kristinehayes2014

Comments

• Yep--add me to the list of divorcees who relied on dogs to help ease the transition. I had two Corgis (Riley and Zoey). My ex wasn't a dog person so there was no question about who would get the dogs. Even if there had been, I would have given up everything else to keep my pups.

  Post: Penny Wise, Pound Foolish

  Link to comment from April 13, 2026

• What a perfect motto!

  Post: Penny Wise, Pound Foolish

  Link to comment from April 13, 2026

• It's funny your story involves Newfoundlands--I thought that would be what my first dog was. To put a little financial slant on that: I ended up getting a Corgi instead of a Newfoundland because our first house was only 800 square feet and I figured the Newfy would take up too much personal real estate inside our home. I'm sure 'non-dog' people struggle to understand the (what they perceive as irrational) connection people can have with their dogs. And that level of 'connection' varies widely even among dog-people. Some people care about their dogs, while other people CARE about their dogs. No surprise that I fall on the far end of the CARE spectrum. The children/no-children discussion going on right now on HD seems to evoke a similar emotional response. People who have children seem to have difficulty understanding why everyone else wouldn't want children. People who feel a deep connection to dogs often can't understand why other people don't feel the same. So I certainly understand why someone who is struggling financially can't bear to think of parting with their pets. It would feel like letting go of a part of your soul.

  Post: Penny Wise, Pound Foolish

  Link to comment from April 13, 2026

• Possibly irrational: Buying a house because you have four dogs and there's no way anyone will rent to you. Buying a custom-made van to transport your four dogs. Having a home that you describe to other people as, "a dog kennel that the dogs are kind enough to let us reside in.". I wouldn't change any of it.

  Post: Penny Wise, Pound Foolish

  Link to comment from April 12, 2026

• The $600K and $375K figures didn't include the various incidentals you mentioned. That said, as far as home improvements went, I would guess I invested only about $6K over the four years I lived there. I painted the entire house (interior and exterior) myself. That alone made a huge difference in the appearance of the home. It was a horrible shade of green on the inside and outside when I purchased it. I went with neutral colors because I figured it would likely increase the curb appeal when I went to sell. Total cost of the paint and supplies was less than $1,000. The house needed a new roof, a new furnace and a few other minor things. I assumed when I sold it, I would have to pay for at least a portion of the needed 'repairs'. As it turned out, I didn't because the buyer waived all inspections and repair requirements. When I purchased the house, I was reasonably sure I would live there for less than four years. At the time I bought it, my best guess was that I would need to sell if for about $400K to essentially 'break even' (recoup my entire 20% down payment). Obviously, selling it for $600K (even with real estate fees), I not only recouped my initial down payment, but walked away with a tidy additional sum. Had the market not gone crazy during COVID, I very likely would have ended up losing money. I just happened to get very lucky with my timing.

  Post: The Home Ownership Gamble

  Link to comment from April 12, 2026

• My husband doesn't make much off of his rental home. But, he owns it outright and ultimately wants his son to inherit it. So, using it as a rental property makes sense.

  Post: The Home Ownership Gamble

  Link to comment from April 11, 2026

• You're welcome! Glad you were also able to take advantage of that crazy 2022 housing market! We got $125K over our asking price. Full cash offer. Two days on the market. We got to rent back from them for two months for free. And, craziest of all, they waived all inspections and repairs. I'm pretty sure I'll never be able to take advantage of another market like that one, but never say never...

  Post: The Home Ownership Gamble

  Link to comment from April 11, 2026

• That's an interesting turn-over statistic about homes in your 55+ community. I'd be curious to find out what that rate is in ours. In general, I feel like most people who move here stay for an extended period of time. There are still homes coming on the market that were built in the early 1990's and are listed as being 'original owner' homes. And yes, the most critical step is to plan ahead--too may people seem to wait too long before thinking about how they will deal with their long-or-short-term care needs until it becomes an emergency situation.

  Post: The Myth of the Default Caregiver

  Link to comment from April 11, 2026

• Welcome to the forum Mary. And thanks for sharing your thoughts--I too was able to retire at a young age, in part, because I made the decision not to raise a child.

  Post: Financial regrets about parenthood?

  Link to comment from April 11, 2026

• There are definitely a variety of reasons for purchasing a home and not all of them are logical. The house in Portland that I mention in this article was purchased because my husband and I knew we would never find a rental (house or apartment) that would allow us to have four (big) dogs.

  Post: The Home Ownership Gamble

  Link to comment from April 11, 2026