Moving On

“It’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all”

We knew this would probably happen.  We both went into this with eyes wide open that this might be a problem from the very beginning, but we tried to make it work anyway.  At first things were going great, looking promising.  And then the bottom dropped out.  Or should I say the top.

Our house, the one we made an offer on, the one we are “in contract” on, the one I tried not to fall in love with but did, has roof problems.  We aren’t surprised, we knew this walking into it.  The roof is 15 years old.  In the good old Midwest this would not have been a problem, but since the hot South Texas sun eats roofing for breakfast the 30 year roof needs to be replaced.  Or at least repaired from some nasty hail damage, but after that replaced in about a year and a half.  Maybe two.

So here we are, standing with deal breaking information.  We can’t replace the roof today.  We could replace the roof next year, but we need it to make it that long.  They can’t replace the roof today, but they need to sell the vacant house.  We may have to walk away, leave the house and move on.  We knew this could happen.  We knew it would come down to the roof.  I’m starting to wish we never took a chance on the house to begin with.

Roof issues are something we will have to deal with no matter what.  Roofs just don’t last very long in South Texas, so moving on to a newer house will just mean we need to replace the roof before we sell it, but we will still be replacing a roof at some point.  South Texas kills houses.  It eats roofs, overworks air conditions so they only last 8 years, scorches your yard, and throws hurricane force winds at the whole thing, knocking off shingles and branches and anything else.  It makes me want to stay a renter forever.

But renting is becoming more and more uncomfortable.  We can’t stay here, our lease is almost up and being here for another year is not an option.  We need a yard, our family is too big for apartment life, and rental houses are much more expensive than buying a house the same size.  We need to buy because it makes the most sense where we are at.  The housing market didn’t skyrocket or plummet down here the way it did in other parts of the country.  It stayed pretty stable, only rising and falling a little bit. 

We will be here for at least a few more years, but possibly ten or more.  Hey, we may never move.  We don’t really know right now.  Our hearts are still in the Midwest, but being here is good too.  I don’t want to rent for a decade.  That doesn’t make any sense.  And I don’t want to be looking for a new place every couple of years.   I want to settle.  I want to paint.  I want to buy a house.

Last night we discussed the inevitable breakup with the house we are “in contract” with.  We don’t want to start over.  We don’t want to start from scratch.  But we might not have a choice.  So I guess we will be moving on.  Staying here is not an option.  It’s time to start over again.

dollimama

linked up with Shell for Pour Your Heart Out