eccentric style of being fascinated with older houses. The first house I put a contract on had an amazing lot, huge backyard, and an old-fashioned style. The second house, the house that became my house, had the perfect location - next to a lake in a somewhat secluded development. As we left the house, I told the realtor, "Call and put a contract on it."
It was a nerve-wracking few days as the homeowners decided between me and a few other bidders. Finally, I got the word - the owners had decided on me! For the next month, it was paperwork, and faxes, and signatures, and more signatures. Then, there was that one final day when I went to the title office, signed the final paperwork, and was handed a set of keys. The house was mine!
It didn't sink in until the next day, though, when I drove down to begin cleaning the house with my mother and sister in preparation for moving. My key unlocked the front door, and I walked around barefoot, exploring every nook and cranny and dreaming of what it would look like furnished.
It's been a journey of almost a year since then. Slowly, little-by-little, I am getting areas furnished and decorated. The latest accomplishment was to complete the front hall/entryway. Home ownership requires time and money, but I am still loving home ownership!
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