This is a question that I continue to ask myself daily. I am blessed that I have sufficient places to stay, but not having a home where I can continually live is tough.
My new house is not livable yet. There is no power or water. Until I sell my house, I don’t have the money to proceed with either one of those. I can’t live in a house without water or power, especially in the winter.
Building your own house is a very long process. It is going to take a good year to get the house livable, even with help from friends. I have put as much money as possible towards it. I could not wait until I sold to start the process of building. If I was buying, I could find a situation when I could close on my house and then purchase another one within the span or a month or so, but not when you are building your own house.
About a month ago, I dropped my house $5,000, but still have not sold. I have had several showing in the past few weeks, but no offers to this point. Anyone with a house for sale knows the roller coaster ride of the process. You get a text requesting a showing, confirm and then make sure every little thing in the house is perfect. I am a neat freak by nature so this typically does not include much work. I return to my house after the showing, typically to some footprints on my floor, yet often that is the only evidence. When you hear nothing it is a bit frustrating.
I am well aware that the dead of winter is not the best time to sell your house. With it being a townhouse in Old Town, it would be perfect for someone at UMaine, but there aren’t a lot of new employees and students this time of year.
Back to where I am living. I try to go home to Old Town as much as possible as I truly love my little townhouse, but with the weather being as bad as it has been the past week, I have not made it back there much. Commuting two hours a day just doesn’t make sense. My little Toyota Corolla and the Dixmont hills just do not mix well. I found that out just about a year ago when I slid off the road and into a ditch.
It makes no sense to risk sliding off the road when my parents live two miles from where I work and have several spare bedrooms. Some days I want to go home so badly, but know that I am doing the mature thing by staying.
It’s difficult though. I will never be able to repay my parents for letting me stay with them off and on for the past year and a half, but when you have lived on your own for many years, staying with your parents is not what you want to do.
Instead of being frustrated, I need to be thankful that in this miserable weather I have a nice warm place to stay. So, during this blizzard, I am going to help shovel my parents and grandparents out and continue to peruse Pinterest for my dream home ideas. And watch the Beanpot tonight as I don’t have cable at my house and they do! I’ve found a benefit!!