I Don’t Want A Big Investment — I Just Want A Home

A rant about how the homebuying process has got me vexed.

By the economy’s standards, it’s pretty lame. But it would be mine.

My brother and I have simply assumed from little that we would spend pretty much our whole life together. We always knew we would start off our independent adult lives as roommates, and eventually make our fortunes as a team. Our interests are usually aligned, and our wants and needs are few.

Our next big step is homeownership — a leap that will finally allow us to pursue our passions, because our apartment is not equipped for any of them. Brother wants to start experimenting with woodworking and welding, with a possible goal of becoming a professional artist. I’d like to start a YouTube channel based on the bad-looking foods of the mid-century. We’d also like to raise fowl of some kind, and tend a garden, and amass a glorious library, and host our friends in a fabulous game room of my brother’s design.

We’d like a bigger flower pot, so our roots can sprawl. It doesn’t have to be the prettiest or latest, or even fully intact. We can use paint and spackle like anyone else. We don’t expect the home of our dreams to be sitting in plain sight within our budget — we know we will have to put time, money, and effort into transforming the building we buy into our home.