The Joys and Pains of being a Homeowner

I have owned my own home(s) most of my life. I purchased my first house when I lived on Long Island; I bought it when I was younger and first married (later on I managed to buy my former husband out of his share of the house). That was the longest period of time I had ever spent in any one home/location. My parents were always moving around - it seemed. We lived in two separate residences in Queens in my childhood - then moved to Long Island, New York when I was 13. To my way of thinking that constant uprooting for a child can have a negative impact on them - as it did me. I was 13 at the time - and that’s about the worst time to make such changes in an adolescent’s life. But, I digress.

Flash forward to the present. I sold my home in New York and moved to a state where my daughter had set down roots quite a while prior to my moving here. I bought a home here several years ago and it is a charming ranch home. It’s not a big house - but it fits me just perfectly. It has nice little ‘bells and whistles’ to it that you wouldn’t find in New York homes unless you were having them custom built. Yet, in the state I've moved to, it would be considered a modest home, one which I would classify as affordable for most people. If you were to purchase a house like mine on Long Island, in New York, it would cost so much more than what I paid for it. I could never have bought it myself. New York real estate had gotten ‘out of control’ until the bubble did finally burst. Sometimes I do wish I could transport my house to New York - but then, of course, I think of my grandson, who I would miss terribly, and the moment passes; not to mention the outrageous taxes homeowners pay in New York! eeek, no thanks. Besides, most of my friends have long moved away out of New York - and most of those friends now reside in Florida.

Be that as it may, I digressed once again. I went a wee bit off-topic. The topic is being a homeowner. I wanted to mention a few of my ‘pet’ peeves. The word ‘pet’ is quite appropriate as one of my complaints is that for some reason, since buying this house, several of my neighbors have parked their dogs on my lawn and allowed them to answer nature’s call right there on my newly aerated and seeded lawn. I have been trying feverishly to whip my lawn into shape after such a hot, dry summer. Most lawns were scorched and are now a mess. It has become one of my missions at this point in time to restore my lawn and my feeling is that when people allow their pets to run rough-shod over your property it is being disrespectful and irresponsible to the homeowner who has put their hard-earned money into that property. Do you agree? I find it so rewarding when I take care of something and nurture it along and then ultimately get to see the fruits of my labor.

The money I am paying to Scotts Lawn is being thrown out the window because of these few inconsiderate neighbors - or maybe it’s the same neighbor, I just haven’t caught them yet. There are times when I think to myself - ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth’. Maybe that is being too dramatic, especially in this case - but what I mean by it is - that as a punishment to those people, if anyone was to throw their dog’s deposit back on their own lawns, that would be A-OK with me. The punishment would fit the crime, don’t you think?

My other ‘pet’ peeve is that a lot of the people that own houses on my block, have so many cars. They have adult children who still live at home and each of them has their own car. Many of those cars spill out of the driveways and line the streets - but for some reason, it’s usually always directly across from my driveway, which, in New York, they would get a ticket for. But, unfortunately not here. The other thing is between those cars and the company that visits those homes, especially on weekends, I’m lucky to get out of my driveway without hitting another car. They are across from my driveway and parked on both sides of my driveway. If I had company coming to visit me, some days they’d have to park down the block from my house - and, at times - that does irritate me.

There are minuses but of course there are a lot of plusses to owning your own home - privacy, freedom to do a lot of things you could not do as an apartment dweller, fixing your property and your house up to your own specifications, profiting from it when you sell it, and -- of course, just plain enjoying it - the list goes on and on.

It is a huge responsibility to own and not for everyone. But the few times I’ve lived in an apartment, I did not feel it was a real home. But, when I put it all into perspective, however, I realize that nothing is permanent, nothing is forever. Those houses and automobiles we purchase will still be around and owned by someone else long after we have passed on. But, it gives one such satisfaction when you take care of something and can look at it and feel proud that you have kept it well. It gets the pheromones or seratonin flowing. And, that’s a good thing.

Happy Watering! Have a Good Week - until next time!