I'm Grateful for Homeownership
These 3 simple words in the title mean so much, and no doubt for others who own their homes. Indeed, it goes beyond owning a home but would include a rental that is your home. But for this post, my focus is being thankful for home ownership.
We are in our 10th primary house (there have been a couple of vacation homes, too, on Cape Cod) that we’ve owned – perhaps not a lot compared to many others, but the number is not important.
We’ve also lived in 4 rentals (2 apartments, 2 single family homes) in our life journey together. Some were due to the relocation process before buying a home in the new location and some were personal choices. These rentals met our needs on a temporary basis. But there was something particularly meaningful to us about living in a home we owned as opposed to being in a rental. But a home is home, right?!
Each home we have owned has been special to us for different reasons. Amenities, features and sizes have varied, as have the locations – 1 home in Michigan, 5 in Massachusetts, 2 in Minnesota and 2 in California. Some needed a fair amount of remodeling, which we took care of, while others did not – 1 was a new build. Some floorplans were preferred over others. And yards have varied in size from a few thousand square feet to almost 2 wooded acres.
While we were certainly thankful for having a rental as our home when the time was right, we’ve always been grateful for being able to own our home. There’s a powerful sense of pride and achievement in homeownership…a place that’s yours to do what you want and where you create wonderful memories (which of course can happen wherever you live). Your home – owned or rented - is a place for sharing and enjoying your life with friends, family and neighbors year after year. Owning our home is what has really mattered, not its size or cost.
Our current home is far from perfect, as other places have been, and there are things we wish were different (single versus 2-story) or that we would like to change. But I’m very grateful for what we have and where we are (not far from our daughters and their families in LA), and what we have had over our years together.
As a side note I’m also thankful to be able to help others with achieving their homeownership dreams, as I understand what it really means so well.
This is my third entry in the November Gratitude Challenge hosted by Debe Maxwell, CRS
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