If I say I want to move again within the next 5 years...slap me.

Part of me really likes moving. It helps me de-clutter my already de-cluttered living space because, frankly, I don't want to move 10,000 items from residence to residence. I also like living in smaller spaces because you can only fill it up with so much "stuff".

That being said, there are still plenty of problems to solve after having purchased a home...especially if that home was built in 1945.

When I bought my first home, it was a home my parents owned and I had already been living in it, so I was fully aware of all its little quirks. Then I moved into a newer apartment building, which came with only minor problems and even then, maintenance men were at your beck and call to fix them.

Now, I have moved to a home built in 1945 and I am slowly learning all the quirks. I had a total chick-flick night with myself this past weekend, and I watched one of my favorite movies, Under the Tuscan Sun. Diane Lane's character, Frances, goes through a painful divorce. To help her recovery, her friends decide to send her on a tour of Italy. While there, she makes a bold, last-second decision to buy a 300 yr old villa and remain in Italy for good. This was not going to be just a vacation. This was her new life.

As she sets out on the journey of renovating this crumbling house, she narrates that you "Pick one room and make it yours. Go slowly through the house. Be polite, introduce yourself so it can introduce itself to you."

And this is exactly what I am doing.

Like Frances, I did not do a lot of "thinking" before I bought the house. I saw it. I wanted it. I knew I couldn't go back to the old place. And I made an offer. And before I knew it, I was sitting on a little step ladder, covered in paint, looking around at the 4 walls that were going to protect me from the elements for the next several years. It was my job to make it more, and I am introducing myself to each room and trying to make that room completely how I want it before I move on to the next. This is taking some time because I change my mind a lot when decorating. A lot a lot.

I've had appointments with Seguin Electric, Centex, Time Warner and Beyer Boys Plumbing. Holes have been drilled, cables have been re-routed, faucets have been replaced, water lines have been reversed, water heater temps have been turned down from "boiling hot" to "normal hot", and invoices have been paid. Man oh man, have invoices been paid. Whether it's service connection fees added to my regular bills or the invoices from all the repairs, I am bleeding invoice pay at the moment.

We're to the point where I am currently praying that nothing goes wrong with anything else, including my truck, just so I can still keep my head above water. I still haven't asked anyone for help, haven't had to use any payment plans, and haven't put anything on a credit card. But this is where all the invoices need to stop, please:) We're good. We're set. We're broke. HomeMOANership can attack somebody else now.

My favorite repair has got to be when the plumbers replaced necessary faucets and hoses so I could wash clothes, and when I tried a load of laundry the HOT WATER option had no water coming out and the COLD WATER option had boiling hot water coming out. I mean like lava. Steam just started filling the room. Turns out the water lines were installed backwards, so I went ahead and had them reversed. And we turned down the temp on that water heater, which I'm pretty sure is a ticking time bomb, but that's a $1,500 cost for which I will obviously being saving up.

The German shepherd next door is taken indoors much more often now that I had to say, "Seriously?!" to my neighbors as they let their dog's barking just go on and on and on and on. I don't care how long they've owned that dog, they CANNOT be used to the decibels he's putting out. They need to Caesar Milan that thing. He can literally hear when I'm walking around on my wood floors since I still don't have all the furniture set up to lessen the echo, so he barks all.the.time. I swear I have the worst luck with barking dogs. I wanna be friends with those cool people who have their dogs trained military-style. They speak when their owners tell them it's allowed.

Not only did I purchase a house, but it also came with 100 Ziploc bags, 4 telephone books, 3 extra light bulbs, 2 outlet adapters (because every outlet is 2 prong, and every appliance I own is 3 prong of course), 1 gas dryer (because the utility space is lacking a 220), and 1 picnic table. I recycled the bags and books, have used all the bulbs and adapters, and just stand there and drool over the picnic table. Seriously, how cool is that to have your very own picnic table. Who leaves that behind? Their loss was definitely my gain. So adorable.

So it's been 9 days since the movers moved everything and I am just now getting my bearings straight. I haven't had buyer's remorse, but sometimes I do just sit there, staring at another unpainted wall, thinking "I cannot wait until everything is functional, decorated, and in order."

