There are several reasons why my husband and I have not elected to move into a house as of yet (aside from the fact that we have a year on our lease). They have been rattling around in my head and so it’s time I actually wrote them down.
(1) I don’t want to move again until we settle down.
My parents can tout a statistic of having moved fifteen times in twenty years. And while they have lots of very cool stories of all the different places they have lived, I do not want to duplicate that statistic. When we signed our lease we also signed an agreement that said that the maximum our rent can go up is fifty dollars. In addition, once we finish out our two year lease, we can resign and there is will be no early termination. So, as unbelievable as it is, we can stay here as long as we want/need to without having to worry about timing our move out.
(2) Houses make me anxious.
Is owning a house something that everyone indicates is patriotic, but is no longer practical? Or will my desire for a house turn on just like people tell me my baby clock will kick in (which also is totally absent right now)? Doniree, a friend and blogger, one of whose clients is UMoveFree.com which helps people find Rockwall apartments for free, recently shared a post with me from Caffeinate Me that expressed similar feelings:
“I know my parents frequently encouraged me to buy a home (near them, of course) while they were still cheap – just as an investment. [… ] Owning a home is the so-called ‘American Dream.’ You know, Dog, 2.5 kids, picket fence, house. We’ve all had it drilled in to us since childhood.”
There are countless stories about people wanting to move out of state but because of the market they are stuck. People are getting trapped in their houses and mortgages, or at the very least they are losing money on them. And yet, right and left I keep hearing people tell me that I need to jump on it. Until I am fully committed to living in that one house place for at least the next five to ten years of my life, I’m not going anywhere fast. Because once I get a house and a mortgage, that means I’m a real adult and officially Tied Down. I know it may sound silly and I know people love houses, but I’m just nowhere near ready.
I really don’t want to own a house except for being able to paint, having a time-controlled thermometer, and buying things like this bowl which I saw at Target while shopping with my sister.
I said, “Once I’m a full adult I’ll have to get one of these bowls.”
“A ‘full adult’? What does that mean?”
“Well… You know, once I have my own house, kids, a mortgage, a dining room table, and I’ll actually have a reason to use a bowl like this. If I got one now it would just sit around.”
(3) I love this place.
My last and most important reason we haven’t moved is that we absolutely love this apartment. It’s about fifteen minutes from everything: my parents, work, and our friends across town. If we were much closer to the rural area of town we would be tucked in miles of forest, but I live thirty-seconds from a Kroger and a major highway. Our apartment itself is extremely nice, we fit in it well and we also have room to expand. The management is nice and the maintenance people are responsive. We are very happy here and all things considered, we hit a sweet spot as far as housing goes.
Maybe I’ll look back on this post in a couple of years and laugh at myself. Until then, I’ll try to resist the urge to hug the front door of my apartment.
Soul Like a Spider 
Posted on July 26, 2011
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