"If I were a rich man, Ya ha deedle deedle, bubba bubba deedle deedle dum. "

" I'd build a big tall house with rooms by the dozen,
Right in the middle of the town.
A fine tin roof with real wooden floors below.
There would be one long staircase just going up,
And one even longer coming down,
And one more leading nowhere, just for show."

                                        Fiddler on the Roof

Just happened to be singing this tune (in my head) so decided to blog and thought I would just check into realestate.com to see if there was a suitable picture of a house I could pinch! And the first one was just perfect. A lovely Terrace in town with nice room proportions and a maintenance free backyard. It has the space to fill with lovely items from home and the shop - perfecto!

 

The pictures for this house are lovely but rather empty of things you would expect to see in a home of this size. There are few personal touches and it appears very sparse. Its not that you have to crowd a home like this but I certainly would fill it with objects that were useful and pleasing to the eye such as this pair of vases.

I have not taken too many things home from the shop - just the odd piece of furniture if it is special and I know I won't get another one like it. When I commented on these vases, my husband said "why don't you take them home....." and I said "not until we have a home that's ours....." but I can still plan in my head how and where they would go.

See what I mean by sparse! It makes you wonder why they are selling..... anyhow my long recycled timber table that seats 8 would be perfect in here...... would be our home in no time!

Hello, my name is Cathy & I am a realestate.com.au addict....

I trawl through the listings of Launceston and Invermay on realestate.com.au weekly if not sometimes alternate days. Its not that I am in the market to buy a house just yet - it's just that I really want to buy a house. I need a nest!

I know how hard real estate agents have to work to list, present, market and sell a house. I was a mortgage broker in my past life and one of the things I did was attend Open Homes with an Agent. So on Saturday's I would get to see 6 to 8 homes. I was there to sell my service, hopefully convert the sale or alternately ensure the buyer was ready to buy and buy NOW. After awhile you tended to recognise the habitual Open Home Lookers - they were the Saturday Open Home Trawlers. 

They would turn up to the open home, gladly give their contact details (if the agent didn't already have them) and then go through the home inspecting with delight. They were time wasters. We were their Saturday entertainment. Nothing more nothing less.

They spent money on petrol or walked if they lived close by and were able to look for ideas for their own homes - even to the point where they wanted to know the color of the paint etc.

The Agents would treat them with respect and have a never ending hope that one day they would ask them to sell their home.

So knowing how hard it is for the Agents I don't go to open homes - even if I would buy the house if I had the money, have looked at every detail online and decided where to place my furniture. I won't give the Agent or the seller false hope.

The Seller (sometimes still in the house/across the street/in the next backyard) watches for visitor numbers, takes heart when the numbers are good and crashes emotionally when no one turns up.

I know when we were selling our home I wanted to know who came, did they like the house, were they in the market NOW to buy? And I knew from the names whether my neighbours or friends had just popped in for a look or a sticky beak.

So now, knowing my buying position, I trawl the internet. It is safe, harm free and can be enjoyed at anytime of the day or night - and I don't use up petrol!

My kids however see me on realestate.com.au and start to ask the questions..... are we moving? does it have a pool? make sure it has a backyard - I want the biggest bedroom..... etc etc. And then I have to reassure them that no we are not moving, Mum is just dreaming about moving and when we are ready I will let them know and give them fair warning....

Tidy & Clean = Peace and contentment!

I don't know about you, but my emotions at home are dictated by the state of the house.
I either feel grumpy, anxious (especially if someone knocks on the door) and frustrated if my house is messy, needs a vacuum or the bathrooms need cleaning. It appears that I am the only one in the family who notices the mess, the rest appear to be oblivious! I also seem to be the only one who can tidy away, clean, and vacuum.

There is nothing nicer than a tidy and clean house to keep me in a content mood.

Its nice to start cooking dinner with clean bench tops and an empty sink.

