Wow, it has been over two months since I sold my house but I have been so busy. I didn't have anytime to post this. My new life is outside of the United States, and I love my new job and the carefree life of living in an apartment.
So, I owned my house for about 18 months and this is what I have to say:
Overall, I think the desire to own a house is deeply rooted inside us somehow. I am very much a home body. I love to stay at home. With that said, my house was beautiful, but I could see it needing a lot of work over the course of my lifetime and I wasn't sure I wanted to be the person to do that. I think if you are super wealthy, or if you have a family, ownership takes on new meaning; but for me, I prefer to rent. Renting allows a whole lot more freedom to move when you're ready, you get to move more often to try different neighborhoods/cities/regions/countries (LOL). People say it is more expensive, but I'm not sure that's true. I suppose it probably is more expensive per square foot, but since houses are usually larger than apartments, I think renting is overall less expensive.
I'm not sure I would buy again to be honest. It all depends, but if I did buy again, I think I would buy a super cheap fixer upper. I couldn't imagine building a new home again unless I won the lottery. Building a new home was an adventure, it was fun, but overall, I think there is more value in older homes, than newer.
New homes also have the issue of neighborhood, my neighbors were really nice, but to be honest, it just wasn't the right 'fit'. Really take your time to make sure you like the type of area you are moving into. I moved into a nice, quiet, suburban area, and part of me really yearned for that bucolic quiet. But, a smaller part than I thought...I now live in a city of twelve million people near Shanghai, China (which has twenty-six million people) and I really like living in a larger city.
So, everyone asks about the quality of Ryan Homes. Well, there is truth to the complaints, the quality is fair, but I think we all want more than a 'fair' house, we want our castle. I realized I would have to settle on renting someone else's castle. If you like the model, and can easily afford the house, Ryan homes are fine. Go for it, but if you desire to be practical, buy an existing home on the cheap and fix it up. Or, save some serious dough and rent!
I don't see why I would continue to update this blog since I no longer own the house. But, please check out my new blog: www.lifeinsuzhouchina.blogspot.com
Life continues...
Cheers!
