I am not a homeowner, nor do I own any property. My one attempt at owning my own home ended in disaster and although it took a long time, I have finally stopped beating myself up for that really BIG mistake! I thought I would never buy again and that renting was the way to go. Owning your own home is a lot of work that as a renter I don’t need to worry about. I don’t need to mow the lawn, trim the trees, or edge the sidewalk. I am not responsible for fixing the appliances, deciding what project to tackle next, or hiring the contractor. I don’t have to pay the property taxes, school taxes or to fix whatever needs fixing.
All of that is true, so WHY do I enjoy looking at houses for sale online? I enjoy looking at the pictures, reading the descriptions and calculating if it is affordable. I like doing drive bye’s, checking out the view and popping in on Open Houses. It is a bit of a time waster for me AND I really enjoy it!
Right now, my honey owns her own home and I pay rent each month. It is a good situation for both of us and it works. Mother Fran owns the cottage and I pay her a small monthly fee to help out with the taxes. I see how much work home ownership is and how expensive it can be. I have no immediate plans to buy a house but I continue to look, to dream and to drive bye! Is this the American Dream tugging at my heart stings or just something to keep me occupied?
I just spent several days at the cottage with Child #2 and her husband. We had a very successful Cottage Clean-Up Weekend. In our family, this is referred to as “CCW” and is long standing tradition. CCW involves a chain saw, rakes, tarps, a leaf blower, and dragging furniture out of the house and back on to the decks. It also involves getting the electric and water back on, vacuuming, scrubbing and getting the kayaks down to the lake. I spent an hour in the ditch cleaning out leaves, logs and debris so the water can flow freely. Good thing I brought my rubber boots!
Owning (or not owning) a lake house is a labor of love. It offers so much fun, privacy, family time, beauty and relaxation. It is where we love to gather, eat meals, play games and spend time with Mother Fran. We get to swim, kayak, enjoy the fire pit and just be together. The cottage strengthens our family bond!
A lake house requires all of the work of home ownership plus the added work of dock maintenance, erosion control, boat house upkeep. We lug tools, supplies and laundry back and forth from our homes to use at the lake all of the time. The shower drips water at you like it is in charge of usage. The hillside is eroding and looks like it will take out the staircase in the near future. In windy storms, trees literally can’t take the beating and get pulled out from their roots. They topple and take out one or two more on their way to the ground. There is a serious amount of upkeep when you own (or don’t own) a lake house.
Owning a lake house is hard work, expensive and a labor of love. I am blessed to have a lake house in the family. I get to share in all of the benefits as well as the expenses and hard work. Most likely, I will continue to spend time reading the local real estate listings, doing drive bye’s and maybe dragging my honey to a few Open Houses! It is one way to participate in the American Dream without breaking the bank!
Happy Memorial Day!
Lake Girl