We have a move impending in our future, to that end we’ve been searching out options for housing. It has surprised me how involved our 12 year old wants to be in the process. To that end we’ve been taking him with us as we look through options from renting to buying.
As we work through different steps we talk with him about what some obstacles are that stand in our way.
- Renting… throwing away money just to have a place to live. It’s an option yes, but you are further ahead if you purchase something.
- Lack of an already steady position. It’s kinda like we are stuck. Severance didn’t allow hubby to work without losing it. The job he has starting has a probationary period if they want keep him or not… and until that has passed we can’t be approved for a mortgage. Banks in some ways, make it harder for people to find a place to live you know? You can understand it as they don’t want to lose dollars, but the flipside doesn’t help US. 🙂
- Affordable housing is not easy to come by currently. The housing market in Ontario is more of a sellers market right now so that makes many houses out of our price range, leaving it harder to find something we’d be comfortable living in AS we fixed it up.
- Landlords with high standards (which isn’t a bad thing) UNLESS it comes with costs such as buying a metal shed, having your lawn cut weekly at a high cost, limited options for internet, along with the responsibility for keeping things tidy even if your neighbours aren’t as responsible (and being charged clean up bills if you don’t).
He listens as dad talks with realtor agents about problems with the houses looked at.. peering in, listening, learning, absorbing, and then asking questions. He continually affirms to his Gramma and to dad that he’s not afraid of helping and doing some hard work if it means we have a better place to live.
In between it all the lad is seeing the value of knowing your math so you can figure out interest rates and what that comes down to in a monthly charge. He is putting into practice housing tips he’s learned from watching “Holmes on homes” with checking to see if a floor has a slant to it. His marvellous attention to detail comes into play as he notices windows that aren’t closing right, and toilets that don’t flush. He’s still 12 and apt to miss things, but he’s starting to use the skills he already possesses and it’s marvellous to see.
It will be interesting to see where this journey takes us as we muddle through it one day at a time. It’s a good thing though, to help a boy see the bigger picture, and to watch his understanding burgeon as he tries to be a help to us.
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