Those of you who have read our blog before know that I have dreamed about owning a fixer-upper all of my life. A historic home, with old windows that let the hot Florida air in through the cracks. With old wooden floors that creak as you tip-toe on them in the middle of the night. And a big front porch with wooden rocking chairs to read your favorite paperbacks on a warm Sunday morning!It's all I've ever wanted so I can't for the life of me understand why I'm now changing my mind...
The house pictured above is currently listed for sale for only $50,000. Of course I immediately called Pete and asked him if we could buy it. It reminds me of my dream house that I set out to find in Leesburg, FL. Look at that rusty old roof and wooden porch swing! Sigh.
But, it's in a town with a population of 800 people.
Who's going to be Lucy's friend? And what kind of schools will she go to there? Where will we find jobs? Also, the realtor told me that the roof may look charming to me, but it leaks. Everywhere.
Not to mention there's no air conditioning.
Or heat.
And the electric and plumbing most likely need updating.
If we had the money, I'd dive right in and make it our home. Maybe in the future, but right now we can't afford to put our savings into a leaky home when we should really be saving for Lucy's college and possible unforeseen medical emergencies.
So I'm forcing myself to look at newer homes. For Lucy. It's amazing how much having a kid will change your outlook. Believe it or not, a leaky roof and no air conditioning wouldn't have bothered me before, but if I can help it, I'd like to have a good roof over Lucy's head. And I'd like her to be in a place where she can find opportunity.
One thing that Pete and I promised each other:
"Whenever we buy a house, we won't live in the suburbs."
Well, now that's the only place I really want to live! What is wrong with me?! I found an old home with wood floors and a front porch and a big back yard... but it's in a neighborhood that has a lot of history of burglary to residences. So when I looked at newer homes that were built to look like older homes and there's 0% crime history, I can't help but say that's more appealing.
Seriously, who wouldn't want to live here?
So what am I getting at here? This blog has helped me achieve so much because it's forced me to write down my goals. It seems like things start to happen once I commit to them here on Salvaged Spaces. Writing my goals for a blog led me to Salvaged Spaces, which has introduced me to so many good people and fun projects. Researching projects for this blog led me to find the house of my dreams and slowly but surely, I am becoming a junkmaster because I set out to do it. So maybe. Just maybe. If I write that Pete and I want to find jobs someday and buy a house, then maybe, just maybe, it will happen. Is that too much to hope for? Jobs and a house? It doesn't need to happen tomorrow, but someday. Please keep your fingers crossed.
And please don't hate us because we don't want a fixer-upper right now...
