So I Bought a Townhome.

Trust me, I am just as surprised as you are.

the day of inspections

It wasn’t always my plan to be a “homeowner” at 24. The thought had never even crossed my mind until about a month and a half ago. 

I had envisioned myself getting out of my ridiculously overpriced apartment in favor of renting a town home somewhere in Houston - preferably a place where I wouldn't get mugged, which in Houston is practically… well… most places. 

But then my parents had the brilliant idea of buying a town home as an investment and letting me rent from them! I think this was their secret way to relieve themselves from my whining about my inability to currently pay my increased rent and also the lack of decent two-bedroom rental properties in said mug-free zones. 

So the hunt began, and ladies and gentleman, a hunt it was. You know that DSW commercial about the women that literally hunt their shoe choices like they’re stalking their prey, fighting other women for their selections? Yeah, it was like that. Town homes that we would love but pause to think it over would be gone within the hour. Our real estate agent, bless her soul, would email us our appointment schedule at 3am the day the listing went on the market. I wore camo for the occasion. 

Our first day of touring, we came upon Spencer Street. Well, it’s more of an alleyway (one lane. yes, one) than a street, but we can chalk that up to charm, right? 

This home was one of these too-good-to-be-true homes you see on House Hunters. You know, the ones where you scream at the inexperienced buyers on the television something like, "there must be rats in the attic!" or "your next door neighbor is probably on the sex offender list!" (FYI, none of the previous are true for my house). But in all honesty, it was exactly what we I was looking for. 

Ignore the previous owner’s furniture. This is not the style I’m going for. 

My superficial checklist:

1. looks cool - check

2. not a lot of major work needed - check

3. no yard to maintain - check (there’s fountains, bonus!)

4. big closets - check

No, no, in all honesty, I did think more about the location, structure, neighborhood, proximity to work, etc. But that’s more boring to write about. 

So as my future roommate and myself are confirming with our realtor that this is the home we should ask my parents to put an offer on, I’m thinking, "wow, this place could be ours very soon!"

Fast forward two months and I finally get my keys. Guys, I had no idea how to buy a house. Literally not one earthly clue. They make it look so easy in House Hunters. I have an entire folder in my email account dedicated to this woman named Mindy, the mortgage broker. (Mindy, you will always have a special place in my inbox). And then lo and behold, Mindy told me I would be considered an owner on all of the documents. 

Me? An owner? I can’t even convince myself to wash my hair every week! And you’re letting me buy a house? 

(side note, I am actually very responsible [sometimes] and this is a very generous and gracious gift from my parents to allow me to purchase my first home not only with their money [way more fun with someone else’s money], but also with their advise and expertise. I can never tell you how grateful I am!)

I won’t bore you with all the mundane details about purchasing the house, because to be quite honest, I’m still figuring it all out myself. But the one thing you should know is, that I have one very important garage door clicker and a lot of plans.