Sounds About Right

You sell real estate?” Alina quietly asked me before the 6:30 am morning hike at Rancho La Puerta in Tecate, Mexico. “I know you probably want to get away from work, but my husband and I just bought a house in San Diego and we’re scared to death,” she said. “We’d lost several others prior to this one and then had to bid more than we wanted . . .”

Sounds about right. 

Alina, a stunning, young, athletic woman who was acting as the resort's docent last week, has a fast-paced career away from the ranch the other 51 weeks of the year, travels extensively to exotic locals with her globe-trotting, BIG-wave surfing husband, and is easily conversant on many topics - in both Spanish and English - but it was the thought of a new home and the work that lies ahead that was keeping her up at night. Now that they were in contract, she and her husband weren't exactly seeing eye-to-eye on their plans for their new home. Where excitement had ruled the day, now fear and second-guessing stepped in to offer an unsolicited opinion.

Sounds about right.

That's not uncommon, especially for first-time home buyers. We all know that new experiences can be unpredictable and if we don't exactly agree on everything, well, that's par for the course. (Left to his own devices, my husband would have put a batting cage in every garden we ever owned . . . while I had other plans.) Of course, they're scared. Why wouldn't they be? Fear is a reasonable response to a major purchase, but at the risk of being completely glib, “If you don't feel like you’re going to throw-up, you probably didn't do it right.”

Listen, it’s not my intention, nor any Realtor’s goal, to lead our clients down a path that makes them truly uncomfortable or nauseated (or both), but if you’ve never owned a home before, ALL OF IT is going to be new territory. From transfer taxes, to property taxes, to homeowners’ insurance, to navigating the escrow process, homeownership isn’t just the fulfillment of a dream, it’s also a MAJOR responsibility, and that's before you factor in ongoing maintenance. It's the rare Buyer who doesn't toss and turn a little once successfully securing the property. However, (hear me out) growth lives on the edge of discomfort. (That's the ranch sneaking in.)

Sounds about right.

“We have five bedrooms, but no laundry room,” (and no kids) Alina said, “Can we convert one of those bedrooms into a full-size laundry room?” (Yes, you can. It’s your house and you may do with it what you wish.) You may even decorate the walls with surf boards!

And therein lies the beauty of homeownership. YOU get to decide what best fits your needs and lifestyle. Moreover, as the homeowners, you accumulate the growing equity, you provide shelter to your families, and over time, you create a nest egg for the future. (See what you did there? Weren't you "mucho intelligente?") None of which you can do as a renter. Moreover, with interest rates in the low 3s, lenders continue to make homeownership very attractive, offering money at historically-low interest rates. In the words of our Rancho LaPuerta hosts, "Esta muy bien!" (It's all good.)

Sounds about right.

But is homeownership for everybody? No, it is not.

Our 28-year-old has moved around the U.S. extensively since graduating college and hasn’t yet figured out where to solidly lay down roots, and on the other end of the spectrum, my aging parents now live in a community where they can call the manager to deal with a refrigerator repair or a leaking roof. Neither is geographically tied to a specific "spot," nor should they be at their respective stages in the game.

On the other hand, Alina and her husband have been together for 22 years and they're more than ready to claim their “spot.” Having established careers that allow them to comfortably handle the mortgage and taxes, they're the perfect candidates for homeownership and they absolutely should be entering the marketplace, in spite of any nagging trepidations or concerns. As we learned in meditation class (I'm Zen now, can you tell?), "you may simply note your concerns and then invite them to politely move along . . ." .

Sounds about right.

Still, having forked over more than they ever imagined possible, did they secure the "perfect" home? No they did not. (Perfection doesn't exist.) Even so, like most homeowners, they are bound and determined to make it truly theirs . . . (I'm certain they will figure out their differences. You don't make it to 22 years without having navigated difference along the way.)

You want a pool? Go for it.
Would like to expand the courtyard? Have at it.
Need a laundry room? You have my blessing.
 
This is the stuff that makes homeownership endlessly interesting. Our homes reflect who we are in the world; moreover, they represent the journey. However, if your journey includes a healthy dose of fear (not an overly-obsessive one), that's entirely normal. Just remember to breathe and you'll be just fine. "Esta muy bien!"

Sound about right? (Si.)