it's all in the experience

My husband and I ventured into the foreign world of real estate a year and a half ago when we purchased our very first home. We began our venture armed with high hopes and an unscathed dream that we would find the home of our dreams; somewhere we would begin our lives together and start a family.

I began the enduring legwork of researching home listings online, reading real estate classifieds, and enlisting one of the top real estate agents in our area. But the excitement and optimistic anticipation of what would lie ahead was quickly diminished when we realized how little our mighty dollar was worth. The, at one time, promising price range we were told to stay within was translating to homes just short of being condemned. The term "fixer-upper" takes on a new meaning when it is considered to be the place you hang your hat at the end of the day. When we imagined taking on a "fixer-upper" project, we envisioned weekends spent with paint brushes in hand, maybe remodeling a bathroom or two, or adding embellished details that would simply add value to our new home.

Oh was I in for a rude awakening.

When we realized what our dollar was actually worth, our short visit to cloud nine was abruptly ended. The options we were faced with were no comparison to the homes we grew up in; the types of homes we subconsciously predicted for ourselves. "Do you have to be a millionaire to buy a home these days?" we would ask ourselves on a daily basis. "How do people do it?"

But our never-ending search landed us in a home that we knew we would come to love. My husband and I saw it's potential and we encouraged our parents to see the same. There were many blatant problems, but the seller was quick to give explanations or solutions. The seller knew this was our first experience buying a home and was ready and willing to take full advantage of the situation. Adhering to our realtor's advice, we hesitantly, reluctantly, yet still optimistically, made it to settlement. Everything seemed to go off without a hitch.

The to-do lists were long and our savings was withering, but we knew there would be a light at the end of the tunnel. We knew our hard work would eventually pay off.

Here we sit, a year and half after our giant leap of faith, and the symptoms of those blatant problems we discovered before settlement have been slowly but surely evolving from 'symptoms' to 'major problems'. How can someone be so low as to sell a home with so many known problems? When it goes beyond fresh coats of paint and remodeling a bathroom or two, how are first time home owners expected to afford what needs to be done to restore a home?

I know my husband and I will come through this experience a stronger couple and will be that much more cognizant the next time we pursue the real estate world. But at times it feels as though we've purchased ourselves an overwhelming and never-ending money pit.

I guess it would be inappropriate to put "New Home" on my Christmas list.

Update: I wrote this post last evening in the midst of wallowing in my own self-pity. Yes, the work needed on our home is extremely overwhelming at times...but I honestly do love it. My husband and I have worked very hard to get it to where it is today and I am proud of what we have accomplished thusfar.

Self pity party is now over. Thanks for listening though!