theratracejournal.com

In the spring of 2007, I bought a house.

I began my search as I still occupied a room at my parents place. I knew I needed to get out; it was just a matter of where I wanted to live and whether I was going to buy or rent. I eventually decided that I wanted to purchase my own property (for cash, if possible). Once I had that, I’d have something that no one could take away - no matter what happened. Well, provided I didn’t fall behind on my taxes.

Yes, to have a place of my own - paid for – to do with as I wanted – to live as I wanted – freedom.

A main component of my plan was to try to conserve money whenever possible. Paying interest to a bank, or rent to a landlord, would not be part of my living expenses if I could help it.

Unfortunately, in order to pay for the place in cash, I’d have to settle for what was certain to be “substandard accommodations”. In fact, the money I had to spend on a house was almost laughable – nothing more than a down payment for any “real” property. Still, I knew there was something out there for me – I just had to look a little harder.

Home ownership was nothing new. After all, I’d owned a few homes in the past. However, this would be much different.

Why? Well, for one thing, this house was a shack. In fact, some might have considered it uninhabitable. And yes, upon first inspection, I would have come to that exact conclusion if not for the fact that it was intended to be strictly functional and nothing more.

At roughly one tenth the price of my previous home, it was listed as a real fixer-upper – a handyman’s special. According to the real estate agent, most of the value was in the land and that the “premium lot” would be well suited to the construction of my “dream home.” I said nothing. It was no one’s business how I used the property. I suppose she automatically assumed the house should be demolished. Little did she know that I’d planned to get many more years of use from this property – as is.

I questioned my intentions many times while going through the buying process. Perhaps I could have spent a little more money and got something nicer. However, I made a commitment to change my life and this house would fit right in with my new low-consumption lifestyle.

Finding a place like this was no easy chore. It had to be in a certain geographical area, have at least an acre of land, and be bargain basement cheap. With those requirements, I knew that whatever I bought would be short on curb appeal.