Mutual drive, leaky basement, and it’s all mine!…………… November 13, 2012 7:25am

I took a drive in my old neighbourhood just to say a quick Hi to my very first home that I bought many years ago.. and I got to wondering why I hadn’t kept it and just rented it out, and then go buy another?  It was a cute little 2 Br piece of real estate in downtown St. Catharines, gabled ceilings, neighbours 4 feet from me, a mutual drive, a leaky basement..but it was all mine. And I sold it.

We bought it in 1987-1988 for a whopping $64,000. With 10% down. Borrowed of course. (Who the heck had$6,400 back then?). And at 11.3/4% interest rates. Monthly payments and taxes were $847.00. Yes, I remember.. it was a struggle to find that each month. But it was mine. And no home will likely fill my heart like that one did.

As some things happen, the marriage was not meant to be, and I struggled to stay afloat in the home with my 2 girls. And, as some things happen, I met the man of my dreams, the love of my life, my “boy”. And it was time to begin a new life, a new marriage, which meant a new home. I sold the  downtown 1.5 storey home in 1991 for $87,000, and off we went shopping to find our current home in North St. Catharines. Why did I choose the one we’re in now? Don’t laugh.. because of the 2 birch trees sitting in the front of the house. What can I say?.. I’m an emotional Buyer.  The sad part of this story is that the trees died before our first year in the home, and had to be removed. And then I was left with a home that I wasn’t sure why we bought. And yes, we are still here. I’ve just started to fall in love with it, that’s all.

Frank and I do have other investment properties, and I am grateful for the tenants that we have. (If you don’t have tenants, you really should! ) Ours all love their homes as I hoped they would. But, it’s soon time to buy another one.. the itch is on.  Maybe, just maybe, I’ll go knock on the door of the cute 1.5 storey piece of real estate in downtown St. Catharines. You know the one.. gabled ceilings, neighbours 4 feet away, mutual drive, and a  leaky basement.. And it would be all mine. Again 🙂