The only room that is pretty much done is the living room, because that's the first room you walk into. And when I get overwhelmed by the chaos of the other unfinished rooms, I run into the living room and breathe in the calm energy of that one space and give myself a pep talk that I can indeed work the same magic on all the other rooms.

Like bringing a new baby home, it's only exhausting in the beginning. A routine will be discovered and you'll soon amaze yourself at how many problems you now know how to head off.

But really, if I say I want to move again within the next 5 years...slap me.

Why I support the "Seguin 13" bond

Starting Oct. 21^st, registered Seguin voters have the opportunity to vote on a new bond referred to as  “Seguin 13”.

The Seguin 13 bond proposes a revamped Seguin High School, completely new library, and revitalized parks and recreation areas. Although the bond totals can be startling (83.3 million in bonds for the school, 14.8 million in bonds for the library and 5 million in bonds for the parks and recreation areas), it will only increase your taxes approximately $20 per month, for a home whose taxable value is $150,000, which is $35,000 more than the current median home value in Seguin.

I know what you’re thinking. The aesthetics are not the city’s problem, it’s the crime. It’s the condition of the roads. It’s always rising taxes.

And I hear ya.

I am a regular Seguin citizen and taxpayer. I am not wealthy. I am not a pillar of the Seguin community. You do not see my face in Seguin Gazette photos. I am not your typical activist for “city change”.  But I am voting “YES” for "Seguin 13", and here’s why.

I love Seguin. It’s my hometown. I think it has a lot of potential. But unfortunately, that’s where the description tends to stop because not much is being done with the potential. Seguin schools were not rated well, so I found my education in New Braunfels. Seguin’s job market was not strong enough, so I found my income in New Braunfels. Seguin’s library was antiquated, so I found my answers in New Braunfels. Seguin’s parks and social scenes were tired and uninspiring, so I entertained myself in...you guessed it...New Braunfels.

For years and years, Seguin has been compared to New Braunfels, and we have fallen short in the comparison. Some argue that their crime rate is considerably lower. But that’s not really accurate. Over the past 5 years, the crime proportions of both cities have run astonishingly parallel.  New Braunfels’ city population is almost exactly twice that of Seguin’s. And the crime statistics support that almost to a tee, with aberrations in New Braunfels’ favor, regarding robberies and burglaries, and aberrations in Seguin’s favor, regarding cases of arson and auto theft. So…we’re still pretty even.

Of course there are the issues of drugs and gang activities. With respect to Seguin’s citizens, in the case of drugs…Seguin citizens are just dumber. Nobody should be naïve to the presence of drugs in New Braunfels. They are there. They are being sold. They are being purchased. They are being consumed. And they are being quieter about it. Not to say that’s better, but it is a factor in why Seguin is known for these specific illegal activities and NB is not.

 There’s no question about the gang activity. We need more police as well, and we need them to be legit. Let’s also not be naïve about certain law enforcement that has been placed on the “clean up Seguin streets” team and shouldn’t have been. We need straight arrows. Not boomerangs.

So what else could the difference between Seguin and NB be? I’ve heard some say it’s the condition of the roads. I agree. There are some terrible roads in Seguin. But have you driven in New Braunfels lately on Common St? San Antonio? Castell? And of course there’s the Walnut Ave. project that started when I was in high school (more than a decade ago) and is still chuggin’ right along at warp slow speed. And these are streets located in downtown, where the squeaky wheels are still not necessarily getting the grease.

Well then…I’m confused. If it’s not the crime rate, it’s not strictly the manufacture, transportation and consumption of illegal drugs, and it's not the street conditions...what else is there?

Is it the population as a whole that's the difference? Looks like it.

And what do you do when you are left with a majority of people who has not tapped into their potential? You educate them on how to do so. You lead by example. And you help provide the opportunities.

This means education. And education leads to enlightenment. Enlightenment to inspiration. Inspiration to ambition. Ambition to action. Action to production. Production to accomplishment. Accomplishment to pride. Pride to motivation. Motivation to learn more. Motivation to earn more. Motivation to churn more. And the cycle starts over.

The more you learn, the fewer your limits are. We have an entire generation of children coming up who we can help steer in the right direction with the right tools so they can learn to provide themselves with the opportunities they need and perpetuate them. Give a man a fish, and he is fed for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he is fed for a lifetime.

