Big Houses
There's nothing like growing up in a small, three-bedroom ranch house to make you crave big houses. Ever since I can remember, I was fascinated by the idea of one day owning a big house. I loved anything with mansions on a hill, castles, forts, or Châteaus. My parents seemed to feel the same way. On weekends, we would drive through the expensive, ritzy neighborhoods on the edge of town. My parents said it was because they were more scenic, but I knew in my heart that we were there to look at the big nice houses. My parents were great parents, but they never had a lot of money. They always felt a little bit insecure about this, even though they could provide for us. I was grateful for everything that they did for me, but I did share their dreams. One day, I wanted to own a big nice house too.
When I started to look at big luxury houses, however, I was a little bit dismayed. At the time, I was working a good job. My income was in the high five figure rang, but even so I knew I would never be able to afford any of the really big houses that I saw. Real estate cost too much money. Property rates were high in the area I was currently living in, and even small houses were pretty expensive. Maybe I would be able to afford a fixer upper one day, but I would never be able to live in the type of luxury that I had envisioned.
One day, however, I came to realize that it would be possible to buy a bigger house. The key was to look for unconventional opportunities. Most people who are buying real estate simply look at the market, but there are other places where you can acquire big houses. For example, when banks foreclose on houses or when the government repossesses homes involved in criminal activities, they often sell them off at below market rates. You have to be willing to do a little fix up work most of the time, but it is well worth it. You can end up with a great home at a very affordable price if you know where to look for it. After going to a few of these auctions, I started to bid myself. Soon, I was living in one of the really big houses on the outside of town!
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When in college, I cleaned houses to pay my way though. It was not a bad job, or at least, not as bad as it sounds. It paid the bills though, and allowed me to see some really amazing places. Though there arent many perks when working as a maid, that is one of the biggest ones. I saw some of the best big houses in the city, and it seemed there was no end to them. Each was as great inside as the next, and some were very surprising. Its amazing how some with money can hide out in a less than desirable neighborhood without giving away how much money they have, at least from the outside. You would never know.
One thing about working as a maid that bothers me is that I lost my will to clean now. Its been a long time since I did it, but I swear I used up my cleaning allowance all in two years. I have always thought I wanted to have big houses, but now Im not so sure. I have a hard time keeping up with what I have now, and if I had a big house, I think I would be overwhelmed. Though finances are okay, I cant see myself hiring maids any time soon.
That is just one consideration someone has to think about when deciding if they want to look at big houses or not. Some dont mind cleaning, and if they think they have the time for a big house cleaning all of the time, then perhaps that would not bother them. Some with larger families have no choice, but even then, they have more help in that department. Room is another consideration. There is nothing more wonderful than having room for all of your stuff.
Big houses cost more all the way around too. Heating and electric bills are higher, and so is the upkeep. If the big house needs to be painted, it just costs more in material and labor. More furniture is needed, and that means more things like sheets and towels. However, those things dont bother some, and they love the fact that they live in a very large home. Though many wouldnt consider this something to think about, it will be one thing I will ponder when we finally buy our own home. This might be one time when size does indeed matter.
Building A House
Some years ago, my husband and I moved to the country to build a house. Plots of land were going cheap near the East coast of England., and we took the plunge. We had considered many possibilities of building a house or converting an old one. We did look at a number of old, run down properties which were advertised for restoration. The problem was there was so much work to do on the roof, the wiring and plumbing, that it would have been easier to knock it down and start again.
We decided to start from scratch, and be rewarded with the exact house we wanted. It had to be a house that fitted our particular needs. I wanted an office and my husband paints, so he wanted a studio with plenty of light. He also wanted a room with a pool table but we never did manage that! Building a house is a lot of hard work, unless you have the money to pay contractors to do everything. We were on a tight budget, and fortunately my husband is very handy and he can do just about everything. He is a trained electrician and has also picked up other skills having worked on lots of construction sites.
The only practical way to accomplish this was to buy an old caravan, which we put on the land and we lived in for six months whilst building a house. It was ok in summer but the winter months were tough. One morning, we woke up to find our bedding had stuck to the caravan wall and frozen. It was desperately cold and we took it in turns to be the one to jump out of bed, and put the gas heater on and fill the kettle for tea. When you start building a house, you're exposed to the elements and it's dusty work. I remember my husband stoically laying bricks in the snow.
