When Shawn and I bought our house 10 years ago, we had enough money to buy a house or a car. We decided the house would be an investment, whereas a car would depreciate as soon as we drove it off the lot. All we needed was a house on bus route that was within our price range.
Turns out. You don't get much with those requirements.
We took possession of the house in March, 2004. Since then, we've experienced burst pipes, rainy rooms, mystery wiring, and even more mysterious framing. We replaced the roof shingles, assorted plumbing, the entire front and back of our house including the bulk of the wall studs, all windows and doors, the siding, and the fences.
We hired a company to tear down the old garage that listed 15 degrees off center and build us a new one.
We also moved the stairs from the center of our house to the side and re-framed large portions of the floors.
Then there was the oil spill of 2011. We got new sewer and water lines and part of our basement floor lowered, and it only took the predicted four weeks, plus another five months to clean up.
Throw in landscaping, some finished carpentry, a lot of drywall, plaster, paint; the bashed thumbs, banged shins, Band aids, and sore body parts; the swearing and crying; the defeats and victories; and you have our homeowner experience.
So when I look back on our initial decision as a house as an investment, I can't help but think we should have considered some other more practical options.
Like a Cessna or maybe a racehorse.
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