When a house becomes home…
I have been in the finance business for just over a decade and I am still just as passionate about helping people find the "home" that they are interested in creating for themselves as when I started financing homes. It is interesting to me that what makes a "home" can be different from person to person.
For the first few years of marriage to my wife Robin, we went through a rack of living arrangements. We experienced housing from touring the country living in a van, living in a tent trailer, renting a garage to stay in, renting a utility closet sized studio and a few other temporary accommodations that were not entirely conducive to a peaceful relationship.
Needless to say, there came a time when we were interested in more permanent housing solutions. We were ready to put down roots and allow ourselves to transition into "real" adulthood. Quite simply, the lack of a "home" whether rented or otherwise was really starting to get to us.
Our first real home was in West Yellowstone in 1998. We were completely excited about the $550 rent payment that was our ticket to live in the luxury of the new low-income apartment building we were accepted into. Robin and I suddenly had the overwhelming urge to buy things like curtains, dishes and those great little rugs that fit over the toilet lids in colors of our preference! It was great to think that we didn't have to label our cereal boxes or live in fear that some room mate was going to eat the special chocolates my mother made at Easter or borrow clothing in an "emergency".
That apartment became something we counted on at the end of the day to provide a sense of refuge from the hustle and bustle of the industry we worked in. It was a peace we felt the need to protect. Before the apartment, a home was not as important to us. We just needed something to provide shelter from the weather, a place to park our small amount of stuff and a safe place to sleep. When we saw the difference a "home" makes, we didn't want to miss out on that ever again.
To us, a home became a place to experience the joy and sadness of real life. We felt re-connected in our home and excited to share the happenings of our day over a not-always-gourmet meal. Before we knew it, our house became a home.
I am not sure if it matters where a person makes a home. Over the years I have been invited to many homes and have experienced warm and comfortable feelings with full-time RV occupants as easily as with owners of fabulous mansions that I have had the pleasure of knowing.
When a house becomes the place where we enjoy the seasons, watch our little ones grow (and teach us how to grow) and experience love for our lives and/or each other: it becomes a home. In this sense, aren't we all potential "home owners"?
Late in 1999 we were able to actually purchase our first home together. It was amazing to us that our home payment was not too much different than our rent at that time. The credit requirements and guidelines were not too different than they are today. We were overwhelmed at the feeling of coming home to our own personal space and enjoyed the benefits of being able to create some equity by fixing up the 800 square feet that was all ours to enjoy. It changed our lives forever and we embraced that. What is your vision of home ownership? Does it involve the purchase of a home yet or simply the transformation of your current housing arrangement? I can promise you, it is worth pursuit.
Chad
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Chad Schauers
Personal Cell: 406 799 8613
Personal Email: metchad@gmail.com
