Battle of the Brass

We have been in our house for almost a year now, and I'd have to admit having buyers remorse on a few occasions during the past several months. After the initial homeowner excitement died down (which for us also coincided our beginning to hibernate for our first winter in the new house), there were definitely a few panicked moments of wondering how on earth I could have used my life savings on a down payment. The realization of being in a place for an extended period of time is kind of a strange one. Fear of commitment? Perhaps. Somehow I doubt I am that I am alone in feeling a bit overwhelmed by the thought of a 30 year mortgage.

At any rate, my sister and her husband are currently looking for a house. My parents were in town last weekend, so I joined the family affair that was house-hunting, at least for a few properties. I know that housing prices in the DC area have been out-of-control in recent years, but I really thought that things had "normalized" a bit lately. After what I saw this weekend, I can say that housing at a fair price is still very hard to find around here. Most of the time I just chalk DCisms like this up to being in the DC area, but at times I find it hard to understand why anyone would agree to take on a huge mortgage for a house that seemed to be way overpriced.

Our house wasn't "cheap" by any means (see the reference to my buyer's remorse in the first paragraph), but I was reminded again this weekend that we were able to find value for what we paid. I felt a little reassured by touring other houses that we found the right house for us at the right time. While our house needs updating, it's generally in good shape and we are surrounded by neighbors who care about the status of their homes. The previous owners and/or the first owners of our house had a bit of an Americana thing going on, which I'd have to say is something that doesn't really excite me. Americana combined with the fact that the house was built in the mid-eighties led to there being a lot of brass in the house. Brass light fixtures, brass door knobs, brass hinges....I call it the Battle of the Brass, which I will one day "win" by replacing most if not all of it. Two light fixtures down, but many more brass pieces to go.