my first house

[Cheryl Marchek aka JM]

Congrats!
I love being a home owner~ though I guess the bank owns most of it! Oh well~ there is that nifty tax write off of all that interest on the mortgage every year. Rent would cost me about what I pay in mortgage~ but none of that is tax deductible~ none of it builds equity for me.

But the very best part of owning your own home~
No one can tell me what I can and can not do in my own home or on my property. I can be as loud as I like, and I can go out in the yard~ dig it up and put in a garden pretty much anywhere I want too.....and living in the country now~ I can put goats, chickens, rats, pigs wherever I want.........even 15 feet from the annoying neighbors front door and since it's MY property~ I CAN do that! (we pretty much agreed that if her dogs stay OFF my property from now on then I won't consider my piece of property right in front of her door to be the premier pig pen on my property.....)

Congrats!
You'll love the freedom~ even while your mowing the lawns!
~not so much while trying to dry out the basement after a flood.......but even that work is more satisfying saving something that belongs to you!

[anatess]

Another perspective:

Kinda like when you go to Blockbuster and rent a video game. You really don't care much for it, so you don't want to buy it. You would rather have the freedom to play it, then when you get sick of it, return it and forget it. If you still want to play, then you rent it again and again (probably would have been cheaper if you went ahead and just bought the thing). Sometimes you scratch it, you still return it and forget it.

But then you happen on this one video game that you really love to play. Well, Blockbuster comes calling they want their game back. But, you really really like it. So, you go to the store and buy the darn thing. You own it, you play it a lot, nobody will be calling to ask you to return it, and you tend to take better care of it. And, once it is all paid off, it's ALL YOURS.

Okay, probably not a good example...

[Typical_08]

Another perspective:

Kinda like when you go to Blockbuster and rent a video game. You really don't care much for it, so you don't want to buy it. You would rather have the freedom to play it, then when you get sick of it, return it and forget it. If you still want to play, then you rent it again and again (probably would have been cheaper if you went ahead and just bought the thing). Sometimes you scratch it, you still return it and forget it.

But then you happen on this one video game that you really love to play. Well, Blockbuster comes calling they want their game back. But, you really really like it. So, you go to the store and buy the darn thing. You own it, you play it a lot, nobody will be calling to ask you to return it, and you tend to take better care of it. And, once it is all paid off, it's ALL YOURS.

Okay, probably not a good example...

That isn't a bad example. Cept the video game does not generally increase in value. The house tends to if you take care of it.

[JKExotics]

Another perspective:

Kinda like when you go to Blockbuster and rent a video game. You really don't care much for it, so you don't want to buy it. You would rather have the freedom to play it, then when you get sick of it, return it and forget it. If you still want to play, then you rent it again and again (probably would have been cheaper if you went ahead and just bought the thing). Sometimes you scratch it, you still return it and forget it.

But then you happen on this one video game that you really love to play. Well, Blockbuster comes calling they want their game back. But, you really really like it. So, you go to the store and buy the darn thing. You own it, you play it a lot, nobody will be calling to ask you to return it, and you tend to take better care of it. And, once it is all paid off, it's ALL YOURS.

Okay, probably not a good example...

Heh... Would be funny going to your landlord's house dropping 2 or 300,000 and saying hey I love playing in your house I'l take it, by the way can I have fries with that?

My oldest boy is five (well was four during the summer), and already pushing the mower. It is a good father son time thing.

I agree my daughter and I do stuff like that all the time, my son is older however and usually just takes me for my allowance money.

[Typical_08]

I agree my daughter and I do stuff like that all the time, my son is older however and usually just takes me for my allowance money.

I dread that day. I am enjoying the time where he is full of questions and is willing to learn anything and everything he can. Last night we set up and cooked dinner on a Dakota stove. He had a blast.

[shiftto5]

For you or the snakes .

no for me lol

[JamieLynn]

Congrats on the house.
As far as renting vs owning...I would rather own.
I hate my landlords, and my neibors. My apartment is tiny, it was infested with mice, and the landlord told me it was my problem. Our door was broken, and we had someone break in 3 times, and kept asking for a new door, it took the landlord 1yr 6months to get to it. When it snows they do not plow, leaving half of the people on this street stranded. if I open my oven I hit the fridge, bad water, no ac, can't have my motorcycles parked out front (only space for one car)
I hate this place, also I did the math, with the property values around here, in the last 5 years I have payed enouph rent to own a 3-4bdrm with a yard!
I enjoy being outside, and doing yard work.
For some people renting is fine, but others need more stability in thier lives.

[Texas Dan]

Morgage = Yes... but this goes away after a while or you simply don't have one because of an inheritance.

Property Taxes = Are annually here and equal less than the amount of one months rent.

Interior Decorations = It's actually fun to decorate a house and it's not like after the first few months you don't run out of things to decorate, this bill isn't permanent.

Bugs = I never had any.

Lawn Maintenance = What you don't make your kids work for their allowance?

Fixing things that break = Major things of significant value don't break THAT often.

General Home Upkeep = I don't get this one... Do you mean cleaning your house? Or fixing the little things that break? I don't mind this one at all.

GENERAL SENSE OF OWNERSHIP, THAT YOU CAN PASS DOWN TO YOUR KIDS = PRICELESS!

Not to mention if you ever need a significant amount of money via a loan this can be claimed as collateral, try putting up your landlord's place as collateral and see what the bank says.

Man, I wish my parents would pass their house down to me!! 15 acres, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, a Barn with an office and a studio. All heated and air conditioned.. mmm, nice.

[JKExotics]

Man, I wish my parents would pass their house down to me!! 15 acres, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, a Barn with an office and a studio. All heated and air conditioned.. mmm, nice.

Well that depends if you have brothers and sisters you might get a piece of it.

I'm passing mine down to my kids, I would only sell it I was in a situation where it was absolutely necessary and even then I'd probably just get a loan for whatever and pay it off.