Straight From the Bottle

I'm in the second home me & Jenna ever bought and a couple days ago, I pushed the garage door button. It started going up, and then it crashed down. I still think: call the landlord. Tough to get your head around OWNING a house, but reassuring to know that we're always one paycheck away from being homeless. Keeps the adulthood away.

I think I will be you in a few years. Jeez. About to move in with the man, dreamily going to open houses even though we can't afford one...and I think to myself "OMG am I really old enough for it to be ok that I'm thinking about houses? OMG I am becoming an adult."

Yes, but a very cool adult.

Just closed and moved into our first home a little less than a month ago.  Though I could do without the $500 or so that we've had to dole out for Roto-rooter to come in to clear the pipes from the crap that previous owners have dumped in there, homeownership is pretty awesome and I'm sure you will enjoy it very much!!! House-hunting is one of the most fun parts so enjoy that while it lasts!!!  (And try to find something by Nov so you qualify for that extra 7-8K!)

I still can't jive with being an adult, and this is the SECOND home my HUSBAND and I have owned together and we've been married for (almost) 4 years. Wow! Am I an adult?

The REAL fun starts a few months in.

Once the thrill has worn off and you spend a Saturday removing the exterior caulk on your entire home and then recaulking it yourselves because the last owners thought it wasn't such a big deal. And then halfway through you realize that one of the major support beams is rotting, and full of ants, and will cost an arm and a leg to fix. Which of course leads to a screaming/crying match about how you can't afford it and WHAT DO WE DO NOW?

Being an adult rocks. Like 70% of the time.

Congrats. I mean it.

No way...it's not true. Maybe after you've OWNED a home for like 2 years because when my husband and I bought our home we knew absolutely shit about owning a home and we are still learning every day.

That's what keeps me young, knowing that I don't know everything about everything, when I do I think I wanna die.

That's so exciting! Good luck :-)

I know that feeling about the adult part. Hence my blog title, When did I go from a kid to a grown up?. Good luck with everything.

I know exactly how you feel.  We just bought a house and moved from a ski resort of 10,000 people to one with 400,000 - and all of a sudden I'm like "wow - when did I grow up?"  Aparently having and taking care of three children did not make me an adult.  Living in a REAL city and owning a house did.  Good luck!!!

I know exactly how you feel.  Me and my SO are in the same boat right now.  We just met our realtor this past weekend for the first time to check out some potential houses and we weren't paying much attention to the houses because we were too busy MAKING FUN OF OUR REALTOR and laughing behind her back.  Maybe we need a few more years for the "adultness" to actually kick in! (side note: i'm 37 and he's 48 and we have 2 kids and another on the way!).  Honestly, i hope we never lose that child-like "edge".  LOL

I'm excited for you guys and i'm sure you'll be great adults and home owners..just like us!

Just wait until you discuss REFINANCING your house.  Then you're really an adult!

I wasn't scared to have kids. I'm TERRIFIED to own a home.  I shall look to you in the coming year to make me feel less frantic.

No pressure.

Did a double-take at the 'did a few drive-bys' bit. Oddly enough, pictured you leaning out the window of a car with a super-soaker with Hal at the wheel, vigorously squirting water at possible house buyers, all the while screaming out 'GET AWAY FROM MY FUTURE HOUSE, BITCHES!'. Then I realized what you actually MEANT by that.

Yeah. Ahah.

Anyhow, I'm really happy for you! Best of luck. (:

My parents gave me the deed to their beach house when I graduated from law school at 25. Hubby and I bought our first house a year later. We now own the beach house, a lake house, the house we live in and two rental properties and we're FAR from being adults (although we fool the outside world sometimes.)

It's good to own your own home but there are a lot of responsibilities and when something goes wrong it's up to you to fix it yourselves or pay somebody to do it. Good luck.

don't forget to change your air filters in your house... we just figured that one out.  who knew it was supposed to be done every 3 months and not once a year?

i could've written this post. 2 weeks ago we decided to move. the bf was on the verge of a life changing promotion but we weren't sure. decided we needed to move then and there found the cutest house a mile away and a week later here we are. after we moved in the promotion was given and now our options are much bigger.... but we are locked in for at least a year here.  there is always a way and always options if you are head strong and persistent. spreading my wings in my own space has been mind blowing.... the kid is running free, we have an office converted in the detached garage out back and it all is totally private. good luck to you guys!!!!

Jenifer- That's so awesome!!! This way you guys can save for a year and go bigger and HOLY SHIT CONGRATS TO A! Amazing!!!!

Welcome to adulthood. Scary, isn't it?

Yay!  That's awesome!

