Homeownership: A Year in Review

So, my vacation happened to coincide with the one-year anniversary of buying my house. It’s been quite a year. Here’s a quick review of my first year:

Boxes Moved: 80
Rooms painted: 9
Rooms left to plant: 1
Ceilings painted: 2
Ceilings I will paint in the future: 0
Thanksgivings Hosted: 1 (my first)
Refinances: 2
Husband’s surgeries: 2
Employer reorganizations: 1
Pieces of furniture bought: 17
Pieces of furniture left to buy: 10
Rugs bought: 0
Rugs left to buy: 6
Lemons picked from my tree: I lost count, but let’s conservatively say 200
Tomato plants planted 3
Tomato plants producing fruit: 2
Tomato plants suffering misfortune: 1
Tomatoes harvested: 15
Compost bins started: 1
Contractors to visit my house (including estimates): 33
Expensive plumbing repairs: 2
Warranty claims: 7
Warranty claims that resolved a problem: 2
Fires burned in either of my two fireplaces: 0
Lessons Learned: 1,000,005

I’ve posted several of my adventures in homeownership along the way, but here are a few of the more important lessons I’ve learned:

Schedule three repair estimates. Only two will show up.

The things that seem vital can usually be put off, and the things that seem like they can be put off will probably irritate you so much that you do them sooner.

Everything is expensive, especially when it comes to plumbing.

Painting a ceiling is really, really hard. Especially when you get the wrong kind of paint. Do yourself a favor and hire a pro.

If your mom informs you that you’re hosting your first Thanksgiving and you don’t have a dining room table, a six-person patio table will do. Just put baby mittens on the legs so they don’t scratch the floor.

Do not hire Mike Diamond. For anything. Ever. Not even an estimate.

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