Does it ever get to you? Do you ever want to chuck it all and rent?

I put my house on the market a few months ago but now that all these strangers are poking around here and there I'm not so sure I want to sell. I've looked at about 50 houses (on-line) and other than one in a flood zone which I won't buy, there is nothing I like except mine.

Why do you still own? Why keeps you staying there? How do you keep up with repairs?

I might be looking to borrow some of your reasons for putting on a pair of overalls and learning how to fix things myself. That and sit my fanny on the sewing machine chair and make some more things to sell. ;)

I still own my own home.
1. No one can tell me how to decorate, what color to paint, or what my floors have to be.
2. It's much cheaper than rent. (Mine is finally paid for)
3. Taxes and insurance are cheaper than rent.
4. Yard and gardening are another of my passions and no one can tell me not to put up a flag, plant 'only', or anything else.

Repairs are a pain. What I can't do on my own I have a friend (worked for my husband on the fire department) that will come work on things that are beyond my son or me.

Some of these days I will likely be to old to live alone but right now I'm ready to have my house and I'm still able to live in it. Independence is my motto.

I live in the south-west....by choice, as I like to own...thus a mobile home....I could have bought land in a park...or rent a space-as I do.....My unit is 14x65..2 bedrooms{one is my sewing room}..2 baths.....a big living room & a big kitchen with room for dining room at one end....I have a carport, also a patio covered & screened in the length of the unit...great out door space. A small park 125 units......a clubhouse & pool....sure there are ongoing expenses, but I have to only keep my unit up, but other maintance is some elses worry. thats my way to live indepent-on a fixed income.

I own my home. I wouldn't move for anything. I have a friend who helps with repairs. Sometimes the upkeep is a pain, but having my own place is worth it all.

Home Depot, Lowes, etc... Have excellent staff that will help walk you through repairs, as well as some great books available. There is not a whole lot that I cannot do myself, including most wiring and plumbing. It is more intimidating sounding to repair a toilet than what it really is :wink: I would not reccommend doing much electrical if you have no knowledge, but most everything else is a matter of steps, just like quilting :D:D:D

I own my home. Well, me and rhe bank! Maintenance is a pain because I don't have anyone who will do what I want at a price I like! But I can do what I want within the law, and I have freedom to plant what I like, and paint as I like, inside and out. I like where I live. I am in a neighborhood, am close to my church, have room for my sewing stuff, and my critters. And yes there are times I want to chuck it all, but when I was seriously considering it a couple years ago, I really would have had to give up much more than I am willing to do, at this time. When I HAVE to make a change, I will, but not until then.

I own my own home and wouldn't have it any other way. I can not see paying money to someone when I could be paying a mortgage. I also don't believe in paying interest, I feel it is throwing money away. I use credit cards but when the bill come I pay the entire balance, except if there is an emergeny and I had to use it then it might that a month or 2 to pay it all but never more then that. Oh and I am not a woman of means I just know how to handle money very well.

You are all helping so much. Thank you.

i am not single with a home, but married. i have fixed all sorts of things in my house by myself.
DIY is a great site to learn. i fixed my washer, and the ceiling fan chain got jammed and i fixed that too!
my DH complained that i went in the garage and got into his tools, i i bought a whole set of electric and battery operated tools on QVC..they are all mine! (and not pink!)

the great thing about google, is you can post it in a question form.."washer quit agitating" and it will bring up all sorts of links, and message boards. with pictures for your brand!
don't give up..i would not give up my home,if something happened to the DH..i like the garden to much.. I cut the grass and shovel the snow too.

I own a home,I would prefer a condo where I didn't have to do lawn work,but our front yard and now the back yard is all rock(yeah),it was all dirt before.and we live in the desert and wont lay grass takes to much water,trying to be enviromently responisble.but anything other little things that come up I ask my brothers or dad,and there is my daughters; boyfriend to do if possible if not gotta pay a repairman

I've rented apartments a couple of times, owned a condo, and now the bank and I own a small house on a quarter acre. Hated apartments because the walls were thin and there was always some jerk who's stereo was too loud, etc.. I also hated using a communal laundry room.