Bad decisions are typically made when someone is either uninformed or bored. Both of which we can remedy. So let’s vote YES and get our children learning and moving so we have the chance at a well-rounded community willing and wanting to educate themselves, think outside the box, and be an inspired, productive, positive force that will continue to move Seguin in the right direction for many decades to come.

Granted this is just my humble opinion, but I know how far I've come in life because someone was willing to teach me, lead me, and believe in me. And I'm not done growing yet because of it.

 

It doesn't happen by accident.

“Once you have established the goals you want and the price you’re willing to pay, you can ignore the minor hurts, the opponent’s pressure and the temporary failures.”-Vince Lombardi
 
In 9 days, I close on a very special home. And although the house is adorable, the "special" quality of which I speak has nothing to do with the home itself. It is the purchase that's special.
 
I have no overflowing bank account. (Especially after closing next Friday). I have no unique talents to get me through life. No high salary to spend.  No old family money. No sugar daddy. (Although T would love to be one). But I do have a lot of self-discipline when it comes to money.

My goal was to be a millionaire by age 30. Okay...maybe that was a little extreme. And I recognized that very early on. But I scaled back, and made a more attainable goal to own 2 homes by age 30. And my home ownership did not come by accident. I do not have a salary that allows me to wake up on any given morning and go, "Hey! You know what I'm going to do today? Buy a house. Yep. That's what's going to happen."

My first home purchase was a lot easier. I had a real estate license when I was in college and the commissions from the properties I had sold afforded me the opportunity to have more in my savings account than the average 21 yr old. So I added and added to it and had a nice little down payment for the Weinert St. house, which my parents seller-financed and it was all done in no time with a lawyer. (And it's a legit loan. 4% interest rate and all. Actually, I think I need to re-fi with my mom and dad now...). 

Even though I was younger back then, I was much less of a risk-taker and didn't buy the Weinert St. house until I had the down payment I wanted, and still had the emergency fund with which I felt comfortable. Unfortunately, the emergency fund wasn't the $250,000 needed for uninsured cancer treatments! *Sigh* Life will sock it to you sometimes.

I said all that to say this: this home purchase is very different. I have sacrificed much for this one.  

It did not happen by accident.

This time, my down payment was built back up from nothing. There have been some struggles in the last few years that depleted my bank account and had me sometimes choosing between getting to go out with friends or paying a bill. And you know me. I am far too anal retentive to ignore my bills.

Since I had my first bill in my own name, I have NEVER been late on any payment. And I've certainly never missed one altogether. Some of my friends and significant others have gotten frustrated in the past that I passed up on some social engagements in order to have the money for my bills, and the only thing I can say to that is, "but look at my credit score".

It did not happen by accident.

If you don't have many "funds", a high credit score is a prime way to show a lender/backer that although you don't make a ton, you always find a way to pay your bills.

And there have been people who "comment in passing" that it must be nice to pay a mortgage to my parents so it's not that "pressing". I treat my parents like any other lender, and I have never taken advantage of the familial relationship to be late on a payment. Even during chemo and sick days, I always paid everything on time.

It did not happen by accident.

Along with keeping my credit score high, I also worked a lot. A lot a lot. I have my day job here at the accounting firm, and then I would have my organizing or babysitting jobs in the evenings and on the weekends.

There were sacrifices made. It did not happen by accident.

The way I saw it, I could tear up downtown New Braunfels on any given evening and spend about $50, or I could do a job and earn that. Or more. And once I earned the money, why negate it with going out to celebrate that I had made the right decision to work instead of play? Hello Square One. Nice to see you again.

But I didn't choose to go out. So I saved the money.

It did not happen by accident.

So to me, this second home purchase is not just a little bit exciting. It's a whole lot of exciting, because there's nothing more rewarding than knowing every "sacrifice" you made along the way got you to exactly where you wanted to be. And it's all going to be worth it.

It's nice to be "present in the present", but it's also vital to think ahead and see the bigger picture for the future.

My bigger picture includes the hope for financial security. Once I received the clear results of my one-year scan, I knew it was time to take the leap of purchasing another property that could help me reach my goal of that financial security I want so badly.

I hope this blog entry doesn't sound like I think I know everything about how to be successful. That would be comical. I just prefer to be very open about my life journey and spread the lessons I've learned so far. Because believe me, I've learned some of them the hardest. way. possible.