I am one of those people who madly tidy’s stuff away and clean’s before the cleaner comes. I feel really bad if the house is messy and I will not let anyone come to visit unless the house (or what they see of it) is tidy and clean. We moved into a NO cupboard house over a year ago now and I am still trying to create suitable storage to put away the things we never use, but can’t toss out. 

I feel serene and calm when the house is clean and tidy and really stressed and agitated when its not! I do get distracted when I have to do housework and have learnt to set myself a goal per day rather than do it all at once (otherwise I really find it hard to do cos I don’t want to do it at all).

There seems to be no easy solution (other than hiring a house maid) to ensure my happiness in the home!

Inbuilt desire to own.....

I wonder when the first seeds are sewn into our mind that we should have a home of our own. What conscious or subconscious thoughts are placed to return time and time again to start up the yearning for our own home. It's okay when you do own your home, you settle into a routine of living in what you have, decorate it as you so desire and maintain and improve it until its use is up. Then thoughts go to "is it time we move? do we need a bigger or smaller space? Do we want to live in a different suburb closer or further away from town etc etc etc."

My parents were 10 pound Poms from England. They moved to Brisbane in 1964 and for the next 6 years they moved 6 times. Then my Mum put her foot down and told Dad that the next house they bought had better be the one he could live in for a long time because she wasn't moving again.

So they bought a 3 bedroom brick house on an acre of land, 28kms from Brisbane. It was a very basic rectangle box and was considered to be located in the "sticks". They paid $14k for it then and 26 years later sold it for $220k. They had extended with a further 3 bedrooms, double garage, swimming pool and it was fully landscaped. Two years after it sold again for $650k.
They had been happy in this house, it had served them well. They saw 3 kids grow up, get jobs, drive and park numerous vehicles in the front yard, move out, move back, and move out finally for good. Then they were empty nesters, a large big house with the two of them echoing through it.
So the thoughts started of moving again, to a smaller more manageable block, to a more suitable house. It wasn't long and they sold and moved to the eighth home. Three years later they did it again.... sold and bought the "final retirement" Unit. Located close to my brother and his family, across from the beach and close to all the amenities they would need to see their later years out. Their next stop would be an aged care facility and this could be years away.

So when you no longer own your home and you rent a home why then does the yearning start all over again?

My needs are simple..... Our needs are simple.....

We live in town - right in the CBD. We really enjoy the convenience and ability to walk to work, walk to restaurants, shops and local events. Our rental home is what we need to house us (except for the lack of cupboards) with 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 living areas, kitchen and separate dining. It has parking but NO backyard. The lack of a backyard is the only thing letting it down (other than NO cupboards). My son likes where we live, enjoys catching the school bus to town and then the short stroll home via his friends coffeeshop. But he hates that we don't have a backyard. Where as Michael loves the fact he has no lawn to mow, no weeds to pull and no hedges to cut, Mackenzie would like to be able to kick a ball and not have it roll down the street. I too miss the ability to sit out the back in the sun and read the paper or to have my outdoor setting nicely set out for lunch and entertain in private. So next time I would like a small backyard that would allow Mackenzie to kick a ball around, scoot on his scooter, for the maintenance to be minimal and for the peace to begin.

It's a gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach.....

Assuming that every mother wants to protect their children and family is just what it is .... an assumption. But I do.... cross one of my children or my husband and look out for the Lioness slinking up behind you! I am not the violent type but I will slay you with the written or spoken word and my eyes will lock you in with a deadly look.

One thing that has been gnawing away at me is the need to have our own bricks and mortar - again. I am becoming increasingly frustrated with renting. Yes we rent because we have to but I don't have to be happy doing it. It solves the purpose now but it doesn't ease the gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Once upon a time ago I would have wanted the three level mansion with multiple bedrooms and bathrooms that could house a few families. Been there.... done that. Brought back to reality very quickly, and more realistically now, my wish is for a simple house to accommodate the four of us and the cats.