have my own place

The House Of Belonging by David Whyte
I awoke
this morning
in the gold light
turning this way
and that

thinking for
a moment
it was one
day
like any other.

But
the veil had gone
from my darkened heart
and I thought
it must have been the quiet
candlelight
that filled my room,

it must have been
the first
easy rhythm
with which I breathed
myself to sleep,

it must have been
the prayer I said
speaking in the otherness
of the night.

And I thought
This is the good day
You could
meet your love…

Before you pick up a hammer, a paintbrush, or the real estate ads, take time to daydream. Walk through the rooms where you eat, sleep, and live. Give thanks as you sift and sort, simplify and bring order to the home you have.
-Simple Abundance

Love does not stop. Energy doesn’t stand still. And neither do our homes. They’re pulsing with all that we carry in; they vibrate, hum, resonate with every cry and murmur and snap and cheer of our hearts. They are our second skins the shells we build, like snails, enlarging and encrusting with the whorls of our days, months, years. They are our most private and most telling of places. There they stand, for the world to see. And for us to make them what we will.
-Dominique Browning

My dad asked me to think about waiting to get a place, as apparently he’d like to take my mom on a roadtrip out of Florida for anywhere from a couple weeks to a couple months. There’s Christi(indoor cat) and Garfield(outdoor cat) to take care of along with plants, etc. I talked with my mom seriously about it and told her I’d like to help, but when they were done with that I’d want to move out. It’ll save me money and them money & worry so I think it’s not a step back, but a step forward. I’m moving my stuff into a storage unit temporarily to get it out of here for when my sister and family are here. I’ll also try to sort stuff out as I’m doing that! Woo-go me!

Found the cutest table and chairs-very modern at the thrift store and thinking about getting them to put in storage unit….but its not something I need, so may just save the money for something else-like treating my nieces outrageously!

I must have electricity and live in a neighborhood I trust my stuff will be there when I return. I’d also want to have a kitchen-doesn’t have to be huge or anything.

Wants list would be things like a pool, exercise room, second floor or higher location, big closets, close to work, close to things I enjoy and pet friendly. Pet friendly could go under needs as I would love to have a pet again-possibly a cat/kitten.

Searching for the best deal, some have utilities included, some have some of the amenities I’m interested in, and some are just cheap cheap cheap.

Plus I admit sheepishly that I might be swayed to a beach location…have almost always wished to be on one…

so I scrapped that, home values still are coming down. However, for now-unless an unbelievably great deal comes along, I’ll be renting. Checking out places now, found out I’ll be rehired at my school for next year(yeah!) so I want to not be as far away from it. That’ll save me on gas and on time in the morning. Oh to sleep a half hour more!

However, if I find a deal or great place that is further away but has tons of amenities it is still a contender in the race to be my new home. Cues the theme music of James Bond or something equally dramatic!

about buying a home/first time buyers etc.

I have found a piece of property that just makes me happy. It has a mobile home on it that is damaged from the hurricanes and has termites but the land itself is $29,900. The outside of the home looks ok, some mold but that can be scrubbed off and cleaned. I’m really wanting to see the inside of it to make my final judgement, but they won’t let me due to possible accidentage(my wordage againeth!) unless I’ve put in an offer that would be conditional on seeing the inside of the place.

I took my parents out to see it to also keep me grounded if this was a true pipedream and they seem pretty supportive. I know I’d count on my dad to help me with repairs as in making sure that I didn’t touch anything that would kill me or hurt me. Hopefully he’d help me make decisions that wouldn’t cost big time too.

I’m hoping to find a loan that would pay for the land and include some money for repairs as I think I could make it liveable as well. The price is low enough that even with money for repairs it’s still pretty low. The piece of land is pretty nice, has some great trees and shade factoring in. The neighborhood seems great to me everytime I’ve visited. I love the breezes and just the feel of stress leaving me everytime I’m there. It’s close to shops and there are communities with kids around so I’m not isolated.

I just love it and hope that I can get it.

As an aside if not, rents are coming down for apartments, and I could get one in town for $635 a month plus one month free that includes pool, washer & dryer and pet friendly. I do have options!

lower prices for home buyers!

I am looking at different places and found an area I like in the northern section of town. It’s peaceful, great breeze, people seem friendly and just seems really great to me. Thinking of going for a mobile home and fixing it up, but there are a couple that are in good shape for a higher price as well.

If that doesn’t work out, I can rent an apt, and my niece supposedly might move in with me either way. Should be exciting!

Anyone have any tips as far as buying a home?

I’ve lived with my parents for most of my life. I stayed with them while going to college, commuted 2 hours south with Jupiter, Boca Raton, and Davie. Then I graduated and got a job teaching, and we had the hurricanes hit. Apartments were very hard to find and I jumped into one, paying $858 a month. Luckliy my electric was low and even my phone wasn’t bad. However I was working 2 jobs to afford all the loveliness, and it ruined the point. Moved back in with my parents when I thought I was going to be moving back out after summer and that turned into never, when I was deciding to move out to Seattle, WA. Now, I’m back, and living with my parents again. I’m used to it, pretty much everything I own is in my room, all packed up the majority of it. I like having other people around, as it does get lonesome to be alone, but like anything you get used to it. I guess I miss seeing all my stuff out, and designing things, and doing the things that were routine when I lived in my apt.. I’m really hoping to get a job that’ll let me save up for an apt. or at least pay off some of my bills.

Living on your own is definitely a great experience, just be careful of how much you spend and don’t be afraid to be alone sometimes. If you can, buy ahead spices/cooking things/conveniences(ex sheets/art/canned goods/etc) you might need-otherwise it’s a hard chunk of money to spend all at once your first month out.