August 23, 2011

The Downside of Home Ownership

Don't get me wrong... I'm glad I'm not a renter. But I swear when one home improvement need arises, a million more get added to the list. I miss the days of being able to call a landlord and have the problem fixed right away. (Unless you are a college student and rent from a well-known slumlord. Then he will simply send a bouncer from one of his bars to take a look at your broken fridge. Said bouncer will give you an extension cord and wish you luck. True story).
Our summer of battling the sprinkler system came to a head last night when one of the pipes broke. We're hoping it's an easy fix since it's an above ground pipe. Of course, this means we're not running the sprinklers while it is nearly 100 degrees outside, so our grass will suffer and our HOA will likely fine us for brown grass. 
Then there's the gutter on the roof that is still pulling away from the house. This is why you should not rely on someone who owes your father-in-law a favor to fix the gutter for free.
Still, I'm just glad we are able to afford the luxury of a house. We spent three months in an apartment just before our girls turned two. It wasn't fun. It's not something I want to experience again. I guess I'm just going to have to win the lottery and hire a team of employees to take care of all my lawn and home repair needs! (In that case, I'll hire a house keeper, chef and chauffeur, too!)

7 comments:

Triple U said...

Don't forget the personal trainer! I feel your pain. Our old house was built in the 50s, and it was at the point everything was breaking. Plus, the former owner was a do-it-yourself kinda guy, which meant everything was done wrong to begin with!

Quadmama said...

I'm just glad my husband is resourceful and good at fixing things. We typically only have to call a "professional" for major work.

MaryAnne said...

We have gutter issues, too. And a partially brown lawn, but fortunately no HOA to fine us. No sprinkler system to break, either. We've replaced most major expenses on the house, which means if we're lucky we're good until the next time our roof needs replacing (a year or so, depending how bad this upcoming winter is. Last winter was brutal.)

I know what you mean about home ownership. It's really great, but when things break it gets expensive (and complicated) quickly!

Holly G said...

Oh, man, that is some of the stuff I don't miss about owning a home. However, I feel the need to elaborate here: We owned a condo - not a house. The condo was WAY too small when the babies came and it had plummeted to only 20% of the value that it was when we bought the place...so we walked away. We now rent a beautiful 2-story house with plenty of room for our family for a lower monthly payment and no HOA fees. Right now I'm very happy to be a renter!

Unknown said...

We freed ourselves of HOA as well. Now WE have to do the lawn and paint the outside of our house. We also have to deal with the repairs on an old house. I still wouldn't change.

Kim said...

I was sure wishing I had a landlord I could call when our septic system alarm started blaring. Gross! I don't want to have to deal with any form of sewage whatsoever. Fortunately, it was a simple problem involving some switch that my husband was able to fix.

Anonymous said...

I have to say I totally agree with you. My AC went and dealing with my warranty to fix it became a nightmare. I miss apartment living.

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