Work parties were frequently organized, when friends kindly volunteered to come over at weekends and lend a hand. This was in exchange for hot meals and a night down at the village pub. Laying the foundations is the most tedious and time consuming bit of building a house. Once that's achieved, you feel like you're getting somewhere. Then there's the bricklaying, plastering, putting the roof on, plumbing and painting. It all takes time and it always costs you more than you think.
At last, and within our time limit but over budget, we got our dream home and moved in. Building a house is probably the most difficult but satisfying thing we have ever done. It was a glorious day when we saw that old, clapped out caravan rolling away.
Buy A House
There's nothing that compares with the experience of when you first decide to buy a house. When I decided on buying a house with my wife, it had not even been a dream of mine before. It was simply something that I'd never thought of before, something that I perhaps should have thought about, but had never occurred to me. You see, owning a house is such a classic American dream that you never even think about it until you really have it made. I was married to a beautiful woman and trying to buy a house in the Atlanta. I definitely had it made.
Nonetheless, buying a house was no picnic. Although we found several houses that we really liked, none of them quite worked for us. We wanted the first house that we bought to be complete. When we were buying a house, we were also buying a home. We didn't want to buy a house that was a so-called fixer upper. We wanted something that was well made, well maintained, and spacious enough for our needs. The problem is that it costs a lot of money to buy a house like that.
If you have ever tried to buy houses, you know what I mean. It is hard not to be torn in two directions when you first decide to buy a house. On the one hand, you want to get as spacious and beautiful a place as you can. You might even consider some of the old, decaying mansions that you see around the edge of town. After all, you can get them for so much less than they would be worth in their prime. On the other hand, you want to buy a house that is good now. You don't want to have to deal with leakage, mold problems, structural integrity problems, and all of the other myriad issues that old houses run into. You want to buy a house, in short, that is ready made.
When we finally bought a house, We ended up compromising somewhat. You see, it made no sense to buy a house that was brand-new. In the first place, they were ugly and not well made. Although they would have a long life ahead of them owing to the fact that they had just been built, it looked like they would have problems almost immediately. We decided to buy a house that was built around the 1950s. It was stable, well made, and well within our price range.
Buy House Online
Unless you have more money than you know what to do with, for most people, the decision to buy a house is probably one of the biggest decisions you will ever make. It isnt like buying a pair of shoes, or committing to a years gym membership to buy a house means many years of payments.
I rented a nice apartment for several years before I decided that I should buy a house instead of spending my money on rent. That way, Id be investing in something instead of having nothing to show for it. Little did I know how much my decision was going to change my life. My first challenge that I had to take on, was finding a house that I was interested in. I looked on my own, without any luck. Finally, I recruited a reputable real estate agent to help me buy a house. After several months of open houses and showings, I found one that I would be happy with. They accepted my offer immediately and I got an amazing deal on my new home. That was the easy part. I had no idea that choosing to buy a house would require so many details, signatures, paperwork and agony. I felt like I was signing my entire life away. After a while, I stopped looking at what I was signing, so I may have ended up signing my life away who knows.
So, after I managed to buy a house and make it through all of the details and actually moved in, I discovered the joys of being a homeowner. Gone were the days of calling my landlord whenever something went wrong. If my toilet overflowed, I was on my own. If my roof leaked, I was on my own. Of course, having to fix everything myself meant taking on new expenses as well. I hadnt thought about that when I decided to buy a house.
The decision to buy a house, no matter how old or new the house is, could end up cutting into your budget like crazy. Home repairs, taxes, and maintenance all become your responsibility. Plus, if you end up not liking the neighborhood or your home, you cant just pack up and leave. Youre stuck there. Dont get me wrong, Im certainly not discouraging anyone to buy a house. I simply think that entirely too many people buy a house without thinking about everything that goes along with the new investment. So many things need to be taken into consideration before you signed any forms. If you think you cant afford to buy a house, it probably isnt a good idea to pursue it. But, if you can budget the expenses and willing to accept all of the responsibilities that come along with it go for it!