Loved my condo for most of the 15 yrs I was there. The walls were a bit thicker so not much of a problem until a multi-generational family with upteen children moved in; just getting around the kids sitting on our common stoop to get in my front door was a daily problem. Sold shortly after.

My house is in a neighborhood built about sixty years ago. When I bought, I asked the previous owners who they used for a plumber, electrician, etc., which worked out really well! If I needed something else done, I either asked my neighbors who they used or, I'd look thru the yellow pages until I found someone (then watched over them like a hawk!).

I should add that I'm pretty handy when it comes to small repairs and woodworking. I also try to buy the best quality stuff (snowblower, lawn mower, ...) that I can afford, based on Consumer Reports ratings. That helps tremendously because things tend to last a long time.

Finally, to end this narrative :-) I met a wonderful man four years ago who now lives with me. He's a master electrician by trade and, I swear, he can fix anything! Having already lived alone for most of my adult life, I know I can handle things but its such a pleasure to have a back-up!

I don't really qualify for this thread as I am married, but I think I would sell if anything happened to my husband. I HATE yard work and I know very little about repairs. Taxes and insurance on our house run $375 a month, so in our tiny town I could rent a small house without upping the budget much. It would be a downsize, but if I were alone a downsize would be good.

I guess you just have to decide if the hassle of home ownership outweighs the positives. There are positives.

I am single and in the second home I bought as a single woman. The first one was 30 years old and had new roof, heating and air so the "bones" were good. I did all the interior upgrades by myself from laying Pergo wood floors in the kitchen, living room, dining room, entryway and hallway. I re-tiled the bathroom floor, sanded and painted the kitchen and bathroom cabinets, installed wainscot, chair rail, crown moulding and baseboards. Painted the entire inside too. I had new carpet installed in the living room and 3 bedrooms. It was a learning experience but I was married to a general contractor for 20 years so I knew a little about a lot of things. I just bought myself the power tools I needed and went for it. It came out great and in 3 years I sold it for a clear profit of over $100k.

The next house, where I live now, I bought before it was built so I haven't had to do much to it except paint, some moulding, replacing builder grade light fixtures, etc. I landscaped the back yard by myself including building a 8' x 20' deck BY MYSELF using a floating deck system. I take care of everything inside and out and if I don't know how to, I sure know how to search the net for advice.

I'm at the point now where I am not thrilled about doing those things a whole lot and I am looking forward to downsizing someday. Maybe a nice condo or townhome with a small garden area and a LARGE greatroom that I can make a sewing room.

I am a widow, and live in my own house with my two cats. I LOVE not having neighbors upstairs, downstairs, or on the other side of the wall. I think that's one reason for staying in my house.

I am also at the point where rent at an apartment would not be much less than my monthly mortgage, and there's always the hope that my house will appreciate in value so I can sell it to pay for that old folks' home someday.

But the biggest reason I stay here is that I lived here with my husband the last several years of his life. We had the house built, and put alot of our selves into the choices we made when building. I still feel like there's a lot of him here.

I own my home on 40 acres. Widowed recemtly but think I will stay. I am currently having some upgrades done, new windows, doors, appliances so hope not too much will go wrong for awhile. Had a plumbing break two months ago that was really expensive but maybe that won't happen often. We had no rain for two years now nothing but rain. I don't want an apartment and like to lock my gate and not be bothered. I built the inside of this house some years ago so know how but at 70 not physically able to do many things. I still don't want to rent.

Ours is almost paid for. Moving is a nightmare from Hell. If you are happy there, then stay. Try to find somebody to fix things. Renting can be as expense or more than owning your own house. Besides nobody can give you trouble if you paint the den purple.

