In my husband's exact words: "I don't want to stay in this house forever. I want to live in a house that makes me feel like I'm on vacation."
In my words: "I want my kids to go to Dunedin Highlands Middle School and Palm Harbor University High School."
In my realtor's words: "You're screwed."
OK - so she didn't really say that. What she did do was give me a possible sales price for our home, and it ain't pretty. We would maybe break even, but there's no way we could make enough to put a nice sized down payment on a new place. A place on the water. In the right school district. With neighborhood boat facilities.
Which is really depressing if you think about it. We didn't even buy at the peak - we bought right as the peak started up. It seems really unfair that after paying on this house for 6 1/2 years, we're only about $6,000 up. And that's before you factor in the pool Purchase. I really feel for the people who DID buy at the peak. How the hell are they supposed to manage the finances on that?
So the house may be the perfect house for us. It os across the street from the Gulf, with Gulf access in front of the house. It's the right size. The right location. Has cool features.
Of course, it's also un-Godly expensive.
Then there's the whole do-we-change-the-kid's-schools-now-and-move-them-away-from-their-friends-and-make-them-find-new-Scout-Troops thing. Granted, the house is only about 12 miles from our house now as the crow flies. But still.
You think maybe if we wait a few years, things will balance out better financially, right? Except that if OUR house increases in value, so will the house we are trying to buy. And once the kids are in college we may not even be able to afford to move, with paying the damned Harvard and Duke tuitions.
So we wait until the kids are out. That would be about 15 years from now. Making me 55. Too old to enjoy it.
There's no easy solution. Part of me feels if you don't aim high, how will you ever get there? But Bart is level-headed, and says it's a poor financial move.
He always says "Life is long - we can find our dream house in a few years." I say life is SHORT, and you have to scratch and claw to get what you want while you can.
Maybe I shoudl go buy a Lottery Ticket.
1 comment:
two things:
You should probably listen to Bart. Because I'd say go for it, and I always make bad financial decisions. I'd take financial advice from Bart any day.
Who the hell says 55 is too old to enjoy anything? My dad retired and moved to his personal paradise at 55 and he's been happily enjoying it for almost 32 years so far.
(by the way, my dad and Bart are both freaks of nature. Just have to add that).
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