I know exactly how you feel too =)  Shortly after we were married, a house went up for sale in our ideal neighborhood.  We ran with it and although things are tight, I am so glad we did.  The entire time we were in negotiations, though, I was totally like "um, when did I become a grown-up?  HUH?  HOW AM I ALLOWED TO OWN A HOUSE?"

Then a few weeks ago, some nurses let me walk out of the hospital with a baby and it was the same feeling, but multiplied by ten.  When did I become an adult, again?

I read this and think "Psh. Of COURSE she's an adult. She wrote a BOOK, which I've read, and she's got kids, TWO, and she's so great and duh! ADULT!" And then I remember I'm 42, and have 2 kids, and am JUST NOW running around with a realtor, I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M THIS GROWN UP! So, I get where you're coming from...  

How exciting! I am not grown up enough to buy a house. The commitment factor may kill me.

I am laughing out loud.  For me it was the station wagon.  I had a kid, an MBA, a mortgage, and a husband, but it wasn't until I was driving a station wagon with a carseat in the back that it hit me like a punch to the face: I am grown up.

And then I noticed the coffee streaming down my rear window.  I had driven off with the cup on the roof of my car.  And that made me feel so much like my mother I thought: Yep.  Grown up.  Terrifying!

Lindsey

www.adesignsovast.com

www.ivblogz.com/.../the-lights-shone-all-around-and-a-slight-breeze-brushed-my-ponytail-against-my-neck-the-choices-were-overwhelming-its-like.html

That is totally what I just went through with my husband.

We close on the 19th of August. Congrats on looking for a house!

That sounds really awesome that maybe by next year you'll own a home. Good luck with that!! I too (when I think of adulthood) think that "a house" certainly is one of the big things that makes you an adult, "Adult!" Although you supporting yourself and having children makes you an ADULT as well! ;o)

Congrats!!! I am so excited I think I will start banging my head with you.

Yay home ownership (almost anyway)!

Homeownership is scary, but it is also AWESOME. My boyfriend and I bought a house last year (we live in Portland, Oregon, and it's a leeetle cheaper here) and it has been SO worth it. No landlord. We can do whatever we want to it. Yeah, it's expensive to maintain, but I pay less towards our mortgage right now (with housemates who pay rent) than I ever have in rent, and our overall mortgage is cheaper than renting an equivalent place would be.

Oh, and I'm 24. Talk about terrifying: here I am, still parking my books on cinder blocks and plywood because I just got my first decent job after college, and this bank is trusting me (and my boyfriend) with a giant huge loan. And accepting my signature as legitimate. We don't even have a car, and we own a house.

It was one of the most trippy things I've done. But still -- a favorite life choice so far. We had some immediate buyer's remorse akin to baby blues -- the whole feeling of "what have we gotten ourselves into" and "we'll never be able to take care of this." The first time something broke and it was difficult to fix, my boyfriend wailed, "I want a landlord!"

But, a year and change in, we love it even more. My recommendations are: 1) find a realtor you trust. 2) See if someone you know who's bought a house will be willing to listen to you talk about it -- they'll understand the whole house-buying buzz when your renting friends won't. (Again, not unlike having a baby.)

Good luck!

http://www.xkcd.com/616/

Thought you might appreciate this...

Literally one hour from completing on our house purchase here, waiting by the phone for news so that I can call my husband and say, "hello, homeowner!" I know exactly how you feel. We're married, I'm pregnant, but this is like... woah. Adult. Eek.

I think you'll love it ;)

P.S. Just finished your book... and I simply think you're just great!

Well, I'm glad to know it isn't just me who sometimes gets that "Am I really a grown up?" feeling.  Everytime I walk down a hall in my office building I get that feeling.  "Are people staring at me because I am clearly a 12 year old?"

Good Luck! We, too, after a crazy Oregon heat wave, are searching Craigslist for a place with air conditioning because I don't want to put my baby through another summer of 6 fans, wet rags, and sad heat rashes.  We are not courageous or qualified enough to buy a home, but hopefully some day. Pass on the good tips during your search!

Tee hee -- I remember sitting with A. in our (empty) living room right after we moved into our house and having this weird sensation that we were *really* on our own, as we never had been before. I think landlords, oddly, serve as some kind of weird parental substitute until you buy your first home.

This is a good time to buy, though. I doubt prices will be this low again for awhile. At least, I hope not!

Have fun. You'll know when you've found the "right" place. (But remember that no place will be perfect.)

I know how you feel. Although, I don't think I really felt that way until our second home. Our first home was such an obvious, cute little starter home and the tax breaks made all the difference. But when we moved into our second, much bigger home all I could think was, "Wow. This house is so nice my parents should be living in it."

And I was 35.

reading this, i'm reminded of a recent xkcd: http://xkcd.com/616/

I remember buying our first home and all the "really, me? an adult? you're allowing me to sign legal contracts?" heh