What I do hope any readers take from this, is the fact that there are no "small" successes. Every success is just that. A full-on, true-blue success, and we should remain motivated by each and every one because that's how we're going to stay on target and grow in the direction of our choosing.

It doesn't happen by accident.

Purchasing Journey

Let me begin by saying that I am a backwards person. In almost everything I do. And I blame it on the water connection in my childhood home. The hot water was ice cold and the cold water was boiling hot. I basically didn't stand a chance.

I also read magazines back to front. Who can be bothered by all the ads in the first umpteen pages? I want the meat of it in the back and middle. #so impatient

So it should come as no surprise to anyone that I will agonize for hours over the tiniest of decisions like what toe nail polish color I want to commit to for the next 9 days, but I will purchase a vehicle or home the same day I begin my search for it.

I viewed this home in person at 9:45am and had signed a contract on it by 3:30pm. I looked at it for maybe 8 minutes tops and I felt that was even too long. It felt like home. I wanted it. I had to have it. I was going for it.

My mom asked me all sorts of questions about the house, and I couldn't answer most of them. Was there a fridge? I have no idea. Was the stove gas or electric? No clue. How many ceiling fans? Didn't look. What about the sink? Um...I'm guessing they had one? Do appliances convey? Didn't even ask. I basically knew nothing more about the house by seeing it in person than I did seeing it on realtor.com. All I knew is I had looked at 3 homes that morning and I felt nothing for the first, was disgusted by the second, and like the story of Goldilocks, the 3rd option was juuuuuuuuust right.

I may not have been around in 1945, but this house knew I was in its future. It's small. It's charming. It's got the original hardwood floors and windows. And someone had already taken the screens off of the windows. It was meant to be. I hate screens. I want to open a window and see the outdoors without looking through wire mesh. Screens are the equivalent of a bra. Take 'em off and feel the instant relief.

Not only is the house adorable and just my style, but I can see my granny and grandpa's old backyard from this one. The house I can see is the house where my mom grew up and it was the backyard in which we had Easter egg hunts. I don't enjoy the sloppiness of my neighbor right next to me, but it's no problem a tall fence can't fix.

And when I say this house is "quaint", I mean it is small by American standards and a little large by European standards. It's all the space I need. When my truck sits in the driveway, the roof of it is taller than the lowest roof pitch on the front porch. Small home. Big truck. #lauraproblems

The purchasing process has been progressing very smoothly, with my lender remarking that I am an incredibly organized person. Well thank you. I try.

Having held a real estate license before though, I know it is not over until it is closed and funded. I will not exhale until that happens. We have made it through the inspection though, and the inspector said not only is the home in great shape for any home, but it's in amazing shape for a home built in 1945. Talk about music to a buyer's ears. The night before the inspection, I had a nightmare that it was going to need a new roof right away, the plumbing was leaking, the electrical was THIS close to catching on fire and the new ac ductwork was about to fall through the ceiling. I'm a worst case scenario thinker, so the fact that the inspection went so well and the inspector was so pleased with the craftsmanship of the home and the updates that had already taken place, has helped me remain calm.

I'm not at the point where I can purchase a home AND still have funds available for a bunch of repairs right away. This home purchase IS all my funds. It's a huge leap of faith, and conservative Laura is going to crap a brick if everything doesn't figure out how to fall into place. Thankfully, God protects the fool, and everything is unfolding as it should. I'm 29 and livin' on a prayer right now!

All in all, we are right on schedule for closing on the 27th of this month and it will be an amazing feeling when it's all put in my name. And this house is different than the Weinert St. house. That was a family home that I bought. Full of memories. And I still don't feel like I could just knock down a wall or do this or do that because sometimes I feel like it would alter the house too much from what it once was. This house though, I have no emotional ties to and can knock through any wall, replace any item, change up in any way, and it'll only get better.

I'm ready for closing and I'm ready to make the place even cuter. First step, clean. Second step, paint. Third step, bring the hardwood floors back to life. There are 34 days between the time I close on the house and the time I have to leave my New Braunfels apartment for me to do these 3 items, and I.AM.PUMPED.

I have the same excitement picking out paint colors, as I did as a 5 yr old waiting for Christmas morning. It's just magical.