My First House

When I was 23 years old, I purchased my very first house. I was a young and up and coming branch manager at Centex, so I decided to build one of their homes myself on a community in Rowlett, TX.

I remember how scared I was…but excited at the same time. Probably more excited though, for sure.

I had picked out our lot and all of the goodies that were to go inside of this home and I patiently (well, really impatiently) watched as it came together, brick by brick. I dreamed about what it would finally look like and how I would have it look on the inside. I remember picking out every aspect of the tile, paint etc. That was a LOT of pressure to put on a first time homebuyer, yet alone a 23 year old kid…picking out all of those details. I had no idea what I was doing, although no one knew that. I totally had to wing it. It was scary.

I remember that the mortgage company (which was the same one that I worked for) like totally forgot about me until I was about 30 days out from closing…and we had to scramble to get my loan done so I could close on time. That is especially funny since I was in the mortgage business at the time too. Even though I was in the industry, there were so many things that were unfamiliar to me. Terminology, processes, procedures etc. all whirled around me like a hurricane.

You would think that I had 100% confidence in all that was going on, but the reality of it was that I did not. It all became a blur, but I do remember being scared to death. I was officially an adult now and I now had to very quickly learn how to maintain a home of my own.

Holy crap I learned a lot. It was so overwhelming…but dang it, I found that there was no greater pleasure than coming home to MY house. I paid $150,000 for that house and at the time, it was THE largest purchase I had ever made. I was now officially an adult.

The day that I moved in, I basically had no furniture. I went from living in an 800 sq foot apartment to a 2000 sq foot mansion LOL. Most of the rooms were empty at first…but as time progressed, they got filled with furniture that was carefully picked and agonized over. I wanted it to be perfect.

I think about my closing day sometimes…and how I went to the empty house that night and slept on a sleeping bag in the bedroom on the floor. It was MY house. Holy crap.

Fast forward 21 years and 3 houses later, I have become somewhat of a pro. LOL.

One of my favorite loans to do is for people who have never bought a home before because I remember that elation and apprehensive uncertainty that goes with closing on your very first home. These clients get my special attention. I make sure that I explain things clearly and really go over what all of the different terms mean. I give them advice on how to save extra money to set aside for those “just in case” home emergencies that come up inevitably with owning a home. I take my time with them and do my best to mentally prepare them for what they are about to experience.

Yes, it is totally scary and new…but I will tell you, it was definitely one of the best things I have done. Owning that home changed me. It made me better. It makes me smile just thinking about it and how different I became when I had my OWN house. There is no better feeling.

I could paint the walls, sit on MY back porch and watch the golfers during the day. My dogs had a yard to play in. I had an office to work in. A bathroom to enjoy. I could do with it as I pleased and I quickly learned that my home was a beautiful extension of who I had become as a person. It was like I made it.

As I write this, I decided to google my first house. A Realtor.com listing came up with some pictures. I just finished taking a look. The fence color I picked is still the same. The rocks and the bushes that I had lovingly picked out are still there, up front.  The screen front door that my dad put on is still there. The tiny tree that was originally planted has definitely grown. The price has almost doubled. Proof that real estate is indeed a great asset to have.