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Growing up, I’m sure many will agree, you tend to hold a romantic, rose-tinted view of the future. This is encouraged of course and it’s good to have dreams and ambitions and make a path you’re proud of. But of course, it can also leave you feeling disheartened and frantically questioning: ‘Where have the years gone?’ And, ‘How on earth am I turning 28 this year?!’
I write this with the news that we are hoping to move house. Only it’s to rent and not to buy. I realise this is an ongoing issue for many in my age bracket – it’s getting harder and harder to get on that elusive property ladder.
I am, well and truly, a home bird. It’s my happy place and so the idea of owning my very own and decorating it using a wonderful amalgamation of my many ‘Country House’ Pinterest boards, fills me with joy. But of course, there is always this to look forward to – it is not a distant and unreachable hope – perhaps in the next few years, I too, will be signing on that life-affirming dotted line.
But, for now at least, the house we’ve found fills me with a warm and excited glow – it’s somewhere I could certainly see myself buying (had I the deposit) and it could certainly be a beautiful abode to come home to and see us through before those ‘mortgage years’ approach.
While many may see renting as a short-term necessity, others may believe it’s still paying to have a roof over your head, so what’s the difference? The difference is ownership, responsibility and a feeling of pride. I do not mean pride as a measure for success – although this must also be a nice feeling – but more for your home. The fact it’s yours and you no longer have people to answer for, no unnecessary inspections or having to ask if you can put a shelf up. Of course you have to foot the bill for when things go wrong but at least they’ll be fixed – we’ve waited more than three months for someone to simply come and look at a leak in our roof, and a further three for it to be fixed.
So, while I’m excited to move, to start a new adventure and flick through the Next Home catalogue, I can only imagine my excitement when I’m preparing for our real home together, when I can finally sign that dotted line and call myself a homeowner.
