by Hope
I believe it was last fall or late summer I mentioned that my landlord would like to sell the house we are living in. Not necessarily, that he wants to sell it out from under us, but he has asked me to purchase it on several occasions.
As anyone who has read me here knows, I am no where close to the position to buy a house. But that’s not to say, the idea hasn’t tempted me off and on throughout the years. We’ve now lived in this house for 3 years (come April.) That’s almost the longest we have lived anywhere. In fact, when Princess graduates next year, we will have lived in this house longer then we/I have ever lived in one place. (I had moved 18 times before I graduated from college. And Princess, Gymnast and I have moved 11 times since their dad and I split 13 years ago.)
But as often as I’ve thought it would be nice to own a home. Even considered owning the home we are in now. I realize the still precarious financial position. Know the benefits of renting…no maintenance or major upkeep costs. And more importantly, am well aware that I may not want to stay in this tiny town forever, ie after Princess graduates.
Sink Hole Anyone?
With all that being said, I have another very good reason for not buying this particular house…
It has been raining like crazy the last week or so. Roads around us have been washed out. School was delayed and closed because of flooding and so on. But in our own yard, we now have a raging underground river running.
And the yard fell in…we have known about this hole (as has the landlord) since we moved in. We covered it with these two concrete water drainage things. But they are now falling in…can you say Sink Hole?
No, really I don’t know if this is how sink holes are created. But I do know that digging up the yard, dealing with the drainage issues and so on will be very expensive and way outside of my area of expertise.
I’ve always said that sometimes I need a “frying pan” to the head to learn my lesson sometimes. This time it just took a large hole in the ground. (We actually filmed the hole and you can see the fast moving water inside.)
But this alone makes is really easy to dismiss any wandering thoughts I have about buying this house. So just praying he doesn’t decided to sell for at least the next year and a half. Then we are good!
Hope is a resourceful, solutions-driven online business manager with over two decades of experience helping clients streamline operations, manage projects, and grow their businesses through digital marketing and technology.
But life has a way of rewriting your plans.
A year ago, Hope made the decision to move in with her aging parents full time – a season she wouldn’t trade, even as it came with its own financial and emotional weight. Earlier this year, she lost her mother, and is now walking the tender, disorienting path of grief while learning what “forward” looks like from here.
Hope came to the Blogging Away Debt community in 2015 as a single mom raising five foster and adoptive children. She’s written through job changes, financial setbacks, and the bittersweet transition to an empty nest. Her kids are finding their footing in the world now – and so is she.
Rooted in faith and fueled by the same perseverance she’s brought to every hard season, Hope is ready to face her finances with fresh eyes and an honest pen. She believes that clarity, courage, and community can change the trajectory of anyone’s story including her own.
She lives in Austin, TX with her dad, loves adventures with her dog Addie, and is figuring out, one step at a time, what this next chapter is meant to be.
Yep, things like this make me a very happy renter! Just one quick example. Last winter there was a dead deer in the backyard (probably was hit by a car and later died in the yard) and the town wouldn’t remove it because it was on private property. I was every so happy that it was my landlord’s problem and not mine.
For what it’s worth, the sink hole should make it harder to sell the house so that should be on your side. If you are committed to staying for the next 18 months, but don’t care what happens after that, ask your landlord if he would be willing to let you sign an 18 month lease. That will give you peace of mind that your rent won’t be raised during that time and your landlord has a commitment from you that you are staying put (which may also make him not worry about trying to sell the house).
Also, if you have a lease he or the new owners can’t evict you (I’m not a lawyer, so check the Georgia code but that’s generally true), And face it, that place needs so much work as you described in the previous post last year (hole in roof, outdated wiring, rotting exterior wall, no vents in bathrooms, needs new driveway, and now drainage issues) that no one is going to want to move in themselves without extensive renovation.
That doesn’t sound like a good or safe home for anyone to live in.
Will your boyfriend be moving with you anytime soon? Maybe a big decision like moving to a new place, renewing a lease etc would depend on his plans as well – needing a larger space, sharing the rent, etc
Hopefully this year. But we are on the same page with regards to moving, etc. He will essentially be retired when he comes here. And he’s open to whatever I want to do.