Chronicles of a First-Time Home Buyer - Vol. 1: Jitters.

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

So it's come to be the time in my life where I start thinking about buying a backyard for the doodles (and a corresponding house of some sort too). Yes that's right, I'm investing in real estate for the doodles. Ok, that's not entirely true, they say owning a home is a good investment, and it would be really nice to have a garden and a barbeque, and a little more space. However, the idea of being responsible for a house is scary business to me. Who do I call when something breaks? Who's going to shovel the snow and mow the lawn? What am I going to do with 3 bedrooms and two bathrooms? Who's going to clean them? Do houses come with little elves that do all of this for you?

What if I hear creepy noises coming from the basement at night??

 

What if something goes wrong with the house and something goes wrong with a doodle all at once I can't afford to fix both??

See? Scary!

 

What I'm really worried about is the commute. I currently live in a two bedroom apartment that is less than 20 minutes from work on foot. I love the walk, unless the weather is crummy, and if so there's a bus at my front door, or I can splurge for a parking spot for the day. I often come home at lunch time to visit the doodles and take them out for a quickie walk. Doing so is the best part of my day. It gets me away from my computer, saves me money because I grab some food at home, and seeing my doodles halfway through the day always lightens my mood. This is also useful when Sophie's tummy is on the fritz.

 

The neighbourhood ain't bad either. Hundred year old homes; pubs, restaurants, and shops (some dog friendly ones too) all just blocks away; multiple daily walks along the beautiful rideau canal, lots of parks close by, lots of friends who live in the area (some I even met at the dog park).

The down side of apartment living? NO backyard, which means standing in the dog park everydayeven in snow storms, because the doodles can't stay cooped up in an apartment all day long. Having to get dressed at midnight, 2am, 4am, 6am, to take Sophie out for a walk when she has an IBS flare up (especially not fun when it's -30 outside). Lazy landlords who keep raising rent and don't do anything for you. Not being allowed to paint. The world's smallest kitchen. Oh, and don't let me get started on the crazy lady who lives below me who's always complaining about something, and telling me how to train my dogs when hers is a total disaster. And worst of all, the 87 year old lady who lived there for 45 years, lost her marbles, and passed away alone a few weeks ago. Is this my future if I stay here??

(Picture this with doodles instead of cats)

I have to get out of this apartment!!

 

After meeting some potential real estate agents, and doing some browsing through the online listings, I've basically narrowed down my options for home ownership to this:

• A highrise or lowrise condo downtown within walking distance to work (can visit doodles at lunch time but there will be no backyard)
• A very old home that will need a lot of upgrades that I likely can't afford but is a very short drive/bus ride to work (could do a lunch time doodle run in a pinch, and the commute is shorter which means more time for doodles).
• A much nicer/newer/bigger house in the burbs, that would require an approximately 30-45 minute commute - and no lunch time doodle fixes. (Leaving me doodle-less for at 9-10 hours/day and the doodles are cooped up too long). Plus, the driving and parking expenses would sort of add to the cost of moving to the burbs, and living in the burbs might be a bit isolating for me.

 

So, I am getting jittery about the whole thing and I have already considered packing it in and looking for a place to rent that has a back yard - but even that will be next to impossible with two big dogs. All I know is if I put it off I will thoroughly regret it once winter starts rolling around next year. I just don't want to do another winter without a backyard.

 

I am really only at beginning stages of thinking about this right now. I still need to get a pre-approval for a mortgage, and really start narrowing down the neighbourhoods I could live in. It's also early in the season, listings usually peak in the summer months so there is lots of time.

 

Stay tuned for Volumes 2 and 3 of the Chronicles of a First-Time Home Buyer- "Indecision" and "Cold Feet". In the meantime, all home ownership advice, include doodle-friendly house features, are welcome.

 

[Barbara B., Sasha & Oliver]

I lived in apartment complex and rented a two family house for many years.  Then decided to buy a house and have something of my own and as a investment as well.  I wanted a house with a big, sunny back yard because I knew I would be getting larger dogs after my 15 yr. old Shih Tzu passed.  Its a love hate relationship with my house.  I love being a home owner because I do not have to ask the landlord to do anything, I can make changes at will and do not need permission.  BUT.... when something goes wrong... well that is another story.  I am fortunate enough that my BF is a contractor, my BIL is a carpenter and have extended family members that are electricians and plumbers so I have all that covered - LOL (thank God).  My house needed lots of work but I am very handy with the tools and love to do that kind of work and I LOVE shopping in the tool department in Home Depot not that I don't love Macy's too but I can strap on a tool belt and be in high heels as well - LOL.   Home ownership is work... as you said, there is the lawn to mow, the snow to shovel etc.  I love being ouside and love to garden, I hate to admit it but I don't mind shoveling snow either.  But if you don't like doing all that then you can always hire someone to do that but at a cost.  But I would not have it any other way.  Owning a house is way better than living in a apartment.  

