For What It's Worth

Sometimes a little goal writing is just what the therapist ordered...in this case my Realtor. At least it's what she would order if I told her why I am having such a hard time committing to buying a house. I have been in a period of transition this past summer. A time when everything I thought I knew, cared about and dreamed up started to morph and change and mutate into completely different and highly unexpected things.

A year ago I would have told you very clearly about my dream to homestead, to live completely 100 per cent off the land, with a small herd of sheep, a thousand miles away from everyone and anyone. A year ago I could dream anything I wanted because dreams are just dreams. My reality is completely different.

I have decided to write down my priorities in order of importance so that I may better understand my life path and where I should go from here.

What Matters Most

1. Financial Independence. I want to owe as little money as possible. Neither borrower nor lender be. No credit cards, no loans, only the most minimal borrowing required to secure a solid home investment with the quickest possible payment schedule. This will require some frugal finesse of course but I am up for the challenge.

2. My Passion. I have a passion for creative writing that has taken a backseat for many years. I have dabbled and flirted a bit with the idea of being a writer, a real novelist who actually finishes a book to near perfection and gets it published. There is a fire inside me that truly must be fed. I can not deny this part of me any longer.

3. Natural living. I want to live close the nature. I want to see birds at my windows and flowers in my garden. I want to eat from my backyard, literally and figuratively. I want to eat local when possible and preserve my harvest. I want to learn all I can about cooking with the seasons and extending the growing season.

4. Family and Friends. Realistically family is my absolute number one, without question. However that seems more a of given. I am a woman who is greatly dedicated to my family. Friends however is something I want to encourage more of. I want to have people over. Develop close friendships. I want to create roots in my community and begin to feel like I belong here instead of thinking it's a way station until we get to where we are really headed. This is integral to creating a home.

5. Green Living. I want to lessen my foot print. I want to make environmental choices because it's the right thing to do. I want to consume less, grow more and really examine my needs as opposed to wants.

What Matters Least (...to me anyways)

1. Raising Animals. I no longer desire to keep animals. The benefit of raising animals for meat is greatly outweighed by the cost to house, feed and care for their upkeep. It is far more efficient for me to pay an expert, local farmer for his/her expertise because that is their job, livelihood and most likely their passion.

2. Growing Absolutely Everything. In this day and age, this is not necessary. Technology has made it so that individually we need not toil independently but work collectively. I can trade my skills for money which I can use in turn to pay another person for their skills. This is where self-sufficiency gets taken off my list of goals.

3. Rural Homesteading. I have decided I don't want to homestead in the traditional sense. Urban homesteading, if it really qualifies as that (which I highly doubt) is much more my style whether I live in the country or not, I am not seeking a self sufficient farm.

This process of looking for a house, holding hard and fast to dreams that no longer hold a flame in me, has been very much a learning experience. I have learned that by letting go of certain dreams and moving on towards others is very liberating. Buying a home is a huge step but it's one that I never thought would teach me so much.

Now would someone please tell me which house I should buy so I can get this show on the road? If only it were that easy.

Thanksgiving

It was Thanksgiving this passed weekend. If anything I am so thankful for a couple days of rest. We have been going full tilt lately looking for a house and spent Saturday viewing seven more. All in all we have seen 20 houses so far. I am trying not to think about it but the process seems all in compassing. It's a very stressful time and this process has consumed me.

Photo from a Harvest Festival at St. Marie Among The Hurons, Midland

My house seems almost void of celebration. I have done minimal decorations and despite my best efforts, botched a pair of pumpkin pies. We did enjoy a good, relaxed meal with the standard fare. We went for a rather lovely walk in the woods, in which Daniel and I spoke nearly nonstop about possible homesteads. I am grateful that this time is here. It has been a long time coming. We are in the final stages of moving into our very own home but at the same time I will be even more grateful when it is all over. This process is maddening, necessary but maddening.


I apologize for not being more 'present' with this blog for the time being. Once this is all done, I will have tonnes of lovely things to blog about but for now, finding the right homestead is all I can think about.

K.I.S.S. Me!

What a weekend! We viewed 7 houses and I was nearly in love a few times. But now I am back to square one. Each house has it's own pros and cons. Everything must be considered from the age of the furnace, to the type of flooring to the neighbours. Oh this is so daunting! And we've barely begun.



I think the process has helped solidify my needs and wants, dreams vs. reality. We looked at one hobby farm yesterday. It had 33 acres, with 6 acres cleared for house and pasture. There's a barn and fencing. I left after walking through the house twice and felt for sure we would put in an offer. Then at home reality set in. The house is huge but it needs work. It needs a new furnace, new windows and half a roof. The upstairs bathroom needs to be redone and the light fixtures need to be replaced in all rooms. Add this to the fact that the house was already stretching our limited budget.

Those cons aside, the 27 acres of bush is another bone of contention. The forest is protected from development (yea!) and we can remove as much as we would like for firewood (bonus!) but that means extra equipment, sweat equity on weekends and hard work for my husband who does not function well on his leg for three seasons out of the year. I fear if we bought the place the pasture and barn would sit empty for years and I would be in over my head as far as everything else goes.

The other houses we viewed were a mix and match of needs. One house had okay land and a decent house but the kids bedrooms were small with no closets. We could put in closets but that would reduce the bedroom sizes even more.

Another house had a unique layout with tonnes of potential inside, but almost no sun or clearing for a garden of any kind. I need a moderately sized garden, that is a deal breaker.

The house on the top of my list is the same floor plan as the farm house but on two acres in an estate subdivision...er...not my idea of country freedom. We have to check rule book at the Township Office. Hey, maybe they will allow chicken, who knows?

And it seemed all the houses were over priced for the market, according to our Real Estate Agent. She and I seem to be in agreement over that. I have seen numerous houses sit on the market all summer with nary a price reduction. Some people just refuse to admit that the money they could have made two years ago is not the case right now.

After viewing all the homes and going through slight heart break over the hobby farm, I have adopted a new motto when viewing houses.

Keep.It.Simple.Sweetie.

There is no point biting off more than I can chew. Feeling overwhelmed by my property and house is not my idea of simplicity. I can live simply without living on a hundred or even ten acres. This is my firm conclusion after looking at a few houses and trying to envision my life there. The search continues...

House Hunting!

It's time! The family and I are heading out tomorrow to look at some possible homesteads. It's both exciting and nerve racking. There are so many things to consider and so many possibilities for our future. After years of renting I am so chomping at the bit to get in to a home of our own.

In our area, property prices are fairly high. We need to find the right balance between house and land without breaking the budget. We want to be fiscally responsible and that may mean opting for less land in the end. I am not sure how I feel about that. I definitely see chickens in our future and bees as well. I want fruit trees and a large, large, large vegetable garden. These are all things that I think can be squeezed on to an acre but of course it depends how the house and environs are laid out.

The internet search engine, MLS, can be deceiving. What looks like tonnes of land is actually...er...not so much. However I don't want to get too much land that we can't keep up. My husband has physical limitations and I am often busy with the kids and my own school work.

In the end, I know we will find the right house for us. Something in the country, surrounded by nature and the very best part, it will be ours!