Tuesday, March 30, 2021

On rentals, moving, and buying a home ...

It was March 15, 2020, when we went on lockdown. For the next 3 months, we were put on a hard lockdown where all movements were restricted and only the essentials could be bought. To say that it was a jarring experience would be an understatement. 


However, what was even more jarring and completely unnerving was having to move houses in the middle of the lockdown with a newborn baby which is exactly what happened to my family and me last June 2020. We needed to move in a matter of 5 days and so a lot of options were thrown out the window and we had to settle for the first place big enough and affordable enough to house us. 



I learned a lot with that experience. I learned that moving houses and choosing whether to buy or rent requires a lot of factors to be taken into consideration. When we moved, we had no guide and no one helping us out. It was just us making the best guess of everything. 


I promised myself that I will never go through something like that ever again. The next time we move houses, it has to be one that we will be buying and I would need some help so that I'm not in the dark or making a guest. 


To be honest right now is the best time to make a real estate investment if you have the money. There are so many homes available right now and they are much more affordable because a lot of people took a hit with the ongoing pandemic. If you are interested in getting one, I'd suggest using this mortgage calculator which would have been such a lifesaver had I known about it earlier.

I've been playing with it, imagining what I can do with the money that I have and it has been so helpful because I can see right off the bat how much I'd need, how much it would cost me monthly, or how much I still need to save for a property that I may be interested in. It's been really amazing seeing everything sort of laid out for you. The one that shows me how much I can afford is the one feature I love best because as we all know, I'm not the best at Math. 


It feels nice, looking around, dreaming of your own place. I also like that though there's a situation within the world, I can easily look at houses not just in the Philippines but also in Canada and London, two other countries that we are thinking of moving into. It's a good thing that everything is now available online so I was able to check a few things on Post Office UK to give me a better idea of what I'd need. Heck, even the husband has been reading on materials about this. 


What I'm looking for in a house is actually simple. I don't like complicating things and I don't want a house that will be too big for my husband and me in the end. Right now, I just want a house that our baby can grow into because he's only one year old so it needs to be a bungalow if possible. 



I need a house with at least 5 rooms so that we can have a guest room and a home office for myself because I do work from home and I vlog so I would need a workspace that can accommodate all the lights and my workstation. It also needs to be pet-friendly because I do own a lot of cats and a couple of dogs. 


I’m not really a fan of a big backyard or front lawn because I didn’t grow up with one but I know that if we do end up buying a house in Canada or London, this would be something that I would need to consider. For now, my main focus is having a house that I can easily turn into a home so I want something spacious but not too spacious if that makes sense. 


Hopefully, soon, I will be able to make this dream a reality. For now, I’m just going to keep on checking out my different options so that when it’s finally time, I can easily make it happen.  

7 comments:

  1. Good for you for taking the time to figure out what you really want and need!

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  2. It can certainly be difficult too determine what you need! This was a great post.

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  3. I have always said that the home we are in would be my last, but the market in Colorado is so crazy, that we may end up moving because we have so much equity in our house. But who knows, I love my current home and could not imagine trying to find a new!! Good luck in your house hunting!

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  4. It's good to not rush the process. It's very important that you make sure of which house to move in because it's a big factor of life.

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  5. That's the worst time for having to move, right in the middle of Corona - good luck on that house :)

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  6. Taking the time for matters like this is always important.

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  7. yay for figuring out what you want! I hope it comes true someday!

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Hi! Let's all try to add more positivity in this world and adhere to the saying, "if you don't have anything nice to say, keep silent."

Showering you with unicorn poop so you'd always stay magical! Heart heart!