Hey, you're the one I want to grow my hair out like! I have been thinking a lot lately about selling and moving to an apartment, mainly to avoid upkeep,repairs,yard work,snow in my drive etc. But then I think, close neighbors, I live in the country and actually I have lovely neighbors, they mow my lawn, plow my snow and are on my door step if they see anything they think is out of place (or anybody). But the thought of having strangers for neighbors or being in an apt with people on all sides, possibly under and over!! Also I live in a large farmhouse and am a collector of crap, mainly fabric, so a lot of stuff would have to go. Then there is the cost, with apts being at least $600 plus and my mortgage being $180.00 a month (which has been paid off several times).I have 10 acres so I can have a garden if I want and have my privacy. I also have lived here since I was 12 (in and out after graduation and a brief go at marriage) I gave my daughter some adjoining land so there is another tie. But it sometimes crosses my mind to chuck it all.

I'm not interested in renting. I love my kitchen and sewing room. I wouldn't trade them in for anything.

I just thought about this. I don't know about the laws where you live but in Texas, the landlord can give you 30 days notice & your out on your b-hind no matter if you are current on rent or not. If your place is paid for or payments are low, just stay there. There is no privacy in apts.

I have owned my own home for 23 years. Paint; fix toilets, had to learn how - have 4; have even replaced a light fixture. Just can't do anything that requires muscle; rats don't have any muscles; oh well in the next life. Am getting ready to sell this house and move south to be with DD; so much painting, cleaning out etc. Dont' move just because. Stay as long as you like being there. My aunt is 85 and is still in her house. Been there since the end of WWII.

I'm NEVER moving again! It is a nightmare, especially if you're a pack rat like me. :-)

Would like to say my house is almost paid off but... When I was house hunting, I had a list of what I wanted, based on having lived in apartments and my condo. Got most of it, glad to say. The rest i can live without or add later.

Top of my list was finding a house where I can live now (still active at 58) but can also live comfortably in when I retire (way things are going, that may be when I,m 83!). My little Cape Cod house has two bedrooms and full bath on the first floor so it's essentially a ranch style, only with another two bedrooms and bath upstairs. (Sounds big but the square footage is small.) I tell everyone that when I die, they can bury me in the backyard. As I said, I'm never moving again!!

Don't chuck it all!!!!! Consider this.... what you save not paying rent, can pay for repairs by professionals! Plus, rent keeps going up and up. I'm guessing your mortgage doesn't. Of course, there's taxes but hopefully they don't inflate as fast as rents.

The rents in your area are around the $600 mark?!!! Mama mia, you can't find anything around here under $1200. Enjoy where you are!

I'm 81 and still living in my own (paid for) home. I can do what I want to it, move furniture around where I want and living on 2 acres plus, have very little neighbor problem. I can let the dogs out, garden and I have two of four son living ten minutes away. One is and electrical engineer and the other has been in the building business for years. They are excellent auto mechanics also.

Since we have lived in the same area for 50 years, they also know loads of people who can fix anything from plumbing to roofs.

Rent? Bite your tongue!

oh, you are all great, and hilarious! I've done a lot of thinking before and since I posted this, and decided I would be giving up much more than I think and getting much less in return.

The funny part is, after one thing after another going wrong, squirels in the attic, a new septic system, neighbors chopping down my beautiful trees, in Nov my dryer died. That did it. I wasn't going to put another cent into it. I put the house on the market. Well, by Jan 2 I was tired of the laundromat thing and bought a dryer. I LOVE my dryer! Always did but this one meant more after not having one. Then, I painted my daughter's room (pillow talk it's called, a whisper of pink) because she was going to move back in after a spat with the bf but they patched things up. So I started looking around and spackled a few things and took 2 truckloads of junk from my barn to the dump, got rid of some old stuff, and really looked at my house. You know, I love my house. There are things that need to be done that I can do, so I decided to go for it.

Yesterday I took it off the market. :D :D :D

I'm soooooooooo happy! I feel so excited! I'm surprised I haven't kissed the walls I feel so good about it. I've been here 12 years, the longest I've lived anywhere, and decided that I'm going to do whatever I need to to keep it pretty and me in it.

