For as long as I can remember, I'd fantasized about having two homes. I was a voracious reader as a child and would often read stories about people who had more than one home (although I didn't know anyone who did). I thought that was terribly cool and wished I could say one day "I'll be at the country house this weekend". I loved this notion of having a place in the city and one in the country, and thought it must be the true meaning of "the best of both worlds".
As I got older, I would spend summers with friends in "share houses" in the Hamptons, where a group of us would pool our money and rent a place for a month or the season. It was fun but I always thought it would be even more fun without all the extra people. And ya know what? It is. Eventually, I was able to treat myself to what some people call a vacation home, but I just call my other home because I go there more often than I could ever go on vacation. I had an apartment in the city and was now buying a home in the country...just like I'd dreamed about but never really thought I could pull off. One mortgage is a big step; two mortgages is even more daunting. But I did it.
It was tough sometimes. My co-op in NYC has a super and I had gotten very used to that. There's no super with a house and I --being single and all-- couldn't call upon hubby to do the things a super typically does. And trying to get the boy-of-the-moment to do it can be tricky. Some are more skilled in that regard than others, so it's a little uneven. Nevertheless, having a second home was (and is) every bit as wonderful as I imagined it would be. I love my place in the city, but it's small. My house in the country allows me to entertain family and friends (yes, even their kids) and it brings me a lot of joy to be able to do that. And the dog is delighted to have a yard he can run around in on his own and without a leash.
I bought the house in 1996, made accelerated payments and just paid that baby off. When I mailed in the pay-off check a few weeks ago, it didn't feel like that big a deal. Now, it's sunk in and it's a huge deal. When I say I'm a homeowner, I actually mean a homeOWNER. It's mine, not the bank's and it feels great. It's one of the most grown-up things I've ever done. A very Spinsterlicious move!
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4 comments:
Woohoo!
I just bought a townhouse, after living in a one-bed/one-bath/parking lot view/no patio or balcony or washer/dryer condo for years, which has always felt like apartment living, especially with the noisy neighbors across from, next to, and below me.
I can't wait to move into the townhouse in January - more room, a patio and room for gardening, my own washer and dryer, a guest room, an office/studio, and views of trees and a creek from all of my windows.
I definitely want to pay the mortgage off as fast as possible. Thank you for the inspiration!
Congratulations! A deed well done.
I wonder if you coulda made it if I hadn't hung that first shower curtain. I'm so proud--of you. Course, I'll never forget that loverly nap I took on the floor while waiting for some contractor. That was good sleep.
Thats awesome. Were bats the mortgage completing present?
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