Today I went to a client's walk through. As I pulled into the driveway, I was greeted by an elated client. The time had finally arrived. She had bought a new construction and the build time had gone way past the initial estimated date of completion. We had arrived a few minutes before the builder and therefore took the time to venture inside the house to see the final product! As my client walked around the house, she pointed out the rooms where her children and grandchildren would sleep when they visited. She mentioned how she had bought a new dining room table for her family's Christmas meals and other holiday celebrations. She discussed how she was going to turn her master room suite into a sitting room, so she could relax at the end of the day and do what she loves to do the most-read.
My client had been through a lot the last few months. Her eldest child was in an accident leaving him unable to walk. She had also entered unexpectedly into motherhood again, at the age of 55, when she decided to raise her newborn granddaughter. The house's 6 month construction delay only added stress. Today though, for the first time, in a long time, I saw her smile. Her house was finally ready and she could have her family under one roof and move forward.
When surrounded my daily statistics of countless foreclosures, negative equity, and price drops, as a homeowner and a professional in the industry, it is easy at times to see a home as just a "commodity." A physical good that is bought and sold based solely on its price. As my own home has experienced drastic deprecation since we purchased, I myself have been guilty of that train of thought . Should we have waited to purchase? Did we make the right choice? Will our home's value continue to decline even further? My husband's enthusiasm for our house has been the victim of my profession. "You won't believe how much the builder dropped their price!" "if you could only see the homes that are going for less than what we paid for!" Phrases that have been uttered straight out of the horse's mouth - mine. All the while, my husband stating "Who cares, I still love our house"
My client's happiness and excitement was just what the doctor ordered for me. It reminded me of a few things that I had recently let msyelf forget. I got home and remembered how excited I was when we bought this home, our first home together as husband and wife. The plans we made, similar to my client's. The room my office would go in, the room we would use for our child's nursery. It awakened me to the true meaning of our house and home ownership. The market conditions will one day improve, as they say "this too will pass". Years from now, that pain will be forgotten. The laughs, good times, and yes, at times, not so good memories, though is priceless. I embraced my home today for what it is and what is was always intended to be - not just a sticker price on a window, but a beautiful haven for my family.
