If I were to add up the numbers they would be daunting: number of hours spent house hunting, number of towns considered, number of house viewings, number of scenarios considered, number of numbers crunched. And in the end? I followed my gut. Of all the places, I still like my current place best. So I’m moving forward with purchasing my place! Crazy that it took all that work to come to this decision.
I realized I was superimposing what other people/society thought onto my thinking. I would look at places and think - well that looks more impressive, that has a more comfortable dining room, that has a larger guest bedroom, that has a garage to park my car. But at what cost was I paying for all these things - financially I was purchasing space that I rarely use. I estimated the guest bedroom was used about 14 days last year - 4% of the year. The dining room I rarely use - mainly when I have guests and an occasional dinner party - again about 4% of the year. My car is perfectly fine living outside. I don’t use it daily so dealing with snow isn’t really an issue.
I also was sacrificing the now for the future, and in some cases the future for the future. My place is unique, it’s unconventional, it’s small, it’s really just a one bedroom so how would it resell. Should I live in a more conventional single family house that would be more straight forward to sell? Even if it wasn’t as nice and I would be financially strapped? The nicer places I could afford would mean a much longer commute with less flexibility. So I would be living a life where I spent most of my time in the car/train commuting with very little pocket money. And for what?
In the grand scheme of things, I figured I’d rather be in a comfortable place that I enjoy living, than try and fit into the mold of what I thought I should be buying. I never thought I’d own a condo. My place is small and cozy - it fits me well for this moment I am in. I continue to practice a relatively low carbon footprint, living in a dense urban area and using public transportation. I live in the best neighborhood of all the places I looked at and feel safe and secure. To top it all off, it’s the cheapest option I reviewed so I can pay back the loans for the down payment much quicker. It’s even cheaper than renting somewhere else!
So that’s where I’ve landed. I still have about a month to go before it’s legit - the paperwork, inspections, financing, etc. But I feel good having finally made a decision - I didn’t end up with a compromised living situation. Thank you to all those out there who shared their thoughts and experiences and support. It’s good to be reminded about the important things.
Next step - pull out the decorating books and start dreaming up what I want to do next with my place! I’ve had my eye on some really nice decorator wall paper for the small guest room and I’ve been eyeing some painting swatches.
