Sunday, March 28, 2010

When Did Our Homes Become Less Than Our Homes?

I know this may sound like a silly rant, and it may make someone mad, but I don't care. It's on my mind these days and these are, after all, the ramblings of a semi-insane woman. So here goes.

That's a strange question - When did our home become less than our homes? Let me phrase it another way … when did a house change from being a home to being an investment? A good friend brought up that topic the other night and I have been pondering it ever since. I've begun to wonder when the American Dream went from owning a decent home that you lived in and raised your family and grew old in to just another piece of property to buy and sell and make some money and move up in the world. Hmmm. Perhaps that shift in how we, generally speaking, think about our homes is part of the problem that has lead our economy to it's current state. I don't know, but I can only think that it has.

When we bought our first home I remember it was called a "starter home". The idea was to stay where for 5-7 years, earn enough equity to then sell it and move up to a better home. And so on until reaching the desired goal - the dream house. How many people in trouble today thought, "We'll buy this house, live here for a couple of years, sell it and make money - who cares about the crazy financing - we'll be out from under this in 2 years." Yeah. So did we. And we got ourselves into a load of trouble with that ARM interest rate.

I won't bore you with the details, but our little starter home was a nice house, well-built with plenty of room (now I know that looking back). If only we had seen it in the proper light from the beginning.


Fortunately we have been blessed with our current home and it is the perfect size for us.  In the past I wouldn't have thought that.  How silly of me.  I love it and I sit here thinking about all the ways that I want to make this house my home, to make it reflect my personality. I love to watch DIY and home improvement shows on TV, but lately all the shows that come on are about making your home into something that someone else wants, making it into a designer showcase that will sell … to someone else.  I don't care anything about that.  I want to live in my home and raise my family and stay here until I die.  I want to make it what *I* want it to be.  It is, after all, my home.  And I want my home to be about LOVE, not about money.

1 comment:

  1. "I want to live in my home and raise my family and stay here until I die."

    I've always wanted this....especially thought it about my former home....hoping the next one will be it! ;-) <3 someday..........
    Paige

    ReplyDelete

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