Renting vs. Home-Ownership: Why I Decided to Buy a House

Why I decided to buy a house has a lot to do with relationship. So here’s the story… I had been fully committed to not buying a house until I had a husband from the moment I moved out of my parents home after college graduation. And I know you’re thinkng “but she doesn’t have a husband and this is her third home.” It’s all Miss Peggie’s fault people! Haha!!! Listen, those of you who own homes know how much responsibility it is to manage a home. I say it’s like taking care of a baby, every time you turn around it needs something. My home is my baby, and the reason I have this baby, my third one at that, is because of Miss Peggie! I know some of you are like: “Now who is Miss Peggie?” We met at the church we were both members of at the time, and she was fully aware of my determination to not EVER have to deal with all the responsibility of home-ownership and home-management falling squarely on my little shoulders alone. But time continued to pass as I remained steadfast, unmovable and unshakable in my decision to not even consider home ownership until I had some help called “a husband.” Fast forward… of course we know that never happened and so here I am. And I love it! Even amidst the various hardships and struggles, the sense of fulfillment and accomplishment in knowing I have my own home is quite nice.

First of all, I knew I couldn’t continue to pay rent. I was 46 when I signed my name on a mortgage the first time. I wouldn’t dare begin to try to add up all the dollars spent/wasted on rent over my 22-year stint in apartments. But I was addicted to the ability to always just pick up the phone and call someone else to come address whatever issue was going on in my 900 or so square feet of living quarters. And until I moved to Atlanta, all utilities were included in the rent. Yep, that meant only one bill and more money for shopping! I moved to Atlanta in 1990 where your utilities are separate from your rental fee, as they are here in Phoenix, where I moved in 2001. At least that was a step towards preparing me for the onslaught of new re-occurring bills I would incur as a home-owner.

The second reason I decided to purchase was because the decorator bug in me that’s always been there could no longer be contained. I wasn’t one to paint walls and add drapes and make a lot of changes to a space that was not fully mine, only to have to change it all back when I decided to, or had to move. I was ready to create my own living environment free of any restrictions.

The third, last and most important reason I finally caved and decided to take the home-owner plunge, was because the City of Phoenix was giving away money to do just that. You read that right. I was blessed to qualify for a first-time home-buyer’s program which offered up to 10% towards your down payment. I remember a 10 second phone call from Miss Peggie that said exactly this: “The City is giving away money to first-time home-buyers. Call this number, and I’ll talk to you later.” Two days later I was notified of my approval and there began the process of finding and purchasing my first home. This is me posing for a picture, being featured in the Arizona Informant.

Home #1…

Purchased in May of 2017, I was thrilled with this home because Miss Peggie was able to get me so many upgrades and deals that made is affordable for me. As with all things you do for the first time, you find out after the fact, things you would do differently. Like I realized I didn’t want to be 30 miles from the heart of the city, and I liked more of an open-concept floor plan. Since then, Miss Peggie has guided to me to two more homes. Home #2…

I absolutely loved this home, and would have stayed there had it not been for some solar panel and title issues that proved not to be in my best interest. (deep sigh) What’s a girl to do… Oh I know, buy a new build! Talk about a process. You can read a little about it in this post, where I share how I packed up the house and put everything in storage for 8 months; this one, which gives an insight to my time at this house, this one, which details that time I freaked out over flooring in the not yet finished new home, and this one, which tells the story none of us want to hear and that is… you can’t have it all 🙂 My third and current home…

There was that time in between house #2 and house #3 where I’d put a contract on a house that a third of the way through the process, it became clear that I would not like living there and I bailed. I’ll spare you that story.

Peggie Simmons is an incredibly knowledgeable and efficient realtor, who will never steer you wrong. Believe me when I tell you, she knows her stuff! And very patient too, because I know I blew her cell phone all the way up before signing up for the first house, and even! Not only is she my forever realtor, but a dear friend who’s more like family than anything else. This is us at the Janet Jackson concert earlier this year, and with Mom and I at the 2016 National Coalition of 100 Black Women Brunch.

Home-ownership has been interesting, and adventurous, and definitely nerve-racking. Would I do anything differently having been through the process a few times? Not at all. Sometimes all we need is a push to roll us right on into our blessing. I am thankful that I had a “Miss Peggie” in my life to make a potentially frightful and stressful undertaking, one of peace and calm and trust. It’s all about relationship and trust. I still have to call her for things that come up that I know absolutely nothing about, and she so graciously takes the time to explain and direct me. Ultimately I am very happy I took the home-ownership leap 🙂

For all of your housing needs, do yourself a favor, and click on the photo or here to contact Peggie Simmons of Realty Marketing Group!