 

When you are looking.... it would be good to find a house that has a fenced in yard already because it could be costly to have a fence installed no matter what kind you get.  And as long as it has a nice size back yard, dogs can adjust to anything.  My little Shih Tzu was blind, she knew my old apartment's floor plan and had no problem getting around.  I was so worried that when I moved she would have a difficult time.  It took her about 2-3 days to get the floor plan down and she adjust well.  I think the only thing the dogs will be concerned about is the yard, that will be their domain so make sure they have a safe place to hang :)  Good luck and it will be worth the investment.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Scary and exciting! I agree, the right place will find you. You just have to stay open to all possibilities. If you have too many preconceived ideas of what your home should look like, you may not recognize the right home when it comes along. House-hunting requires a lot of imagination. A list of "must haves, etc" is a great idea, to help keep you focused on the important things- things that can't be changed without major work & money-  and not swayed by minor stuff like colors that can easily and inexpensively be changed.  

Like Bonnie said, we will be here to walk you through all of the specifics.

[Bonnie and Kona]

Sherri, Buying a house is one of the scariest things you will ever do. Just keep us posted and we will try to walk through it with you. It has always turned out to be worth it for us. Hoping you will make the decision that works best for you and the doodles. xo

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

I like the space the burbs gives, and you do get used to the commute, but some people are happier in the city - thats up to you. Id definately get a place with a yard though, even a small one as it does help with potty time and exercise!

[Colleen, Jake & Baxter]

Lots of good advice that I wish DH and I had had when we were first time home buyers.  All I know is that this can be such an emotional process to go through.  This might have already been mentioned but I recommend bringing someone along that you trust when looking.  It would be even better if they have already bought a home and/or can point out things about the property you might not have noticed.  I wish you all the best and extra best wishes for the right doodle property for you & kitty:)

[F, Calla & Luca]

Good for you re: rich guy. I like the little red hen philosophy. You should be proud.

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

These are some great tips. I love the idea of not looking at anything other than my price range and to get pre-approved only to the amount I am comfortable spending. It's easier said then done but I know I will not be happy if I end up spending more than I have. I also know that I won't be happy if I end up in a suburban cookie cutter house surrounded by young families. I like the idea of being in an older home, but one that has been renovated. Because it's just me I don't need much space, just a little house will do, so it might be possible to find something closer to downtown. I don't need a huge yard, it would be nice, but I can live with a small one. Anyway, these are all things I should be writing on that three column list.

Jennifer, a rich guy might be nice, but actually, I'm quite proud of myself for doing this on my own and I wouldn't want the feeling of relying on anyone else. Even if it means taking the bus instead of a limo!

Laurie, I think you're right - the right house will find me.

F - I have a great handy guy that I've used for some jobs already, so I'm all good there.

J - I think I'll avoid new builds, as they can be a lot of hastle sometimes, but I may very well end up in the south end.

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

OH good luck Sherri! Are you sure you don't want to wait for the rich handsome rich guy to come along and then you can have the house and limo rides home at lunch?? Wait-you probably wouldn't have to work so it could be doodle time all day everyday! Back to reality-it's a huge decision! Wait until you are in the right place you have plenty of time! I know you want if for your doodles-we lived her 5-6 years before we could put a fence up because we had a house payment that came first! We were able to put extra money on our payments which helped so much in the beginning. Now with our job situations we are not able to do that. Just make sure you are ready. I wouldn't go for the condo option though because of the doodles. Good luck!

[F, Calla & Luca]

Is there no in between very old, and I shudder to think what you mean by that--probably younger than me, and new? Anyway I don't know if I could have dogs without a yard. That would be the deal breaker for me. But a long commute stinks. I vowed many years ago never to cross a river for work again because that seems to entail many problems.I only looked for two or three weekends before I knew when I first saw it that this was the house for me. I made an full price offer the next day because there were a bunch of bids--my cousin is a realtor. It felt like the country though it's about 3 miles from my office. It's also about a half hour from the bridge into Manhattan, if there's no traffic. That's only at about 2 AM though : )

The others have given you much more pertinent advice than I could. Before I bought this house I made a list of everything that was important to me. I only sacrificed on not having the master bedroom on the main floor in the end but it's worked well for me. I did a lot of things over the years, AC, fencing, kitchen, windows, siding....There is always something. A trustworthy , reliable contractor is a must as is a good handy man. I may move if he retires : ) I used to do much more myself, snow, mowing and all. I gave up the snow but still do the mowing. It's doable and worthwhile but it is scary.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Sherri, Learn from my mistake. When we bought our first home, we walked in and I loved it (a townhouse) and I persuaded my husband to bid right then and there. We never even looked at another home. We thought we would be there three years and ended up being there twelve years. Look around, look around, look around.  The house was ok and we sold at the right time, but if we had waited, we might have no mortgage by now.

I would be concerned about a fixer upper because they can turn into a money pit quickly. Also, since a walk to work is really important to you, I wouldn't bend on that point. A walk will save you lots of money. Just my two cents. Good luck.

Also, when we bought our second home, we fell in love with this older home instantly (we had looked at plenty)  and we wanted to place a bid and found out the seller had already accepted another bid. I was devastated. I loved that house and when I went to work the next day (Assisted Living Facility) one of the residents told me, "the right house will find you." Sound familar :) Well, the house we bought...I could write a blog about that....my DH loved instantly. I didn't like it at all, but when we went back, I began to see all the possibilities and realized a new coat of paint, etc. would work wonders and now I love this house.