And to lacikat - thanks for the hair compliment!
And to mar32428 - I hope I am as fortunate!

Thank you all for the positives!

Yeah! Glad you decided to stay.

I'm glad we talked you into staying (tee-hee). Just think about it, when you're paying off a house, if you should ever HAVE to sell it or want to, at least you have should some equity, which you wouldn't have in an apartment. I like your decision. Glad you're happy with it.

Good for you. Just a little face scrugging can do wonders for you. That old house wasn't that bad after all.

Me again! I had forgotten one of my main reasons for staying in my home is the 3 cats that live inside and the 7 that live outside, couldn't take them to an apt. I can identify with things going wrong, my tub wouldn't drain, my washer won't work, my watersoftner doesn't work so decided to start fixing things. The watersofner guy said it would take over $900 to repair and he wouldn't touch it, there's no sense getting a washer until I get a new softner so I decided to go for the tub drain repair. The plumbers were excellent, said the pipe probably had a hole about the size of a pin or less (only been there over 60 years) so they replaced all that, put new faucets on where my washer connects, put new faucets on my kitchen sink and a sprayer and
the bill was only $270. There was 2 of them here all afternoon!

This was alot of fun to read. My curiousity of being single got me. I've been married for 34 years this year and I've never lived alone! I've always had a wonderful husband to take care of things. Now I have grown boys to take care of what he isn't able to!

It was a story with a happy ending! I'm glad you decided to stay. Having a home that you like is always a wonderful place to come home to. There's nothing like home!

My compliments to you too. Your hair is beautiful! I saw another thread on coloring hair and was just in awe over your beautiful hair. I'm trying to decided if I have enough grays yet to let it go natural!

I am late to the party, of course, but from the get-go, I would have counseled you to keep your home.
My father told me when I was young and a "free spirit" (HAH!) to get somewhere, commit myself to the community, become a part of it, and stay there!
Nothing good can come of moving here and there and hither and yon - - no connectedness to anyone, anything, or anywhere.
After thirty years, I have come to understand what my dad was trying to say! It doesn't get any easier to become part of a community as you get older, and with all the moving, setting up, breaking down, moving, and all - - I have missed out on a lot of blessings of being able to know what and where I am going to be tomorrow.
My father committed to an area he really didn't want to live in, when he married my mother, because his work ethic dictated that he provide for his wife and family in the best possible manner, and be self-reliant while doing it.
Go back in our nation's history just fifty years and see what the average USA citizen did that made America an outstanding leader of nations - - it wasn't the gypsy lifestyle <g>.
And, if you are a single mom with children, you have the unique opportunity of teaching your offspring to be as self-reliant as they can be. As someone mentioned - - a simple on-line word search will get the answer to almost any question one could have about getting a job done.
When we were kids, we resented that mom and dad expected us to do chores around the ranch. Our city cousins didn't have to work like that ... mom overheard us complaining to each other one day: "The only reason they had us was to make us do all their work!"
well, not exactly <g> but, when I became a mom of four (and, later a single mom of four) ... I decided to remove all doubts from my children's minds and just flat out told them: The only reason you are here is to do all of my work! (saved a lot of wondering on their part, I figured <g> one question answered and five hundred more to go, eh? LOL)
Anyway, what my parents actually accomplished was to raise FIVE adults who know how a good job should be done, where to go for help if it is bigger than we can do alone, why it is important to keep healthy minds engaged in worthwhile productivity, and what can be accomplished with some elbow grease and time.
So much easier to accomplish when you own your own home and property ... not so easy to impart when a landlord has become your second boss ...
I think you made the right decision. Good for you! <wave>

I'm single and have been in my own home for a little over two years, so the bank owns more of it than I do. But my hope is to pay it off early (I am 50) and then have the security that I will always have somewhere to live, even if I lose my job (has happened to me several times through the years). I was divorced at a very young age and ended up moving many, many times through the years. I wanted to buy so I could settle in and paint the walls and have pets. I have only one dog, but I hope to get another one or two. The one I have has a seizure disorder and I have been waiting to get that under control before adding a new pet into the environment. But hopefully soon :)

I am alone and I have a mortgage...I live on a lake out in the boonies and I love it...I have 2 cats and 1 big dog..I shovel snow in the winter and haul in wood for the wood stove and in the summer enjoy the peace and quiet and the water and sun...I think that down the road when my health gets a little iffy I may have to move into town and I would still like to get a little house all my own...friends help out when necessary and family as well...and you learn to do a lot of things for yourself...it is well worth it.

