Personal Narrative: Learning From Home Ownership

Learning from Home Ownership

“As I enter a new phase of my life and my circle broadens, I start learning new things.” – Kapil Dev. Purchasing a home threw me into a new phase of my life, my circle of responsibilities broadened, and I slowly began to learn the need to prepare financially for the unexpected and how to attempt new tasks, such as home improvements, on my own. My husband, Dustin, and I bought our one-hundred-year old, single story, yellow house on June 3, 2006. Consisting of three bedrooms, a massive living room, a suitable dining room, a quaint kitchen, one cramped bathroom, and a decent one and a half car detached garage, it felt as though this house was a perfect fit for my family. The largest bedroom would be mine and Dustin’s, the second largest bedroom would belong to Kayla, our one-year-old daughter, and the third bedroom, the smallest, would be an office. With the house being newly remodeled by the previous owner, naively, I did not expect there to be any issues at all; however, I quickly learned that new does not always equal no problems. Becoming a homeowner has taught me the need to

Having to pay the extra fees associated with obtaining a loan or using a credit card for home repairs has taught me that it is best to start a savings account for unexpected situations to avoid those additional costs. Merely owning a home has taught me that it is possible to research and learn to fix your home problems yourself, especially since you cannot always rely on others to do it for you the moment that you need it done. Entering a new phase of life like owning a home has brought about new opportunities to learn about financial preparation and has even taught me lessons on how to be self-sufficient in my home’s