There’s an old saying, ‘when you know, you just know’. I’ve run with that saying many times. The same with the old, ‘if it’s meant to be, it will be’. I’ve tried to apply that logic to all sorts of life situations, jobs, spontaneous nights out, travelling. Oh....except for relationships. That part simply, hasn’t meant to be just yet.
The application of this logic, intertwines with this weeks,
“I must confess”. It’s about your best experience ever and well I can only say,
‘when you know, you just know.’ Usually,
my best experiences involve travel to some place. I’d hop on a plane tomorrow
if I could. Anyway, this post about my best experience ever, isn’t about
travel.
I just knew the minute I saw this. It ticked every box. It
wasn’t my first time though. I most certainly had done this before. Twice
before, to be exact. It was extremely nerve-wracking but very satisfying. And
of course, when it was all over, I was very proud.
I know you’re wondering what this best experience is all
about. You may have thought this post was on a different track. Why, it’s
buying my first place, of course.
I had bought a place with my brother. We went halves. It was
quite old, however it was freedom, independence and an asset. This was back in
2004. I scrimped and saved and had to watch every last cent, but it was worth
it. We painted, brought new blinds and renovated the bathroom. I was immensely
proud.
True love intervened and my brother was off to get married.
He brought me out and I moved back home for a while. About a year later, an
opportunity came up to rent with a girlfriend and I jumped at it. Let’s face
it, being 33 and back at home certainly wasn’t ‘living the dream’. Five months
into renting, I jumped onto realestate.com and came across a new complex of
units not far from where I was living. I enquired and went out and had a look.
There was one that took my fancy. Did I tell you it was BRAND NEW. Okay, this
may have been the major drawcard. It’s funny though, there were a few things
which bugged me. Dumb things really, like no window in the bathroom, no linen
cupboard and the main bedroom had a small wardrobe. I was worried how I would
fit all my things. Still I thought it would be perfect and a great investment.
I put my deposit down and applied for a loan.
I guess it wasn’t meant to be. I wasn’t able to get lenders
mortgage insurance as the bank thought the unit was overpriced. The builder’s
report came back and there were a few things I just felt would be really big
problems in about seven years time, ie. No expansion joints in the driveway. I
pulled out of that unit. Lost my deposit. Looking back, it was a small price to
pay.
I stopped the search for a while, couldn’t really be
bothered to be honest. I am a bit of a local paper girl and always read it
every week. My favourite bit is browsing the real estate section. I’m a
dreamer, you know. Reading it one week, there was a unit which grabbed my eye.
Open house was on the Saturday.
Saturday came and went and the social life took priority.
Needless to say, I didn’t quite make the open house. The following week’s local
paper showed the unit had another open house on the next weekend.
I remember looking at the pictures in the paper and
thinking, “that’ll be perfect for me”. I went along and loved it. I knew it was
for me. It’s sometimes the weirdest things that sell the apartment. The most
important thing was a window in every room. And a linen cupboard and two big
wardrobes. Yes, Yes and Yes!!! Not quite Carrie wardrobe style though Oh, it
was renovated so I didn’t need to do a thing.
Long story short, I bought it. It’s been almost 2 years and
I love my unit. My home, my bricks and mortar, my piece of the great Australian
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There’s nothing better than the feeling of owning your own
place. Look really, the bank owns most of it, however you get the idea. At
least when I don’t want to go to work, I know that every pay check gets me
closer to owning it. It’s a good motivator. Alright, it’s better than good,
it’s a brilliant motivator.
I know I’m lucky. Not everyone has this opportunity. Don’t
get me wrong, I worked long and hard, working two jobs and sometimes three jobs
to get it. I’m very thankful and grateful.
It’s the best experience because it’s something that’s truly
mine. It represents my hard work, my piece of domestic bliss, my haven and most
importantly, my space. Space to do what I like, when and how I like it.
So tell me, what does your home mean to you?
Jen xoxo