So glad you decided to stay!

I chuckle when you talk about wanting to move because it is frustrating not having anyone to help when something breaks, etc. I chuckle because one of my best friends was so frustrated the other day. She is married, god bless her husband I love him, is helpless in the home repair arena. When they were dating and his light bulb burned out he called the super of his apartment. So even having a man around doesn't mean squat. Granted they are great to move the heavy stuff. I will guiltily admit I waited a week to break-up with a boyfriend because I needed his help to move some heavy things to the basement. I know I am horrible.

My DSIL cooks, DD does the outside stuff. Helps her dad fix the spetic system. Does all the work for the horses. He does know what a screwdriver is but doesn't use them.

yeah, my last bf talked alot about knowing how to do stuff but put a quarter size hole in the wall trying to hang a picture. Guess who spackled it and make it pretty again - moi! :)

The other thing I wondered was, what would I do in an apt? Can't stay in all the time and didn't think I'd like to be confined to a little balcony, but I couldn't think of what I would do. At least having a house that always needs a little this and a little that will keep me busy. I feel like my house stood strong while my kids were young and knew I had to focus my energy on them. Now that the are 21 and 17 my house needs some attention. Weird, huh?

I came home from work today and am just so happy, happier I think than when I bought it.

Sometimes it can just be really hard to be a single woman living alone in a house in New Hampshire in the winter. I've been here 12 years, too, and I think I know what you felt like when you decided to put your house on the market. I'm so very glad you changed your mind. Spring will come again, the loons will start laughing and the flowers will bloom. To experience that joy every year on your own little piece of this great state is priceless. Welcome home! ;-)

The first year I lived by myself, the freezer, washing machine, and tv went... the dryer fell off the wall and made a massive hole in the opposite wall, the toilet cistern needed replacing, the hot water tank blew up and my back sliding doorwent off the rails. I was ready to move out too. But then I got new guttering, new window finishings, bathroom remodelled, new air conditioning, painted the back bedroom for my son and I love the fact that I am making this house my home!

I have someone come in and tidy up the front and back yards, can't do it all by myself plus there is no way I will climb a ladder to clean out the gutters - I am afraid of heights LOL

I enjoy owning my home. It is in the city, which I don't like, but the postage sized yard allows me to do a little yard work and have a place for my dog and cat. I can do what I want with the interior. My neighbors are great, and mow my front lawn and shovel my walk. After losing my "knight in shining armor" 5 years ago, I've been considering moving back north where my family is located, but the thought is so daunting! Getting rid of "stuff", moving "stuff", holding "stuff" until I find a new job, a new place to live, a new life. Still I think I will opt for owning another house, although it may take awhile. The thought of putting money into an investment seems to make sense to me. I think it is totally subjective though with so many variables. I guess you need to look at the pros and cons each step of the way and you will find a decision at the end!

I've done it all, married with home ownership, divorced raising 4 kids and buying my house, married and living in a apartment, seperated and living in an apartment, and married living in a rental home. Curently living in a rental home, but my next move will be to buy a fixer upper, 1. because I can't afford or need a larger home, 2. I really want to be able to have a cat and dog without the landlord telling me no, 3. if I want to paint I can paint, and 4. hubby is late stages Parkinson and dementia, and when he goes, so goes the money. Oh, and I'm almost 70 yrs old! I want to be an independent momma riding around town on my little scooter, sleep in late and spoil the grandkids.

Yes, I still own my house. New roof recently because of Irene. I call my house the original money pit. LOL